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Post by Brittany Bordelon on Oct 27, 2006 18:24:34 GMT -5
I am in the market for a new laptop computer and I wanted to get any advice from those who are much more computer savvy than myself. Here's what I am looking for: 1. something lightweight (I'm in college so I need something light to bring to classes) 2. something thin and portable (doesn't have to be too small though) 3. Wireless Internet included 4. a really good processor (I don't know much about this area) 5. at least 60 GB I don't really have a brand preference. I have a Dell Inspiron 5100 currently and it's just not cutting it for what I need. I don't necessarily have to have a Dell, but I honestly just really don't know what else is out there. Any suggestions? All input is greatly appreciated! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
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Post by James Battles on Oct 28, 2006 1:25:52 GMT -5
Hi Brittany your dell choices for what you described would be in the area of the xps M1210 by dell . comes in a variety of sizes depending on your pocketbook and weghs under 5 pounds. They run from about 1800 dollars for the one you seek . It has both intergrated web cam and mobile broadband and a TV tuner not to mention it is vista capable which is the next operating system. I hope this link will take you there. www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/cto_xpsnb_m1210?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhshere is a better link I think describing the 1210 www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1210?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhsKind of expensive but the new duo processors with the 2mb cache and 1 to 2 gb shared memory are stepping up. The real butt kicker though at dell is the XPS2010. You can get something that will truly hang on for a few years from 3 to 5 grand but they have dual harddrives that are like 120 gb each for use with redundancy in a raid configuration which is where everything on one drive is mirrored on the second drive so you almost never have both drives die at the same time and you data is protected. Or you can simply utilize the full 240 gb of space they can have which is the most of any laptop on the market today. here is the xps link. They call it the showstopper www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m2010?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhsNow if your looking for economy and the best power you can get your hands on for the best deal you can find I might suggest a company I deal with alot named Mwave. I generally buy all my computer parts to build machines from these people. Prices are reasonable. They do notebooks as well I know we all dream of the spaceship dell but not all of us have 5 grand . try this link and see what you thing www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=4176829 HP COMPAQ BUSINESS NOTEBOOK NC8430 CORE 2 DUO T7200 2.0GHZ / 1GB / 100GB HDD / 15" WSXGA+ / DVD+/-RW DL/DVD-RAM / XP PROFESSIONAL / 802.11ABG WIRELESS / BLUETOOTH 2.0 EDR / FINGER PRINT READER / TPM / SMARTCARD / GIGABIT ETHERNET (Retail) (*While Supplies Last!) $1,776.35 you can also just check out www.mwave.comI can tell you in a mobile processor you are right you will need 1.8 to 2 ghz but they have a 2mb L2 cache I believe which should be much faster than previous processors. You see up until a while back only Xeon production server grade processors did that but now the xeons have moved on to use an L1 L2 and and L3 cache with 16mb of multiplier space to handle buffer underuns etc. The desktop processors which are different from mobile as in notebooks now carry a 4mb L2 cache and are running much faster. DDR random access memory is gone from straight DDR to DDR2 and the graphic processing units now use DDR3 which is all designed to eventually catch up to the speeds of Rambus Rimm that was released years back but no one could afford it. If you have the money I would say shoot for about a 3300 dollars worth of the Dell 2010 XPS. That one is really sweet. If not I would look hard at configuring thw xps 1210 with the seet dell warranty at what I could afford. It is the lighweight option you seek. I dont know actually what they have at MWAVE to accomidate the lightweight but there are alot to choose from. Only problem is if there is trouble you have to refer it back to the manufacturer beit HP or HP compaq or whoever. This is the best advice I can give you for now. I usually replace my brother laptop for him when he runs past the technology and this year we are looking towards the first of 07 to see the prices maybe relax a little aiming at the XPS 2010 and looking to see if they will offer them with a free Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade upon release early next year. Here is the deal on vista . It is a hog and you can run it on 1gb of memory and even trim some of the lights bells and whistles to get more performance but the sweet way to roll with it is to spend a little more and get the 2gb memory option. Also where Xp runs on about 3gb of space this pig they call vista runs right at 12gb just for the initial install. Right now I find it kind of slow on my slow processor waiting for security responses to give permissions to run programming but it has a compatabilty range to run most any xp programming. Anyway these are just my thoughts . Hope some of this helps in your decision. sincerely James
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Post by Brittany Bordelon on Oct 29, 2006 19:19:38 GMT -5
James - thanks so much for your input. I really liked the notebooks you referred to. As far as "the showstopper," that's a bit too extravagant for my budget. It looks awesome, but also too big for me to bring to the classroom. You seem to have an abundance of knowledge in the computer arena, and I really appreciate all you had to say about this. Anyone else have any suggestions? I'd like to get several different opinions before forming my final decision. Like I said, I've only dealt with Dell in the past and I'd like to know what else is out there. Thanks!
