Just about to get started trucking again and was wondering if anybody had any solid information about whether or not a laptop with a solid-state HD was a better choice for my computer needs on the road. That is, are there any reliable statistics about how the vibrations of OTR travelling and work may or do affect standard HD performance. Is it reasonable to presume the componants which run a "normal" Hard-Drive have more wear and tear put on em and thereby more potential failure over the long haul compared to the non-moving memory componants of a solid-state drive?
OTR Laptops?
- Thread starter crashcart
- Start date
Yeah, SS drives, being what they are, don't have any moving parts to wear out, and are very durable. They run very hot, tho, so in the summer it could be a problem unless the cab area is kept quite cool or that you have adequate cooling around the laptop.
A lot of it depends if you are planning on using the laptop while moving. Doing so will dramatically increase the risk if a hard drive failure, even though laptop drives are more durable than desktop drives.
My next laptop will probably be one with SS drives. They do have a limited lifetime all on their own, since those RAM chips can only be written to just so many times.
A lot of it depends if you are planning on using the laptop while moving. Doing so will dramatically increase the risk if a hard drive failure, even though laptop drives are more durable than desktop drives.
My next laptop will probably be one with SS drives. They do have a limited lifetime all on their own, since those RAM chips can only be written to just so many times.
Sorry, my bad. SSD is more often how you'll see it. But an SS drive, or SSD, is a solid state drive. Like a hard drive, but uses an array of flash memory instead of a traditional spinning hard drive platter. Solid State Drives fit into the same spot a regular drive would, so you can directly replace a hard drive with an SSD. Reading and writing on a SSD is, as you can imagine, much faster than on a hard drive.
About June 15 Toshiba and Acer will launch their versions of "Chromebook". This will feature Google's Chrome operating system. It will have an SS drive. They promise 8 second startup, and more security.
If you trust "Cloud" storage of your stuff, it might be worth considering. I won't be one of the first to line up to get one, but will be watching them very carefully. Cloud storage means if your drive or putter goes down you can sign onto Google from any computer and your stuff will be there. Pretty much like your Android phone does now.
If you trust "Cloud" storage of your stuff, it might be worth considering. I won't be one of the first to line up to get one, but will be watching them very carefully. Cloud storage means if your drive or putter goes down you can sign onto Google from any computer and your stuff will be there. Pretty much like your Android phone does now.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Toshiba Satellite here also, for just over 3.5 yrs...no problems at all...that being said, it sitson a logitech dual fan pad and they both are mounted on a adjustable "Ram Stand" that absorbs ALOTon motion and vibration...and I'd bet this thing has been powered up 90%0f the time the truck is moving, it has my GPS system installed in it...still on the original std HD...
butterfly610
Veteran Expediter
Apple apple apple
Camper
Not a Member
Just beware..If you opt for a netbook, many of them tend to have what's called a memory stick instead of an actual hard drive. These memory sticks tend to have shorter lifespans.
I happen to have a Dell Inspiron netbook and after about two years, the memory stick(the hard drive) went kaput.
With that said, you should also consider getting a portable hard drive to back up your documents regularly in case your hard drive ever does decide to take an early retirement. You can get a good terabyte capacity one for about $200 or so.
I happen to have a Dell Inspiron netbook and after about two years, the memory stick(the hard drive) went kaput.
With that said, you should also consider getting a portable hard drive to back up your documents regularly in case your hard drive ever does decide to take an early retirement. You can get a good terabyte capacity one for about $200 or so.
I've had nothing but bad luck with netbooks. Junk.
SSDs are not very different from memory sticks, same kind of memory. And two years seems to be about the comfortable lifespan of the SSDs, as well.
I get more than two years out of a regular hard drive.
That's the down side of SSD, they cost twice as much and last half as long.
The upside, of course, is they have no moving parts, and are just stoopid-fast.
I'm thinking the future may be in the cloud.
I could buy any sized soft drink from McDonalds for a penny more 
And it wouldn't overwhelm the cloud.
I've got a few things up there in the cloud, but as an expediting professional who is on the road most of the time I find that a limited bandwidth aircard (and the soon-to-be limited smartphone plans) to be too risky to have important stuff, especially applications, solely present in the cloud. At least not at this juncture.
I've got a few things up there in the cloud, but as an expediting professional who is on the road most of the time I find that a limited bandwidth aircard (and the soon-to-be limited smartphone plans) to be too risky to have important stuff, especially applications, solely present in the cloud. At least not at this juncture.
I agree it's in its infancy but could well be the future.
Oh, yeah, that's where it's heading, for sure. The new MS Office is designed for cloud computing, as are many other productivity applications. As was recently noted in Forbes, criticism abounds, but cloud computing is here to stay. It's like the old days where everyone in the company had a Wyse terminal at their desk and were connected to the mainframe, only different. With the advent of SaaS and pay-per-use, while a good thing for the corporate IT world, and smartphone apps, it'll suck for anyone without a dedicated broadband Internet connection, like cable.