|
|
#96805 - 04/28/08 03:25 PM
Buying a new laptop
|
Shadowed_by_3
Member
Registered: 03/08/05
Posts: 299
|
I'm considering replacing my desktop with a laptop and am in search of a little guidance. Based on what I've read about incompatibility issues, I want to stick with XP and am considering ordering a Vostro 1500 from Dell with XP Professional. Beyond that, it starts to get a little muddy for me. Not sure about optimal processor speed, memory, drive partitioning, graphics card, etc.
I am interested in playing around with Open Office as a substitute for Word (as long as files are completely convertible to Word for my clients). Should I consider a 50-50 hard drive partition with Windows on one side and Linux on the other? Also have been reading about virtual machines (to make matters even muddier for me  ) and am confused about whether that would obviate the need for drive partitioning.
Any words of wisdom would be very welcome!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#96806 - 04/28/08 03:40 PM
Re: Buying a new laptop
[Re: Shadowed_by_3]
|
14tonks
Member
Registered: 10/25/01
Posts: 5972
Loc: Only 3rd world country in US
|
Just about anything in the currently available processors should be fine. MT work also doesn't require anything all that fancy in the way of graphics, either--that's for the 3-D game players. With XP, I would recommend a GB of RAM; 2 GB would be even nicer, but 1 GB will cover you for most MT multitasking. Drive partitioning is a matter of taste. I do recommend at least separating your data files from your operating system. It's nice to separate installed programs too, although you can't do that totally with Windows because M$ integrated a bunch of crap into the OS itself.
Whether you dual boot two operating systems or run additional operating systems as virtual machines inside your basic OS of choice is again a matter of personal taste. You will need a bit more speed and RAM to support virtual machines than you would need to simply boot up any installed operating systems one at a time.
If you look at comparative costs of configuration options, you will see that there is a pricing "sweet spot" for almost everything--processor speed, hard drive size, RAM--that falls a step or two below the latest and greatest. It's at the point just before surcharge for adding more speed or capacity takes a quantum leap upwards. As soon as another later, greater, or bigger choice comes out, the sweet spot will shift, but it's generally best to buy somewhere in the current sweet spot or a notch under. It never pays to pay the big surcharge for the absolute latest and greatest.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#96865 - 04/29/08 07:15 PM
Re: Buying a new laptop
[Re: 14tonks]
|
Shadowed_by_3
Member
Registered: 03/08/05
Posts: 299
|
Thanks so much for the advice! It helped quite a bit. Here is what the "sweet spot" seems to get me:
Intel Core 2 Duo T5270 (1.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Genuine Windows XP Professional
1 Year Basic Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-in Service
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Anti-Glare Display
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
8X CD/DVD+RW Read and Burn CD and DVD
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
250GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Custom Hard Drive Partition, 40GB Primary, Remainder Secondary T Dell Exclusive MediaDirect Instant Play Software Application
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Internal Card
The only thing I'm debating is the wireless card. They recommend Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Internal-card for an extra $50.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#96867 - 04/29/08 07:56 PM
Re: Buying a new laptop
[Re: Shadowed_by_3]
|
14tonks
Member
Registered: 10/25/01
Posts: 5972
Loc: Only 3rd world country in US
|
N is the next generation wireless protocol. The n card will be backwards compatible with b and g networks (and possibly a) as well as able to support the more secure modern protocol. The only problem is that I believe the 802.11n standard is still only a draft at this point, which means the n card might end up unable to upgrade to the final standard. You'd have to investigate that (they may have finalized the standard since last I checked) and then weigh the pros and cons of paying the surcharge to get potential n networking for yourself. I believe it does offer much higher bandwidth than previous protocols as well as improved security. A little Googling around should find you the lowdown on all that.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: Mike
|
