Today marks 1 year cancer free.
Have to say… thanks again boys - Wouldn’t have happened without your support!
And here’s a photo of the Mr. celebrating with a can of beans.
Nice!
We've got a technical . . .
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Unless you really need the portability of a laptop, spend your money on a desktop more bang for the buck. Â Definetly go for the Dual Core, AMD usually paves the way on processor breakthroughs but Intel isn’t far behind. Â Either one is good I’ve used both for years and haven’t come to a conclusion about which one is better. Â
For me i need the portability.
Also i am wanting this for “moderate” gaming - Star Wars, Black Isle, etc. - not Doom or Halo (yet). Also i want this for the next 5-6 years (like my last notebook).Also an FYI -
http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/07/14/core_2_duo_benchmark_results/for those loving the AMD right now (historically my favorite processor).
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Wait, were you going for a “top of the line” Conroe? For me, it’s about cost. I’d prefer lower benchmarks with a better price/performance ratio. But that article you linked is really encouraging for Intel. Since I’ll be going for a desktop, I’m a little concerned about whether Conroe can handle DDR2 RAM, which is really where the power is coming from. But, it looks like a good deal.
As for the laptop lasting 5-6 years…well, good luck! :-)
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@Chengora:
As for the laptop lasting 5-6 years…well, good luck! :-)
I dunno about that, I’ve been working on some Pentium MMX laptops lately that run pretty beautifully with a custom installation of Slackware Linux. If it weren’t for their awful resolution and the fact that the 16MB of RAM gets a little choked when dealing with Java intensive web-apps, I would probably use one just for the web.
As for your system, switch, no one deserves a celeron for a desktop. Since you don’t need top of the line I’d recommend a Sempron or a single core Athlon (with the recent price slash they are quite nice and the Athlons are better than any P4). Dual core if you’re willing to spend more than $150 on the processor alone. As for video cards, ATI Radeon x1600’s should be able to do just about anything you demand of them, or maybe Nvidia 7600s as they should be comperable in price and performance.
Other than that, if you’re building it yourself get a dependable power supply. No sense risking your shiny new components with a psu that has the potential of frying them. I trust Enermax, Antec, and Thermaltake mostly, but there are others that build quility components.
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Well, it is here, and I am slowly getting it set up. The old dinosaur is relegated to an e-mail reader for Angel :-)
New unit is an HP Pavilion a1540n
Running an AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core 4200+ with 2 gigs of RAM.
I even upgraded the old Celeron system for Angel… replacing the old 19" CRT with a 19" flat panel :-)
In a few weeks, once I have a chance to download and check out the mapping programs, etc, I may even be able to clear my games queue! :-)
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Get this one:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/notebooks/product2.cfm?ProductType=5950&SubType=V
19.0" Wide Viewing Angles WSXGA+ Active Matrix LCD Display with Super Clear Glossy Surface
AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 ML-44 Processor
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz [Expandable to 2GB]
Dual Nvidia GeForce GO 7900 GTX PCI-Express 16X Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory in SLI mode
80.0GB (SATA 5400rpm) SATA 150 Hard Drive
8X DVD ± R/RW/ 4X +DL Multi Drive & Softwares
12 Cell Smart Li-ION Battery
Gigabyte Super 802.11 ABG Wireless LAN, Bluetooth Wireless, Intergrated 1.3M High-Resolution Video Camera, 4-in-1 Card Reader
Optional external 3.5" 1.44MB USB Floppy Drive
3D Stereo Audio AC’97 / SRS WOW
Touchpad with Scrolling Slider
1 Type II PCMCIA Slot
Infra Red, Wireless Fast IR interface
5 USB 2.0 Ports
1 IEEE-1394 Port (4 PIN)
Other Ports: 1 S/PDIF out, 1 Line-in, 1 Headphonet, 1 Microphone in, 1 Infrared,1 DVI out port, 1 S-Video-Out, 1 TV-in Port (Requires Optional TV-Tuner Module), 1 RJ-45, 1 RJ-11
Additional Features: Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps LAN & V.90 56K Fax/Modem, Optional TV-Tuner Module with Remote.
