Buying a New Laptop

[thomas at redhat.com]

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On 04/19/2011 07:49 AM, Jim Herrmann wrote:
> I'm buying a new laptop really soon.  What do the members of KCLUG
> recommend for a Linux only laptop.  Pre-installed or no OS is fine with
> me, I just don't want to pay for something I'm never going to use.  I'm
> willing to spend in the neighborhood of a grand, give or take a few
> hundred.  So, I want a fairly nice machine, light weight for travel, but
> durable and reliable.  And, it goes without saying, Linux friendly.  You
> guys are super resourceful, so I wanted to tap into the vast knowledge
> base on this list.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your input.

Totally depends on what you need. I need a mobile workstation, as I
travel for a living and my laptop is my primary machine. To that end,
I've been on Thinkpad T series laptops for the last 5 years and been
very very happy.

You can get the Thinkpads with Intel video, Intel NIC and Intel wifi,
all of which Just Work(TM) under Linux. No third party crap, no closed
source binary garbage, just the stock kernel.

I am using a T510 right now - 15.6" screen, dual-core i7 CPU, 500GB SATA
drive, 8GB memory, Intel NIC/video/wifi. Couldn't be happier.

The T520 is out. Haven't gotten my hands on one, but if it's anything
like the T510, it's a freaking rocket. I just played with the
configurator and came up with this for $1728 (a steal):

Description		
ThinkPad T520 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Processor:	Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.70GHz, 4MB L3)
Operating system:	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
Operating system language:	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 US English	
Display type:	15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display,
Mobile Broadband Ready
System graphics:	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Total memory:	2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)
Keyboard:	Keyboard US English	
Camera:	720p Camera
Hard drive:	500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Optical device:	DVD recordable multiburner
System expansion slots:	Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart
Card Reader
Battery:	9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++
Power cord:	Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Bluetooth:	Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters:	Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
(3x3 AGN)
Integrated mobile broadband:	Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable
Language pack:	Language Pack US English	
	
Accessories and options:	
3Yr Basic Warranty Extension

- -- 
Thomas Cameron, RHCA, RHCSS, RHCDS, RHCVA, RHCX, CNE, MCSE, MCT
Managing Solutions Architect
512-241-0774 office / 512-585-5631 cell / 800-451-8679 x 8417915082 bridge
http://people.redhat.com/tcameron/
IRC: choirboy / AIM: rhelguy / Yahoo: rhce_guy
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