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Thinking about getting a new laptop
Grimm
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Sometime next month i'm supposed to start traveling for work and basically living out of motels for weeks at a time. I've been thinking lately about getting a new laptop so i can get online with the free wireless that most places have these days and keep in touch with people. Not to mention giving me something to do after work other then going to the bar every single night. Its been a long time since i've kept up with computer hardware so i have no idea what i should even be looking at. Intel or AMD? Nvidia or ATI? I don't even know where to start with all the new cpu stuff like duel cores. Could you guys please point me in the right direction?
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(or, if you require Windows, http://www.amazon.com/Display-Intel-Processor-Solid-Battery/dp/B001BYD178/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215992720&sr=8-4 ).
Yeah, I've suggested it to everyone I know who is getting a new computer. It's a good desktop replacement that is also portable, but it seems like overkill for his purposes. Hell, even a regular MacBook (I'm typing on one now) would be a bit much if he just wants a mobile browser.
Maybe a little light gaming but i usually do most of that on the 360. I'm mostly going to be using this for watching movies, internet, coding, sound editing, etc. I had a big 17 inch screen on my last laptop and i really liked it but i'm sure if didn't help with the battery so i'm willing to downsize a little if need be. I don't want a ultraportable. I would like to duel boot windows and some form of linux so i'm not really interested in anything apple. I'm also extremely uninterested in anything gateway. I've had horrible experiences with them in the past and so has a friend.
Thing is so reliable, lightweight, portable.
You could go for the 15" if you wanted.
Powerful machine too.
I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]
Still, if you don't mind paying for it, it's a quality machine.
The XPS 1330 (the smaller screen) and the XPS 1530 (larger 15 inch screen) are both the same price right now as a part of the PRODUCT RED promotion. I really recommend the 1530, or at least that's what I bought.
What's really cool is that the 1530 has an HDMI port to run through a HD TV, if you have one that is.
My only pet peeve with it is that the Audio jacks are on the front of the system, so if you want to run some speakers into the laptop the cords have to run underneath or to the sides - just poor placement overall.
My Components
(PRODUCT) RED
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista ® Home Premium Edition SP1
Glossy, widescreen 15.4inch LCD (1280x800) & 2.0 MP
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
Size: 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
High Definition Audio 2.0
My Software & Accessories
McAfee Security Center with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months
No Microsoft Office
My Service
1Yr In-Home Service, Parts Labor,24x7 Phone Support
Included 3 GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Yr
Free Recycling Kit
Also Includes
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1
Windows Vista™ Premium
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
No ISP requested
EDIT: Total Price is $1,274. You could probably get it for less if you waited till an XPS coupon shows up online.
Should i be looking at intel or amd? My last computer was an amd 64 but its been a couple years since that was new. I noticed a asus laptop at best buy today that looked nice. It had an intel core duo t5750, 4 gigs of ddr2 ram, 200 gig hard drive, 15.6 inch widescreen lcd, and a wireless n card. Any thoughts?
Intel Core 2 Duo. AMD is currently behind in the processor race. The 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo seems to be at the price/performance knee point today (i.e., it's $20 less for the slightly-slower version and $120 more for the slightly-faster version).
Get Vista since XP is on its way out.
If you get 4GB of RAM and you get a 32-bit operating system, you'll only be able to use about 3.0-3.2GB of it.
Get a 7200RPM hard drive, they speed up notebooks noticeably.
Make sure you're comfortable with the default screen resolution. Oftentimes you can get the same size screen (say 15.4" widescreen) in different resolutions. I prefer the lower resolution because I don't really like teeny pixels, but maybe you like teeny pixels.
-Apple Store Employee
Make sure to select the following options:
the touchpad does have a right click, put 2 fingers on the pad and click
I dont know how I could argue or not argue the 15" screen part, there is a model for that
7200 RPM drive??? Who offers that by default? why would you want it? Id want to keep my battery, and the read time is nominally better, its not like people do heavy gaming on a Macbook or Blackbook
1300 for 4 Gigs of Ram and a fucking 512 video card. I feel cheated.
7200rpm drives really have no effect on the battery. And oh god are 5,400rpm drives slow.
My hard drive is soooo slow. I've tried the 7200rpm drives, much quicker response time.
Spend the extra dollars and invest in a 7200rpm drive. Worth it. Save a bunch of time.
I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]