6 replies to this topic

[sadareen]

Hi all

I need some help in choosing a laptop for GIS.
I have never bought a laptop before. This is the first time i am going to buy one. But with the available options i am very confused. There are so many brands of laptops to choose from.
My budget is $ 850.

Currently i am working in a company where telecommunications network is implemented in GIS. 'Small World' from GE is the name of the software. I am considering to switch jobs or rather choose a job which offers more scope of learning GIS and its wide applications.

I've read somewhere that ArcGIS is a widely used software. So for a start i wanted to learn to use ArcGIS or any other popular GIS software. For this i need a laptop.

Kindly help.

Regards
James.

[spg]

Most laptops these days will run a GIS, even ArcGIS. If you aren't too worried about pure processor power then trade this off for more RAM, which will make your experience better. A bigger screen can be very handy, don't forget you can usually get an older external one cheap. USD$850 should get you a pretty decent 15 inch machine, a Dell Inspiron 15R for example is about $600 and this is powerful enough.

If you already know how to use SmallWorld then other GIS packages aren't too difficult, I started with SmallWorld, then MapInfo, then ArcGIS, each time it was maybe a month before I felt really comfortable with where things were and how to do the tasks.

ArcGIS is expensive though, unless you can get a home edition or student deal. Don't forget there is open source GIS software out there as well, QGIS, GRASS etc. These will be an inexpensive way to get more experience before getting ArcGIS.

[Bryan Swindell]

As spg did, I can vouch for the Dell Inspiron 15R. I've had good luck running ArcGIS on it.

If possible, try to get a laptop with a 7200 RPM hard drive. Makes a world of difference with regard to program start time and file access.

[Thad]

I second on the big screen size. If you have to carry it around a lot, I would opt maybe for the 15 inch. But I have a 17inch and it is fantastic. However, battery life is horrible, its heavy, runs hot....

[Bogdanovits]

Hi all

I need some help in choosing a laptop for GIS.
I have never bought a laptop before. This is the first time i am going to buy one. But with the available options i am very confused. There are so many brands of laptops to choose from.
My budget is $ 850.

Hi,
as GIS laptop I'm using something like this: Qosmio X775-Q7384 but is potside of budget.
There is a laptop inside of budget: Satellite P770-ST5N01
I think is important to use
-a screen at least 17"+
-processor better than i3
-at least 4Mb of memory

[Unit Seven]

-at least 4Mb of memory

Suggest he may need a bi more these days

[P.Raposo]

An obvious place to start, if you think you might be running ArcGIS 10 (the latest version), is the page for its system requirements.

A good screen is a good idea, though I'd recommend higher pixel resolution as more important than the size of the screen. With regard to memory and processor speed, more and faster are always better - just balance those against minimum requirements and how much money you want to spend.

You can get a Mac too, though you'll need to run Windows within the Mac OS using something like Bootcamp in order to run ArcMap.

ArcMap is, for a full license, pretty costly. Then again, they sell non-commercial personal use annual licenses for 100 bucks too. There are some great free pieces of software too; have a look at Quantum GIS, for example.

Cheers, good luck, and have fun learning!