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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Like/Dislikes Laptop.
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 02/20/2007 09:12:49 PM · #1
What are your like and dislike about your laptop? I'm thinking about getting one and not sure really what to look for. Only thing is I can't get an Apple because some of my devices won't work with it :(

I've been checking various websites but they have jargon that I don't really understand, so it's a pain.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 21:13:45.
 02/20/2007 09:15:29 PM · #2
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.
 02/20/2007 09:17:50 PM · #3
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?
 02/20/2007 09:22:25 PM · #4
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?

RAM issue. Get more.

For you Fadoi? New devices.
 02/20/2007 09:22:45 PM · #5
The ALienware Aurora M770 as of last year built to spec out my 3,000 dollar desktop would cost over 7,000 dollars.

Its specs were
Athlon X2 FX
2GB of ram
2 x 120GB Hard Drives
2 x Dual Layer DVDRW drives

17 inch screen/Graphics acrd with 256 MB of GDDR3 gaming ram.

and that barley touches my current hard disk space of 2 x 500 GB.

I priced the laptop about 6 months ago when i only had a 250GB HDD to see what it would cost to match my desktops performance.

This ofcourse didnt include the price for a PCMCIA Video Input Card.
 02/20/2007 09:22:54 PM · #6
FYI, here are the specs;

Intel Core Duo T2500 2.00GHz Processor
Mobile Intel 945PM Express Chipset
NVidia GeForce Go7400 VX 512MB with TurboCache
2GB DDR2 667MHz Memory
160GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
DVD Super-Multi Drive with Dual Layer
15" SXGA+ Colourshine (1440x1050)
VGA, S-Video Output
Battery Life: Upto 3.0hrs
Weight: from 2.5kg

02/20/2007 09:33:59 PM · #7
Originally posted by strangeghost:
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?

RAM issue. Get more.

For you Fadoi? New devices.


Sorry but I fail to understand how more RAM would help the thumbnails load faster...

Delta_6, the problem is your hard drive that's not spinning fast enough. You would need a 7200RPM drive instead of a 5400RPM one.

Last time I checked on the IBM website, you could get a 250GB 5400RPM HDD for about the same price as a 80GB 7200RPM HDD.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 21:40:35.
 02/20/2007 09:48:21 PM · #8
I'm completely enamored with my laptop... the only complaints I would have is that they cost so much more than desktops (paid $100 more for my laptop than my desktop (which is a few years old now) and it still isn't as beefy) and that if I don't have my screen opened right, the colors get weird. Well, the contrast more than the colors. I have learned now to check my challenge entries on my desktop before submitting, lest they be too dark/light.
 02/20/2007 09:52:18 PM · #9
Originally posted by yann:
Originally posted by strangeghost:
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?

RAM issue. Get more.

For you Fadoi? New devices.


Sorry but I fail to understand how more RAM would help the thumbnails load faster...

Delta_6, the problem is your hard drive that's not spinning fast enough. You would need a 7200RPM drive instead of a 5400RPM one.

Last time I checked on the IBM website, you could get a 250GB 5400RPM HDD for about the same price as a 80GB 7200RPM HDD.


YANN dont know if anyone told you tyhere is a BIG REASSON for 5400 rpm drives in laptops..... slower spinning less damage when dropped. Its a preference does your laptop sit on a desk or in your lap?
 02/20/2007 10:00:59 PM · #10
I love my Lenovo (originally IBM) T43 ThinkPad. I now want a faster machine but will only replace it with another T Series Lenovo because I have been so happy with this one. The laptop is very thin and very strong. Lenovo has put a lot into the durability of their ThinkPad laptops. The laptop is very quite and gets around four hours of battery life on a new battery.

The only thing that bothers me about my laptop is that it only has two USB ports. The new T series laptops have more though. DVI would be nice too but I think only Apple offers that today.

Other laptops I have owned are Sony, Dell, and Gateway.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 22:05:32.
 02/20/2007 10:01:11 PM · #11
Originally posted by faidoi:
Only thing is I can't get an Apple because some of my devices won't work with it :(


you can dual boot Windows or run Windows in a virtual machine. check out: //www.parallels.com/

out of curiosity what devices don't work on it?
 02/20/2007 10:04:42 PM · #12
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
YANN dont know if anyone told you tyhere is a BIG REASSON for 5400 rpm drives in laptops..... slower spinning less damage when dropped. Its a preference does your laptop sit on a desk or in your lap?


Also faster drives mean more heat which means a higher fan speed which means more noise and less battery life. This also has an affect on the lifetime of your laptop.

