(Hint: Copy/paste the code from this page to your forum post.) Edited by - randomprecision on 4/26/2009 12:00:48 PM
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| EatOut Member  38 Posts 5/08 |  Posted - Apr 24 2009 : 11:49AMJust bought an expensive laptop - was it a $2500 mistake? Note that I have not yet booted up this laptop and I am not a gamer. The base price for this laptop is $1300. I paid $2500 for it because I'm a speed freak. No, I don't need a drug intervention, but thanks anyway, Dr. Drew :) I customized my brand new laptop for speed. I customized it for work and school projects....9 to 5 stuff. I'm a little schizo. Between 9 to 5 I'm a madman. Or maybe, thanks to genetics and coffee, I have a type A personality between 9 to 5. I'm all business between 9-5, The words "lighten up - take it easy" aren't in my vocabulary between 9-5. America was built with great men who possess the same demeanor. Christopher Columbus was addicted to coffee. All I know is that when I use the computer to work on a school or work project and I experience a slowdown or blockage, I go mad. I go nuts. I scream. I act like a racehorse who's stuck in quicksand. I have a little meltdown is what I'm saying. So that's why when I ordered this computer I told myself to emphasize speed, speed and more speed. So I built it with 8 gigs of RAM and a quad core processor. That is the main reason why it went from being a $1300 laptop to a $2500 laptop. (no desktop, thank you - I bought a laptop so I could get out of the house and work away from home 3 or 4 days a week). So did I make a mistake in ramping up a $1300 laptop to the tune of $2500? Before you answer that, you need to know what I'll be using it for: I'm going to build websites with Wordpress and Dreamweaver. I might be using several programs at once. Programs like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash. I might even have a web based video tutorial open when I'm using Photoshop or Dreamweaver. In a nutshell: I'll be using a lot of Adobe software. I'll note that there's no need to point out that I could've gotten far more for my money by buying a desktop. That's a given. That goes without saying. I already have a high performance desktop for work and school. I bought the laptop because I need a portable computer that is easy to transport, a computer that I can place in the back seat of my car, or carry on my back when I ride a bicycle or chopper to work or school. So now that you know all there is to know, don't hold back with your answer. If I made a mistake just say so. Or maybe I bought the perfect laptop, one that has the type of speed that a busy body like me can utilize? A laptop that'll handle anything a worker bee can throw at it 5 years down the road? Either way, tell me what you think, because I want THE TRUTH, and unlike Tom I can handle the truth! Hard drive: 7200rpm Memory: 8 gigs of RAM GPU: 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M Processor: Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9000 (2.00Ghz)
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| RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06 | Posted - Apr 26 2009 : 12:00PM Edited by - randomprecision on 4/26/2009 12:00:48 PM [Link] |
| jrv Senior Member 1266 Posts 2/03 | Posted - Apr 27 2009 : 11:53PM To use that memory you'll need to use a 64-bit operating system and may want to verify which apps can use more than 3GB directly. That's not the faster Intel mobile processor: the X9100 is 6M Cache, 3.06 GHz and 1066 MHz FSB. It and the northerbridge draw nearly 60 watts (don't venture far from a power outlet) and have a nearly "If you have to ask ..." price of $900 for those two parts alone. (Intel's QX9300 is the fastest 4-core mobile processor at 12M Cache, 2.53 GHz and 1066 MHz FSB but the X9100 will almost always be faster) For the hard disk: we are on the cusp of seeing Solid State Disks become viable. I'd be inclined to spend no more than require to make the system functional with an eye towards upgrading to SSD in 6-12 months, if a really, really, really fast disk that costs $400+ is on the table. I see no mention of backups. Budget for an external disk for backups. I don't know that's there's any point in so much GPU memory in a non-gamer setup. PS. Right now Dell has intriguing Studio XPS 16 with an "RGBLED" option that is supposed to have spectacular color - 116% of the *Adobe* gamut (not just NTSC gamut). That's right up there with the best desktop displays. [Link] |
Hardware  All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 12:20AM [Link] |
| Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 1:22AM How long have you been using the SSD as your boot disk, Hardware? Is it MLC or SLC technology? What's the brand, model, and capacity? What OS are you using and how much disk space does it take up? [Link] |
| Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 1:38AM [Link] |
| Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 3:49AM Is it MLC or SLC technology? It's MLC technology. Everybody I read says avoid the SLC for your OS. What's the brand, model, and capacity? G.Skill, FM_2552S-64GB, and.. errr.. 64GB. What OS are you using and how much disk space does it take up? Vista64. I'm using about 39GB, but I've got my porn database and photos on there, as well. Most articles I've read suggest twenty five to thirty gig for Vista64. [Link] |
| jrv Senior Member 1266 Posts 2/03 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 7:08AM (The Dell BIOS will have a copyright to Phoenix that ends in 1988. Recently it's been harder to spot the copyright notices as it's often hidden behind the power-on Splash, setup, etc, but there is a credit to Phoenix that is -1988 that's proof) [Link] |
| jrv Senior Member 1266 Posts 2/03 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 7:24AM SLC is inherently faster since it's binary. MLC encodes (usually) 2 bits per cell so it's a little slower, at least on writes. SLC is going to have a much larger lifetime writes rating, 100,000-1,000,000 depending, whereas MLC is 10,000-100,000 depending. Dollar-for-dollar you're likely to get 4x the capacity in MLC than SLC and price premium is likely to continue and perhaps gets a little worse. Prices are falling rapidly, but more importantly the controllers are improving very quickly. Within a year I expect most to be able to live up to their specs and be priced so that mortals can make a reasonable trade-off for SSD if desired. [Link] |
| Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 5:53PM [Link] |
| jrv Senior Member 1266 Posts 2/03 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 8:39PM Right now I have my eye on the Samsung PB22-J 256GB. [Link] |
| jayo All-Star Member 2117 Posts 7/04 | Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 8:41PM [Link] |
| Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03 | Posted - Apr 29 2009 : 5:34PM The next time I'm there, I'll see what I can manage short of calling store security down on my head. [Link] |
| Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03 | Posted - Apr 29 2009 : 5:53PM I'm currently using a 150GB WD Velaciraptor, configured as a dual-boot system running both Vista 64-bit and (because of driver issues with some of my hardware) Vista 32-bit. However, since Vista 7 is supposed to have a non-virtual XP mode built in, once I migrate I won't have to bother with a dual-boot system to run my older hardware and can opt for a smaller SSD boot disc. That said, I love the Velaciraptor and am sure my wife will too when her system inherits it. [Link] |
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