Laptop Suggestions?

[mizzoueng]

I am looking for a laptop to use for some classes I am taking. The most intensive program that we will be using is MatLab. Its been a while since I have used that, would a netbook be able to handle it?

I travel a lot for work and I am wanting to get a 2-in-1 laptop that has a detachable keyboard. Kind of like a Surface Pro 2.

 

[knight1fox3]

I am looking for a laptop to use for some classes I am taking. The most intensive program that we will be using is MatLab. Its been a while since I have used that, would a netbook be able to handle it?

I travel a lot for work and I am wanting to get a 2-in-1 laptop that has a detachable keyboard. Kind of like a Surface Pro 2.

In short, it likely would not. Most netbooks I've come across are fitted with budget-grade atom (or equiv.) processors that you would find in today's smart phones. While they can handle simple tasks like web-browsing and email, they don't have the multi-threaded design to handle a sophisticated application like Matlab. I actually just acquired a copy of Matlab 2012b for my masters recently. I haven't used that software since my undergrad. and it has advanced considerably. It's designed for 64-bit environments and is also mulit-threaded. Meaning it's designed to run most optimal with multi-core CPUs and in a 64-bit environment to utilize additional memory resources.

I'm partial to ASUS, Acer, and HP (in that order) when it comes to mobile computing manufacturers. You could probably get away with something that has an i3 (Intel) CPU but I would go for an i5. The price-to-performance ratio in the end will be well worth your time and money. You could go with the Surface Pro 2 which I believe is equipped with an i5 CPU. However, it's not the quad-core i5, but the dual-core instead. Also, it might be lacking a bit in the memory department. And for $900 ( :blink: ), you could get much more machine than what the SP2 can offer. Something with a quad-core i7 and at least double the memory. And it wouldn't be huge either, a 15" laptop is still very portable for those who travel. If you want more specifics on some actual models, just let me know. HTH.

 

[mizzoueng]

thanks KF, I was unsure of that.

I was looking at an ASUS Transformer T100, Best Buy had one for about $300. It has a quad core processor, but it only has 2GB of RAM and I think MatLab needs at least 1GB.

 

[knight1fox3]

I've recommended the Transformer to a few colleagues of mine who wanted it for extreme portability and internet/email/word processing. I actually tried it out and really liked it. The conversion to a tablet is a pretty cool feature. Then when you need to do some actual work, the keyboard is there to use as needed. ASUS also bundles a copy of MS Office Home/Student with it. That's much better than the "starter" versions which are typically bundled with other competing devices. That's a full working version of Office (probably close to a $200 value). Tough to beat that.

What version of Matlab are looking to get? I would say as long as the ASUS unit meets the minimum specs, you should be fine. Just don't expect to be doing a whole lot of multi-tasking while using Matlab. And I would also go for the 64GB model vs. the 32GB. And check the web too. Often times you can find a few deals out there. The co-worker of mine who just recently purchased this found it $30 cheaper on TigerDirect as compared to Best Buy.

 

[mizzoueng]

Looks like version 2012a, the class also required R-project and SciPy. Need to find the requirements on both of them to check as well.

 

[Dleg]

^I bought Matlab last year for a class, and then the professor said "nah, you don't really need to use this" and I ended up using Excel isntead, and still not knowing anything about Matlab (too old - we were still programming in Fortran, Pascal, and Basic when I was originally in school).

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays. For myself I have a Sony with an I5, small SSD (with OS loaded), and it boots lightning fast (< 30 sec) and is very responsive. It cost maybe $750 but the difference in performance is well worth it, to me (but all kinds of peripheral stuff has failed on it, like the webcam and many "sticky" keys, so I don't recommend Sony).

Over the holidays, I also bought an ASUS transformer book for my daughter, who uses it primarily for social media and MS Office-related homework, but it seems very nice and boots up real fast.

KF, what about Samsung? I have several co-workers with nice looking Samsung ultra-books, and they say they are happy with the performance.

 

[knight1fox3]

According to the specs for that version of Matlab, the ASUS meets the minimum requirements. However, it does not explicitly indicate that it is compatible with Windows 8.1 (which is what will be pre-loaded on the ASUS). But if it's compatible with Win7 (32 or 64-bit), I don't see why it wouldn't run on Win8.1. I'm running 2012b on my Win8 (64-bit) ASUS laptop and have had no issues.

I've not heard of R-project or SciPy so I can't speak to their compatibility with the ASUS Transformer.

