Evilviking's Laptop

[EvilViking 0]

Yes, I'm starting another thread about laptop advice. My laptop is just that important. :P

 

If you guys could post back as fast as you can, I'd like to order my laptop tonight or tomorrow.

 

Does not having a 64 bit processor really matter? I was told that I would NEED a 64 bit processor within the next few years, no matter what I'm doing. I'm getting a workstation laptop (possibly an Alienware, if not, then I'm having one built locally). Here's two examples:

 

Intel version: (hyperthreading, basic setup)

 

http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pa...ode=SKU-DEFAULT

 

AMD version: (64-bit, basic setup)

 

http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pa...ode=SKU-DEFAULT

 

______

 

And here's a few changes I've added:

 

2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 1024MB

256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GTX

8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software

24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder

External 802.11a/b/g WiFi PCMCIA Card

Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS PCMCIA

Alienware® Odyssey Backpack

 

 

What I'll be using this laptop for:

 

Modeling

Rendering

Animation

Video creation/rendering

Modding/game design

Homework

Presentations

Gaming

 

So, which one should I go with (ignoring the fact that I hate that blue color)?

 

Yeah, this thing is going to put me into debt. :blink:

[IconOfEvi 0]

Goto www.tigerdirect.com mate ;) Wont make you broke.

 

AMD, 64 bit. Theyre dropping in price like crazy cause of the Core 2 Duo that came out.

[EvilViking 0]

I can't seem to find anything there with the kind of power that I need...

[killakanz 0]

Alienware overcharge. Save money and go here:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/r05/ri05.asp

I bought mine from these people.

[Mr.48 0]

Dude, if you plan to get a new laptop within a year or two anyways go for the Intel duo. Its better and easier on the battery for the price. If on the other hand you plan to keep this laptop for more than 2 years get a 64 bit processor. Oh and make sure to get a non-integrated video card so you can upgrade it later without replacing the whole motherboard.

[EvilViking 0]

Yeah, I plan on using this laptop for at least 4 years. The Alienware ones I looked at had two free DDR2 RAM slots, as well as PCI Express for the GPUs.

 

Thanks for the other sites, guys, but I think that the pricing (for as close as I can match the hardware) is very, very close. And, some of the parts are less than top-of-the line (PC3200 RAM instead of DDR2, for example).

 

As far as Intel HT vs. AMD 64bit, go with the 64 bit then?

[Mr.48 0]

Yeah, I would say as far as being able to stay useful for several years the 64 is better.

 

For example last August I got the laptop I have now for $1600 Canadian (including taxes and a 3 year warranty). Its an AMD 64 3200+, 1GB PC3200 DDR-RAM, 80GB HD and a Radeon X200M video card with 128mb dedicated memory. My only regret is that the video card is integrate it so I cant really upgrade it, but as it is I'm pretty happy with the whole package a year later.

Edited August 29, 2006 by Mr.48

[killakanz 0]

make sure you get one that can support dual processors and SLI Graphics.

Mine can... but doesn't have the second chips yet. Doesn't need them yet really :P

 

"Futureproofed"

[BlckWyerve 0]

Well you'll definetly want to make sure to get the whole with the bigger HDD. All that Catholic schoolgirl porn isn't going to store itself. :P

[Smartmlp 0]

A gamming computer costs a lot, a gamming laptop costs a fortune. The worst part is, they are so huge that that you will be searching for a place to put it when you take it around with you. (To be honest, most of my friends with these ultra laptops don’t use them as laptops, they set them up on their desks and leave them there, but on rare occasion they do take them out when they know its not going to block their view LOL). If you have the money, I would get the best you can get now, because laptops are not the best in the upgrade department. Even with a “pci-express” video card, there is no standard for laptops so you will have to go back to the manufacture for any kind of (costly) upgrade.

[Count von Phoib 0]

256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GTX

You sure you need it?

 

My Gaming PC has one, but it requires a lot of power, and power is the thing you don't want to waste on a laptop!

 

Besides, its the first time I ever heard such a monster could fit into a laptop... :blink:

[BlckWyerve 0]

You can stick a 7950 into a dopey Dell Inspiron.

[Mr.48 0]

A gamming computer costs a lot, a gamming laptop costs a fortune. The worst part is, they are so huge that that you will be searching for a place to put it when you take it around with you.

