Re: Minimal configuration for a laptop
On Fri, Jan 23, 2015 at 12:19:02AM -0500, Cindy-Sue Causey wrote:
> On 1/22/15, Jarle Aase <jgaa@jgaa.com> wrote:
> >
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> > If you look for an older laptop, Lenovo ThinkPad may be a good choise.
> > The 12" models are relatively portable, and the build quality is
> > fabulous. I've had my old X60T for about 9 years now, and it's still in
> > daily use. I have changed the disk a few times, the fan once and the
> > battery twice.
> >
> > Unfortunately, Lenovo does not support Linux as an option for the
> > ThinkPad series. But all models I have came across works well with
> > Debian and other distributions. (Watch out for the cheaper ThinkPade
> > Edge series - I have some really bad experiences with some of those).
>
>
> Mine's Lenovo ThinkPad T61 secondhand. 15" (give or take). Have had it
> about a year and a half. I LOVE IT..
I also got a second-hand Thinkpad last month, a T400, and I love it too.
I think it's from 2009 or 2010.
Mine has an Intel core 2 duo CPU (P8400 @ 2.26GHz) and 4GB ram, but a
slightly slower CPU and 2GB of ram would also be fine for web browsing
and office stuff. However, I don't know how much memory freemind or
other electronic design software uses, so I would recommend getting 4GB
if you can. (The T400 is upgradable to 8GB. You might want to check
the maximum memory capacity on laptops you're considering.)
(BTW, for office and the web, even 1GB might work but it may be a
little tight. Myolder laptop had 1GB ram and it didn't run out of
memory often --- only when I had very many tabs open --- but the
single-core Amd athlon xp 2200 @ 1.6GHz was slow. It was from 2004.)
The hdd that came with the T400 seemed pretty fast (7200rpm) but I had
an ssd in another laptop (not the one from 2004) running Debian that I
just stuck into this and it worked. If you can get an ssd, I really
recommend it because they're really really fast. My Kingston ssd with
120GB has worked fine for the past two-and-a-half years.
Two features that I looked for in my Thinkpad were that the screen is
matte (not shiny/glossy), and opens up to 180 degrees. I like to lay it
upside down on the edge of the desk, with the screen sticking out, and
I lie on the floor underneath it, with a usb keyboard on my belly. :)
(My usb keyboard is also a thinkpad keyboard so it has a trackpoint and
I don't need a mouse.)
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