Best computer for the truck

I bought an Acer from Walmart. Just under $500. It's pretty rugged. The first time I took it home, the dog got tangled up in the mouse cord, panicked, and drug the laptop 80-90 feet bouncing across the tile floor. It survived, other than a crack on the outer case, it still works fine, and that was almost a year ago. It has a 17 inch screen, if I could do it over, I would have gotten something smaller. At the time I was OTR, now I'm regional/local, and only spend 2 to 3 nights per week on the truck. Right now, what would work for me is an Android tablet. You can get a decent one for less than $300. It can't play DVDs, but with wifi, you can watch Netflix and other streaming apps available for it.

 

I would go with this. Most macs don't have DVD drives anymore and just not worth the 3x price. Just upgrade to an SSD because a spinning drive will not last as long.

Btw, the ssd is the reason the macbook is quicker.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

LOL...

Sorry, but thought everybody would find this amusing.

I built a full-sized PC a year ago, intent on suprising my wife for her birthday (she spilled soda on the last desktop). I got home in time to find that her parents had already bought her one the day before. Undeterred, I went out and bought her a new rifle instead (she's kind-of a gun-nut like me). So here I have this mid-to-upper range PC, and nothing to do with it... I went back out for another turn when it hit me: My laptop was seven years old... And I've got PLENTY of storage space in my truck... I got online that night and ordered me a new video card (with an HDMI output) and a newer "constant sine wave" 1000 watt power inverter. When I got home, I installed the inverter and vid-card, and dragged my new 30lb "fun box" out to my truck. Ten minutes later, my wife comes storming out to find me, lounging in the sleeper, Bluetooth headset on, and game-pad in my hands, playing Call of Duty: Black Ops over our WiFi... SHE WAS PISSED! I've got everything set-up so I can remove the PC from the truck in less than a minute (sans keyboard and mouse- both Bluetooth). The power inverter was a bit of a pain (the "constant sine-wave" inverters are a bit bigger, but they are MUCH safer with expensive electronics), but all-in-all, I'm happy. I plan to install a 4G net-card in a couple of weeks.

 

I would make the suggestion to get yourself an external DVD reader for the thing if you are going to watch a lot of movies.

Players use a laser which creates a LOT of heat in a system and heat kills laptops faster than anything else.

I also have a flat board and also a 1X2 the width of my computer I keep with me which is used to prop up the back of the laptop. It allows for better airflow under the computer for cooling.

I use my Dell M4400 which is a business grade high-end graphics computer for using drafting programs. I only bought the thing because I was going to school for Land Survey/ Civil Engineering and needed the video power for Autocad.

The idea of a full sine wave converter for the truck is a good idea for things like a desktop, microwave or printer/scanner.

My laser brothers all-in-one won't run on the Thermo-King 1800W power inverter I currently have. So I need to sell it and get a full sine wave inverter.


Laptops aren't as effected by that because the power inverter acts a filter of sorts to only charge the battery.

 

That is the best advice given here.

I switched to a HP mini after my laptop's hard drive failed.

Installed SSD on the Mini and it works great.
Starts up very fast.

 

+ 1 on the lenovo !!!!

 

i buy whatever is cheapest. cuz that's all you need. not some high priced high performance. that'll be oudated next month.

memory is cheap upgrade.

and whenever i use my laptops. i unplug the chargers. so the variated current from the invertors don't blow em out. when turned off. plug back in to recharge.

power invertor current isn't consistent with house current. hard drives can croak faster.

they all use the same operating system and do the same function. so one isn't better then the other.

and as far as quality goes. they ALL SUCK compared to 10 years ago. the mouse pads are really touchy. a usb mouse will keep your pointer from jumping around the screen. makes for a real nuisance when trying to type.

 

What other thing are you using it for and what do you have on it I was thinking about an iPad what apps are you running so in and so forth thanks


Steven

 

I've decided to build a Eeee system and install in my truck. There are many of these systems out there such as the ASUS EeeBox PC EB1033. You can buy it bare bones and add your own memory and hard drive or buy it pre-configured. I was at my local Frys the other day and saw a few small mini mother boards that would make an excellent system. With the HDMI output, I can use a small HD tv with DVD player such as the NAXA brand you see at the truck stops. Use a RAM mount for the monitor/TV and add a bluetooth dongle and use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and your all set. I just want a smaller footprint to keep my cab uncluttered.

 

I have an ASUS laptop. It cost $389 at Best Buy over Labor day. It is a intel 5i processor. It does everything I want it to do. If I owned my own truck, I would build my own computer to put into it. But with a company truck, I want something that is portable. ASUS is a brand that is under priced and a good value.