Laptop SSD

[unicomp]

I would like good performance in the laptop which I am currently considering the purchase of.

Is an SSD going to provide a sufficient performance boost (given that the other hardware is reasonably good) to warrant the expense and the difficulty in location?

Currently I am restricted to buying one of 2 customised laptops whose cases look to be cheaply constructed. I would like to extend my choice of laptops, however without the loss of the attribute of "must have SSD" I believe that I am somewhat limiting my options.

Are there any laptops which have a SSD as standard (from the manufacturer)?

[ch_123]

You'd probably be better off buying a laptop with a regular disk drive, then buying the SSD seperately. Im not sure how many laptop makers use good SSDs (like the Intel ones, or the OCZ Vertex)

[unicomp]

You'd probably be better off buying a laptop with a regular disk drive, then buying the SSD seperately. Im not sure how many laptop makers use good SSDs (like the Intel ones, or the OCZ Vertex)

Indeed. I seemed, after a reasonable search, to find that my only real option was to take a customised laptop (this narrowed the choice to about 2).

I am somewhat concerned as to this decision as I do not wish to purchase the wrong product. I need good performance, however I do not actually do very much on the computer, besides general Intenet use and office work.

I am perhaps hindered by my inexperience of laptop use; my current desktop computer is certainly not an incredibly highly powered machine, however it boots (Ubunut 9.04 ext3) quickly enough and thereafter performs with enough speed, I believe.

I am most concerned that the general 5400RPM HDDs that are in a lot of laptops will offer a slow boot time and also slow access to information. The use of Linux may be some consolation to myself insomuch as I may be able to customise the installation somewhat (such that the overall reliance on resources is limited).

For reference: I was originally planning on using an Intel or OCZ SSD.

[ch_123]

I run Linux on my laptop, and it isn't noticably slower than my desktop, despite the 5400RPM vs 7200RPM thing. I'd be more concerned in getting a laptop that runs well with Linux and doesnt have driver issues. I'd look at either a Thinkpad or a Dell XPS (know a load of people who have Linux running on the latter without any issues)

[unicomp]

Are there any useful lists of the aforementioned laptops that are known to run well with Ubuntu (for instance)?

[ch_123]

Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Just get one with an Intel Wifi adaptor and integrated Intel graphics. The rest should be good. I'd veer towards the Thinkpads in particular, there's a great site called ThinkWiki which has guides for getting Linux on them. Also, they are great laptops in general, probably the best in fact.

[unicomp]

Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Just get one with an Intel Wifi adaptor and integrated Intel graphics. The rest should be good. I'd veer towards the Thinkpads in particular, there's a great site called ThinkWiki which has guides for getting Linux on them. Also, they are great laptops in general, probably the best in fact.

The styling of the Thinkpads does seem to be tasteful, in my opinion.

[unicomp]

What about:

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-studio-1555?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&ref=lthp

With 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 2Gb RAM, 5400RPM HDD, 1920x1080 screen, integrated graphics?

This seems to be a good resolution, an important trait.

[keyb_gr]

1920x1080 on a 15.6" screen, hmm. I hope you're a pilot or something. And either I'm too dumb or there's no easy way to find out what the thing weighs.

BTW, if you're mostly doing office and internet stuff, I/O devices should have highest priority. Screen viewing angles, keyboard quality (!), pointing device (I'd prefer having a trackpoint these days), stuff like that. If you expect some roughter handling, a magnesium case as found in better Thinkpads can't hurt. Type of external monitor connection and battery runtime at lower load are other factors to consider.

How portable should it be anyway? I used to have a 3 kg brick years ago, now I'd be aiming for more like half that. Maybe I'll get a used/refurb'd X series Thinkpad one of these days...

[unicomp]

None of this matters particularly. I will be using a separate keyboard and mouse to the laptop. The laptop does not need to be very transportable (it will be moved rarely, I envisage, however it must be moveable).

