Please help my co-worker/friend - he's mildly retarded

[jdavisomaha]

How would you reply if this was YOUR friend?

his e-mail ----->
"I'm going with a gaming laptop. I still have no money though. Look around and find me a GO 7900 gtx 512 meg video card for a laptop. If I can find one I'm going to go with the Inspiron E1705. It's the exact same laptop as the XPS M1705 with the exact same upgrade choices, except that video card. The inspiron only upgrades to the GO 7900GS 256 meg card. Which is still way friggin faster than what I've got. It uses the exact same everything the XPS does, mobo chipset, chassis, the upgrade display I'm looking at is it's display, processor selections, hd options, memory options, etc. The only difference is that video card, and it's a huge difference. But it's not worth paying the XPS price tag of $3500 with the same options.
Here it is, inspiron version:

Core 2 Duo @ 2.2 Ghz w/4 megs L2
17" widescreen uber display option
2 Gigs DDR2
80Gig 7200 rpm
HD audio option, with a built in subwoofer
GO 7900 GS 256 meg vid card
Windows XP Pro
Upgraded to top battery
Wireless connection
I'll buy my own USB mouse, don't like the one you can get from Dell
Looking for that GO 7900GTX, 256 meg version

Inspiron Cost $2300
XPS Cost $3500

So it seems there is a $1200 XPS tax...

Now the Inspiron runs BF2 at a mixture of medium/maximum settings at that 1900x1600 (something like that) resolution at 45 fps. I forget the other settings it was benched at, something like 1600x1400 and another one. It was about 7-10 fps higher for each reduced screen resolution. The XPS, with the 512 GTX ran it at the same mixture of medium/maximum settings, 1900x1600 and at 75 ish frames per second.

If I can find that video card, I'll slap it into the Inspiron and it's the exact same thing as the XPS then, but about a grand cheaper.

Either way the Inspiron model is about a billion times more powerful than what I've got now, it's mobile, it's cool looking, I'm getting it. My rig plays BF2 at 800x600 with all settings at low or off and I get a choppy 25-30 fps, but it drops to single digits in smoke, artillary, or inside buildings for some reason. Warlord, inside the stronghold it's down to 5 fps. I fall a lot trying to get on the roof at that rate." <------- end of his email

 

[sniperruff]

i'd answer

"ok."

 

[Hyperlite]

i'm failing to see the problem...aside from the fact that he will soon learn "slapping" in a new GPU is not childs play.

got to give him some credit, he did his homework. (aside from those resolutions)

 

[erikistired]

send him to ebay.

 

[crimson117]

Tell him... if you want a laptop, the E1705 is a good choice. It's impossible to replace the laptop video card, however, so be prepared to stay with the 7900 GS.

If you want top quality gaming graphics, go for a desktop. If you also want mobility, you're stuck paying the premium for a gaming-specific laptop like the XPS, because you can't get user-replaceable graphics in laptops.


also... "I still have no money though"... um... Dell might have a problem with that.

 

[jdavisomaha]

The problem is that he could get a much coooooooooooler desktop rig for $2300.

I say that he needs a desktop. He plays Bf2 exclusively. He will, in all likelyhood, play BF 2142.

His WIFE is getting a laptop, he needs a desktop. She would probably be happy with a Fisher Price learning machine. He has never had a laptop and is in love with the idea.

 

[jdavisomaha]

The "I have no money" issue will be settled in a very short time. He's getting a large chunk of change very soon.

 

[dainthomas]

uber display option?

 

[Bobthelost]

That he can get a better desktop for the same money with ease. First get him to look at desktops, then once he's hooked on them try and persuade him to let you do it yourself. Or he could just buy prebuilt.

 

[Rommel44]

Well I´m gona build my new rig next January for about 2500$ and its gana be monster. I cant imagine why would someone buy that notebook - desktop is much better bang for buck - which´d be best idea to tell him because he obviously want lots FPS in high res. so explain to him that equaly fast desktop´d cost much less money.

 

[Ayah]

I'd leave him be and ignore him.

 

[Raduque]

The XPS uses a different chassis - I believe it has dual cooling fans (one for CPU/chipset, one for GPU) while the e1705 only uses 1, even with the 7900gs go.The GPU cards and heatpipe designs are completely different, so I doubt the GTX from the XPS will work in the e1705. I also think the 1705 would need a haxed bios to support the GTX.



note: I could be wrong.


edit: My reply: "go for it. i don't want to be your 24hr tech line, like i would be if i built you a desktop"

 

[jdavisomaha]

Originally posted by: Raduque
The XPS uses a different chassis - I believe it has dual cooling fans (one for CPU/chipset, one for GPU) while the e1705 only uses 1, even with the 7900gs go.The GPU cards and heatpipe designs are completely different, so I doubt the GTX from the XPS will work in the e1705. I also think the 1705 would need a haxed bios to support the GTX.
note: I could be wrong.


edit: My reply: "go for it. i don't want to be your 24hr tech line, like i would be if i built you a desktop"

See the thing is, he's actually a guy that other people go to in order to get tech support. If he built the thing himself (he's built other computers for himself, like 5 years ago) he's be able to troubleshoot it. He's just going through a mild period of retardation.

