With my new FIRST team I need a new laptop. This will be used mainly for pits work and just to fool around with, however it’s also my family’s new computer (our old one is getting wicked old). I’m thinking speed and battery life are optimal for FRC pits work, but I also need this to work on Mindstorm, for my Lego League kids (which I’ll hopefully create). Furthermore there’s a possibility I’ll need it for mechanical drawing and animation (but hopefully my company will be able to aid me with that one). Oh yea, and for some odd reason I like things cheaper. So what laptops would you suggest (I’ve heard that most people don’t like vista)?
Thanks
How cheap is cheap?
My personal recommendation for (what sounds like) an all-purpose mobile system is the Lenovo T61 or Dell D630. They both come out around $1300-1500 for a respectable configuration (2.0GHz, 1GB, 100GB, WiFi ABGN, Bluetooth, 1400x900, DVD-RW, extended battery). Also, if you’re a college or HS student you can get a student discount which will knock it down to around $1200-1400.
The T61 also has a faster nVidia graphics option if you plan on doing a lot of Pro/E or 3dsMax and what not.
My default reaction, both as a Mac user and someone who knows what perils laptops in competitions face, is to investigate a MacBook running Boot Camp. I have an iBook, the MacBook’s predecessor, and it’s a rather sturdy device. With the MagSafe connector that Apple introduced with the new Intel models, you have even fewer things that can go wrong (and who hasn’t tripped over a wire or two at a bad time in the pits?). If you’re going to do a lot of CAD work, I’d recommend optioning up to 2GB of RAM; going third-party on this would be highly recommended.
MacBooks start at $1099, but the education discount (available to K-12 institutions) knocks the price to $999 for the base model. I’ve seen refurbished models (you can’t tell the difference, except for the box) go for $899 in the refurbished section. eBay might make it cheaper still. Getting AppleCare would be highly recommended–think of it as a $249 insurance policy against a student who still had a little much pizza grease on his hand. The school may have a site license for Windows that would cover the new laptop; failing that, a full version of Windows goes for around $150-200, depending on the site and version.
I’ve also heard good things about the Lenovo (formerly IBM) ThinkPad line of notebooks, but haven’t had any degree of seat time with one.
IBM (now Lenovo) makes some very rugged laptops. If you REALLY want rugged, you could look into the Toshiba (or maybe its Panasonic) Toughbook. That option is also rather pricey.
A gateway works well until they only sell with Vista now so there is the bad side with mine i run an AMD turion 64x2 and 2gb of ram it has done a lot of cad and just about every thing you said the battery is about 2 hours at the best conditions buy with cad running about 1 hour
Gateway
For a cheap but usable laptop, look at Acer. Newegg as both intel and amd models in the 500-700 range. For work in the pits any laptop will do. 2d work will be ok but for serious 3d modeling and graphics lap tops come up short.
[tablet PC, Vista, Gateway rant]
I’m running a Gateway cx210. The bottom of the line is $1100, but if you watch for a sale you can easily get it for $1000 or even $900. I have the 12 cell battery(standard is 8 cell) which gets up to 6.5 hours(depend on optical drive use) of battery life when I put in Power Saver(WINDOWS VISTA ONLY) mode. In High Performance(same as XP) I still get around 4 hours.
Keep in mind the CX210’s base line is: 1.86 Core Duo, 1024mb RAM, 80gb HDD, CD-RW/DVD Combo, Wi-FI a/b/g, Vista Home Premium.
NOTE: I also have the ATI graphics card, which also uses more power than the less powerful Intel option.
I also suggest this unit because I LOVE convertible laptops. You have no idea how wonderful it is ,for graphics work, taking notes, scouting the pits, or anything else, to be able to draw/write on the screen.
Also this unit has the option to get Windows XP Tablet Edition(pro + tablet functionality), for $100.
I STRONGLY recommend getting Vista for a laptop. As I mentioned above the power saving features of Vista a amazing. Unless you know a product you want to run has compatibility issues, get Vista.
Vista does have a learning curve, but once you learn it you will find Vista really is better, and a lot prettier, than XP.
I have run all Lego Mindstorms software on Vista without any issues. I did need to install a driver update for the USB RCX tower, but that was easy.