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Post by Ryan Thames on Oct 29, 2006 21:45:19 GMT -5
The Dell XPS are pretty sweet. But me....im gonna stick with my alienware
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Post by Chris Coletti on Oct 29, 2006 22:14:19 GMT -5
I just bought the DELL XPSM2010 and it is AWESOME!!!! It is not lightweight but pretty incredible.
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Post by James Battles on Oct 29, 2006 23:10:29 GMT -5
yeah the 2010 is like more masculine besides being expensive and then insanley expensive according to just what you want it to do. I think Brittany having at least a decent base to spend from would really do well at about 2grand for the 1210 because its 4.3 pounds and for that price she gets the decent drive and the webcam and the mobile networking package. The big thing that I see with dell is that they have a great warranty and always answer plus so far at least their products we have bought over the years have performed well with little help needed . My brother is gonna probably buy the 2010 loaded which will run him around 5 grand I think unless they come off the price at the first of the year. I dont do alot of laptopping although I read the technology and compare. If I ever get where I can spend that kind of money on a desktop it will be scary. I am still watching the xeon processor prices and the large corperate production line drives which are small computer systems interface Ultra 320. These drives while expensive are at least 3 times faster than any sata could ever be even in a raid configuration. The trick is to have one or two of thes ultra 320s depending on whether you want space or redundancy to protect your records being the option of raid 5 or simply simple dynamic setups. Then you buy the fastest sata drives in the largest size you can for storage. say 500gigabytes. somewhere in the neighborhood of a 500 dollar motherboard and a couple of sli graphics processing units with that ddr3 memory onboard each at 256mb and you have yourself a monster. The xeon processors are running around a grand but they have the L1 cache and then an L2 cache comparible and using the same duo core but they also have an L3 cache. The arguments are still raging in the forums about whether its all that or not but I will have to take a closer look to see if its on dye or comes in a mobile attachment. I was just glancing at them the other day and Intel kind of eluded that maybe it is better to let them hit cutting edge on the market and then wait a few months because they did a second release of the processor from a 7100 series to a 7200 series. It may be a different day in technology but the tactic remains the same and repeats itself every time. Wait .... watch ..... let it releases and wait some more....... then buy and you will get the best that money can buy If the market floods then you will also get it for much cheaper too. It is coming to a buyers market with the holidays coming. If you show some interest at dell and maybe interact a little with them they will probably send you some % off coupons making it more enticing. CHRIS..... Its monday almost > night night.
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Post by Chris Coletti on Oct 30, 2006 8:31:09 GMT -5
Mine was about 4800 loaded. I love the customer service! They have this deal where if something goes wrong they can log into the computer and fix it for you right then. The problem with using it as a laptop is it weighs over 20 pounds. I used to hear horror stories about DELL but now that I own one I swear by them.
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Post by Matl'e McDaniel on Oct 30, 2006 8:50:24 GMT -5
Okay Brittany this notebook is a bang for the buck type, but actually one of the best you can buy for overall performance. www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/rdet.jsp?poid=337827&seg=HHO I actually found this model at costco for around $1200. Toshiba makes a very nice product and has great performance sync. As far as laptop go, I think they are up there with just about anyone in the world. Also check out www.cyberpowerpc.com/Default.asp for great customized untis that are worth every penny. I have two laptops from them on top of my toshiba as well as a desktop and so far I am very pleased with the service they provide. Hope that helps
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Post by James Battles on Oct 30, 2006 23:05:22 GMT -5
Nice Matle. I am saving the link at cyberpower for reference. Your bang for the buck was definatley a big consideration. Since you have hands on with Laptops and I know you know how to twist one .. Your take on reliability and customer service etc also be told. I know you wouldnt refer if it wasnt . I liked the 2gb memory and that was a 120gb drive with 10 100 or gigabit lan plus the TV out at 6 pounds I think that this should be a major consideration for the price for Brittany as long as it comes with an Official Matle seal of approval. You are at least as demanding as I am when it comes to what you expect in a product so I would say the Toshiba satellite is one sweet laptop. the only downside I see is can Brittany live with 1.7 pounds extra If it was me I would have a hard time not going for it lol.
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Post by Brittany Bordelon on Oct 31, 2006 18:42:39 GMT -5
Soooo many choices... Thanks for your input Matl'e. I like your picks too. Not sure which route I want to go now.
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Post by Matl'e McDaniel on Nov 1, 2006 13:45:27 GMT -5
HAHA thanks James... You know us geeks; Always looking for the next big thing to top our friends whimpy ass computers. Brit I would say go for the laptop that isn't what everyone has. What I mean by that is... In the computer world you have the big companies who reach a level of sales with a model and they kind of sit back and enjoy what it can bring for them as far as units sold. Then you have the smaller companies who strive to get to the top by pushing the envelope and doing things that will bring them to the top someday. So every few years you have these companies switching from the top back down to the bottom... Just look for the companies who are striving to build themselves up that will build top quality products at the best price. Toshiba is large, but not in america. You could say that those two links I gave you are the Audi of the comp world compared to the ford. Yeah a Ford runs, and yes it has alot of power, but does Ford put as much into how it all works together like a Audi? I think not
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