Need a new laptop for an IT guy

[41magsnub]

I need a new work laptop with some fairly specialized requirements.  Anybody have model suggestions?

1.  14-15" screen as it will need to be somewhat mobile and fit in my existing backpack
2.  Intel processor with the virtualization extensions as it will be running Windows server 2008 STD 64 bit with hyper-v for testing/disaster recovery/migration purposes in addition to day to day work.
3.  Must support at least 8GB of RAM, 4GB is constricting with virtualization.  So is 8GB but much less so.
4.  Must have a real serial port, too often I have problems with the USB to serial adapters when I need to access the console on a router or switch the old fashioned way.  Plus, 64 bit support is really hit and miss with those devices...
5.  250GB or better 7200RPM SATA hard drive
6.  Video card must have an extra VGA out for an existing external monitor
7.  DVD burner is a must
8.  Not that a consumer grade would have these features... it must be a business class machine, not an Inspiron or other low end device.
9.  Preferably ship with either no OS or a free one since I will be using our MS Partner licensing (yep, we made a deal with the devil).
10.  An eSATA port would be nice but not required.

[mfree]

Sounds like something you could get from Sager, like the NP8660 or 7680. Trouble is, I think you're going to have issues finding a box that'll accept 8Gb RAM or a serial port, everything else is easy.

EDIT: I take that back, Dell Precision M4400 can use 8Gb RAM. I stand by the serial port statement though.

[TechMan]

Sounds like something you could get from Sager, like the NP8660 or 7680. Trouble is, I think you're going to have issues finding a box that'll accept 8Gb RAM or a serial port, everything else is easy.

EDIT: I take that back, Dell Precision M4400 can use 8Gb RAM. I stand by the serial port statement though.

I know you said you want a 14"-15" but beware of the Dell Precision M6400 (17") power brick and I mean brick.  It weighs 2.6 lbs.

[Leatherneck]

Must support at least 8GB of RAM, 4GB is constricting with virtualization.  So is 8GB but much less so.

[insert big-eyed owly here]

TC

[41magsnub]

[insert big-eyed owly here]

TC

2 gigs or so for the host OS plus 2-3 gig each for a few virtualized servers and 8GB gets eaten pretty quickly. 

Heck, if I'm setting up SBS 2008 the installer stops if I can't allocate 4GB to just that virtual machine.... 

Paging due to not being able to allocate enough RAM is extra bad in this environment since I'm on limited disk hardware.   Get a couple of VM's paging and the whole box slows to a crawl.  That is where the eSATA port would be nice, keep the VMs over on as fast as possible external disk so they can page to their hearts content and not drag everything else down.  Speed is money when doing physical to virtual migrations since in most cases the projects are bid based instead of time and materials.

I've also been looking at the Latitude E6400 and E6500 which are much better priced than the precisions and also meet all requirements except for that pesky serial port.  Dell has lots of laptops that have everything I want except for the upper end RAM limit.

Any out of the Dell box suggestions?

[Ben]

On the DB9 port -- I'm kinda in the same boat. I have some external sensors I have to often hook up to in the field, and USB/DB9 converters just aren't reliable with these sensors. Because I need ruggedized for that work, I'm using a Toughbook. Most of the Toughbooks still come with native serial, but may or may not meet some of your other needs.

Alternatively, I'm looking at getting one of these for our scientific crew when they need to plug into marine electronics with their Dell laptops. I've heard good things, but haven't actually seen it work. For $100, I figure I'll just take my chances.
http://www.shopfloorautomations.com/serial_pcmcia.php

[mtnbkr]

What is it with the lack of serial ports on laptops while hardware devices are still serial only for low level configuration?  Hell, I still need a serial port for stuff at home (amateur radio gear is only recently coming around to USB management).

Chris

[41magsnub]

What is it with the lack of serial ports on laptops while hardware devices are still serial only for low level configuration?  Hell, I still need a serial port for stuff at home (amateur radio gear is only recently coming around to USB management).