[/tablet PC, Vista, Gateway rant]
If you don’t like to unit I mentioned above, which I can understand, find the cheapest computer you can find, and replace it when you need something better(or it gets broken).
My vote goes with the laptop that I have, which is a HP Pavilion dv5000. It has a large screen and right now runs AutoCAD, Inventor, and Solidworks on Windows XP. Graphics are good, although for something that is very graphics intensive like orbiting a 3D model, it’s sluggish but does not crash.
The good:
-It can handle AutoCAD, Inventor, or Solidworks.
-Large screen
-Wider key spacing
-Built-in IR remote control handy for presentions.
-Media Center!
-Helpful HP people.
The bad:
-Topheavy
-Short battery life
-Hard to maneuver
Alright, I don’t want to recommend anything special but Lenovo/IBM has been mentioned so I figure I should let you know atleast of my experience.
I have a think pad T-60 running XP I have all of the robotics software on it, including 3d max, Autodesk, and Mplab. I also use Solid works and NX4, I never have any issues. My only complaint about Thinkpads is that they default to using ThinkVantage acess conections for networking which is extremely cumbersome to do alot of things with. However you can uninstall it and just use Windows acess connections instead.
I get bought the 9 cell battery to replace the normal 6 cell, since I am in class all day and need my laptop battery life was important to me. With the 9 cell I get about 5 hours with think pad default settings which is more than enough for using office and web browsing. When I use CAD or compile large amounts of code I put it on max performance which cuts the battery life down to about 3 hours.
Over all I love my laptop and would recommend a thinkpad if you are not planning to spring for a nice Mac Book Pro( they are amazing).
-James
Any laptop with a dedicated graphics card by nVidia or ATI with 128mb+ dedicated graphics memory can handle AutoCAD or Inventor.
So basically, look for a laptop with a nice screen, 2GB of Ram, 100GB+ HD, Dedicated Graphics(important), and a dual core processor (either AMD or Intel).
If the laptop has dedicated graphics (most of AMD solutions do), a $600-$700 laptop will more than enough for most of your needs(but you might get the 2GB RAM in the price range). 3dsMax type animations will easily require 2GB or more RAM.
All the horsepower in the world won’t help you if you don’t optimize it. My desktop with an AMD Sempron can do all the things you require plus more. The only thing it has that would be somewhat expensive for laptop is a 6600GT graphics card. Though the sempron is somewhat limiting for gaming(BF2142), it can handle Inventor just fine. It lacks the raw power but optimizations keep it running smooth.
I’d second Billfred suggestion to go with a new Macbook from Apple, as with Parallels 3 and a copy of Windows XP, you will now be able to run everything from intense 3D gaming to Inventor and CAD on your Macbook. When you aren’t working on writing code or designing robot parts, you can utilize iLife (which comes free with every Mac) for all your personal and family stuff.
Even with the baseline Macbook ($1099) + Parallels 3 ($79) + Windows XP ($150), you’re looking at a price equivalent to a decent Windows PC laptop, but with the added bonus of Mac OS X and iLife.
I use both Windows and Mac computers every day, and they both have their pros and cons. But after using Vista for quite a while on various computers at school (I still don’t like it), and seeing the new Leopard 10.5 operating system from Apple, I’m going to have to side with Apple. Even my parents are considering replacing their aging Windows computer with an iMac when Leopard comes out.
Here’s some of the cool new features that are coming out in Leopard, Apple’s latest version of Mac OS X set to come out in October: 
- If you can, wait until October with Leopard is released. Otherwise if you can’t wait until the fall, Apple usually has good deals now for back-to-school sales where you get a free iPod with any new Macbook or Macbook Pro.
The regular MacBook won’t be doing any intense 3D gaming with Intel integrated graphics. The lack of a dedicated graphics will hurt most 3D applications. The fact that it can only have a max of 64mb of video memory(shared) is quite limiting for future use.
Not into macs, but I have to hand it to them. They have a FARRRRRR SUPERIORRRR graphics system which is why MOST professional photographers and videographers use macs [and why I think Windows put out vista to try to catch up].
Peace.
Perhaps Intel Macs are different, but my 15" G4 1.5Ghz Powerbook doesn’t play that well with 3D games. It’s all right when the screen is relatively empty to reasonably full, but once you start piling up the units, you enter slideshow mode. I have 1 gig of ram and 64 megs of video ram. Luckily Starcraft is 2D.
