Laptops

[fredheim_holm]

I'm looking for a laptop, and my bro has recommended me this one:

Spec:

Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5750 (2.00 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)

Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium – English

Memory 2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]

Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100

Hard Drive 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

Standard Warranty 1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return

LCD 15.4" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™




Any thoughts guys?

 

[OldBlueLady]

Yep, go for the pink one.

 

[BlueJ]

I'm looking for a laptop, and my bro has recommended me this one:

Spec:

Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5750 (2.00 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)

Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium – English

Memory 2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]

Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100

Hard Drive 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

Standard Warranty 1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return

LCD 15.4" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™




Any thoughts guys?

How much is it? If you've got money to spend then get a Dell XPS or one with separate motherboard/graphics card!

 

[fredheim_holm]

How much is it? If you've got money to spend then get a Dell XPS or one with separate motherboard/graphics card!

It's £470 incl. delivery & VAT.

I'll have a look, cheers!

 

[BlueJ]

It's £470 incl. delivery & VAT.

I'll have a look, cheers!

That's pretty reasonable for a mid-range laptop. U might wanna opt for XP over vista though.

 

[fredheim_holm]

That's pretty reasonable for a mid-range laptop. U might wanna opt for XP over vista though.

Really? Can I install my XP CD that I got with my desktop legally? I'm sure I have it somewhere..

 

[steveo]

Before you splash ot, have you conisdered a Mac?

Pop into the Apple store at Lakeside and see if you are impressed.

They are a bit more expensive but people i know who bought them have no plans to go back to Windows.

http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObj...co=7B723662&node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook

 

[shrimper4life]

Yep go for a mac, so much better than windows

 

[BlueJ]

Yep go for a mac, so much better than windows

Own both, then you can never be disappointed!!

 

[BlueJ]

Really? Can I install my XP CD that I got with my desktop legally? I'm sure I have it somewhere..

Well from my experiences Vista isn't all that at the moment, and I have been running the ultimate edition! The XP CD u got with ur desktop was probably an OEM CD if you got it from one of the major companies, e.g. and no you can't legally install it on another machine. However loads of people have been able to install and are running cracked copies downloaded from the net.

 

[McScriven]

Own both, then you can never be disappointed!!

With the new MAC's running with Intel chipsets it is possible to have both Windows and OS X 10.5 available on the same machine as a dual boot.

Likewise it is possible to have a PC/Laptop that can have OS X and Windows as a dual boot.

 

[BlueJ]

With the new MAC's running with Intel chipsets it is possible to have both Windows and OS X 10.5 available on the same machine as a dual boot.

Likewise it is possible to have a PC/Laptop that can have OS X and Windows as a dual boot.

Yeh you can do, and vice versa I believe using Virtual Mac technology on a PC. An interesting point to note is that in some tests, Windows Vista has proved to perform much better running on a Mac than it has on a standard desktop.

Only problem I can see with a dual boot is that if you've installed both to the same hard disk, and you manage to corrupt you're windows installation (and lets face it we've all been there!!), then surely if you need to format the disk you wipe out both installations?!

 

[McScriven]

Yeh you can do, and vice versa I believe using Virtual Mac technology on a PC. An interesting point to note is that in some tests, Windows Vista has proved to perform much better running on a Mac than it has on a standard desktop.

Only problem I can see with a dual boot is that if you've installed both to the same hard disk, and you manage to corrupt you're windows installation (and lets face it we've all been there!!), then surely if you need to format the disk you wipe out both installations?!

The Emulator programmes require you to boot in windows though and run a windowed session of OS X which is pretty pointless.

As for your question about installations, just partian the hard drive as is always recommended on 'proper' builds. Have a MAC SYSTEM drive, WINDOWS SYSTEM drive and a DATA DRIVE.

That way if you ever need to reinstall the operating system you can do so on the relevant partian without worrying about your data and any other operating system you have.

 

[BlueJ]

The Emulator programmes require you to boot in windows though and run a windowed session of OS X which is pretty pointless.

As for your question about installations, just partian the hard drive as is always recommended on 'proper' builds. Have a MAC SYSTEM drive, WINDOWS SYSTEM drive and a DATA DRIVE.

