Laptops for programmers?

[et]

I need a strong sturdy speedy can-do-it-all laptop that works well for
programmers doing sql & .net. Any advice, suggestions? What to get, what
not to get?

Thanks and I am cross posting on the dotnet.framework.aspnet group too.

[Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP]]

I can't think of a single laptop model that is better suited to SQL & .NET
than any other. The power is in the specs... obviously, the more powerful
the better. Go for faster disks when possible, but for development only
(and no load/performance testing) this really shouldn't impact anything
noticeably.

Try PC Mag or epinions.com or consumer reports or something like that.

"et" <eaglete...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ux8E36Be...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

[JT]

Laptops are generally not as upgradable as desktop PCs, especially when it
comes to CPU and display, so don't . For SQL Server or VS.NET, you need at
least 500mb RAM.

"et" <eaglete...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ux8E36Be...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

[David Gugick]

I like the IBM Thinkpad T42/T43. Get 2GB of RAM and the UXGA screen.

--
David Gugick
Quest Software
www.imceda.com
www.quest.com

[Mike Labosh]

>I need a strong sturdy speedy can-do-it-all laptop that works well for
>programmers doing sql & .net. Any advice, suggestions? What to get, what
>not to get?

The rule of thumb that I prefer is that if it can play the latest 3-D
shooter games (Doom 3, for example), it's a good devbox. The specs on the
side of the Doom 3 box are a good measuring stick for a do-it-all machine.
Just make sure it ships with XP Pro and not XP Home. I got burned with that
once.

Brand names and models aside, here's my recommendation...

P4 2GHz or better (for launching VS.NET, for running intense client-side
code, for killing bad guys)

1 GB RAM or better (so you can have Outlook, EM, QA & 3 instances of VS.NET
without swapping, and to kill badguys)

80 GB drive (so you can actually fit all the help files without compressing
the whole disk, oh, and so Doom 3 fits so you can kill badguys)

DVD Drive (because that's the way the world is going)

10/100/1000 Built-in ethernet is becoming a MUST. (also so you can kill
human badguys)

The REAL big one for me is (I forget what it's called, I think WUXGA) --
that native mode display that has the movie-screen style aspect ratio,
designed so end users can watch movies -- But that's my absolute favorite
feature when I have 47 windows open, or when I'm working in VS.NET, I can
have my solution explorer, server explorer, Toolbox, property window,
command window, watch window all open, and still have enough room to write
code. And to kill badguys at hi-res.

And definately get a Li Ion battery because NiCd sucks. (and so you can kill
badguys without AC)
--
Peace & happy computing,

Mike Labosh, MCSD

"Mr. McKittrick, after very careful consideration, I have
come to the conclusion that this new system SUCKS."
-- General Barringer, "War Games"

[Paul Nielsen, SQL Server MVP]

I'm very happy with my DELL XPS
3.4 Ghz hyperthreaded
1Gb 800Mhz dual port RAM
60 Gb 7200rpm 8 Mb buffer drive

SQL Scripts that took 203 minutes on my older Dell Deminsion 1.5 GHz machine
run in a few seconds on this box. It's like having a databnase server in a
notebook. I'd go with the faster drive over the larger drive. You can always
use an external USB drive. I use a Maxtor 250Gb drive to hold large
databases and the USB 2.0 is a very fast interface.

The XPS2 is out now.

-Paul Nielsen

"et" <eaglete...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ux8E36Be...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

[David Gugick]

Paul Nielsen, SQL Server MVP wrote:
> I'm very happy with my DELL XPS
> 3.4 Ghz hyperthreaded
> 1Gb 800Mhz dual port RAM
> 60 Gb 7200rpm 8 Mb buffer drive

That's not a laptop. It's a furnace. Keep it away from your lap. It sure
is a pretty thing, though...

