Laptop for Astrophotography

jermng · Post by **jermng** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:09 pm

Hi all,

I'm thinking of getting a laptop, and of course, one of the purposes would be to use it in the field as a Planetarium and also an image capture tool w/ a Toucam and maybe one of the DSIs later on.

What would be the minimum specs you guys recommend for such a computer? Min CPU spd, min RAM etc.

Initially wanted to get a MacBook cos I currently use a Mac at home, but decided to get a PC notebook cos I can use stuff like Cartes du Ciel and it's easier to mate DSCs and the TOucam to a PC. You think that's a good step?

Thanks guys!

mrngbss · Post by **mrngbss** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:35 pm

The plus point of using a PC for Astrophotographhy is that you can use Registax (win) to process your Toucam videos.

I've used a Mac to capture video from TouCam Pro (using demo drivers and software), and the software to process the video clips doesn't seem to be matching Registax.

river · Post by **river** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:59 pm

for Field notebook, I go for

1) large HDD -- 5 min toucam .avi is about 2GB

2) Fast HDD and USB port -- reduce drop frame and faster file transfer time

3) not too fast CPU speed, smaller screen, big battery --- longer operating time.

4) Optional : DVD burner, RS232 comm port -- backup .avi and telescope control

post process on another better system.

jermng · Post by **jermng** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:13 pm

Interesting you brought up the CPU thing ....

Which should I choose -

Intel Core Duo 1.73GHz(2MB L2 Cache, 533Mhz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66GHz (2MB L2 Cache, 667 FSB)

Notice the 2nd one has slower speed, but its the Core 2 chipset with a faster Front side bus. The Core 2 one is about $300 more expensive but comes with DVD writer.

Also, what's the min. RAM I should have? Is 512 enough? Or should I bump up to 1Gb? 2GB?

I stopped following PC technology closely for awhile - now I'm lost.

river · Post by **river** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:23 pm

I prefer faster FSB since most of the field imaging activity is data transfer, provided your RAM and HDD can make full use of the FSB else take the cheaper one.

RAM?? up to your pocket size

mrngbss · Post by **mrngbss** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:26 pm

RAM - Use a min of 1Gb, in case you want to upgrade your OS to Vista.

jermng · Post by **jermng** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:30 pm

HAHA ... According to my pant size, my pocket is big, but not full ... HAHA ..

Anyway, how can I tell if my RAM and HDD can make full use of the FSB? as far as I know most laptop HDD is 5400rpm and the RAM for the laptop I'm looking at is DDR2. Does that say anything?

Another thing, should I trade in my RAM with the vendor (more expensive)? Or go to Sim Lim and top it up (is it much cheaper??) ? Would that void any warranties?

Thanks!

river · Post by **river** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:18 pm

You can ask the seller to match the RAM to the FSB of your system. You can search for the spec online.

HDD transfer rate differ by the type of interface then by their internal spec.
SATA is faster then IDE but most nootbook use IDE interface. Faster rpm, less seek time and less latency make the transfer rate faster at the cost of more power consumption and $$$.

Since Toucam pro is only USB1.1, A notebook that has 533FSB, 512MB RAM, 5400rpm IDE HDD is good enough. The rest is up to your pocket and year end bonus.

Post by **zong** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:05 pm

More importantly, big big big batteries that last long long long.. you get what i mean. And also battery maintenance so that its life isn't shortened very quickly. My batteries now last me 45mins on a full charge.. -__- but it's those from long ago where 3hrs was considered powerful battery.

If budget is a concern, no need very fast cpu speed. FSB higher better. for hard disks, bigger is better. minimum specs for most laptops now are 60gb, you can go for 80gb for about an hour more of recording roughly? i vaguely remember some manufacturers offer 7.2k rpm hard disks? not sure, so someone correct me if wrong. If there is, take those, unless they are too expensive, because normally hard disks are 5.4k rpm only. Of cos with higher spin rate you need to be more careful too, less bumping around and stuff, even if they boast about hdd protection. i'd recommend 1gb ram and higher only if you can afford. Trade up with the company, they usually know what specs it is and can change for you on the spot.

mrngbss · Post by **mrngbss** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:08 pm

Talking about Battery, go for smaller screens too. a 7200rpm drinks more energy than 5400rpm.