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buying a laptop

thexm

I give a try to buy a quite reliable computer even though I am not good at computer for my studio work. Since I have no idea about a laptop quite well, I like to get you guys' advice aboout a laptop.
From what I research, I think I need P4 2.66ghz, Ram 1g, hard drive 60GB, graphic card(i don't know. help me out!)... Correct me if I am wrong. Any recommendation for a good laptop with that specifications? my budget is around 2000 (could be little more than 2000). Thanks alot!

 
Jun 18, 04 8:49 am
mbr

That will work. Buy a Dell. If you want battery life, get a Centrino not a P4.

Jun 18, 04 8:53 am  · 
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Hasselhoff

I had a thread going about laptops. Try to find that. There were good tips on it. After research though, I realized it's in my best interest to get a desktop.

Jun 18, 04 9:34 am  · 
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mbr

It is hard to justify a laptop when you want to use Max or render. I've wnated one for years, but it just makes more sense to get a rocket ship of a desktop instead. Time is money, as they say.

Jun 18, 04 10:40 am  · 
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jean-pierre

even a mortal enemy deserves not a dell laptop. support and reliability problems have forced several large universities (university of michigan, harvard ) in the states to drop them as a supplier in favor of more reliable / consistent vendors. i beseech you to entertain saving the unbounded mental and emotion anguish and not purchase a dell.

if you are bound to the windows platform, ibm's thinkpad series is well constructed and pick up the slack from sony's failing/ailing vaio product line.

it comes down to: how much is your time worth?

Jun 18, 04 10:25 pm  · 
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Brim

powerbook.....g4....yumm.

Jun 23, 04 1:09 am  · 
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tman

here's a side question about laptops. I have a very powerful laptop that has been overheating alittle. What should i do? Someone recommended buying a fan that the laptop can sit on top of

Jun 23, 04 11:20 am  · 
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douglas

What make and model is it, tman?

Jun 23, 04 11:30 am  · 
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tman

I have the toshiba Satellite P25 that i purchased this year

The Satellite P25 offers the best in multimedia! Its Intel® Pentium® 4 processor with HT Technologyª, 17.0" Wide-screen XGA display*, and harman/kardon® speakers deliver quick response, crisp imagery, and bass-thumping audio.

Gamers will love the NVIDIA GeForce™ FX Go5700 graphics w/128MB on the P25-S670! The Satellite P25-S670 Series features Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition for recording TV programs and movies from broadcast, cable or satellite sources

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processorª with HT Technology
Microsoft® Windows XP Media Center Edition or Home Edition
Microsoft® Office OneNote™ 2003— ($199 value!)
17.0" diagonal Wide-Screen XGA display* (1440 x 900)
Choice of two NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go graphics cards
DVD burner and 80GB¹ hard drive
harman/kardon® stereo speakers
High speed Wireless LAN (802.11g)
Cisco Compatible Extensions Program Certified
Warranty: 1-year parts and labor, 1-year battery

Jun 23, 04 11:35 am  · 
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douglas

how badly does it overheat?

not sure I can help there, but I am looking to get myself a laptop. how do you like it? I hear it's damn heavy, for all that power...
do you recommend it?

Jun 23, 04 12:02 pm  · 
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herbst

tman, are you using it on a hard or soft surface? It looks like the ventilation fans are in the bottom of the unit, so maybe raising it up off the working surface would help? Sorry if this is an obvious solution you've already tried. But I believe P4s are supposed to run hot.

Jun 23, 04 1:17 pm  · 
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mbr

The reason it's over heating is the P4. They were never meant to be put in laptops, due to the excessive heat and power consumption. The Mobile Pentium 4, Pentiom M, and Centrinos are all for mobility and will run much cooler. They also have a way of running slower if they start to get too hot, to cool things down.

Manufacturer's started putting the P4 in laptops, probably because they were cheaper and ran fast, but I don't think Intel has ever approved it.

I'd contract Toshiba, find out what they say. It's really their responsibility. Glad to know, though, as I was thinking of one of those 17 inchers sometime, too.

Jun 23, 04 1:56 pm  · 
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Hasselhoff

They make these 'mats' that you put under laptops with fans in them. They are about 1/2" thick and plug into the USB. Might try looking into that.

Jun 23, 04 2:35 pm  · 
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Ex-Army Dude

I am on my second Toshiba Laptop... First lasted a good 6 years running cad... new one is a 3.6 P4 in which I run Autocad 2005 and it flies, better than work PC. I also use it for gamming, anyone out there tried Americas Army... free online game.

Dell Laptops have not been too good, or sony, or compaq... IBM ok, but Toshiba has been very reliable. Video Mem is very Important for Autocad if you render or do 3d work.

Jun 24, 04 5:13 am  · 
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bd

15inch Aluminium G4 Powberbook

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/index15.html

It's a brilliant machine

Jun 24, 04 6:05 am  · 
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herbst

...except it's a Mac.

Which means it may be pretty to look at, but unless all you use is Maya, Adobe products, or--*shiver*--Vectorworks, you just blew a serious wad of cash on a shiny new coaster
(although I hear that, even as a coaster, it will buy you serious hipster cred these days).

Jun 24, 04 9:26 am  · 
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bd

ArchiCAD works on it, so its nice to look at and won't run AutoCAD. It's just perfect.

Jun 24, 04 11:21 am  · 
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mbr

I've always said, if those folk at Apple would put windows on one, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Not that I like windows, of course, but I like Max.

Jun 24, 04 11:51 am  · 
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