Olly Pekelharing Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2009) Dutch to English
Aug 16, 2011
It's about time for a new laptop, so I thought I'd ask my colleagues what the present state-of-the-art is and whether I want it (the last question on this topic dates from a year ago, so I assume a lot has changed). I need a 'desktop replacement' running windows and office that preferably never keeps me waiting. Here's a list of the things I'm wondering:
Should I get a 17 inch screen, as I hardly ever travel and spend all my time working at the kitchen table? And Should I get the best quality screen my money can buy, as I stare at it a lot!
Do I go 64 bits with lots of ram (8GB?)?
Should I invest lots extra in a Solid State Drive for even faster computing? Or should I combine a small solid state with a conventional drive? Or stay conventional?
Do I need the fastest processor I can get?
As fellow translators, you'll be approximately aware of what I need to do: run CAT software (Wordfast and Trados in that order) with massive TMs and have lots of docs, spreadsheets, browser windows, glossaries and dictionaries and other applications open at the same time. Programs will launch as soon as I click on them and not 20 secs later. That sort of thing.
I'm willing to spend as much as it takes, but of course I don't want to pay for power I'm not going to use.
To date I've been buying Dell computers and I'm quite satisfied. Any other suggestions?
Just how much extra speed will I get if I invest twice as much for a 'top' model?
Thanks for your feedback.
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Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
My wife...
Aug 16, 2011
Olly Pekelharing wrote:
It's about time for a new laptop, so I thought I'd ask my colleagues what the present state-of-the-art is and whether I want it...
A month ago my wife bought a new laptop after the old one's motherboard broke. She got herself a Toshiba C660D-140 from Wehkamp.nl for EUR 380.00. I'm impressed. It is surprisingly light, and does not get hot... even on a bed. It can go up to 8 GB of RAM, though unfortunately I was not able to reuse some RAM from the old laptop because the old laptop uses DDR2 and the new one uses DDR3.
I myself still use my 4 year old HP NX6325 laptop, nearly permanently on my desk, but I use an external mouse and a full keyboard, and I use a second monitor (cost me EUR 200 about three months ago): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ksXBOWVts
I may buy a new laptop before the end of the year, but I'm likely to go for one similar to my wife's laptop (upgradable to lots of RAM), and still use the external mouse, keyboard and monitor as I'm currently doing.
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Peter Linton United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2002) Swedish to English + ...
Multi screens
Aug 16, 2011
You say that you have large TMs, many documents, spreadsheets, browser windows etc.
My advice would be to spend most of your money on additional screens for your new laptop.
Perhaps a 24" main screen, plus 2 more (perhaps smaller) screens via USB.
The convenience of having such a large desktop will boost your productivity substantially – more than you will achieve from fast hardware, SSDs, 8G RAM etc.
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Olly Pekelharing Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2009) Dutch to English
TOPIC STARTER
That's exactly what I'm wondering about...
Aug 16, 2011
Hi Samuel,
That's exactly what I'm wondering about: your wife buys a laptop for 380 euros; I'm playing with a configuration on Dell's site (intel core i7, 6gb ram, windows 7 prof, super-duper fhd screen, etc.) that will cost me a cool 1500. But what does this Latitude I'm looking at do that your wife's doesn't and makes it worth 4x as much, and do I need it to do it?
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Olly Pekelharing Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2009) Dutch to English
TOPIC STARTER
Screens
Aug 16, 2011
Thanks Peter,
Multiple screens are out of the question, as I work at the kitchen table with the kids scrambling about my feet (some of the time), but how would they increase productivity anyway? I'm quite happy using alt+tab or even the mouse to switch between screens or even to launch progs only when I need them, as long as they respond immediately! I have a setup for two screens upstairs in the office but I don't find myself drawn there to use it...
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Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
Kitchen table
Aug 16, 2011
Olly Pekelharing wrote:
Multiple screens are out of the question, as I work at the kitchen table with the kids scrambling about my feet (some of the time)...
I work at the dining room table, and I have to pack up my office twice a day (breakfast and dinner). It is a bit of a hassle, but the large monitor is worth it. When we're eating, the laptop and cables are stowed in a box, and the monitor stands upright on the window sill.
...but how would they increase productivity anyway? I'm quite happy using alt+tab or even the mouse to switch between screens or even to launch progs only when I need them, as long as they respond immediately!
Peter seems like a multiscreen guy. I use an external monitor, but I'm not a multiscreen guy because I hardly look at the laptop screen (unless I'm watching a film on the side).
My monitor is full HD and it can be turned into portrait mode, since I translate in WFC, which is best suited for a tall (not wide) screen. When I get a new laptop with a wide screen, I'll use the laptop screen for Excel files (which tend to need width more than height), but at this time I can simply turn the screen 90 degrees whenever I need to work on a wide file.
