Thanks for all the fast and detailed responses. I am absolutely grateful. I also found this info that am sharing. Looks like Lenovo is currently the most reliable choice as well.
http://www.rescuecom.com/news-press-releases/computer-reliability-report-2012.aspx Manufacturer U.S. Computer Market Share2 (Percentage of Share computers shipped) RESCUECOM Computer Repair Share1 (Percentage of service calls to 1-800-RESCUE-PC) Computer Reliability Score1 LENOVO/IBM 7.3% 2.6% 281 TOSHIBA 10.3% 5.4% 190 SAMSUNG 1.7% 1.1% 156 APPLE 11.0% 7.3% 151 ASUS 3.8% 3.0% 126 HP/COMPAQ 23.2% 23.3% 100 DELL 22.6% 33.2% 68 SONY 2.2% 3.4% 64 ACER 8.2% 20.7% 40 On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 8:01 PM, Patrick Elliott-Brennan <[email protected]> wrote: > I have to say that I agree with Sean and his reasoning. > > Excellent summary, Sean. > > I've seen lots of various makes in a very 'hands-on' profession which > required the laptops to be used by many people on lots of different > environments. > > The Thinkpads did best. > > So much so that when it came to buying our first new laptops, I bought my > wife and I an X200 each. > > That's not to say other machines aren't good, just that the Thinkpads do > very well in multi-user environments. > > Note: I avoid laptops generally as I find the 'use' argument usually more of > an 'excuse' argument. ie. Most people who have them don't really need them > and would be better served (money wise) with desktops. > > Regards, > Patrick > > On Apr 7, 2012 10:27 AM, "Sean McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi, >> >> For workloads involving OpenSim and/or Second Life derived viewers, >> you will definitely want a discrete graphics card in the laptop. This >> increases cost, weight and size of the unit, as well as reduces >> battery life, but it's well worth the downsides. Using integrated >> graphics with a simulator is just unwise; the experience will be... >> unpleasant. Maybe Ivy Bridge CPUs will change that, but don't count on >> it. >> >> I personally have a very low opinion of the build quality of all >> currently-available retail laptops except for two brands which really >> stand out: the Panasonic Toughbook, and the Lenovo ThinkPad (notice: >> *NOT* IdeaPad!). >> >> Notice I said *build quality*. This says nothing about: >> -Value/price >> -Weight >> -Battery life >> -Performance >> >> What IS build quality? Build quality is a trait of a laptop which is >> measured by judging how well the laptop withstands the pressures of >> typical use and typical accidental damage / misuse. To me, build >> quality goes far beyond the physical characteristics of the unit. >> Build quality encompasses things such as: >> >> -The reliability of the parts. Will your HDD last 2 years, or 8? This >> is a build quality question. >> >> -The robustness of the firmware and drivers for all of the parts. Will >> your wifi card have a bug that randomly hangs the entire system when >> it scans for new networks? Will your BIOS have a bug that refuses to >> boot from USB flash drives? These little annoyances can add up to a >> completely unusable product, if build quality is not a constant point >> of attention by the manufacturer. >> >> -The ability of the hardware to survive in more extreme environments. >> Is your laptop only going to survive if you keep the internals >> completely clean of all dust and dirt, and keep it on a flat, >> heat-conducting table at all times? Or will you be able to hold it at >> odd angles against your knee (both a poor conductor and a small >> surface area) for extended periods while running intensive >> applications? Will the unit overheat if the temperature in your house >> or lab is over 80 Fahrenheit? If you accidentally drop the unit, will >> it shatter into a million pieces, or will it sustain a dignified scuff >> mark on the case? All of these are build quality questions. >> >> -The degree to which your hardware was tested during development, >> believe it or not, is a build quality question. The more well-tested a >> device, the longer its time to market; but at the same time, the end >> result will be far superior in reliability and will be able to support >> more general use cases than products that are rushed to market only >> expecting the top few most common use cases. >> >> Personally, I think there is a tragic disease in the laptop and >> embedded device market today, that build quality is being thrown out >> the door, in favor of other factors, such as: >> >> -Reducing cost >> -Reducing time to market >> -Reducing weight >> -Reducing the labor-intensive parts of product development >> -Increasing the "raw stats" (MHz, number of cores, amount of RAM, etc) >> in the unit without increasing price >> >> This disease is as damaging to the overall satisfaction with a device >> as it would be to eat a diet of pure sugar with no nutrients. Build >> quality is the nutrients, fiber and protein of computing: it makes the >> device *usable* in the same way that protein allows you to *survive*. >> >> I won't disagree directly with Nebadon, but let's just say that I >> definitely, positively would not recommend Toshiba as a laptop >> manufacturer, especially with the target of a "lab" environment where >> people who may not have your organization's best interests at heart >> (or whom may not care about accidental or purposeful damage they might >> attempt to inflict upon the units) will have regular access to the >> PCs. >> >> It is for these reasons that I encourage you to think carefully about >> build quality, and not just cost and specifications, in your selection >> of laptop; and I urge you to look at Lenovo ThinkPads and Panasonic >> Toughbooks should you be interested in a unit with very rugged build >> quality which I can proudly recommend from years and years of personal >> experience. >> >> Aside from that, chances are good that, getting down to specs, any >> unit with >= 4GB of RAM, >= 200GB HDD, >= 2 cores, a discrete (and >> current-generation!) GPU, is going to be more than enough to enjoyably >> run a workload such as OpenSim alongside a Second Life derived viewer. >> For such a unit, you might look at the ThinkPad T-series laptops. >> They're even fairly price competitive these days, if you omit frills >> like fingerprint reader, bluetooth, and an SSD. >> >> Best of luck to you. >> >> Sean >> >> On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 5:44 PM, Dr Ramesh Ramloll <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> > Hey there, >> > I am a little sheepish when it comes to buying laptops. Couple of >> > years ago, I bought about 24 alienware latops for a lab based on the >> > recommendation of a hardcore gamer that I trusted. Within a short >> > period, about 50% of the machines developed various issues from basic >> > cracked screens because of over tight hinges, failed hard drives >> > etc..., over heating. >> > Now am on the market for some more. What are your recommendations? >> > Needless to say am staying clear of Alienware ... >> > Thanks for your time. >> > R >> > >> > -- >> > 'Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.' >> > Rameshsharma Ramloll PhD, CEO CTO DeepSemaphore LLC, Affiliate >> > Research Associate Professor, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID >> > 83209 Tel: 208-240-0040 >> > Blog, LinkedIn, DeepSemaphore LLC, Google+ profile >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Opensim-users mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-users >> _______________________________________________ >> Opensim-users mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-users > > > _______________________________________________ > Opensim-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-users -- 'Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.' Rameshsharma Ramloll PhD, CEO CTO DeepSemaphore LLC, Affiliate Research Associate Professor, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209 Tel: 208-240-0040 Blog, LinkedIn, DeepSemaphore LLC, Google+ profile _______________________________________________ Opensim-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-users
