Beaker's gonna need a notebook to commute next year

Post by **dicecca112** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:07 pm

Well in a completely shocking development, my mom asked me this week if it would be easier to have a notebook when I commute next year, and I have to admit it will make things easier. Parents will match anything I spend. I'm looking at spending 1K, so the notebook will have 2K to play with.

I want something equivalent to what I have in my desktop.

So Minimums
- C2D equivalent
- 1GB of Ram Minimum
- 17" Screen
- CD-RW Drive
- 80GB HD (7200RPM)

I'm not against building

But I want to do some research, any sites you guys suggest

danijelzi · Post by **danijelzi** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:00 am

I have tried to configure Toshiba Satellite P100-ST1072 using your requirements, and got $1,147 price.

Have a look: http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmo ... 05&seg=HHO.

liqnit · Post by **liqnit** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:35 am

My brother just got a Lenovo (former IBM) laptop and is very happy with.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/cont ... 3CE1BC569A

Dragon_Cooler · Post by **Dragon_Cooler** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:07 am

if this is going to be for college, as strange as it may seem i would suggest a tablet pc. It will come in handy in those science and math classes. Trust me!!

Right now i have to draw the stuff on paper and the go back later and try and replicate it in word or something.

Post by **dicecca112** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:11 am

something to note. But I'm CS major. In the final year of that major. I'll look into tablets, but I beleive they can be expensive IIRC.

I don't need something to replace my notetaking

I want something that is my desktop that I can carry around. When we have the Software engineering project, and we can't find a lab to work, in I'd like to be able to work anywere. I'd like to be able to have access to all my files, be able to sit in the library and work, not have to keep getting up, go to the slow ass library comps, log into my computer and get what I need.

right now what I've configured looks like 1100, which isn't too bad

Asus S96J
T7200
2X1GB GkSill DDR2-667
8X DVD-RW
Hitachi 100GB SATA 7.2K HDD

Screen is 15.4, as ATI X1600 Graphics

Any Dell Even Close to those specs is upwards of 1600$

I know I need OS, I have an un-activated copy of XP Pro Around here somewhere

liqnit · Post by **liqnit** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:22 am

Looks like a great buy.
Asus have made a very good line of LT.

Post by **DMB2000uk** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:46 am

Laptops have definately gotten lighter, but bear in mind how much desktop replacements actually weigh, if you plan on carrying it everywhere along with your regular course books etc. (and/or get a super comfy dual shoulder laptop bag).

Dan

PS. this looks nice newegg

Post by **dicecca112** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:51 pm

Yeah my thinking has changed a lot. Basically I need a warranty. The way I break my desktop, I think that's a must

I believe I've settled on this

E1505
Core 2 Duo T7200
Vista Home Premium (Most likely will be wiped off)
15.4 UltraSharp WXGA+ with TrueLife
2GB DDR2 533mhz
100GB HDD 7200RPM
8X DVD+-RW
256MB ATI X1400 with HyperMemory
Sound Blaster Audigy
53W 6cell Battery

So I have a couple of Questions

- whats the difference between WideScreen XGA and WXGA+ and SXGA?
- Does 7200RPM vs 5400 RPM impact battery life?
- Is hypermemory the stuff that steals my system memory for graphics?
- should I get a bigger battery?

I would like the lappy to be able to handle 2-4hrs of use without having to be plugged in.

People with knowledge of Dell coupons, is it typical for Dell to have 400$ off, and 20% off coupons all the time?

Post by **DMB2000uk** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:03 am

- whats the difference between WideScreen XGA and WXGA+ and SXGA?

WSXGA and WXGA+ are the same as far as I know (1440 x 900)
SXGA is 1280 x 1024

- Does 7200RPM vs 5400 RPM impact battery life?

Not enough to make it worth the the performance drop down to the slower drive

- Is hypermemory the stuff that steals my system memory for graphics?

Pretty much think it is

- should I get a bigger battery?

If you can deal with the weight and cost then yes.

Review:

Battery:

With the smaller option 6 cell battery and a powerful new processor, I didn't have very high hopes for battery life. However, the Dell lasted longer than expected. At maximum brightness, it played a DVD for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Under normal light tasks, with WiFi on and almost maximum brightness, the battery lasted almost three hours. Dimming the screen all the way and shutting wireless off squeezed almost 4 hours of total battery life. I could burn the battery in about 90 minutes or less if I really tried. Gaming would likely burn it this fast.

The optional 9-cell battery, which is the same physical size as the 6-cell, should give about 50% more run time.

Dan

Post by **dicecca112** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:49 am

Dan I may just start PMing you.

dgood · Post by **dgood** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:40 pm

we just got 15 new e1505's in here with 1gig of ram and the t5200 and intel extreme graphics since they are for word processing/internet mostly. they have vista home and it seems to be alright but since it'll be a desktop replacement I don't see it being a bad idea wiping it. Plus all the crap dell installs on it when it comes are a pain. However does installinga differnet operating system void that warranty you wanted so much?

kenc51 · Post by **kenc51** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:26 pm

dgood wrote:we just got 15 new e1505's in here with 1gig of ram and the t5200 and intel extreme graphics since they are for word processing/internet mostly. they have vista home and it seems to be alright but since it'll be a desktop replacement I don't see it being a bad idea wiping it. Plus all the crap dell installs on it when it comes are a pain. However does installinga differnet operating system void that warranty you wanted so much?

No....you just won't get OS/driver support

dgood · Post by **dgood** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:31 pm

thats not so bad then.

Post by **dicecca112** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:48 pm

Depending on the state of vista when I buy this (between may and august) I may leave it on

Gamble · Post by **Gamble** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:12 am

Too many damn options out there I say. With the Dell though, it's really nice that if you ever get pissed off and throw your lappy through a window, you will still be covered by insurance. And as for the updates and drivers and such, there are enough XP Pro drivers out there for whatever you got, and Microsoft should be the one helping you update, not Dell.

Antonik · Post by **Antonik** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:16 pm

17" laptop for commuting? Its gonna be heavy...15inch is pretty big ya' know.

Post by **dicecca112** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:55 pm

yeah that changed pretty fast. as soon as I saw the weight, I was like hell no. Look at one of my more recent posts, thats the model I'm getting, just trying to decide on HD size, graphics, and a couple other things. It'll be at least 4months before I buy this

Darkstar · Post by **Darkstar** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:59 am

just a thought,

I have the 9400 and the 1505 and i upgraded the graphics card on both, bought 1 GB of memory from newegg.com and snapped it in and couldn't be happier with them. As for the OS, if you keep Vista for the laptop you should consider having Home Premium at the least.