On 09/28/2011 12:10 AM, percy langa wrote: > Heya, > > So I've decided to register for a GIS Module, along with other modules as > part of a Bsc Hons Geography Degree. > > The good news is that this is an opportunity to get a new laptop, a fresh > start :) The not-so-good news is that the GIS course is based on IDRISI > (well, I have never used IDRISI, and I am really liking QGIS at the moment). > > So, I wanna get a feel on what laptop hardware are people running for GIS: > > - SSD vs HDD > - RAM type and speed > - Video/Graphics > - Main Screen (15'', 17'', etc) > - Secondary Screen (20'', 22'', 24'', etc) > - Glossy vs Matte Screens > - Screen Resolutions > - Motherboard > - Processor > - Peripherals and Ports > - Battery packs > > and, finally: > > - OS or OSes > - 32bit vs 64bit > > Besides GIS, this new laptop will do all the normal home tasks incl movie > playback. No games (well, maybe Angry Birds, Mario Brothers and > Classic Arcades). > > I am not too perturbed about brands as, over the years, I have switched > between Lenovo, ACER, Samsung, HP and Apple. Lenovo topped the charts for > me. Dell would make an interesting case study :) > > Many thanks, > Percy >
SSD - Though it takes some care to set it up right and make sure you have backups. Intels are the most reliable but most expensive. I'm trying a Mushkin right now. OCZ while the "fastest" has the most drives dying based on reviews. RAM - 4Gb Video - Discrete ATI or Nvidia 256 MB or more Screen - Depends on how big of thing you want to lug around 15" wide is pretty big. Second Screen - Whatever you get a good deal on iCore5 best bang for $ USB, USB, USB, USB ... Opt for whatever the bigger battery is if you want battery life 64 bit Lenovo, Acer, Asus, Apple - If you want long term quality buy the business line not the consumer lines. I have an Asus, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 256MB, 115 GB SSD, 13" wide - already 3 years old, only thing I've done is swap for the SSD recently. Want more details email me off list.. FYI I'm running Ubuntu 64 bit with a windows 7 VM that runs Arc well enough for me to teach with it. Alex _______________________________________________ Qgis-user mailing list [email protected] http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user