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Auto Switch 110/220V AC Adapter, AC power cord, User’s Manual, Utility CD
Dimension (H) x (W) x (D) : 1.2"~1.9"x18.7"x13.5" Weight: 14.55lbs. with Battery
One year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty. (3 year Warranty Plan optional.)
Lifetime Free Technical SupportAnd they say Laptops cannot make desktop gaming system replacement units! Bah!
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Get this one:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/notebooks/product2.cfm?ProductType=5950&SubType=V
19.0" Wide Viewing Angles WSXGA+ Active Matrix LCD Display with Super Clear Glossy Surface
AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 ML-44 Processor
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz [Expandable to 2GB]
Dual Nvidia GeForce GO 7900 GTX PCI-Express 16X Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory in SLI mode
80.0GB (SATA 5400rpm) SATA 150 Hard Drive
8X DVD ± R/RW/ 4X +DL Multi Drive & Softwares
12 Cell Smart Li-ION Battery
Gigabyte Super 802.11 ABG Wireless LAN, Bluetooth Wireless, Intergrated 1.3M High-Resolution Video Camera, 4-in-1 Card Reader
Optional external 3.5" 1.44MB USB Floppy Drive
3D Stereo Audio AC’97 / SRS WOW
Touchpad with Scrolling Slider
1 Type II PCMCIA Slot
Infra Red, Wireless Fast IR interface
5 USB 2.0 Ports
1 IEEE-1394 Port (4 PIN)
Other Ports: 1 S/PDIF out, 1 Line-in, 1 Headphonet, 1 Microphone in, 1 Infrared,1 DVI out port, 1 S-Video-Out, 1 TV-in Port (Requires Optional TV-Tuner Module), 1 RJ-45, 1 RJ-11
Additional Features: Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps LAN & V.90 56K Fax/Modem, Optional TV-Tuner Module with Remote.
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Auto Switch 110/220V AC Adapter, AC power cord, User’s Manual, Utility CD
Dimension (H) x (W) x (D) : 1.2"~1.9"x18.7"x13.5" Weight: 14.55lbs. with Battery
One year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty. (3 year Warranty Plan optional.)
Lifetime Free Technical SupportAnd they say Laptops cannot make desktop gaming system replacement units! Bah!
That laptop there is a tad bit overpriced Jennifer. You can make the same kind of gaming laptop with Alienware for like 500 bucks cheaper.
@ncscswitch:
Well, it is here, and I am slowly getting it set up. The old dinosaur is relegated to an e-mail reader for Angel :-)
New unit is an HP Pavilion a1540n
Running an AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core 4200+ with 2 gigs of RAM.
I even upgraded the old Celeron system for Angel… replacing the old 19" CRT with a 19" flat panel :-)
In a few weeks, once I have a chance to download and check out the mapping programs, etc, I may even be able to clear my games queue! :-)
Sounds like a pretty good PC Switch. I see that you went with the extra RAM……which is very good. The AMD Athlon Dual Core is pretty damn good. What video card do you have and what was the total price for the PC?
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NVIDIA 6150
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Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
- SLI 256MB Graphics cards
- 19" Clear View Technology, Zero Dead Pixel Guarentee Screen
- Has a 60GB 5400rpm Drive, not an 80GB 7200 rpm Drive.
- Has 1024MB DDR 233 RAM, not 1024MB DDR 400 RAM
- Comes with the ML-34 not the ML-44 processor
- Comes with a CDRW not a DVD +/- R/RW
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
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Mine was under $1100 :-P
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@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
The one I’m going to buy, probably, is only $946.86 with $150 mail in rebate and $50 instant rebate.
But if you wanna go full desktop replacement, it’s gunna cost you what a desktop cost in 1995-1999, about $3k for a good one.
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I thought I did rther well… respecteable PC, 19" flat panel, and 3-in-1 printer/scanner/copier, plus a nice assortment of software.
With Angel’s flat panel, the router, cables, etc. the total was under $1500, and we have $65 in mail in rebates.