He also sucks at flying the helicopter in Bf2.

 

[ZoomStop]

Sorry jdavisomaha, I fail to see the problem here. The guys wants a laptop, it is his money, what is wrong with that? He seems to understand he'll take a performace hit.
Personally I'd rather play BF2 on a nice laptop with my ass on the couch than hunkered over my desk.
And do I notice a tinge of you being upset because you were looking forward to getting to build this system for him? You could always build him a laptop instead starting with a barebone notebook kit. There was a good article on that in a Maximum PC a few months ago.

 

[zainali]

tell him about dell coupons.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: zainali
tell him about dell coupons.

then tell him that dell coupons basically don't exist anymore.

 

[Jeff7]

"I still have no money though" yet he's able to spend a few thousand dollars on a PC? His idea of "no money" is quite interesting.

 

[NuAlphaMan]

Lol. Let him spend that kind of money. It's his to waste! Yeah, he could build himself one heckova desktop with that kind of money! I have friends too that always want to run and give their money to Dell. I try to explain to them that they could get a lot more if they built a PC themselves. If you've tried to reason with him and he still wants to buy a laptop then hey, let him have his brain fart!

 

[Smartazz]

A fool and his money will soon part. Something like that, anyway don't worry about him, still a great laptop, just too much money.

 

[Sqube]

Send him a blank e-mail with a .mp3 attached where you laugh long and hard and then say "A fool and his money are soon parted. The desktop I could make with that money would be way better than the laptop you're going to buy." That's all you need to say.

You don't need to warn him about changing GPUs on a laptop either. He might get one of the ones with a modular GPU that can be replaced. More importantly, he has already demonstrated a marked willingness to ignore common sense. Let him get shafted.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: jdavisomaha
How would you reply if this was YOUR friend?

his e-mail ----->
"I'm going with a gaming laptop. I still have no money though. Look around and find me a GO 7900 gtx 512 meg video card for a laptop. If I can find one I'm going to go with the Inspiron E1705. It's the exact same laptop as the XPS M1705 with the exact same upgrade choices, except that video card. The inspiron only upgrades to the GO 7900GS 256 meg card. Which is still way friggin faster than what I've got. It uses the exact same everything the XPS does, mobo chipset, chassis, the upgrade display I'm looking at is it's display, processor selections, hd options, memory options, etc. The only difference is that video card, and it's a huge difference. But it's not worth paying the XPS price tag of $3500 with the same options.
Here it is, inspiron version:

Core 2 Duo @ 2.2 Ghz w/4 megs L2
17" widescreen uber display option
2 Gigs DDR2
80Gig 7200 rpm
HD audio option, with a built in subwoofer
GO 7900 GS 256 meg vid card
Windows XP Pro
Upgraded to top battery
Wireless connection
I'll buy my own USB mouse, don't like the one you can get from Dell
Looking for that GO 7900GTX, 256 meg version

Inspiron Cost $2300
XPS Cost $3500

So it seems there is a $1200 XPS tax...

Now the Inspiron runs BF2 at a mixture of medium/maximum settings at that 1900x1600 (something like that) resolution at 45 fps. I forget the other settings it was benched at, something like 1600x1400 and another one. It was about 7-10 fps higher for each reduced screen resolution. The XPS, with the 512 GTX ran it at the same mixture of medium/maximum settings, 1900x1600 and at 75 ish frames per second.

If I can find that video card, I'll slap it into the Inspiron and it's the exact same thing as the XPS then, but about a grand cheaper.

Either way the Inspiron model is about a billion times more powerful than what I've got now, it's mobile, it's cool looking, I'm getting it. My rig plays BF2 at 800x600 with all settings at low or off and I get a choppy 25-30 fps, but it drops to single digits in smoke, artillary, or inside buildings for some reason. Warlord, inside the stronghold it's down to 5 fps. I fall a lot trying to get on the roof at that rate." <------- end of his email

Whats the problem? I se no problem. After all its your friends decision...is it not?
Good or bad its still his decision to make?
So don`t make it your problem. You will lose less sleep over this!!

 

[corkyg]

You have to respect his determination and willingness to support OUR economy. It's folks like that that keep the engines humming for the rest of us. I'd congratulate him and buy him a beer!

 

[firebyyrd]

agreed.

however I think rich people need to share the wealth sometimes.