I will be unable to use an external screen (hence a high quality screen is required). I will rarely use a battery power for the laptop (as I envisage that the laptop will preside indoors).

I do not understand the comment regarding "pilot".

The viewing angles should not be a problem, as I can move the laptop around on the desk (from which it will rarely, I imagine, be moved) such that the best effect is achieved.

I am very thankful for the advice.

[ch_123]

I think he was getting at the sort of eyesight you'd need to be able to deal with such a small resolution on such a large screen.

[unicomp]

My main concern with regards to the screen is that I currently having been using a dual monitor setup of two 1680*1050 screens, and hence the transition to a single screen of a low resolution (1280*800) would be somewhat difficult to make.

As previously stated, I have no real way of using an external monitor for the laptop, hence I cannot merely take a good monitor and not worry about the screen of the laptop itself.

Basically I need to have a fast laptop for general use (I mention "general use" simply because I do not want to distinguish between processor intensive, etc.). I need to have a good resolution screen due to wanting to be able to utilise the available screen space in an effective manner. I would like the laptop to be tastefully styled (minimalist), in a manner that is not too cheap.

The Thinkpad styling is somewhat interesting to myself, however the lack of customisability is somewhat irking.

[ch_123]

I find the 1440x900 resolution on my 14" screen to be a nice balance, readable yet not clunky.

When you say lack of customization, what are you referring to in particular?

[unicomp]

It seemed to me that I could not easily opt to have a better screen (for instance) without getting an altogether better machine, hence one must adopt a laptop whose attributes conform to a predefined standard.

I did note that a Thinkpad R500 (if I remember correctly) seemed to be on sale for a good price, however it was using an ATi graphics card, I have little experience of ATi graphics cards and modern Ubuntu, however past experiences have been reasonable (one would hope that the standard drivers would cope with most general work on the laptop).

I may well attempt to experience a 1280*800 resolution to determine whether it is tolerable; this was the aforementioned Thinkpad:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_R500_Laptop__NP775UK/version.asp?PID=1240

[unicomp]

Other contenders:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asp/versions.asp?rewrite=Acer_TravelMate_6593G-842G25Mn_LX.TPX0Z.178&pagetype=version&page=

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Tecra_A10-16D_Laptop_PTSB1E-02T005EN/version.asp

I am certainly finding the choice to be difficult due to the vast number of variables.

[ch_123]

The last time I checked, ATI's linux drives weren't all that good. If you are in Britain, I'd suggest going to lenovo.co.uk and do a custom build.

[unicomp]

Which processor speed would be sufficient (assuming a Core 2 Duo)? I am not very knowledgeable of processors.

[ch_123]

A Core 2 Duo at or above 2GHz should be more than sufficient.

[unicomp]

How about:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/gbweb/LenovoPortal/en_GB/systemconfig.runtime.workflow:LoadRuntimeTree?sb=:000000F0:0000008B:&smid=2BD61D210D4B420DB4A05F15220AEEF7

With 3Gb of RAM?

[ch_123]

I'd upgrade to the more expensive Wifi cards (why not have the best for only £10 extra?) but I'd advise against getting the RAM from them - it's a complete ripoff. You should just get the 2GB, and then order another 2GB stick from Dabs or the like and install it yourself. It's easy enough to do - the RAM is located under the panel with the touchpad.

Oh, if you intend on using it exclusively with Linux, there's probably some procedure by which you can get a refund for Windows. I'm not sure what the deal with Lenovo is, but I know people who have gotten €150 back from Dell. The principle by which you get the refund is in the MS license for Windows, so it's not a Dell only thing.

[unicomp]

OK, I will be ordering the aforementioned laptop in the coming week most probably.

[JBert]

The last time I checked, ATI's linux drives weren't all that good. If you are in Britain, I'd suggest going to lenovo.co.uk and do a custom build.

Hmmm, I have used them and they seem to work fine.

I think they caught up with nVidia and in fact may even surpass them in the Linux department, for example my nVidia GTX 275 didn't have an official driver until a month ago...