Sales were pretty impressive last week due to NC’s Sales Tax Free weekend this weekend. PC’s up to $3500 are included in teh sales tax exemption, so retailers had some serious sales the past couple of weeks trying to get folks to not hold off on buying PC’s until this weekend to avoid sales tax (they still have sales quotas to hit int he weeks before Tax Free Weekend :-) )
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@ncscswitch:
I thought I did rther well… respecteable PC, 19" flat panel, and 3-in-1 printer/scanner/copier, plus a nice assortment of software.
With Angel’s flat panel, the router, cables, etc. the total was under $1500, and we have $65 in mail in rebates.
Sales were pretty impressive last week due to NC’s Sales Tax Free weekend this weekend. PC’s up to $3500 are included in teh sales tax exemption, so retailers had some serious sales the past couple of weeks trying to get folks to not hold off on buying PC’s until this weekend to avoid sales tax (they still have sales quotas to hit int he weeks before Tax Free Weekend :-) )
But, dear, that’s a PC! You cannot really compare the price of a PC vs a Laptop, PCs will have better technology and lower prices!!! I’m crying foul!!!
Meanwhile, I just upped myself to $1399.56 with $200 in rebates (150 mail in, 50 instant) + 10% employee discount (my company does all the install work for CompUSA, but we have to wear their shirts when we do it in most states) for a HP pavilion dv8327cl.
17" Widescreen
1024MB DDR2
240GB HDD (5400 rpm I’m sure)
XP Media Center
Intel Centrino Duo (which I’m told is better then the AMD Turion since it’s a dual core and 64 bit, instead of just 64 bit…)
128 MB Graphics by NVidia
Altec Lansing speakers…I love them, they’re almost as good if not better then Bose’ IMHO.
ABG Wireless, of course.Only upgrade I’d want is a TV Tuner.
All that and it’s only $1,079.61 + tuner card + tax! (And I have a gift card for them too…free gift from their CEO for paying us a month late.)
But if I had unlimited assets, I’d get the Sager. Common, SLI 256MB Graphics boards! It’s a gamer-girl’s wet dream…and women don’t get wet dreams!!!
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Get this one:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/notebooks/product2.cfm?ProductType=5950&SubType=V
19.0" Wide Viewing Angles WSXGA+ Active Matrix LCD Display with Super Clear Glossy Surface
AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 ML-44 Processor
And more parts that will cause you to sell a kidney…And they say Laptops cannot make desktop gaming system replacement units! Bah!
There’s a big if there. That’s if you’ve got the loot.
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Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
- SLI 256MB Graphics cards
- 19" Clear View Technology, Zero Dead Pixel Guarentee Screen
- Has a 60GB 5400rpm Drive, not an 80GB 7200 rpm Drive.
- Has 1024MB DDR 233 RAM, not 1024MB DDR 400 RAM
- Comes with the ML-34 not the ML-44 processor
- Comes with a CDRW not a DVD +/- R/RW
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
Wha!? I dont think you understood that page I linked. You make the configuration that you want and at the bottom it will give you the exact price depending on what you wanted or didnt want. I made a configuration with the exact same specs as that laptop you showed and it was almost 500 bucks cheaper. It does have 256 MB SLI graphics cards and a DVD R/RW. You can also choose beetween a M34 Turion or an M44 Turion. It also has options for the RAM you also listed and HDD. Im not saying that laptop you showed sucks. However if you want to save some money so you can spend it on, lets say……booze…or strippers…then that one I linked would probaly be more preferable.
@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
Not bad……seems like a good buy. My friend made a good PC with almost the same specs as yours for about the same price…but he also got a sweet ass wide screen monitor.
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Yeah, I know I could have made this myself for less, if I were confident in my technical ability.
The kicker though in a PC under $1500 is included software. You can definitely save money on the hardware, but then you end up paying through the nose for software. With the under $1500 PC’s, the software load on most package systems is what shifts the price in favor of the package.
High end units though… definite cost advantage to doing a TigerDirect or similar empty case and add on construction. :-)
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Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
- SLI 256MB Graphics cards
- 19" Clear View Technology, Zero Dead Pixel Guarentee Screen
- Has a 60GB 5400rpm Drive, not an 80GB 7200 rpm Drive.