I dont know, my laptop plays FEAR (on low settings), Half-Life 2, Far Cry, Age of Empires 3 and Heroes of Might and Magic 5.

 

And it's not even in the same range as those Alienware laptops.

AMD 64 3200+, 1GB PC3200 DDR-RAM, 80GB HD and a Radeon X200M video card with 128mb dedicated memory.

 

And it also gets descent battery life (about 2-2.5 hours) and is only around 6-7 pounds.

[BlckWyerve 0]

X200. Ouch.

[mastermind 0]

What I've found is that I prefer to have a fairly light (sub 6lb) laptop for travel, and a desktop at home for real work (ie gaming). I had a desktop replacement that did its just as a desktop replacement, and toward the end of its life I couldn't go anywhere without power because it got maybe 10 minutes on battery. I replaced it with an Inspiron 640m with a Core Duo, 1 gig of RAM, and integrated graphics and it is my primary computer. If I upgrade my desktop I might go back to using my dual monitors more, but really my laptop does just about everything I need, and when I want to play BF2 I just fire up the desktop for a bit.

[EvilViking 0]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. If I get an Alienware, here's the final setup:

 

[1] MJ-12® m7700a

 

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 - 4200+ with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology

Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2

Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service

Display: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD Display - Conspiracy Blue

Motherboard: VIA K8T890 + VT8237A Chipset

Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB

Graphics Accelerator: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GTX

Hard Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 160GB (80GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache

Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW & 24X CD-RW Burner

Primary Battery: Alienware® m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack

Notebook Coolers / Stands: Xbrand Cool Travel

Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem

Wireless Network Card: External 802.11a/b/g WiFi PCMCIA Card

Digital Audio Hardware: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS PCMCIA

Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Backpack

Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive

 

[1] Special Financing Offer; No Interest for 6 Months! - Valid only with the Alienware Credit Card

 

SubTotal: $3,332.00

Shipping: $108.76

Discount: $0.00

Tax: $0.00

Order Total: $3,440.76

[Count von Phoib 0]

Almost 3,5K for a laptop?!?!? :blink: :blink: :blink:

 

Fuck, my own server, gaming PC AND laptop together cost less then that! :o

 

THATS 3 SYSTEMS! Really, you seriously want to spend that much money on 1 laptop???

[Monkey 0]

And why in god's name would you buy it from those Alienware assholes?

[IconOfEvi 0]

Alienware = +1000 bucks. No reason to buy from em ;)

[killakanz 0]

My laptop only cost me a little over £1000, some people see that as expensive but if I bought a similar system from a shop it woulda been closer to £1500, and Alienware would have been touching £2000. Those guys waaay overcharge, don't go alienware.

[IconOfEvi 0]

Yeah - you could have had many many months if not years of cable/DSL Internet for the money they use in overcharging :P

[EvilViking 0]

All right, but Alienware has been the only place where I've been able to find the kind of workstation power & brand name parts that I'm looking for. Do you guys have any specific examples? (not just general sites)

 

As for the price... yeah. I literally can't afford it. I'm going to be paying it off for about 2-3 years.

[Count von Phoib 0]

Then simply don't do it.

 

You as a student simply cannot predict your financial situation for the next 3 years. It's economic suicide to get such a debt, so early.

[killakanz 0]

I bought mine cos I could afford it.

After my army folley in Kenya, all the pay I got what I wasn't spending was all sat in my bank account... I could afford 3 laptops at the time! Only bought one though...

[Sc4Freak 0]

Yeah, I plan on using this laptop for at least 4 years. The Alienware ones I looked at had two free DDR2 RAM slots, as well as PCI Express for the GPUs.

 

Thanks for the other sites, guys, but I think that the pricing (for as close as I can match the hardware) is very, very close. And, some of the parts are less than top-of-the line (PC3200 RAM instead of DDR2, for example).

 

As far as Intel HT vs. AMD 64bit, go with the 64 bit then?

You do realise, that in 4 years' time, using either of those laptops would be roughly equivalent to using a Pentium II today?

 

The AMD CPU is a generation old, whilst the Intel one is several generations old. I used to have a Pentium-M laptop which I bought in 2003 - the Pentium 4 M was already a generation old back then. I didn't even know that the old Pentium 4 M's (especially the Prescott versions) were still in mass production. There's no way they'll stay acceptably fast after 4 years.

Edited August 31, 2006 by Sc4Freak