That way if you ever need to reinstall the operating system you can do so on the relevant partian without worrying about your data and any other operating system you have.

Oh yeh I know that, it's like when you run virtual PC from inside windows, and you can run Mac 7 on a PC via memory stick, but that's not much use either. And then there's also all this talk at the moment about the "Open Mac" from Pystar, which can run all the major operating systems.

And yes using proper partions is obviously well advised, but it's not a failsafe - I've had problems in the past where I've needed to completely format, i.e. reset all sectors, and thus lost my partions.

 

[Mad Cyril]

I have a Dell and the spec (for the money) was great however after one years use (and bear in mind it has never left the house) there are problems with the screen hinge and case.

Speaking to others it seems that Dell build quality is not the best. Unfortunately my work Thinkpad is about to be replaced......with a Dell.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

An unrelated question, but still to do with laptops.
I've been having issues with my ISP about my broadband speed & they have agreed to upgrade me from 1.0MB to 8.0MB for no extra cost. I was only getting just a bit over 256k in terms of my connection speed and I mainly put this down to distance away from local phone exchange.

When they upgraded me I got an email from the ISP saying they had done a linetest & I could expect in the region of 4.5MB to 5.0MB once my upgrade had been processed - which is obviously still a considerable improvement.

However, in reality, I am probably now only getting near 512kb. Could this be related to how my wireless router is setup? 95% of the time, the PC is in the same room as the router with no obstacles to deflect the signal and the connection signal is always termed as "excellent". Do I still need to put broadband filters even in phone points that don't have any connected phone/Sky box?

Any help much appreciated.

Oh & F_H, my laptop is a Dell, had it almost 18 months & my one was the forerunner of the one you're considering. Only thing I can't get on with is the mouse pointer, makes doing the Sunday night quiz on here a whole lot harder! I would go for XP over Vista though!

 

[steveo]

Do I still need to put broadband filters even in phone points that don't have any connected phone/Sky box?

Yes you should although this will not improve your connection speed.

 

[Yer Blues]

An unrelated question, but still to do with laptops.
I've been having issues with my ISP about my broadband speed & they have agreed to upgrade me from 1.0MB to 8.0MB for no extra cost. I was only getting just a bit over 256k in terms of my connection speed and I mainly put this down to distance away from local phone exchange.

When they upgraded me I got an email from the ISP saying they had done a linetest & I could expect in the region of 4.5MB to 5.0MB once my upgrade had been processed - which is obviously still a considerable improvement.

However, in reality, I am probably now only getting near 512kb. Could this be related to how my wireless router is setup? 95% of the time, the PC is in the same room as the router with no obstacles to deflect the signal and the connection signal is always termed as "excellent". Do I still need to put broadband filters even in phone points that don't have any connected phone/Sky box?

Any help much appreciated.

Oh & F_H, my laptop is a Dell, had it almost 18 months & my one was the forerunner of the one you're considering. Only thing I can't get on with is the mouse pointer, makes doing the Sunday night quiz on here a whole lot harder! I would go for XP over Vista though!

rich, ill put money on it being distance from the exchange and or quailty of your phone line. both have a massive effect on the speed of your service. the problem you have is that because it doesnt dip below what your isp and bt deam slow speeds there isnt much you can do other than wait for cable.

Matty

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

rich, ill put money on it being distance from the exchange and or quailty of your phone line. both have a massive effect on the speed of your service. the problem you have is that because it doesnt dip below what your isp and bt deam slow speeds there isnt much you can do other than wait for cable.

Matty

OK cheers mate, just annoying though that they've done a line test & expect me to recieve 8-10 times the speed I'm getting. BT have also done an analysis of the phone line as Sky claimed it wasn't strong enough to accept firmware updates for their boxes.

Can't see us getting cable connected for years. A new estate that didn't have cable put in when it was built & I know for a fact is £4 a metre for new devs & £40 a metre to install on existing roads. Even worse is we're only 20 metres or so from the main service cable too apparently! :'(

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Can't go wrong with a Toshiba..Satellite Pro..take a look!