My problem with new laptops is that most of them have rather small screens these days (horizontal resolution rarely above 800, and almost never above 1000), and even the big screen ones often have very low resolution (so the viewable area is larger but you don't get more screen space, and the image is less crisp).
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Michal Glowacki United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2010) English to Polish + ...
Dell XPS
Aug 16, 2011
Hi Olly,
As for multiple screens - it boost productivity because you don't have to switch between windows that much and everything can be easily seen - even laptop + external 19" screen is a great help.
As for laptops check out the XPS series. I recently bought an i5 2.6 GHz, 6GB ram (DDR3, 1333 MHz), 750 GB HDD (7200 RPM), 1300 screen res (can be upgraded to 1900 for 170 GBP - quite pricey, but the screen is good), 3xUSB 3.0 ports and a 1GB Graphics processor. I also have a McAfee 15 months subscription and MS Office 2010 - all for about 700 GBP. There were multiple promotions on various upgrades and I found a 10% voucher somewhere online (via google) so the deal was really good. Try that - maybe it's a better solution than the business line? There are always promotions on Dell's website, so try finding some or waiting for them. You can save quite a lot off the RRP.
I can tell you one thing - the processor and RAM make my work so much easier, everything works like a charm. The USB 3.0 reduced my backup time by 50-70% at least and the fast disk means everything is saved or read quicker. I can have memoQ, 5 dictionaries, Firefox with 10-12 tabs, Thunderbird, McAfee scanning my computer in the background, Winamp, InDesign or Photoshop, Excel, Word and it's still all quick, no glitches nor waiting time. Less than 6 GB of RAM doesn't makes sense now, especially as you don't want your computer to become "old and slow" in a year. Of course, I could probably do with a lower spec machine, but this way I'm a bit more "future proof" and if I decide to use Trados or something hefty I can still be sure it will not slow everything down.
The XPS is not a business machine but more of an entertainment unit (hence it has great speakers, for a laptop, and a subwoofer - not necessary, but I like working with background music, so it's a plus for me) but the value for money with this promotion was great. The only thing I don't like (fixable with an external keyboard) is the short shift, which makes it difficult for me to press ctrl+g or ctrl+shift+t...
Cheers,
Michal
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Stephen Fennell United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2010) French to English + ...
The bigger the screen the quicker you can work.
Aug 16, 2011
The screen is in effect the table on which you have to pile all your documents. It's much easier to work on a big table and have two or three documents spread out and visible at the same time.
In fact, if you've got space for it, I would recommend getting a desktop computer so that you can then choose a really big screen. Alternatively you can have one laptop control two screens and treat the second screen as an extension of its normal screen so that when you drag a window off the right edge of your laptop screen, it simply slides into view on the left edge of your second screen. (In Windows 7 go 'Start' > 'Control Panel' > 'Hardware and Sound' > 'Display' > 'Connect to an external display'.)
With a big screen you can see the whole of a page more easily, or put the foreign text and the translation side by side. If you use the "Find" dialogue box in MS Word a lot, you can drag it out of the way of your document so that it doesn't sit on top of your document.
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Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
Translators use entry-level computers
Aug 16, 2011
Olly Pekelharing wrote:
That's exactly what I'm wondering about: your wife buys a laptop for 380 euros; I'm playing with a configuration on Dell's site ... that will cost me a cool 1500. But what does this Latitude I'm looking at do that your wife's doesn't and makes it worth 4x as much, and do I need it to do it?
I have always maintained that a translator needs only an entry-level computer, plus maybe some extra RAM, and preferably a fast hard drive (7200 instead of 5400). A crisp, non-glaring screen is also essential... and with laptops the viewing angle is also important.
In the days when dual core was non-standard, I would have advised you to get dual core, but these days almost all laptops have dual cores... and I doubt if quad core is going to make much of a difference for a translator (unless you're a game translator). Also, there was a time when I favoured higher CPU speeds (particularly for desktop computers), but these days that's no longer a good indicator of actual response time (and especially not with laptops, which are designed to be lean).
I have recently discovered that the so-called "business laptops" are intended more for people who work for companies with large IT departments, and that many features that freelancers need are often not available on business laptops (while other, silly items that no-one will ever use, are).
Gamer laptops are superfast beasts, but I haven't found a gamer laptop that seems suitable for translation and which justifies the price tag that those laptops tend to have.
I tend to try to save money, even on business expenses, but if I had to buy a laptop without looking at the price tag, I'd go for a cheap or mid-range home-use laptop with a large matt screen, full keyboard, lots of USB ports (at least one 3.0 would be nice), a reasonable webcam, capability to have lots of RAM (say, 8 gb), a fast hard drive, possibly separate graphics memory, and finally it might not hurt to get quad core.
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Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2008) Italian to English
Small
Aug 16, 2011
IMHO the whole point of a laptop is that it should be **small** so that it can be used when working in very restricted spaces, e.g. on those tiny tables you get on aeroplanes.
