New computer

Feel like posting Off Topic? Do it here.

Moderator: MaxCoderz Staff

User avatar
CDI
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue 24 May, 2005 7:25 pm
Location: If I find out, you'll be first to know.
Contact:

New computer

Post by CDI »

Just getting opinions, because I bought a new [ see, used ] tablet hybrid. The exact laptop is the Compaq TC1000 [ shut up about 'compaq sucks' before you start :) ]

The specs are by no means impressive.

Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 1GHz
256MB RAM, 768MB in a few days
30GB hard disk
10.4" XGA TFT wide angle viewing film, hard tempered glass covering
NVIDIA GeForce2 Go 100 graphics controller 16MB SDRAM
Compaq Premier Sound, 2 integrated speakers, support for stereo headsets, support for mono headsets
6-cell Li-Ion technology, bridge battery for fast battery swapping while in standby mode
1 Type II PC Card slot & 1 Type II CompactFlash slot
Integrated Type III MiniPCI 56K (V.92) modem & 10/100 NIC with integrated wireless LAN connectivity with 802.11a & 802.11b antennas
MS Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
2 x USB 2.0, 1 x RJ45, 1 x RJ11, 1 x VGA, 1 x Internal 802.11b wireless networking, 1 x External Multibay connector, 1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Headset Jack, 1 x Audio-Out Jack
95% Keyboard & point stick, convenient like a laptop or as a tablet & able to detach from Tablet, pen uses the FinePoint Technology [ requires 1 AAAA battery, $4 for 2 batteries ]
10.8 x 8.5 x 8.0" or 27.4 x 21.6 x 2.0cm
1.36kg (Tablet PC only) or 1.8kg (Tablet PC & Keyboard)
Cost me $388 for the comp, and $40 for the extra 512mb RAM, and $4 for batteries

So, yeah. Not too shabby in my opinion. Any opinions of yours?
ImageImage
User avatar
tr1p1ea
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 4141
Joined: Thu 16 Dec, 2004 10:06 pm
Location: I cant seem to get out of this cryogenic chamber!
Contact:

Post by tr1p1ea »

Thats pretty sweet for the price i guess. This is what you will be using at Uni instead of a macbook yeah?
"My world is Black & White. But if I blink fast enough, I see it in Grayscale."
Image
Image
King Harold
Calc King
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sat 05 Aug, 2006 7:22 am

Post by King Harold »

Well I wouldn't have bought it, but it's pretty nice for that price :)
I'm waiting for AMDs quad core in August, I have about €2500 to spend so that should me get me a pretty nice new computer :D (hopefully without vista though - that's getting harder by the day)
User avatar
DJ_O
Calc King
Posts: 2323
Joined: Mon 20 Dec, 2004 6:47 pm
Location: Quebec (Canada)
Contact:

Post by DJ_O »

Pretty good for the price indeed. Providing it can do what you want it's a good choice
ImageImageImageImage
User avatar
hop
Extreme Poster
Posts: 378
Joined: Sat 09 Dec, 2006 3:42 pm

Post by hop »

The laptop is fine. Compaq is fine.
King Harold wrote:(hopefully without vista though - that's getting harder by the day)
It's still as easy as simply not ordering it with your parts. I wouldn't bother with quad core yet though, especially not from AMD.
User avatar
kv83
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 2735
Joined: Wed 15 Dec, 2004 7:26 pm
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Contact:

Post by kv83 »

Got a free computer of my collegue.

1GB RAM
2400 Mhz 64bit Athlon
DVD Burner
CD Burner
128MB AGP NVidea Video card (needs to be replaced. sucks)
Creative Audible Soundcard.

Bought a 19" iiyama monitor (2ms refresh rate)
250GB Harddisk
and Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard with it.

Yay.
Image
CompWiz
Calc King
Posts: 1950
Joined: Thu 13 Oct, 2005 1:54 pm
Location: UB

Post by CompWiz »

King Harold: I agree with hop. If you build your computer yourself, you'll not only save a lot of money, you can use any operating system you please. Get Windows 3.1 if it suits your fancy.

$2500 is plenty for a very high-end system, if you build it yourself. If you buy it from a store pre-made, that will only cover a halfway-decent gaming pc. I'd highly recommend building it yourself. Not only will you get a far, far better system for the same money, you get to choose exactly what parts and software you want.
In Memory of the Maxcoderz Trophy Image
King Harold
Calc King
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sat 05 Aug, 2006 7:22 am

Post by King Harold »

Did you know Alienware charges $100 extra for Windows XP Professional instead of Vista? what a bloody ripoff!

