How small is too small (of laptop for a programmer)

Im thinking of replacing my HP Pavilion dv5-1004nr with Acer Aspire AS5738-6444, I'm a CS student... so im torn between screen size (liking the 15in and decent gpu.. but it weight nearly 8 pounds and battery can barely last 2 hours in power saver mode) and wanting something portable to carry to classes/take notes ect (3 pounds and up to 8 hour battery life of the acer)

what would you guys suggest? acer any good? i love my hp keyboard..

(or have links to other good laptops, im aiming for 600$ range?)

defn

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation:

Had to space out first url so i could post. – None – 2010-01-24T21:00:12.993

Fixed the links for you. – ChrisF – 2010-01-24T21:20:49.500

I would not go below 13 inch screen size if you want to use an IDE comfortably... and the more RAM the better... – Felix – 2010-01-24T21:35:24.550

Thanks Chris.

Thanks Felix, I really haven't had a chance to try my tools on a smaller screen so dont know what to expect. Ill keep that in mind :) – None – 2010-01-24T21:47:45.023

1I'm making this community wiki, since there is no "best" answer – Ivo Flipse – 2010-01-25T10:00:35.213

Whoever down-voted it should had put a comment explaining the reason. I upped it to 0. Yes, the question could have been phrased differently, making it clearer but sometimes you should give a break to a young CS student, and if you do down voted it, please give him/her some guidance for future. – ra170 – 2011-02-03T17:33:04.723

People will tell you netbooks are no good for developing on but it depends on your priorities. If ultraportability is a high priority you can certainly code on one. I've been coding exclusively on netbooks since the original Eee PC came out! I do always upgrade to the maximum RAM and I have a widescreen LCD monitor for when I'm not on the road. If you use the small keyboard the majority of the time you can get so used to it that a full sized keyboard can feel ungainly (-: – hippietrail – 2011-05-03T05:26:00.203

Answers

i'd say the Acer "Timeline" 1810TZ is fairly balanced, light and yet powerful enough to do some decent work on it (unlike your average Atom-based netbook). the battery life is outstanding and it suits your budget.

enter image description here

Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core ULV SU4100
RAM: 3GB RAM
Hard Drive: 250GB
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Screen: 11.6" LED WXGA CrystalBright display.
3.08 pounds
Over 8 Hours of Battery Life

Molly7244

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation:

Yes, but the specs actually include (on the version i linked)

3.1 pounds 4 Ram 320 gb harddrive – None – 2010-01-24T21:09:48.853

@defn - the specs in your link say 6.16 lbs and battery life "up to" 4.5 hrs (mind you, in real life scenarios this turns out to be significantly less) – None – 2010-01-24T21:35:06.550

2+1 I have this, and it's superb. The "8 hours" claim is really not an exaggeration, and it works reasonably well for programming on a train. Plus, it also doubles as a home theatre PC. – sblair – 2010-01-24T21:40:47.457

O sorry Molly, I linked the wrong one, the one i meant is the 11.6" version though – None – 2010-01-24T21:45:46.307

@defn - i'm a bit at a loss here, which version do you mean? got any links? :) – None – 2010-01-24T21:49:11.867

Heres the laptop I meant to link :P http://bit.ly/6LyFVS

– None – 2010-01-24T21:54:24.320

@defn - i see ... well, that's pretty much the same model i have been posting there, the specifications (4 GB instead of 3 and a bigger hard drive) may vary from country to country. anyway, excellent choice, if you can do without a dedicated GPU, the GMA 4500 is OK for programming and movies, but not really for gaming. – None – 2010-01-24T22:01:00.450

@Molly Yeah I like the specs, Just not sure if the screen size will get to me. (Yeah I used to game alot, but not so much anymore.. ) – None – 2010-01-24T22:08:46.067

@defn - well, there is always a trade-off, a 12" display as a permanent work environment is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but what is stopping you from connecting a 24" monitor to the laptop when you're at home? when it comes to computing power PLUS mobility, that wee Acer is a force to be reckoned with. :) – None – 2010-01-24T22:32:51.923

Indeed.. Ill definitely keep that in mind when i finally decide :) – None – 2010-01-24T22:40:42.530

I've been using Thinkpad X61 for some time now (12", ~1.5kg, ~6h on batteries, 4GB of RAM). For general programming with IDEs I just use an external monitor (and external keyboard/mouse) with docking station. But the internal screen is enough for me to code in non-IDE environments or at school. I actually never code much at school, making bug fixes at most.

If you often need to have full IDE in class, 12" is too small.

liori

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation: 3 044

Any thoughs on an external monitor, keyboard and mouse? My default configuration is a large LCD (24", 1080p) and a wireless mouse and erogo keyboard.

For programming, this is ideal since I can have a large IDE with all the debug windows, a keyboard with extensible macros and a mouse that I can actually controll.

When I'm on the road, I can still program, but usually end up in one-note or word/excel anyway, so the small screen doesn't affect me as much.

Christopher_G_Lewis

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation: 321

It is highly dependent on your tolerance to crampedness and exactly how much portability you want. I know people who can't code on anything other than a dual screen / external keyboard setup, and one who does actually code a little on a netbook (but only so he doesn't need to take anything bigger along).

For me the perfect balance was a 13" model with a high-res screen - a bit on the heavy side at 1.8 kg, but a spacious fast keyboard, and lasts 3.5-5 hours with careful use of backlight. Not posting the exact model because it's not in this price range, but there are plenty of 13" out there that should be OK.

RomanSt

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation: 7 830

I've been using an ASUS 1000HE to program for about a year or so now (I use it at home or on the road; I use a desktop at work).

Yes, it's a 10" screen with a 92%-sized keyboard, with a N280 Atom and 1 GB RAM, but it's been perfectly adequate for what I need. I use VS2008, Expression Blend (although that is a bit slow), FlexBuilder/FlashBuilder, and Photoshop. I have to close/minimize almost all "dockable" windows to get a good view of the source, but that helps me focus more on the code. Compile times are decent, though not as good as a faster dual-core with more RAM, of course.

The only thing I add is an external mouse. It's only a couple of pounds and would have been perfect for school (if only it had been available then). It does the job when you need to be mobile.

Michael Todd

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation: 456

I have been using an Acer Aspire 4720Z for hobby/evening programming. It's perfectly capable for web development and serious Java coding, including running up my application engine and GUI interface. But I find the keyboard too cramped and a little frustrating - I use a split type keyboard in my office and for work. It also had a real virtual RAM thrashing problem until I put in 2GB of RAM.

Lawrence Dol

Posted 2010-01-24T20:59:40.950

Reputation: 1 946

Huh? Why was this downvoted? It's not like it's wrong in any way! – Lawrence Dol – 2010-02-18T02:37:33.923