 

[knight1fox3]

^I bought Matlab last year for a class, and then the professor said "nah, you don't really need to use this" and I ended up using Excel isntead,

I thought about asking this question because Matlab is not cheap and is a very powerful tool. EE programs like to use it quite a bit because it is good at running simulations and doing large matrix calculations required for power transmission and distribution. But if only doing simple tasks with it, you probably wouldn't need the compute power of Matlab where Excel would suffice.

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays.

KF, what about Samsung? I have several co-workers with nice looking Samsung ultra-books, and they say they are happy with the performance.

An i3 can run speedily if not bogged down by tons of bloatware and other unnecessary things that load on start-up. The key is "trimming the fat". The Transformer runs really nice and boots fast due to the solid state disk it's equipped with.

As for Samsung, they do make quality products but I've not had one come across my desk yet. Their specs seem decent and battery life looks good too. I'd have to imagine their displays are pretty good too. I have two Samsung LED TVs and for my $$, the picture doesn't get any better. This also holds true with my Samsung Galaxy S4. I don't really see how you could go wrong with a Samsung laptop.

Also note Mizz, the ASUS won't come with any type of optical drive. So if you need to load any software with a CD/DVD-ROM disk, you'll need to transfer the files to a flash disk first.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays.

That's been an issue with our Toshiba laptop since we bought it home. As a result, we just leave it on and let it sleep.

 

[Master slacker]

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays. For myself I have a Sony with an I5, small SSD (with OS loaded), and it boots lightning fast (< 30 sec) and is very responsive.

I have a traditional hard drive with Linux that boots in 10 seconds.

 

[knight1fox3]

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays.

That's been an issue with our Toshiba laptop since we bought it home. As a result, we just leave it on and let it sleep.

I believe there's a small business owner around here that could take care of that problem. Now if only I could remember the name..... :dunno:

 

[Master slacker]

If he's around here, I wouldn't trust him...

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I got my wife an ASUS laptop last year with an i3 for around $450, and trust me it is SLOW - more than 5 minutes to completely boot up to where there aren't any delays.

That's been an issue with our Toshiba laptop since we bought it home. As a result, we just leave it on and let it sleep.

I believe there's a small business owner around here that could take care of that problem. Now if only I could remember the name..... :dunno:

I've been living with it for almost eight years...not really a problem. But I'll keep that guy in mind.

 

[knight1fox3]

It's funny (and not at the same time) but believe it or not, the laptops coming across my desk for repairs are mostly Toshiba. Same with their hard drives.

On a related note, I was completely bummed (nerd rage?) to find out that Toshiba is buying OCZ (they make pwr supplies and solid state drives). My favorite go-to solid state drive manufacturer. :brickwall: Guess I won't be buying from them much anymore.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

You like OCZ SSDs over Samsungs? I read that Samsung had the best thing going, even though they weren't the cheapest.

Looked at a Compaq Presario with a 'spoded battery pack yesterday. That brings the count to about 10 I've looked at with the same failure. And these aren't recalled...yet.

 

[knight1fox3]

You like OCZ SSDs over Samsungs? I read that Samsung had the best thing going, even though they weren't the cheapest.

Looked at a Compaq Presario with a 'spoded battery pack yesterday. That brings the count to about 10 I've looked at with the same failure. And these aren't recalled...yet.

Are they just over-heating and then bursting? Oh Compaq......LOL

As for OCZ, yes I've always been a fan of their reliability and forum/tech support. The speeds on the Vector series drives just barely edge out a win over the Samsung 840 Pro series. And before that, the Vertex 2 and 3 series were the fastest drives around employing the infamous SandForce controllers and later their own proprietary Indilinx controller. So I've always been partial to them since they typically remained a top-performer. Now with the Toshiba acquisition, I might have to turn my sights toward the Samsung EVO series. Which have really great specs. and price/GB ratios. In any event, I'm just glad I nabbed 2 Vector 256GB drives before Toshiba got involved.

 

[csb]

Hey! My Compaq Presario caught fire! It was a 2005 model, but that sucker just plain caught fire.

 

[knight1fox3]

^ dare I ask how? Was cake involved?

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Hey! My Compaq Presario caught fire! It was a 2005 model, but that sucker just plain caught fire.

Compaq, Compaq, Compaq is on fire.

Compaq, Compaq, Compaq is on fire.

We don't need no water....

 

[mizzoueng]

Lenovo yoga anyone?