If you buy a Lenovo as yann said, I wouldn't worry too much about hard drive damage because the ThinkPads come with a motion sensor that stops the hard drive from spinning and lifts the head off of the drive if it feels like it is falling.
 02/20/2007 10:53:24 PM · #13
I have the Acer Aspire 505, and I have the same loadup problems with thumbnails. Other than that....I really like it. It also has three USB ports, and a 5 card media card reader built-in too.
 02/20/2007 10:56:49 PM · #14
Originally posted by NathanW:
I have the Acer Aspire 505, and I have the same loadup problems with thumbnails. Other than that....I really like it. It also has three USB ports, and a 5 card media card reader built-in too.


3 USB Ports..... eeek I had 4 on my compaq that came laoded with windows 98 and 64mb of ram!

That and the 9 on my desktop are only 1 short of connecting every device i currently use for usb.

Lets see (Note only 3 of these are usualy plugged in at anyontime with 5 being an off day.

Camera 1
Camera 2
Portable HDD1
Portable HDD2
Bluetooth adapter
PDA
portable dvd/cdwriter 1
mouse
printer
scanner
02/20/2007 11:02:38 PM · #15
Originally posted by poonaka:
Originally posted by faidoi:
Only thing is I can't get an Apple because some of my devices won't work with it :(


you can dual boot Windows or run Windows in a virtual machine. check out: //www.parallels.com/

out of curiosity what devices don't work on it?


Vinyl plotter. Software that comes with it is microsoft compatible. I guess if I invest in Adobe Illustrator I can get a Mac, but....

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 23:04:28.
 02/20/2007 11:03:02 PM · #16
Ummm, this is the brag about my desktop thread?

faidoi, I use an old Sony Vaio as my mobile solution, it's relatively old and slow, but does the trick. It came factory with Windows Me to show you it's age, so I like that it is very reliable.

Two of my friends have newer Dell Laptops and quite frankly I think they rock.
 02/20/2007 11:04:34 PM · #17
Originally posted by EducatedSavage:
I'm completely enamored with my laptop... the only complaints I would have is that they cost so much more than desktops (paid $100 more for my laptop than my desktop (which is a few years old now) and it still isn't as beefy) and that if I don't have my screen opened right, the colors get weird. Well, the contrast more than the colors. I have learned now to check my challenge entries on my desktop before submitting, lest they be too dark/light.


Mine is the same way.
 02/20/2007 11:07:56 PM · #18
What about monitor sizes?12,13 14, 15, or got to get a 17+? What's your opinion? Is your monitor to big, to small, or just right?
 02/20/2007 11:08:57 PM · #19
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Ummm, this is the brag about my desktop thread?

faidoi, I use an old Sony Vaio as my mobile solution, it's relatively old and slow, but does the trick. It came factory with Windows Me to show you it's age, so I like that it is very reliable.

Two of my friends have newer Dell Laptops and quite frankly I think they rock.


No the point is my old Laptop had 4 and its much much older infact it was early USB. If i buy a laptop im going to use it when im home meaning its gonna have to match my desktops performance. ANyless then 4 is silly anyways. for me any less then 6 is gonan kill me.

BUT thats what a docking station is for. My Printer, Scanner, Home Mouse, and backup hdd all plugin to a docking station relievign the laptop of 4 usb ports.

Its not bragging its called i use a laptop EXACTLY the way i use a desktop so it has to be just as good. As is aid it would take a 7,000 dollar spec'd Aurora M770 to match my desktop. I cant afford it so my deadlaptop is unreplaced.

I still use the compaq from time to time when im writing on the go.
 02/20/2007 11:09:39 PM · #20
Originally posted by faidoi:
What about monitor sizes?12,13 14, 15, or got to get a 17+? What's your opinion? Is your monitor to big, to small, or just right?


I think 15 is well rounded, 17 is for the gamer who doesnt mind a heavy laptop. I like widescreen but the resolution needs to be atleast 1280x800.... 1024x600 is rediculous so is 1152x640 and other weird crap ive seen.

Im not sure what the standard res is these days for a 15 wide.

My old Vaio has a 1024x480 it was a small sucker the scren was the same size as the keyboard.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 23:10:56.
 02/20/2007 11:18:11 PM · #21
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
Originally posted by yann:
Originally posted by strangeghost:
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?

RAM issue. Get more.

For you Fadoi? New devices.


Sorry but I fail to understand how more RAM would help the thumbnails load faster...

Delta_6, the problem is your hard drive that's not spinning fast enough. You would need a 7200RPM drive instead of a 5400RPM one.

Last time I checked on the IBM website, you could get a 250GB 5400RPM HDD for about the same price as a 80GB 7200RPM HDD.


YANN dont know if anyone told you tyhere is a BIG REASSON for 5400 rpm drives in laptops..... slower spinning less damage when dropped. Its a preference does your laptop sit on a desk or in your lap?