- Has 1024MB DDR 233 RAM, not 1024MB DDR 400 RAM
- Comes with the ML-34 not the ML-44 processor
- Comes with a CDRW not a DVD +/- R/RW
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
Wha!? I dont think you understood that page I linked. You make the configuration that you want and at the bottom it will give you the exact price depending on what you wanted or didnt want. I made a configuration with the exact same specs as that laptop you showed and it was almost 500 bucks cheaper. It does have 256 MB SLI graphics cards and a DVD R/RW. You can also choose beetween a M34 Turion or an M44 Turion. It also has options for the RAM you also listed and HDD. Im not saying that laptop you showed sucks. However if you want to save some money so you can spend it on, lets say……booze…or strippers…then that one I linked would probaly be more preferable.
@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
Not bad……seems like a good buy. My friend made a good PC with almost the same specs as yours for about the same price…but he also got a sweet a** wide screen monitor.
Actually, when I made it the same, actually as close as I could, which means a little less, it was $800 more expensive.
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You sure? I did it again and it was still cheaper. I even added extra stuff like mouse, batteries, etc. and it still came out like 300 bucks cheaper. Meh, to each their own. I dont like laptops. Other than their portability, they offer nothing to me. I can make a pretty kick ass shuttle for like half the price of that laptop. :-D
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Laptops are much cheaper to use. 59 watt batter instead of 600 watt power supply. Doesn’t require half the fans and cooling technology. Doesn’t need a batter back up system. Has internal speakers so you don’t need power guzziling speaker systems. And they take up a lot less room then 5.1 surround sound speakers + battery back up + surge protector + keyboard + mouse + mouse pad + 17" monitor (CRT or LCD). Not to mention the average computer I’ve owned, needed roughly 7 or 8 outlets to run everything, a laptop needs 1 for the laptop and 1 for the wireless cable router, that’s it! And, like icing on the cake, a laptop can be unplugged and moved with ease.
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Laptops are much cheaper to use. 59 watt batter instead of 600 watt power supply. Doesn’t require half the fans and cooling technology. Doesn’t need a batter back up system. Has internal speakers so you don’t need power guzziling speaker systems. And they take up a lot less room then 5.1 surround sound speakers + battery back up + surge protector + keyboard + mouse + mouse pad + 17" monitor (CRT or LCD). Not to mention the average computer I’ve owned, needed roughly 7 or 8 outlets to run everything, a laptop needs 1 for the laptop and 1 for the wireless cable router, that’s it! And, like icing on the cake, a laptop can be unplugged and moved with ease.
Well maybe a laptop would be good for you since you are always on the go. Me on the other hand, need a desktop PC for gaming and music/movies (mainly gaming). I need extra room to have extra HDD (I have a crap load of games I play and all of them take up like 4 GB of space each.) As for the speakers, I do agree with you on that. I dont give a a crap about how my games sound, as long as they have audio. My friends on the other hand would beg to differ, buying themselves soundblaster sound cards and buying huge sound systems. However, if I ever did want a sweet sound system, I know for a fact that I have a PCI slot ready for it. Thats also another reason why I love desktops, all the space I have to put extra stuff on it. Right now I have a TV tuner, modem (im on dial up weep), and my graphics card taking up my motherboard. If I wanted to I can add a wireless modem, a sound card, a 2nd tv tuner, or an even better Network card then my onboard one. Also I have room for two DVD drives so I can do easy DVD to DVD burning……and on top of that I have two HDD. You cant pack that much hardware into a little laptop. Also Quad SLI might be popular in the future, and a laptop might not be able to do it just yet (at least for cheap). It is a power guzzler but I love all the stuff I can do with it. :wink:
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You can get an awesome gaming laptop though. Twice as much as what I’m spending on myself…then again, I am going from 512MB graphics, 2GB DDR1 ram, 2 USB 1.0 ports and 620 GB HDD (4 drives) to 240GB Hdd, 128MB Graphics, 1 GB DDR2, ram and 4 USB 2.0 ports…
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