How exactly is their graphics system “far superior?” I’ve never actually looked into it. What is the hardware difference that makes them so much better?
Yes, they much better software rendering that the Vista. Mac have a better integrated system. A nice monitor and Photoshop will result in similar quality on Windows.
I have to give it Apple for having everything “out of the box”.
But the fact is that the hardware is the same. Thus, when you require serious hardware acceleration you won’t have it, at least when he uses Inventor on windows.
Well when i had the same problem i went to the safe side. I wanted mostly to run Inventor and not have to worry how many parts are in the assembly. So what i looked for the ISV certified label. So i went with the Dell M90 mobile workstation. It runs inventor 11, Solidworks, and 3dmax with no problems. But they do come with a hefty price tag. I got mine from their outlet and it runs like new and it cost me 1,500. I think that is a good price for 17’’ screen with Intel core 2 duo, 80gb HD, 1gb ram, and Nvida 256mb QuadroFX graphics card.
but if you are looking into apple products i would look at the Pro books if you want to run inventor and the other programs on it. but I think the mac books would work fine as long as you have the 2 gb of ram
Just picked up the new Santa Rosa MacBook Pro, if you’re willing the spend the extra cash, they’re def, worth it.
~Mike
i’ve been running a Macbook Pro with bootcamp for a little over 9 months now. I absolutely love it. It runs Inventor fine, not a workstation class CAD system, but considering i’ve now got both a mac os, and windows on one computer… i’ll take the slightly distorted graphics in inventor. the graphics aren’t bad by any means, just not as smooth as what i’ve seen on real CAD machines. It does everything I ask it to, well, unless i do something crazy in inventor… i have a bad habit of crashing things. i don’t know about the new laptops, but with mine battery life is a bit of an issue. i get probably 2-3 hours on average under OS X, but it drops significantly while running windows… though i should probably mention that i haven’t updated the bootcamp drivers for it… that might have something to do with it…
I’d recommend a Dell Inspiron. Although I’ve had mixed success with Dell laptops in the past, I’m very impressed with the one I have now.
Specs.
Dell Inspiron 6400
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 running @ 2 GHz 667 FSB
2 gigs of DDR-2 667 mhz
nvidia geforce go 7300 (128mb discreet, 128mb shared)
DVD burner
bluetooth
1680 x 1050 screen (very nice)
All for ~ $1500
Handles Inventor 11 very well as well as graphics intensive games (BF2, BF2142). Having the RAM matched to the FSB speed is recommended.
I have had decent luck with an HP Pavillion Ze4300 which lasted me probably 5 years, quite durable. When the time came I too went with the Lenovo T60, core2duo, 4G ram, 100G Hd, now running a tweaked version of VIsta ultimate and VERY happy.
I don’t think any laptop will have the “best” graphics card but over all this T60 is a real work horse and physically very durable and that is also what alot of the reviews talked about as well…very well built physically and for a work, mobile environment as opposed to a more office like environment that is important.
At the TV station where I work all the reporters have IBM Thinkpads and they are about 7 years old, some T43’s I think and they are in the news cars all day, on the live trucks, on the floor, indoors, outdoors and reporters are overall rough with equipment and everyone of those laptops looks rough…but is alive and well and working fine and that played a part in my decision to go with a lenovo this time.
QUOTE=JamesBrown;631500]Alright, I don’t want to recommend anything special but Lenovo/IBM has been mentioned so I figure I should let you know atleast of my experience.
I have a think pad T-60 running XP I have all of the robotics software on it, including 3d max, Autodesk, and Mplab. I also use Solid works and NX4, I never have any issues. My only complaint about Thinkpads is that they default to using ThinkVantage acess conections for networking which is extremely cumbersome to do alot of things with. However you can uninstall it and just use Windows acess connections instead.
I get bought the 9 cell battery to replace the normal 6 cell, since I am in class all day and need my laptop battery life was important to me. With the 9 cell I get about 5 hours with think pad default settings which is more than enough for using office and web browsing. When I use CAD or compile large amounts of code I put it on max performance which cuts the battery life down to about 3 hours.
Over all I love my laptop and would recommend a thinkpad if you are not planning to spring for a nice Mac Book Pro( they are amazing).
-James