Time for a new computer

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Tony
My old Dell that i bought freshman year of college has died and i'm not sure it is worth trying to fix it. This old gateway laptop that i've been using is OK but it has some sort of bug that causes random internet browser crashes and the screen doesn't hold itself up anymore.

Needs:

Recommended system
- 1.5 GHz CPU or higher
- 512 Mb RAM or more
- 128 Mb nVidia or ATI graphics card
- 600 Mb free disk space
- 800x600 desktop resolution
- Serial Port
- USB Port

Other than that the main purpose for the laptop will be to run SeeYou, word processing, and the internet. A good balance between portability and screen size is needed. Suggestions oh computer wizards?

Sorry Fanboys, no Macs please.
 
I think you can beat those specs with just about everything out there that's not a tablet. ;-)
 
I think you're going to have a hard time finding a computer with a serial port anymore.

I do find serial port -> USB converters work very well. I only have a few serial port devices any more.
 
in order to plug my Oudie flight computer into the computer and make it work with Condor a Serial port is required. I've heard a lot of hit and miss experience with usb to serial converters. it seems that guys with USB only have to go through a lot of rigamarole to get their flight computers to connect with condor.
 
It's getting hard to get a motherboard with a serial port anymore.

I think you can assign the serial ports in device mangler for legacy devices so they continue to work with legacy software.
 
Watch woot everyday, they'll have something for you.
 
tonycondon said:
in order to plug my Oudie flight computer into the computer and make it work with Condor a Serial port is required. I've heard a lot of hit and miss experience with usb to serial converters. it seems that guys with USB only have to go through a lot of rigamarole to get their flight computers to connect with condor.
Click to expand...
There is a solution for that: an ExpressCard with a native 16550 UART. Prepare to part with $50 to $70, but it should work.
 
I missed the serial port. Would a USB->Serial adapter work?

For a while, IBM/Lenovo laptops kept one "legacy" serial port, knowing that lots of them were used by techs who needed the real deal.
 
denverpilot said:
I missed the serial port. Would a USB->Serial adapter work?

For a while, IBM/Lenovo laptops kept one "legacy" serial port, knowing that lots of them were used by techs who needed the real deal.
Click to expand...
See posts 3, 4, and 5 :)
 
tonycondon said:
Sorry Fanboys, no Macs please.
Click to expand...
What about an iMac? :D


Real serial port computers are getting hard to find. You may need to look for a tower and then find a serial port card if the motherboard is missing one. Also some older laptops still have the old serial port. I have been holding on to a couple just in case I needed them for my King KLN90B. But now that I have gotten rid of that GPS I am holding them for backup to my remote controlled ham radio station.
 
tonycondon said:
in order to plug my Oudie flight computer into the computer and make it work with Condor a Serial port is required. I've heard a lot of hit and miss experience with usb to serial converters. it seems that guys with USB only have to go through a lot of rigamarole to get their flight computers to connect with condor.
Click to expand...

USB <--> Serial adapters are so inexpensive (some under $10) that you should simply buy one and try it out. If it doesn't work, toss it and buy another maker's adapter and try again. What is your time worth?
 
My 2003 vintage system became too slow(1 GB RAM) for the large photo files I handle. I recently purchased an HPE 8h 1050 model tower. Intel i7 processor, 10 GB RAM(expandable to 16), 460 wt. power supply, 1.5 TB HD. It's a screamer when compared to the old system. Serial port? Don't know about that. It has both USB2 and USB3 ports. ???

HR
 
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denverpilot said:
For a while, IBM/Lenovo laptops kept one "legacy" serial port, knowing that lots of them were used by techs who needed the real deal.
Click to expand...
I have a company T400, about a year old, and it hasn't got a serial. BTW, I hate the keyboard layout and the nipple. Awesome display, however.

Like I said, PCIe card with native UART is the obvious solution for Tony. I don't understand what the heck we are even discussing here. He just needs to buy the NATIVE one.

This will work, except the usual trouble with the drivers on Windows:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839328022

This will NOT work (it's a PL-2301, a vanilla USB-to-serial):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839328026

See the difference?

In case anyone is confused by the form factor, they should know that Expresscard includes USB into the pinout. So, e.g. ALL flash readers in Expresscard format are actually USB based.

P.S. Jim may be right in that the trouble with the flight computer software may be overblown and likely it would work just fine with USB-to-serial that uses a reputable chipset (such as FTDI) and non-sucky drivers. That would save Tony $40 ($50 for native minus $10 for USB ), which is great, but IMHO not worth it.
 
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I can't give advice on the serial port issue (my laptop is 5 years old and doesn't have one), but as for non-mac laptops: I have been eyeing the new Thinkpad Edge series. It's not your traditional tank-built Thinkpad but not a junky low end one either.

After looking at laptops in the various electronics/big box stores I am very disappointed with the steep decline in quality over the past couple years in mainstream consumer laptops...since the recession started, I think. EVERYTHING feels very cheap and flimsy.
 
That's a good point. Find a retailer who stocks the business laptop lines or shop online. Consumer laptops are often crappily built.
 
I would think you could find a good used/refurbished laptop that would excced all of those specs, AND have a serial port. It might be a little heavier than a brand new one but would serve you well and save you $$$.
 
Steve said:
http://www.kingoflaptops.com/Laptop...Serial-port-Parallel-port-USB-port-Win-XP-Pro

for a few dollars more

http://www.kingoflaptops.com/Laptop...-Military-standard-MIL-STD-810G-certification

integrated GPS

http://www.kingoflaptops.com/Laptop...-Military-standard-MIL-STD-810G-certification
Click to expand...

Pretty good site. I might use them soon for a couple of replacement laptops at work. Here is one that might fit the OPs needs,

http://www.kingoflaptops.com/Laptop...ight-Wirless-Internet-DVD-CDBurner-All-Loaded

But I am not sure what version of XP it has. There are a lot of other good ones on that site too.
 
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