| IMHO
In my humble opinion, a laptop computer may be the most unreliable invention in recorded history. Plus, they are (typically) not made for marine environments. If you want to rely on a laptop to integrate your nav systems, plan on having a spare on board and budget for another spare in the near future.
That said, laptops have a legit place on a ocean going vessel for some communications (e-mail, weather, etc. via SSB or HAM).
For the unreliability reason, many folks stick to the multi-function display approach to integrate chart plotters, radar, weather (Sirius, XM) with the other NMEA networked items (auto pilot, speed, depth, wind).
Your mileage may vary..........
Dave
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