looking for a perfectly respectable, cheap linux laptop

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Robert P. J. Day <rpjday-L09J2beyid0N/H6P543EQg at public.gmane.org>

|   given that my laptop *is* my primary processor (i don't own a
| desktop at all), i go thru laptops pretty much about once a year, just
| plain wearing them out.
...

That seems like a bargain.

Choosing the right laptop very much depends on what you value.  Things
I value in a laptop, in order (I also have a desktop):
- working with Linux
- value for money
- portability
- battery life (I probably value it more than it matters)
- pixels
- price
- VT (hardware support for virtualization)
- brand rep

Generally AMD chips are not as good for notebooks because of their
higher power.  Unfortunately, this means that the only the cheapest
notebooks have AMD chips.  On the other hand, if you want VT, Intel
has historically made you buy a top-of-the-line notebook and AMD does
not.

I'm willing to spend quite a bit on my main system.  Any improvement
in my day-in-day-out working conditions is worth a fair bit to me.
Within reason, CPU speed doesn't much matter.  Screen characteristics
do.  That's why the inordinate cost of my 30" 2560x1600 monitor still
seems worthwhile to me.

|  so it's that time again, and once again, i
| pop over to tiger direct and see what's on sale, and particularly
| refurbished since i've had *very* good luck with refurbished gateway
| laptops from there.

I don't mind refurbs.  Usually you only get a short warranty (not in
the case of Apple Store refurbs).  Because notebooks are often hard to
fix, I value a warranty.

Tiger Direct is really hit or miss as far as I can tell.  You really
need to know what you are buying from them.  I think that the vast
majority of their products are "fully priced" (overpriced).  But
randomly they have what I consider very good prices.  I wrote this
list about a great netbook deal I found a month or so ago.

|   i just picked up one of these:
| 
| http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5633769&CatId=4965

As I said, that looks good.

| and i'm thinking that, at less than $500, i might want to get a
| second, similar (but not identical) system, so here are the options:

Asus has a much better reputation than Gateway (an Acer brand).  My
experience with Acer has been mostly fine.

Both notebooks seem heavy.  6.82 lb for the Gateway, 5.7 lb for the
Asus.  Probably reasonable for notebooks with 15.6" screens and
optical drives.

The Core 2 Solo SU3500 does have VT
<http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37133>

Why do you want a similar notebook?  Would it make sense to get a very
different one to cover more bases?  Say a really small one that is
easy to carry?  Or a really big one with a great 17" screen?  Or
stagger your purchases in time?

|   minimally, i think i have the right to expect:
| 
|   * 64-bit processor with H/W virtualization
|   * at least 3GB RAM, ideally 4GB
|   * at least 1366x768 display
|   * HDMI port
|   * at least 3 USB 2.0 ports
|   * minimally a 250GB hard drive

A fine list.  I don't have any notebook with HDMI but I think that
HDMI is a Good Thing.

I always push for more pixels.

A 7200 RPM disk *might* well make a noticable improvement in
performance.  I've never had one in a notebook and all my notebooks
seem slow compared to my desktops.

|   as an aside, i'd really like to get a 1600x900 display but that
| seems to jack up the price another couple of hundred and i'm not sure
| that's worth it.

I like pixels.  Sometimes you can find good deals for things with
high-res screens.

My daughter only has a notebook so she got one with a 1920x1200 screen
(years ago).  It added roughly 15% to the price of the notebook but
notebooks were more expensive then.  That option seems to have almost
vanished.

You are talking about adding almost 50% to the price, which seems
high, at least expressed that way.  Instead of talking about relative
cost, can you put an actual monetary value to you on the feature?
Cost and value are too very different things; I, as a bargain
hunter, don't sufficiently attend to the difference.
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