15-06-2005 15:10									#1
	Laptops: few questions Put an end to popups!

Since my first message about buying a laptop, I did some research and so on. Thanks to those who helped me by their opinions and comments I now have HP's NX6110 - PG820ET in mind. I arrive in front of two questions though:

1- Of course, nVidia and ATI separate video cards are best. But how does a card such as Intel 128 VRAM fare? It's 128 separate video ram.... how good?

2- I never got a laptop, so I dunno if 15 inches is really "too big" to carry around. This is my only computer, so daily use (no desktop). Only lower-grade laptops are 14 inches at Apple's, and many people seem to carry 15 inches without problem... Comments? How do you find it?


Thanks

Last edited by Trifna on 15-06-2005 at 15:48

	15-06-2005 15:33									#2
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1. Not well

2. It depends whether you have strong muscles or not. I carry my 17 inch laptop around with me daily but it takes some shoulders...

If you are skinny and need to carry your laptop around a lot 12-14 inch is not a problem but dragging 15-17 inch laptop around might become something of a nuisance after some time. Overall, the size of the screen isnt that important though...its how much the system weights that you should keep close eye at.

	15-06-2005 15:56									#3
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I carried an over 15 pounds trekking bag in mountains from 7AM to 7PM for days, so based on what you said perhaps I should consider carrying a desktop

The problem with 17 inches seems to be that it wont enter a back pack to university...

	15-06-2005 16:14									#4
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15" is fine, but in any case the weight much more depends if the notebook has a desktop CPU (needs stronger cooling) or a mobile CPU, if the PSU is very large (I have seen incredibly larges ones already, weighing probably 1kg for themselves) and ofc on the material that the case is made of.

The size is okay I think.. the problem is you won't find much 14" notebooks with resolutions better than XGA (1024x768) (except ofc you are fine with that).

In any case I recommend to buy a laptop backpack instead of the carry cases, if you carry it around often. You are much less prone to forget a backpack and the notebook is in general better protected there. Also it's better for your health because the weight is on your shoulders.

	15-06-2005 22:07									#5
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laurentius, it seems that HP computers do not come with ATI/nVidia cards. HP normally being a correct brand, how come they would only put crappy video cards?? It has its own independent VRAM...
???

	15-06-2005 22:15									#6
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Get a small notebook that allows you to plug in a display, keyboard and mouse.

I have a 12" PowerBook. I can close it and plug in a display, keyboard and mouse and enjoy much larger screen resolutions when I am at home. 1024x768 is fine for on the road and the small form factor of the notebook means that it is much more portable than larger books.

	15-06-2005 22:35									#7
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quote: Originally posted by laurentius 1. Not well 2. It depends whether you have strong muscles or not. I carry my 17 inch laptop around with me daily but it takes some shoulders... If you are skinny and need to carry your laptop around a lot 12-14 inch is not a problem but dragging 15-17 inch laptop around might become something of a nuisance after some time. Overall, the size of the screen isnt that important though...its how much the system weights that you should keep close eye at.

Be careful not to hurt your back with that behemoth. You should probably invest in a packmule. Targus are selling them now. They're not cheap, but they can transport laptops up to 32" models. So if you want to buy a 27" laptop in the futur, you'll be ok.

	15-06-2005 23:01									#8
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I'd avoid HP I bouth a Pavillion back around 2002 or so and it turned out to be a fairly problem prone computer. That particular series was made in Taiwan by a third party and HP just slapped their name on it so maybe they've changed suppliers since then but my one experience wasn't good. Its to bad since traditionally it was a rock solid brand but the last ten years have seen a lot of outsourcing so HP has lost control of its products.

	16-06-2005 00:40									#9
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So Oerdin, which brands do you like, other than more expansive Sony and ThinkPad?

	16-06-2005 01:41									#10
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Man, we should top a laptop suggestions thread. If I would buy a laptop, it would be either an IBM or a Toshiba. There's nothing else, really. I used to trust Dell, but not anymore: it seems they have reliability problems these days. IBM are too expensive, though. And cheap IBM's aren't that hot. Personally, I would get a Toshiba. Best bang for the buck. And they're reliable.