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  • Hardware upgrades for the Island

    Well, at work recently, I had the rare confluence of two things: a hardware need and cash in an account that needed to be spend before the end of the fiscal year.

    So, I decided to get myself a laptop for data acquisition, data analysis, and travel.

    I felt that since I won't likely get another laptop any time soon, that it should be a "desktop replacement", rather than an ultra portable.

    I settled on the Dell XPS, with the 3.4 P4 desktop CPU. It also has a 7200RPM hard drive, rather than the typical laptop dog.

    Pros:
    Fast, sweet lcd, fast, high end graphics, fast, fast, fast.

    Cons:
    Heavy, short battery life, heavy, hot, heavy, who cares it's fast

    while many people have looked upon this boat anchor and shaken their heads, I personally am in love. I didn't buy it because I'm on the road a lot. I bought it because I need a computer that will be plugged in most of the time, taking data on a desk, but which I can unplug and carry when needed (try that with a desktop, monitor and keyboard).

    It was expensive too, but that isn't anyones fault. I paid market price for a high end machine that fit my criteria.

    It's been sweet for seveal weeks. time will tell how it holds up over time, but I have the 3year dell uber-warranty, so...

    Cheers,
    Dr. Moreau
    System: P4 2.4, 512k 533FSB, Giga-Byte GA-8PE667 Ultra, 1024MB Corsair XMS PC333, Maxtor D740x 60GB, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, PCPower&Cooling Silencer 400.

    Capture Drives (for now): IBM 36LZX 9.1, Quantum Atlas 10KII 9.1 on Adaptec 29160

  • #2
    7200RPM... Wow!

    My one complaint about my Asus notebook is the slow hard drive.

    When a get a new notebook I intend to get a fast HDD.
    P.S. You've been Spanked!

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    • #3
      Re: Hardware upgrades for the Island

      Originally posted by moreau
      I settled on the Dell XPS, with the 3.4 P4 desktop CPU. It also has a 7200RPM hard drive, rather than the typical laptop dog.

      Pros:
      Fast, sweet lcd, fast, high end graphics, fast, fast, fast.

      Cons:
      Heavy, short battery life, heavy, hot, heavy, who cares it's fast

      while many people have looked upon this boat anchor and shaken their heads, I personally am in love.
      Such a nice/beautifull salesperson at Dell ?

      Just kidding: I feel you have to buy what suits you. Some people have the need for a light portable, others need something more powerful.

      I didn't buy it because I'm on the road a lot. I bought it because I need a computer that will be plugged in most of the time, taking data on a desk, but which I can unplug and carry when needed (try that with a desktop, monitor and keyboard).
      Exactly my point: if you know you'll use it most of the time from a mains socket, autonomy is not that important. Use on a desk: heat becomes less of an issue. If for transportation you can use a car (or whatever), and don't have to carry it much, then weight becomes less of an issue.
      And you seem pleased, so my guess is you made the right purchase.

      (if I had listened to others, I'd never have bought me a dual Xeon + SCSI disks for home use, but working on it is just so much more comfortable )


      Jörg
      pixar
      Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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      • #4
        a word of advice, remove the battery while you are using it on the charger

        Saves the battery
        If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

        Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

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        • #5
          Originally posted by schmosef
          7200RPM... Wow!

          My one complaint about my Asus notebook is the slow hard drive.

          When a get a new notebook I intend to get a fast HDD.
          why wait.. upgrade your current laptop

          The best deals on laptops, PC, game systems, components, small appliances, cables, and office supplies. Save more by shopping online or in-store!

          Hitachi Travelstar 60GB Laptop HDD 7200rpm, OEM $335

          you have access to wholesales, so you can get it even cheaper.
          Sell the old one
          We have enough youth - What we need is a fountain of smart!


          i7-920, 6GB DDR3-1600, HD4870X2, Dell 27" LCD

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          • #6
            What Technoid said!

            AZ
            There's an Opera in my macbook.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by tjalfe

              Hitachi Travelstar 60GB Laptop HDD 7200rpm, OEM $335
              $335 is freaking expensive!!!

              You can find it at $237 on pricewatch. More likely=250-270...

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              • #8
                Wouldn't Canada Computers have CDN prices?

                AZ
                There's an Opera in my macbook.

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                • #9
                  Should have taken a look at the Falcon Northwest FragBook DR



                  But I like Dell laptops, and Falcon is new the laptop biz. Though you gotta like the Falcon's zero dead or frozen pixel garauntee, the custom color matched case (free of charge) and the free aluminium carrying case If only I had the cash

                  Jammrock
                  “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
                  –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Jammrock
                    Should have taken a look at the Falcon Northwest FragBook DR



                    But I like Dell laptops, and Falcon is new the laptop biz. Though you gotta like the Falcon's zero dead or frozen pixel garauntee, the custom color matched case (free of charge) and the free aluminium carrying case If only I had the cash

                    Jammrock
                    Holy crap they are expesive!
                    Why is it called tourist season, if we can't shoot at them?

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by az
                      Wouldn't Canada Computers have CDN prices?

                      AZ
                      Yes it does


                      335.00 CAD Canada Dollars = 245.729 USD United States Dollars
                      We have enough youth - What we need is a fountain of smart!


                      i7-920, 6GB DDR3-1600, HD4870X2, Dell 27" LCD

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