BUT along with this comes the requirement to also invest in a good-quality **big** display you can plug into the laptop when you're not travelling/on holiday.
My own set-up is a 13" MacBook Pro + an external 20" Apple Cinema display I bought some years ago and is still going strong. Best of all: this display is *matte* and not shiny. I think it's quite difficult now to get non-shiny displays.
[Edited at 2011-08-16 15:18 GMT]
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Olly Pekelharing Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2009) Dutch to English
TOPIC STARTER
re: translators use entry level computers
Aug 16, 2011
"I have recently discovered that the so-called "business laptops" are intended more for people who work for companies with large IT departments, and that many features that freelancers need are often not available on business laptops (while other, silly items that no-one will ever use, are)."
I would have thought that business laptops in general, aside from the specs, would be more durable, have better keyboards and that sort of thing, which would be enough reason for me to shop for business models. What features are these that aren't available on business laptops and which silly ones are, I'm wondering?
[Edited at 2011-08-16 15:20 GMT]
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Michal Glowacki United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2010) English to Polish + ...
RAM
Aug 16, 2011
I would have thought that business laptops in general, aside from the specs, would be more durable, have better keyboards and that sort of thing, which would be enough reason for me to shop for business models. What features are these that aren't available on business laptops and which silly ones are, I'm wondering?
They often have little RAM (2-3 GB). That's true - they are usually more durable, but if you rarely travel - it's not worth investing in, is it? At home it won't make much of a difference. Also, usually the processors are the Intel Dual Core or Celeron or an equivalent AMD. You don't get a separate graphics card, which tends to be useful if you wan't to use the laptop to watch a movie (HD).
But they do often have matt screens, faster HDDs and more USBs. Still, I don't think it's worth the extra money.
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Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
And connectivity
Aug 16, 2011
Michal Glowacki wrote:
I would have thought that business laptops in general, aside from the specs, would be more durable, have better keyboards and that sort of thing, which would be enough reason for me to shop for business models.
They often have little RAM (2-3 GB). That's true - they are usually more durable, but if you rarely travel - it's not worth investing in, is it? ... You don't get a separate graphics card ... But they do often have matt screens, faster HDDs and more USBs.
It is difficult to stereotype, but a business laptop would also be better connectivity that is overkill for anyone working at home. A typical business laptop has a docking port, Bluetooth, better WiFi support than most home users use, ports e.g. Firewire, DisplayPort, SmartCard reader, ExpressCard slot, and even a telephone modem jack, and novelties like fingerprint readers or facial recognition. A business laptop may also favour longer battery life. And you can count on better security features (hardware and software), which IMO can really only be utilised in combination with a dedicated IT department.
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Olly Pekelharing Netherlands Local time: 08:44 Member (2009) Dutch to English
TOPIC STARTER
Durability
Aug 16, 2011
As a translator I spend a greater percentage of my working hours behind my computer than anyone I know, so that's why I'm prepared to spend on durability, good screens and all the rest. So, for example, the suggested Dell XPS; will it's keyboard hold up just as long the Latitude's? Does it mind being shunted up and down the stairs and in and out of drawers several times a day?
If its as hardy and long-lasting as its 'business' counterparts, then why is it so much less expensive? Does that come down to all the extra features Samuel is talking about? There's a huge difference in price between an XPS and , say, a Precision with much the same features. Could it come down to a major mark-up just because the manufacturer knows businesses have more to spend than consumers and can deduct the tax?
[Edited at 2011-08-16 17:29 GMT]
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Michal Glowacki United Kingdom Local time: 07:44 Member (2010) English to Polish + ...
durability
Aug 16, 2011
Unfortunately I cannot help you on durability - my laptop has only about 2 months. I can tell you it looks sturdy with aluminium around the keyboard. It's a bit on the heavier side, but I don't mind, as I don't use it for travelling that much.
As for the price difference, there are several factors:
- Windows Professional instead of Home
- the add-ons that Samuel described (face recognition, print reader, additional ports, higher spec WiFi card, matt screen)
- some business laptops have a different chassis - logically, it would be more sturdy, as they should be much more durable due to being workhorses for travelling individuals.
- warranty - business laptops may have things like "next business day" or an extended "pick-up and return" option - check that.
- are there any additional applications included?
- whatever is for business is usually more expensive, look at software or mobile phones.
However I think that taking out of a drawer and carrying it around the house doesn't really justify buying a business laptop. I would go for a higher end of the mid-range home stuff. And if you're interested in making sure you're laptop stays with you longer - instead of buying a business one just add (Dell option) an additional warranty year or an accidental damage warranty that covers even kids and pets induced damage. That should be good enough.
edit:
A new though came to my mind, you can leave the warranty as is and simply extend it before it expires if you see fit. If you feel like it may come in handy - do it in a years (less) time, if you don't - leave it.
[Edited at 2011-08-16 18:36 GMT]
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