Which notebook works for devs?
So I'm looking to replace a Gen 1 XPS (3.4 EE, 2GB, Radeon 9800) with something that would make my life easier in the development ring and give a boost in games. I would really appreciate a few recomendations on what I should get.
The two primary features that would help me (I believe) are RAID 0 and dual-core.
Here's the copy and paste
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1) What is your budget?
$2000 (I can go over if I can't meet this budget)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d,c,b,a
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Web/App development with Win2K3 Virtual PCs and secondarily games
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it home at night otherwise on the desk
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, nearly any FPS or RTS.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Nope
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
1 hr is plenty(just enough for a quick unplanned meeting)
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
I do not mind9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
United States
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
F,E,D
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy before non-glossy but I am comfortable with both.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not at all
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Within the month and keep it for about a year (or more if mobile DX10 isn't well established by then)
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
100 GB or better (I would really like RAID 0 support for good Virtual PC performance)
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Don't need one.
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I appereciate any advice and I apologize ahead of time if I have my head in the clouds.
Answer:
Re: Which notebook works for devs?
The Alienware Area-51 m5750 offers dual hard drives in a RAID configuration, along with a powerful ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 256MB graphics card and a 17" WUXGA screen option.
http://alienware.com/product_detail_...de=SKU-DEFAULT
It may go over your budget but you can get lesser configurations. Alienware's RAM upgrade prices are insane so upgrade that yourself.
The HP nx9420 is another nice option, along with the Dell E1705 if you want a great GPU (Go7900GS). Neither of those offer dual hard drives though.
Answer:
Re: Which notebook works for devs?
How does RAID-0 translate to Virtual PC performance? More RAM will do more for you. Get at least 2GB. Look at the current XPS offerings, and consider looking at Sager machines from a place like www.powernotebooks.com, the 5760 is a very, very fast machine.
Answer:
Re: Which notebook works for devs?
How does RAID-0 translate to Virtual PC performance? More RAM will do more for you.. I see lots of disk-thrash once SQL Server starts up in a VPC. For that matter just compiling a project causes alot of disk thrash regardless of how much RAM you have.
However, I certainly don't know that RAID-0 would help. It's just a guess. If I don't get RAID then I'm guessing that 2GB would not be enough as I currently have that much RAM on my XPS and as I stated, it thrashs like crazy. Is it possible to get 4GB anywhere near my budget?
Answer:
Re: Which notebook works for devs?
The Alienware Area-51 m5750 offers dual hard drives in a RAID configuration Very nice. This is pretty much what I think I need. I'll have to keep the config down or blow the budget a bit but it will be worth it.
The HP is certainly interesting from the cost stand-point and I may just do this to get the CPU/Video upgrade over my XPS but part of me wonders if I'll still hate VPC development with this box.
Thanks for the pointers!