[PLUG] Laptop recomendations

alan alan at clueserver.org
Mon Aug 16 14:36:02 UTC 2004


On Mon, 16 Aug 2004, Elliott Mitchell wrote:

> >From: Alan <alan at clueserver.org>
> > IBM - These are long lasting, but I have concerns about the video
> > chipsets used.  (Intel Extreme Graphics or shared memory ATI in most
> > cases.)  They also lack the speed of some other vendors, as well as
> > hyperthread on the P4 chipsets.
> 
> I don't have experience with ATi laptop chips, but the reports I've seen
> suggest they work reasonably well. They are forthcoming with enough
> information to have a working driver for X (actually of the big graphics
> chip companies they're the best in this aspect). I've seen mentions that
> their driver binary for Linux isn't that good though.

Their spec documents are usually fairly bad.  (According to Keith Packard 
they write the document first, design the chip, then never go back and 
correct anything that changed during development.)

I am also kind of pissed at them because their binary drivers (needed for 
some features) do not support thier entire currently shipping product 
line.  (Like the 7000 i bought my daughter.)

> Avoid any system with an Intel graphics chip. They're neither providing
> enough information to support Linux, nor helping with any sort of driver.
> There is a driver for X that sort of works, but there isn't enough
> information available to make it work well. Notably the driver cannot
> directly change resolutions and often the BIOSes don't have data on the
> resolution of the screen, resulting in really nasty hacks to get laptop
> screens to work well.

They have drivers, they are just not easy to get at.  (You have to search 
on their web site or just luck out.)  They are supposed to be supported as 
an extension to the i810 driver.  My concern is that every Intel graphics 
chipset i have dealt with has been dirt slow.

> > HP - They have Athlon 64 laptops.  They have very fast Intel laptops. 
> > The prices are cheap.  Not certain if I trust HP though since the
> > merger.  The video chipsets are nVIDIA and go up to 128 megs.  (Dell
> > only goes to 64megs.)  Concerned about quality and support of the
> > hardware.
> 
> Get the per-page no execute bits!  :-)

My concern is if they are reliable hardware.  I have not gotten a good 
answer for that.

> Though nVIDIA hasn't been very forthcoming with information on how to
> program their chips, their drivers work very well (both their "nv" driver
> with source, and their binary driver).

I have been very happy with their drivers.

> > Any other comments? Ideas? Rants?
> 
> The propietary issues might be too much for you, but thought about Apple
> hardware?

I don't want to deal with the endianess issues.






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