I don't know why you assumed I have a laptop.. I don't. And yes, I know what the speed difference does. The main reason for slower drives in laptops is for battery life, second reason would be to minimize the heat.

I also know that if you drop your laptop while the HDD is working, 5400RPM or 7200RPM HDD, there's a pretty good chance it's gonna get damaged. I don't think the speed really changes anything here.

We use 10k and 15k RPM HDDs that come with a 5 years warranty in servers and you don't see them fail often. In fact, they last longer than most 7200RPM maxtor drivers in consumer desktops.

Anyways, I know enough about HDDs to know that I should never work on a laptop if it's not in a stable position. I think it's funny that we call it a "LAP"top cause the worst thing you can do to destroy your HDD is to actually use it on your lap lol.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 23:24:23.
 02/20/2007 11:19:04 PM · #22
My Lenovo ThinkPad T43 has a 14.1 inch screen. This is my preferred size because I like my laptops to be light and small. When at home I have a ViewSonic 19" LCD with display properties set to extend my desktop to it. I absolutely love that set-up for photoshop. I keep photoshop and it's tools on my laptop monitor and drag the picture I am editing over to the 19" LCD.
 02/20/2007 11:20:17 PM · #23
Originally posted by yann:
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
Originally posted by yann:
Originally posted by strangeghost:
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I have an Asus Lamborghini and the ONLY thing I don't like about it is that any folder with pictures in it takes ages for the thumbnails to show up.


What would help this? Ram? More Cache? Faster Harddrive? Anyone?

RAM issue. Get more.

For you Fadoi? New devices.


Sorry but I fail to understand how more RAM would help the thumbnails load faster...

Delta_6, the problem is your hard drive that's not spinning fast enough. You would need a 7200RPM drive instead of a 5400RPM one.

Last time I checked on the IBM website, you could get a 250GB 5400RPM HDD for about the same price as a 80GB 7200RPM HDD.


YANN dont know if anyone told you tyhere is a BIG REASSON for 5400 rpm drives in laptops..... slower spinning less damage when dropped. Its a preference does your laptop sit on a desk or in your lap?


I don't know why you assumed I have a laptop.. I don't. And yes, I know what the speed difference does. The main reason for slower drives in laptops is for battery life, second reason would be to minimize the heat.

I also know that if you drop your laptop while the HDD is working, 5400RPM or 7200RPM HDD, there's a pretty good chance it's gonna get damaged. I don't think the speed really changes anything here.

We use 10k and 15k RPM HDDs that come with a 5 years warranty in servers and you don't see them fail often. In fact, they last longer than most 7200RPM maxtor drivers in consumer desktops.


Heat is a major concern in this laptop, she gets exceedingly hot when I am at LAN parties.
 02/20/2007 11:22:51 PM · #24
Originally posted by faidoi:
What about monitor sizes?12,13 14, 15, or got to get a 17+? What's your opinion? Is your monitor to big, to small, or just right?


Mine is a 15.4 inch laptop... at least, that's what the paperwork says. It doesn't fit in slim 15.4 inch cases, though, so there's that. If I need a bigger screen (hahahah!), I have my desktop, which has a 19 inch wide screen monitor. AND I'm a gamer and I use my laptop (sometimes, but mostly my desktop), so the screen is quite adequate.
 02/20/2007 11:23:47 PM · #25
Originally posted by yann:


We use 10k and 15k RPM HDDs that come with a 5 years warranty in servers and you don't see them fail often. In fact, they last longer than most 7200RPM maxtor drivers in consumer desktops.


I have had a WD fail, 2 Quantum's Fail, I have never since my first (of 7) 512mb Maxtors ever had a maxtor hard drive fail.

I leave my PC on 24 hours a day, its constantly moved and i even hit the case when im mad (hdd is mounted in the front). WHen a HDD is too small it gets remanded to backup duty. SO theres 1 Maxtor 500 gig in the PC a maxtor 250 gig in the backup along with a 80.

I gave the 60 to my grand parents the 20's in my sisters and as for the 4 and 7 512's well theyd still be on backup duty but it was rediculous to buy 20 dollar cases for them or even store anything on them.

I plug one in once in awhile to get agame off when i cant find the cd i backed it up to.

THAT SAID Maxtor bought out quantum so i wont buy any NEW maxtors that are no DiamondMax or the other server lin cant think off the top of my head. But anything directly from the quantum merger is trash to me. Im slowly trying to find another manufacturer that i like hence the dead WD.

I HAVE NEVER HAD A MAXTOR FAIL, through abuse through constant usage through those backups i do while im doing while using photoshop that has the head from one side to the other in constant work.

Message edited by author 2007-02-20 23:24:31.
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