Anyone find a great laptop deal?

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Crash-n-Burn

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Hi folks, I know that deciding on a computer has many, many variables, so I suspect this question can go in a number of directions. To refine a bit, I'm looking for an inexpensive laptop that will support rocketry needs - Open Rocket, Rocksim, something to take to the field for launches, something that can handle some video processing from flights, something that can handle flight analysis software. Not looking for a gaming computer.

Anyone come across a deal too good to pass up?
 
Pretty much any laptop you can buy at Best Buy or similar store will have more processing power than NASA had when they sent a man to the moon. Get a fairly cheap laptop and I recommend adobe photoshop/premier elements for an addition $150 or so. All in you should be under $500 for what you need.
 
I recently picked up a refurbished Dell P4700 workstation off newegg. It was designed to run solidworks. A lot of companies have their laptops on a three year lease. This one is a three year old model off lease. $330


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Your budget will determine the best answer for you. What does "inexpensive" mean to you?
 
In this case it really isn't about price as much as running rocketry related software without a bunch of excess performance capabilities that will go unused. A $3000 computer is a good recommendation if that is what is needed to run these programs but not a good reco if a $99 model will do the job.

Maybe it'd help if we build a list of rocketry software and the requirements to run each, then pick a computer that runs the most demanding software program on the list?
 
I can honestly say I have never owned a computer that was too fast or had too much power.

It is possible to buy an inexpensive windows laptop that will connect to the internet for TRF and run OpenRocket and other very light duty tasks for about $250. You may not be happy with the performance @ $250.
Your best bet is to Look for the fastest processor (i5 or i7) and the most RAM you can afford.

Video editing will be the biggest performance hog most people encounter.

Here's a suggestion. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739SG4Y2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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You're complicating the issue. I don't think there is a late model computer commercially available that would come equipped with hardware on the low side that would even fall close to touching the minimum system requirements for any of the stated rocketry software programs you intend to use, so I'm not sure I understand your question. If your question is "will a $99 laptop do the job?", then the answer is yes.

In reality, I could run the popular Openrocket program, which requires only Java 6 or better, on a 20 year old Pentium II system as long as I had 124MB available disk space and 128MB RAM. See:

https://java.com/en/download/help/sysreq.xml

Whatever route you choose, just remember the first task when buying a new computer is to format the disk and re-install the operating system. And if you don't dabble in Mac or Linux, and value privacy and sanity, stay clear of anything north of Windows 7.

Anymore when i buy a new machine, I buy models with M.2 pcie expansion capability (SATA III works, there are M.2 sticks available, albeit at a lower throughput than pcie) and throw in a brand new OS drive next to the OEM drive, format the OEM drive, install the OS (Linux, primarily) on the new drive and use the OEM drive as data storage.
 
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Just buy a refurb. Look for something like an HP Elitebook Folio 9470 or 9480. I5, 8 gb ram, and whatever size hard drive you think you need. That will get done any of the things you mentioned.


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Just buy a refurb. Look for something like an HP Elitebook Folio 9470 or 9480. I5, 8 gb ram, and whatever size hard drive you think you need. That will get done any of the things you mentioned.


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+1. On the HP Elitebook. Durable machines. Pick up one with 8Gb RAM and add another 8 yourself. Will last for years.

From the Ether...
 
If you are interested in gently used, I have a Panasonic Toughbook I was trying to sell. You can't beat it for on field use. i5/8GB/SSD. Price is somewhat negotiable.

And Mark's comment on the Elitebook is solid, I've sent out over 1,000 of them. I would lean towards the 9480 though. Stay away from it's successor, the 1040.
 
I not too long ago (6 months?) bought my wife a Dell E6410 on ebay. I think it cost me $75 shipped. I chose that model because it is one that the Company issued to me years ago. It worked well enough for business that I bought one for myself, and now the Mrs.
It is not the fastest, or newest tech, but gets the job done. I am not a gamer, and I would guess that it not be a good choice for that application.
You might want to go on ebay, go to the laptops section and see what they have. I personally like Dell products because I can get the service manual from their website when I need to perform surgery.
YMMV.
 
If you are interested in gently used, I have a Panasonic Toughbook I was trying to sell. You can't beat it for on field use. i5/8GB/SSD. Price is somewhat negotiable.

And Mark's comment on the Elitebook is solid, I've sent out over 1,000 of them. I would lean towards the 9480 though. Stay away from it's successor, the 1040.

If OP doesn't bite, I might be interested. Which CPU, and what type of battery do you get?


As for computer suggestions, in my opinion, you can't go wrong with the old ThinkPads. I have a T61 from like 2004 or so, and it still is in great condition. I booted Arch Linux on it, and it runs like a dream. The old thinkpads are great pieces of hardware.
 
My advice when buying a laptop: whatever you do, dont ever ever EVER buy a computer with a Celeron. Sure, they are cheap, but they are slowww. I work IT and get a lot of laptops that are running to slow. One of the first things I look at is if its a celeron. And usually it is. Second thing i look at is if mcafee is installed but that is a different story.

I would recommend at least an i5. i7 prefered. Best buy had a decent i5 on sale during black friday but they were out by the time i got there. Avoid AMD. There A series processors are very disapointing, and until their new chips come to the mobile platform, they dont really have anything that matches an i5 in performance. I know the A8s i have in a couple servers is less performancs than a i3.

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