Laptop - which brand?

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: TheStu
I figure might as well be fair to all the companies!

Heh!

To be fair, the only reason Apple computers are still around is because they got assimilated by the Borg - started using Intel processors - making it possible to run pirated software from the Redmond Menace!

I disagree with your reasons why they are still around, but can understand where you are coming from, most people that don't use OS X on a regular basis (or at all) don't seem to get it. It is just easier to use. Too many Windows users scoff at that, as if it was a bad thing. It's almost as if it is there holy right to have to spend 20% of their time dealing with the OS in order to accomplish their tasks, they start to assume that is just the way things are, and anything that can be considered easier must be less effective.

The whole economy of this country is based on the (mis)perception of getting something for nothing, not buying the best...

So that's why you got a Toshiba

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: TheStu
So that's why you got a Toshiba

The irony of the situation is...

I was actually shopping for an Apple, when I ran across this Toshiba!

 

[gobucks]

yeah the performance is decent but the driver support is pretty bad. I think the newest lenovo drivers are 101.45, which is really old. My standards aren't that high on a laptop though - i just want to play Civ 4, C&C 3, etc. which run very well. And my laptop doesn't weigh like 500 lbs like most gaming laptops - I need my laptop every day at law school and carrying around a DTR notebook all day long was miserable last year.

For overclocking, I used RivaTuner. For some both it and nTune only work with the stock lenovo drivers. I've tried a bunch of the INF-modded drivers from laptopvideo2go, and the performance seems higher (~150 points higher on 3dmark06 with the 163.44s), but for some reason overclocking is disabled. Is overclocking automatically disabled with a modded INF?

Also, has anybody ever installed nTune and then did a Windows system restore? I did it, and now for some reason I can't install nTune again - it unpacks, starts to install, and then asks me if I want to UNINSTALL ntune, then gives me an error because the source is missing. I've tried uninstalling manually, deleting all files, registry keys, etc. but no luck.

 

[sujanks]

HI all, I am trying to get this laptop. Please suggest.

Velocity Micro x25 from Circuit City

 

[gobucks]

Originally posted by: sujanks
HI all, I am trying to get this laptop. Please suggest.

Velocity Micro x25 from Circuit City

Personally I wouldn't advise it, for several reasons:
1) It is awfully heavy for a 15" laptop - 1.7" is pretty thick!
2) desktop replacement laptops generally require a huge power brick (like my old HP) which adds like another 2lbs to your carrying weight.
2) I've never heard of the brand.
3) The CPU is a desktop chip, which means it probably won't get very good battery life
4) It is awfully expensive for what you get - the 15" macbook pro, which is much lighter, has the same gaming firepower, and extremely high build quality, can be had for less than that (if you can get a student discount)

There are several alternatives I'd recommend
1) Macbook Pro - like I said, around the same price and much nicer
2) Vostro 1500 - you can get a machine with the same specs for MUCH cheaper (probably ~ $1000 for around that same configuration
3) Lenovo t61p 15.4" - cheaper (look around for coupon codes as they are having lots of sales lately), plus great build quality and the quadro, i.e. workstation, equivalent of the 8600GT.
4) You might also want to consider a smaller notebook, like a vostro 1400, lenovo t61 (my personal fav) or the new 14.1" HP (i forget the model number). If you plan to carry around the notebook very often, you're really appreciate the portability of a ~5lb notebook. Also, the CPU and graphics power on these machines is pretty good - my t61 turned in a 2MB superpi time of under a minute, and after overclocking I got a score of 2500 in 3dmark06.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: sujanks
HI all, I am trying to get this laptop. Please suggest.

Velocity Micro x25 from Circuit City

I'm calling BS on this lappy based on...

Dual core/64-bit processing: The 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 has two processing engines that work in tandem, providing much more power than standard 2.66GHz processors. This processor is also capable of processing 64 bits of information at once, twice as much as standard 32-bit processors.

It's like the old saying: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W. C. Fields

 

[Fayd]

Originally posted by: TheStu
I disagree with your reasons why they are still around, but can understand where you are coming from, most people that don't use OS X on a regular basis (or at all) don't seem to get it. It is just easier to use. Too many Windows users scoff at that, as if it was a bad thing. It's almost as if it is there holy right to have to spend 20% of their time dealing with the OS in order to accomplish their tasks, they start to assume that is just the way things are, and anything that can be considered easier must be less effective.

not in my experience 0.o

 

[darkstar56]

i currently have an alienware no problems whatso ever and its been abought 7 months now its great and id recommend them to anyone

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: darkstar56
i currently have an alienware no problems whatso ever and its been abought 7 months now its great and id recommend them to anyone

What's wrong with your shift-key?

 

[oynaz]

Does anyone have experience with Fujitsu-Siemens?

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: oynaz
Does anyone have experience with Fujitsu-Siemens?

I have an ancient Fujitsu Lifebook sitting under my desk gathering dust...

 

[Jhhnn]

Don't overlook the Panasonic toughbooks. Not cheap, at all, but worth the price. We have the fully ruggedized models at work, which are almost indestructible and as reliable as dirt, and several of our vendors sing the praises of their business and business rugged models. Our oldest toughbooks have been with us for over 5 years, beaten on by a variety of morons, and still work...

They just work, do what they're supposed to do.

http://www.panasonic.com/busin...toughbook/products.asp

 

[Dewayne2]

I love my apple. The mac book, with upgrades, is an amazing computer.

 

[konakona]

only had 3 laptops to play around so far

a used toshiba (celeron 466 I think it was) - no major complaints for a cheap POS it was at the time. worked well for what it was intended for

samsung sens p50 - worked well for a while, got some compliments on the aesthetics of it from people around me. first the hinge on th screen broke, which looked like an easy fix. however, apparantly it had suffered some damage in cpu hs/fan from a fair share of abuse from my syster who was the previous owner. I made a mistake of leaving it on a poorly ventilated surface and the thing literally cooked off.

HP (compaq nx8220) - the laptop was quite heavy (but understandable due to its screen size and all) and would get pretty hot. the keyboard was real PITA with pitifiul rollover and response. later research revealed the well known issue of failing power adapters. first time this had happened, I was lucky to be under warranty. judging by how hp was somewhat pickier with other service request and this one was just a no-questions-asked case, they have known this all along too. It happened again in about a year, shortly after the warranty ran out. they wanted some ridiculous amount for the repair (replacing the mobo costs over $600, sheesh), so I turned to a local laptop repair shop. sadly, they were unable to fix it and told me the vga was shorted out.

as of now, I am looking for another laptop, sorta. the way I was treated by HP makes me wanna stay away from them for a good while, so it is probably going to be something else cheap, or EEE, maybe. I want some basic d3d capability and some storage on it though, so another $250ish deal would be real nice