black-Friday notebook deal -- Linux!

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 02:55:36PM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> Dell is offering a 14" notebook with Linux at a good price: $297
>   <http://forums.redflagdeals.com/dell-13-v131-laptop-w-dual-core-celeron-847-2gb-320gb-hd-backlit-kb-ubuntu-297-a-1109474/3/>
> Note: you need to use a coupon from the redflagdeals thread to get
> that price.
> 
> Things I find interesting about this:
> 
> + Ubuntu 11.04 (somewhat odd choice -- neither current nor LTS)
> 
> + as cheap as a netbook, but mostly better (but larger and heavier)
> 
> - the processor (Celeron 847) is one of those value-reduced (crippled)
>   Intel specials.  Here's a comparision with some other relevant Intel
>   processors:
> 
>   <http://ark.intel.com/compare/56056,53422,55448,55627>
> 
>   Notice that this does have VT-x, unlike the otherwise-more-beefy Pentium 
>   B950 (found in a current Walmart special).
> 
>   I wonder if the difference in TDP (nominal top power consumption)
>   differences between these chips is mostly due to different top clock
>   rates.  In other words, would the B850 use as little power as the
>   Celron 847 if you clocked it identically?
> 
> - no optical drive.  Probably a good choice these days.
> 
> - long running time on battery, according to reviews
> 
> - solidly made chasis, aimed at a higher price point.
> 
> - HDMI-out, 2 x USB 3, eSata connector, 1366 x 768 display
> 
> If I needed a new notebook, and price mattered, I'd consider jumping on
> this deal.  There are a lot of other good deals with different
> trade-offs.

But it is a Dell.  I am not sure $free would be enough for me to want
to deal with one.

My wife's Lenovo Ideapad Y470 on the other hand is a lovely machine
(except for the stupid canadian multilingual keyboard they insist
canadians should have).  Sure it is 3 times the cost, but it is also a
much much faster machine (being that it is a Core i7M) and it has good
speakers.

-- 
Len Sorensen
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