Chris

We bought a bunch of Dell Latitude D630 laptops for the techs in our office late last year because they had the serial ports.  They apparently can get 8GB of RAM now too with a recent BIOS update, but the 4GB sticks of ram for them are all $550-$600 each.   

[mtnbkr]

My Latitudes have serial ports, but my Inspiron doesn't (didn't have a need for them on a laptop when we bought it).  Either laptop manufacturers need to get back on board with serial ports or "device" manufacturers need to find another method for managing their devices.

Chris

[go_bang]

If you find something that meets your requirement minus the serial port there is always to option of a PC Card to serial adapter.

[AZRedhawk44]

If you find something that meets your requirement minus the serial port there is always to option of a PC Card to serial adapter.

USB/Serial and PCMCIA/Serial drivers don't always work well on 64-bit OS environments.

Which, frankly really bugs me.  I would expect drivers for such net-geek devices to support 64-bit pretty damned quick.  I remember a fight I had with Adaptec a couple years ago.  I went 64-bit XP and I had an Adaptec ATA RAID PCI card from my 32-bit environment.  Adaptec flat-out said they refused to write a driver for that card.  It was 1 year old at the time.

Considering that net-geeks are the ones buying high end workstation toys like desktop RAID cards or USB/Serial converters and they are the ones with the demand for 8 and 16GB of RAM... it just makes sense to come out with 64-bit drivers for those products.

I don't see a lot of soccermoms and secretaries using those devices.

[41magsnub]

If you find something that meets your requirement minus the serial port there is always to option of a PC Card to serial adapter.

I've looked at those, most are really USB to serial when you dig into them.

However, I think I found my solution..  A Latitude E6400 plus a "media slice" that has all the legacy ports on it.  As far as I can tell it is not USB based.

[mtnbkr]

Speaking of pc cards...

Make sure yours is PCMCIA and not PCExpress.  The latter is the newer standard that still isn't as fully supported with regards to selection.  I didn't know about that when we bought our Inspiron in 2006.  The result is I can't use any of the PC cards we had already and the selection for other cards is very limited. 

It was supposed to be the new standard, but I don't think anybody is getting on board with it.

Chris

[go_bang]

USB/Serial and PCMCIA/Serial drivers don't always work well on 64-bit OS environments.

Which, frankly really bugs me.  I would expect drivers for such net-geek devices to support 64-bit pretty damned quick.  I remember a fight I had with Adaptec a couple years ago.  I went 64-bit XP and I had an Adaptec ATA RAID PCI card from my 32-bit environment.  Adaptec flat-out said they refused to write a driver for that card.  It was 1 year old at the time.

Considering that net-geeks are the ones buying high end workstation toys like desktop RAID cards or USB/Serial converters and they are the ones with the demand for 8 and 16GB of RAM... it just makes sense to come out with 64-bit drivers for those products.

I don't see a lot of soccermoms and secretaries using those devices.

Trying to get support for XP 64-bit might be the crux of your problem.  That OS is practically a dead end.  Everyone's writing their 64-bit drivers for Server and Vista, but not so much for XP 64.  I was running XP 64 on one of my workstations for a while and eventually bailed over to Vista 64 due to the lack of driver support.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Dell Precision for sure. 

[AZRedhawk44]

Trying to get support for XP 64-bit might be the crux of your problem.  That OS is practically a dead end.  Everyone's writing their 64-bit drivers for Server and Vista, but not so much for XP 64.  I was running XP 64 on one of my workstations for a while and eventually bailed over to Vista 64 due to the lack of driver support.

Yeah, but I loathe Vista.  32 or 64 bit, I can't stand the reorganization of the control panel, start menu, the extra resources to run the desktop.  I've always been the guy running the new hardware on the older OS to get the least demand on it from the OS and the most demand from the software he actually wants to use.

I fully intend to leapfrog Vista.  Either MS's next OS is going to actually cater to (or at least consider) what I want as a power user annoyed with the "features" of Vista, or I'm gonna find some way to continue working in my MS-oriented developer job using a Linux desktop.  Toad is available for Linux, after all, and I'm primarily a SQL jockey.  The little VB work I do can be done in a VM.