My biggest worry about building my own system is that by the time I'll have all components, the oldest one will be outdated already :(
Note though that it isn't $2500, but €2500, which is roughly $3300 (that suddenly sounds like a lot more imo)
User avatar
tr1p1ea
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 4141
Joined: Thu 16 Dec, 2004 10:06 pm
Location: I cant seem to get out of this cryogenic chamber!
Contact:

Post by tr1p1ea »

... @ your worry of components becoming outdated. Even if it takes you 2 weeks for something to arrive ... how does that make any difference from a 2 week old pre-built system from some vendor?

I also dont think you really need to spen that much on a system. You can build something very capable for less than half that. Then spend the rest on something else :).
"My world is Black & White. But if I blink fast enough, I see it in Grayscale."
Image
Image
King Harold
Calc King
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sat 05 Aug, 2006 7:22 am

Post by King Harold »

You've got a point.

But as for spending it on something else..
Well firstly I didn't save up for no reason :P
And what else would I want? it wouldn't be enough for, say, a house (i'm just 17, no need for a whole house yet), or a car (which i wouldn't be allowed to drive till next year)
A more expensive system stays useful for gaming longer than a cheap one :)
User avatar
kalan_vod
Calc King
Posts: 2932
Joined: Sat 18 Dec, 2004 6:46 am
Contact:

Post by kalan_vod »

King Harold wrote:A more expensive system stays useful for gaming longer than a cheap one :)
You know there is a song thats says "Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers, You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers" - Billy Joel
User avatar
CDI
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue 24 May, 2005 7:25 pm
Location: If I find out, you'll be first to know.
Contact:

Post by CDI »

So. In case anyone cared as to why I originally made this thread. The TC1000 arrived today, and it does everything I expected it to, and more, so I am am happy. It's running XPTE2005 [ in otherwords, the newest version of XPTE ] and it flies, should be better with 768mb of RAM whenever I get it. But other than that, there's not a whole lot to say, it's cool. The audio-out jack is a little messed up though, and it looks like it has had a hard life, but it'll live :D. And it does run very warm in the 90 degree heat.
ImageImage
User avatar
Delnar_Ersike
Sir Posts-A-Lot
Posts: 153
Joined: Mon 22 Jan, 2007 3:05 am
Location: UNATCO Headquarters

Post by Delnar_Ersike »

Great job with finding that laptop, though I would have recommended you get at least 1 GB of RAM. Also, the last thing you mentioned (The part where it runs very warm) might become a problem during the summer, as this Global Warming (whether natural or not) has definitely affected temperatures during the summer, which might cause your laptop to overheat. To solve the problem, you either need to get a better mini-fan in your laptop, or just keep a normal room fan running near your laptop (like I did 8) ).

@King Harold: Weird, I thought Dell bought Alienware. The reason is that Dell offers a free change to XP as an OS for all their computers. Yes, I know Dell Support is a nightmare, but I haven't had any problems with this outdated B130 in the 2+ years I've used it so far (well, except for one driver issue that I could fix myself, being the computer geek I am, but that was because of Windows Update not one of the laptop's built-in functions).
One more thing: if you have that much money to spend (2500 euro, which is 3500 dollars, not 3300) and you have to buy your system, I recommend you buy a laptop. Though most of their parts are non-replaceable and they usually cost a fortune, they are portable (very important) and cost much less than if you buy the parts. In fact, I think you can get a Dell XPS M1710 (one of the fastest and best gaming laptops, if not the best) for only $2300 at the default configuration, while you can get the cheapest XPS (the M1210) for $900 at default (though it as a small screen and has been kind of outdated because of the M1320, it is still an ultraportable laptop).
Seriously though, if you have that much money to spend and you must buy your computer, you are better off getting a laptop than a desktop. Plus, just the look of the M1710 makes you want to buy one:
Image
User avatar
hop
Extreme Poster
Posts: 378
Joined: Sat 09 Dec, 2006 3:42 pm

Post by hop »

King Harold wrote:A more expensive system stays useful for gaming longer than a cheap one :)
No, they don't.



Go to alternate.nl

Spend half the money there now - you'll have it tomorrow, preassembled if you want to.

Get real speakers and a 32" lcd tv for the remaining money or use it for upgrades in a year or two.
User avatar
benryves
Maxcoderz Staff
Posts: 3087
Joined: Thu 16 Dec, 2004 10:06 pm
Location: Croydon, England
Contact:

Post by benryves »

I'm of the school of thought of buying a cheap pre-built machine, then upgrading individual parts until it's not worth doing it any more, then repeating the cycle. Then again, parts are pretty expensive in the UK, compared to what I see listed on US sites. :)

I recently bought a new machine; Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz, 2GB RAM, 256MB X1300 Pro, 500GB storage, 19" widescreen LCD (1680x1050), Vista Business plus the usual trimmings (multimedia keyboard, mouse, card reader, DVD burner). £450.
Post Reply