Yet another "which laptop?" thread. (Large screen, SSD, Fedora, etc.)

OK, so I've been websurfing for several days trying to figure out which laptop is a reasonable bet to buy online sight-unseen... <sigh> :-)

I'm happily running Fedora 21 on my desktop, so I want to put it on the laptop also. (I have zero experience with installing/managing WiFi up to now, so I anticipate a learning curve there.)

My general requirements are:

- NOT for gaming or movies. Mostly websurfing & latex'ing.

- 17" (non-touch) screen or larger -- but would consider 15" screen if laptop supports VGA, DisplayPort or DVI-D, so I can hookup my Dell U2412M monitor.

- Intel hardware preferred. E.g., Intel integrated graphics ok.

- E'net LAN RJ-45 port.

- WiFi, of course, (but not sure what to specify.)

- I don't need vast RAM. 4-8 GB should be heaps.

- 128GB SSD or larger. Note: HDD not needed.

- Optical drive? Maybe unnecessary if Fedora boots ok from usb drive.

- Oh, and I don't need Windows at all.

Suggestions greatly appreciated.

Hi...

If the specs are right, one of the systems from ZaReason might make the process a bit easier. Just contact them to find out of they can install Fedora on it.

Regards...

Only once found a system I couldn't get Fedora working on. A desktop system I built myself, latest-and-greatest - kernel didn't have all the support for ancillary chips built into the motherboard (CPU support was ok). Couple of weeks later Linus' branch did.
So, I'd say go with whatever.

I don't like dual video cards, so I disable one - might be of interest if you can't. As for wifi, insist on Intel - Broadcom and Atheros have been a PITA in the past, so I avoid them now.

Originally Posted by syg00 Only once found a system I couldn't get Fedora working on. A desktop system I built myself, latest-and-greatest - kernel didn't have all the support for ancillary chips built into the motherboard (CPU support was ok).

Heh, been there. My current (8 yrs old) desktop PC is also "custom" -- I chose the parts, but got someone else to assemble it. Took a while to find all the necessary drivers.

So, I'd say go with whatever. As for wifi, insist on Intel - Broadcom and Atheros have been a PITA in the past, so I avoid them now.

Good to know.

Thanks very much.

Originally Posted by ardvark71 [...] one of the systems from ZaReason might make the process a bit easier.

Yes, I was wondering about them, but their range doesn't seem to match my requirements closely enough.

I also thought about System76 -- although they're primarily Ubuntu. But I'm uneasy about buying internationally. I figure it's probably best to buy from a local supplier.

Thanks anyway.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by strangerep Thanks anyway.

No problem, hope you find the kind of system you're looking for.

Regards...

I can't recommend anything exactly due to my preferences being completely opposite yours (15" MAX screen, preferably 13 or 14), but I've had really good luck with the Dell Latitude line. I've owned 6 or 7 of them, currrently own 2 (E5430 and E5450) and everything has always worked fairly easily on them.

I am very happy with my Zareason Strata.

Originally Posted by Timothy Miller I can't recommend anything exactly due to my preferences being completely opposite yours (15" MAX screen, preferably 13 or 14), but I've had really good luck with the Dell Latitude line. I've owned 6 or 7 of them, currrently own 2 (E5430 and E5450) and everything has always worked fairly easily on them.

Hmm, the slightly larger E6540 series looks promising. Must investigate more carefully. Cheers.

Originally Posted by frankbell I am very happy with my Zareason Strata.

Thanks for mentioning that. For some reason my eyes had skipped past the Strata models on their webpage. But now that I look closer, the Strata series appears to be very close to what I want. I've sent an email to them asking about Australian purchase/shipping options. Cheers.