[Paul Nielsen]

Ah yes, he did say "laptop" for programmer rather than notebook. I missed
that detail. You're right David, this thing is too heavy and too hot to be a
laptop. But on a desk with a ceramic heat-safe surface, it runs great. ;-)

-Paul

"David Gugick" <david.gug...@quest.com> wrote in message
news:uKrb55Ee...@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

[JT]

When flying coach, be careful not to get your nuts too close to the fire!

"Paul Nielsen" <pa...@sqlserverbible.com> wrote in message
news:uqkuzJFe...@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...

[Jeff Clausius]

I'm not sure what your exact needs are, but if you don't mind the weight,
heat, or short battery usage, you might want to look at the model we are
settling for dev team members:

http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/D900T.asp

For machine specifics / pricing we've looked at these vendors:
- Sager Notebook (www.sagernotebook.com) or PC Torque (www.pctorque.com)
- AlienWare (www.alienware.com)
- VoodooPC (www.voodoopc.com)
- Falcon-Northwest (www.falcon-nw.com)

When maxed out with 2 GB of memory and fast SATA RAID-0 drives, this
thing smokes (almost literally).

Jeff Clausius
SourceGear

"et" <eaglete...@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:ux8E36Be...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl:

[Paul Nielsen]

nice machine. 4gb memory is compelling. It looks very similar to the DELL
XPS Gen2.

-Paul Nielsen
www.SQLServerBible.com

"Jeff Clausius" <je...@raegecruos.com> wrote in message
news:Xns967F5A08C707Fj...@207.46.248.16...

[David Gugick]

JT wrote:
> When flying coach, be careful not to get your nuts too close to the
> fire!
>

That's a good point. Peanuts carry a lot of potential energy and given
the right heat source, they could be a problem in flight.

--
David G.

[Bill Orova]

It really gets down to the processing power and the battery life. The
three main things you would want would be a lot of usb ports so you do
not need to add a port replicator, good battery power(life) and the ease
of use of the keyboard . I have a epc parts portable pc that has 4 usb
ports it is very handy due to that option. But in terms of which to
company to go with I would consider paramount the ease of service, with
many companies you can go to any computer store to get a fix or
replacement parts this is not true for dell and gateway. All of the
parts and service for these are proprietary. I had a gateway and that
was a bad thing to be stuck with. I now use a Ibm thinkpad, a Sony Viao
notebook, and a EPCparts notebook along with a sony viao for my home pc.
I like the sony best for traveling as it is light and alot of power, as
far as in and around the home I like the epc parts the best because of
the multiple ports. A very good place to purchase is J&R musicworld in
nyc or computerworld when they get in new model they dump the old models
at outrageous prices. We recently picked up a pentium 4 mobile chip
notebook with 40 gigs-hd for under $650 new in box.

*** Sent via Developersdex http://www.developersdex.com ***

[Mike Labosh]

> That's a good point. Peanuts carry a lot of potential energy and given the
> right heat source, they could be a problem in flight.

Wow. You're even more wierd than I am.

[Mike Labosh]

>> I'm very happy with my DELL XPS
>> 3.4 Ghz hyperthreaded
>> 1Gb 800Mhz dual port RAM
>> 60 Gb 7200rpm 8 Mb buffer drive
>
> That's not a laptop. It's a furnace. Keep it away from your lap. It sure
> is a pretty thing, though...

Yeah, between the heat and the magnetic field from the main bus, that's what
causes impotency. ;)

[Jeff Clausius]

Paul:

I'm sure it explains a lot of the heat generated from these laptops, but
the Pentium 4s reach around 3.8 GHz. From what I can tell, the Pentium M
tops out at ~2GHz

From the looks of it, the XPS2 still uses a Pentium Mobile chip. Do you
know if you can get a full blown Pentium 4 in an XPS?

Note, they say 4 GB of memory, but I believe there is something in the
architecture which only lets you address ~2.2 GB.

Jeff

"Paul Nielsen" <pa...@sqlserverbible.com> wrote in

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