Need LapTop Computer recommendation for HPSDR and Mod Mon in shack

[K1JJ]

Hola!

My older Win 7 shack laptop has crapped out and I need a new one.  I want to run my Atlas HPSDR  Mercury and Penelope SDR transceiver on it with the new Pure Signal software. (predistortion)  I also want to run Steve's REA mod monitor.   I need Windows 10 and a 15" screen if possible.

I see lots of used and even new laptops for $100 - $500 on Amazon, etc.     Can anyone recommend a machine or suggestions that will suit this purpose?  It's overwhelming with all the offers on the web.

It's amazing what they've done with the older HPSDR rig software, especially adding Pure Signal to it. The YouTube demonstrations for IMD are quite impressive.  A ham can get into a full working SDR rig quite inexpensively these days.

Thanks.

T

Latest HPSDR / Power SDR 2018 software download:
https://github.com/TAPR/OpenHPSDR-PowerSDR/releases/tag/v3.4.9

YouTube IMD demo of the same software using PureSignal and showing the hardware RF feedback on an ANAN-100
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adHZOTqTlQ

[ka1tdq]

Just don't cheap out on a laptop like I did. I bought a Lenovo for $230 which had Windows 10 and a large screen. I figured I could since I was just using mine for web surfing and music at coffee shops. Out of the box there wasn't enough processor speed or memory for even that. Keystrokes couldn't keep up and webpages took forever to open.

I got around this by booting the machine with Ubuntu (a linux product). Windows 10 was too burdensome for it. Now it's really fast for what I need. I'm sure a heavy SDR product would bog it down again though.

I'm not a computer guy, but spend some money.

Jon

[AG5CK]

I can't recommend anything specifically, but can give you specs from the computers I use for a similar application. The laptop I have is a Dell Alienware M15 with the i7-8750H processor and 16gb ram. It is absolute overkill for this. The cpu usage when running hpsdr is around 7%.

My desktop pc is older. It runs my Anan with protocol 2 firmware, Thetis, puresignal and REA mod monitor while I surf the internet. It has an AMD 4350 (4.20ghz) quad core processor and 16gb ram. It ran fine with 8gb and I did not see any improvement when I upgraded to 16. This was before I went to protocol 2 and Thetis. CPU usage is 30 to 50% as I'm typing this. With protocol 1 and hpsdr the cup usage was usually under 30%. The settings in hpsdr or thetis can be changed to reduce the load if needed.

I would make sure the laptop has a gigabit Ethernet port so you can use protocol 2 with an Anan if you ever go down that road. 

[K1JJ]

Thanks for all the help on the forum and email guys.  Glad I didn't make a purchase last week.

Based on the advice I will be looking for a refurbished $500- $600 price range laptop of more advanced vintage. The cheaper $100 - $250 units all have limitations of some kind.  There's a store in the area that refurbs and guarantees them and I'll see what they have.  

Best of the holidays to all!

T

[steve_qix]

I got a refurbished Dell laptop from Amazon.  There are many on Ebay also.  This is a REAL nice unit!  Cost $600 at the time (just about 1 year ago).  I like Dells.  I have a LOT of them - they are very reliable and easier to fix than anything else I've worked with.

Right now my favorite desktop (price/performance wise) is the Dell 9020 SFF with a SSD, 16 gigs and an i7 4790.  These can be had with Win 10 pro, from Ebay, with a warranty for under $400.  Just got one for $350.  Great, high performance machine for small money.  I have 9020s that have been on CONTINUOUSLY for 6 years and are perfect.  These things just work.

Back to the laptop, if that's what you are shooting for:

Things to look for:

1)  Solid state drive - don't compromise, get an SSD.  The performance is *SO* much better for little money
2)  Enough memory.  16 gigs is recommended for Win 10
3)  I suggest an i7 as a minimum processor.  Makes a big difference.
4)  USB ports - make sure it has at least 2 USB-A ports and some USB-C ports as well.  Most existing USB devices are USB-A, but USB-C is becoming more common.  So, have both.

That's about all I can think of at the moment..... I would really stick with Dell.

[K1JJ]

OK on the 9020 Dell, Steve.

I recently bought a referb 7010 Dell desktop with 16G. 1 Tera SSD, and I7.   Works great.

A desk computer like the 9020 would be FB, but I need a laptop due to space. The shack is getting tight with all the HB rigs and 2nd upstairs workshop all in one room. I'll try to find one that has an I7, 16G and a SSD as you suggested.

Yes, SSD is fast. That's all I use these days.  It's about time they got rid of CRTs and hard drives and converted them to silicon.... :-)

Tnx -

T

[WBear2GCR]

SSD?

Not enough.
You'll need a backup drive too.
Back up often and early.

The SSDs are reported to crap out without notice at anytime from about 6mos
to 2 yrs.

Word to the wise.

[kb2vxa]

Just a few words from the wise to get other wizards started on SSDs. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, their architecture is completely different from the familiar HDDs! The thing to keep in mind is unlike magnetic domains they have memory cells that can only stand so many write cycles and POOF, they're dead and unused memory cells get used. It's a chain reaction, SSDs have a reserve of memory cells, but sooner or later they're all used up and the SMART data can't be used to tell you it's on its way out. Logically one should install the biggest drive a wizard can afford, but they're not cheap by a long shot. I suggest shopping around and should you see a deal like Samsung had recently POUNCE ON IT. Obviously you should NOT defrag a SSD unless you want to burn out memory cells for nothing! For what it's worthless, one of the recent upgrades to my desktop was replacing the drives. C the Windblows drive is an affordable Seagate SSD, and the big boy, D the data drive is another Seagate 4TB Enterprise type designed for a hard extended life in a data center server rack. The old Seagate Barracuda 4TB HDD has been retired to a removable media drive containing compressed backups of both internal drives. Seagate is an old trusted name I have been using since 1996 without a hitch. Before I forget, I use PerfectDisk to monitor drive health and prevent fragmentation before it happens. Except for SMART monitoring everything for C is turned off, SSDs don't need being fussed over, just protected from as many write cycles as possible.

Sorry this turned out long, but I can't help but stress SSDs require a whole new mindset to be used properly. The reason why they fail after only a few years lies with how they're abused by those with the old HDD mentality. I know a desktop isn't a laptop, but the core info can be adapted. One last comment, for the application stated a laptop looks like it's not up to the task. That being the case at least a mini tower looks like the one, being physically larger it can hold more than a laptop, and just as important, a LOT less prone to overheating when driven hard. Oh, unlike a laptop you can have a monitor the size of Texas, or a dual monitor system, or surrounded by monitors like a couple of my friends. (;->)

[KB2WIG]

T,

Yer shack is getting crowded?? There is an answer.

Have you tried to suspend things from yer ceiling? It's better than floor space 'cuz you don't walk on it.* And there usually isn't a lot of things up there.

Try it, you'll like it,

klc


* Well, I don't think that you do.

[Steve - K4HX]

I've been using 3 SSD since 2012. No crap outs.

SSD?

Not enough.
You'll need a backup drive too.
Back up often and early.

The SSDs are reported to crap out without notice at anytime from about 6mos
to 2 yrs.

Word to the wise.

[kb2vxa]

Spider Man and Brundle Fly walk on the ceiling, why can't you?

Well Steve, it looks like you have read and understood The Care And Feeding Of Solid State Drives. Oh and don't overlook the crucial sentence "Always make complete and frequent backups (I back up my entire computer around the first of every month) because sooner or later they WILL crap out without warning." It goes to show the truth is out there if you look for it, like this 12x18 poster on Amazon for $10 delivered. https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Out-There-Poster/dp/B07D1CQMWM