Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Wireless, good laptops, and other buying tips

Martian · 07-08-2009, 09:52 PM

Big question is the budget.

I'm not really sure what you mean by a 'wireless server package.' Pretty much every laptop ships with wifi capability, which will allow you to access the internet anywhere you can find an access point (either in coffee shops and libraries and their ilk, or if you're less scrupulous any unsecured AP will do). If you want something more flexible, cell carriers are all offering wireless HSPA/HSDPA connectivity; at a glance, it looks like Dell is offering adapters built in on their Studio and XPS line-ups, but given that the carrier will generally provide you with a USB adapter free of charge (albeit on a 2 year contract), that doesn't seem like a compelling reason to spend the extra money for the higher end model.

If all you want to do is browse, pretty much any laptop is going to do the job. I'd actually recommend a netbook if it weren't for the fact that you've specified that screen size is a concern; as it is, you'll do just fine with an Inspirion from the sounds of it. The 15" model is very usable.

If you want to be up on the latest standards, I'd recommend springing for the draft N wireless adapter. It might cost a bit more, but given that wireless adapters in laptops are not easily replaced, it seems like you might as well get the latest and greatest now. It's not entirely essential, though -- even 802.11g will give you (theoretically) 54 mbps of throughput, which is more than enough for any sort of internet connectivity.

You haven't mentioned any other requirements, so I don't know what else to say really. If it's not for gaming, the graphics card isn't critical. Video streaming should be fine on any model out of the Inspirion lineup, as well as audio/mp3 playback and online applications aren't too hard to handle as a rule. It'll do Hulu and whatever else you might want in terms of multimedia playback without any issues.

They're offering a 160GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM as the base on the Inspirion 15 laptops. The hard drive could probably do with an upgrade; the RAM's a bit low if you want to do any gaming or multimedia work (photo/video/audio editing) or gaming but otherwise ought to be okay. I built one with the 250 GB hard drive and a 6 cell battery (for longer battery life), and included a messenger bag for portability. Subtotal was $486, so probably around $550 after shipping and tax, before your student discounts.

If cost is a concern, don't over-enigneer it. This is especially true if all you're doing is reading documents and browsing online.

A quick note regarding the internet:

As a rule, the cellular HS(D)PA services will provide you with internet anywhere. I'm not 100% sure how they work stateside, but up here you're looking at $30-$35 per month to start on a 2 year term. It'll allow you to browse online, but they usually have extremely low transfer caps with high overage charges, so it's not going to be something you'll want to use for a lot of heavy downloading or streaming video. As a rule you'll want to use whatever connection you have at home (get a wireless router if you don't have one already) for anything like that, and just use the mobile connection for internet on the go.

Hope that helps.

07-08-2009, 09:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	Big question is the budget. I'm not really sure what you mean by a 'wireless server package.' Pretty much every laptop ships with wifi capability, which will allow you to access the internet anywhere you can find an access point (either in coffee shops and libraries and their ilk, or if you're less scrupulous any unsecured AP will do). If you want something more flexible, cell carriers are all offering wireless HSPA/HSDPA connectivity; at a glance, it looks like Dell is offering adapters built in on their Studio and XPS line-ups, but given that the carrier will generally provide you with a USB adapter free of charge (albeit on a 2 year contract), that doesn't seem like a compelling reason to spend the extra money for the higher end model. If all you want to do is browse, pretty much any laptop is going to do the job. I'd actually recommend a netbook if it weren't for the fact that you've specified that screen size is a concern; as it is, you'll do just fine with an Inspirion from the sounds of it. The 15" model is very usable. If you want to be up on the latest standards, I'd recommend springing for the draft N wireless adapter. It might cost a bit more, but given that wireless adapters in laptops are not easily replaced, it seems like you might as well get the latest and greatest now. It's not entirely essential, though -- even 802.11g will give you (theoretically) 54 mbps of throughput, which is more than enough for any sort of internet connectivity. You haven't mentioned any other requirements, so I don't know what else to say really. If it's not for gaming, the graphics card isn't critical. Video streaming should be fine on any model out of the Inspirion lineup, as well as audio/mp3 playback and online applications aren't too hard to handle as a rule. It'll do Hulu and whatever else you might want in terms of multimedia playback without any issues. They're offering a 160GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM as the base on the Inspirion 15 laptops. The hard drive could probably do with an upgrade; the RAM's a bit low if you want to do any gaming or multimedia work (photo/video/audio editing) or gaming but otherwise ought to be okay. I built one with the 250 GB hard drive and a 6 cell battery (for longer battery life), and included a messenger bag for portability. Subtotal was $486, so probably around $550 after shipping and tax, before your student discounts. If cost is a concern, don't over-enigneer it. This is especially true if all you're doing is reading documents and browsing online. A quick note regarding the internet: As a rule, the cellular HS(D)PA services will provide you with internet anywhere. I'm not 100% sure how they work stateside, but up here you're looking at $30-$35 per month to start on a 2 year term. It'll allow you to browse online, but they usually have extremely low transfer caps with high overage charges, so it's not going to be something you'll want to use for a lot of heavy downloading or streaming video. As a rule you'll want to use whatever connection you have at home (get a wireless router if you don't have one already) for anything like that, and just use the mobile connection for internet on the go. Hope that helps. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame