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Computer lapetap questions
Posted on 08/16/2003 9:58:56 PM PDT by Commie Basher
Can anyone help with these questions?
ONE: Which laptop would likely be faster?
(1) IBM Thinkpad G40 with:
CPU: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz
RAM: 1 Gig
Graphics Card: Intel Extreme (which taps into the above RAM)
Harddrive: 4200 rpm
OR (2) IBM Thinkpad T40 with:
CPU: Pentium M (Centrino) 1.6 GHz
RAM: 512 Meg
Graphics: 32M 7500 Radeon
Harddrive: 5400 rmp
______________
TWO I've heard that CPUs are so fast, that anything over 1.4 GHz seems pretty much the same. The real bottleneck is harddrive speed. True?
_____________
THREE: I have a Toshiba Satellite 4080XCT which I bought in March 1999. It has a 6.4 Gig harddrive. Can anyone make a reasonable guess as to its rpm speed? I can't find it in the specs.
TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: faq
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To: the_Watchman
The touchpad issue is another reason I'm favoring IBM. To date, all my Toshibas have used eraserheads rather than touchpads, although they've dropped that practice.
But IBM still has eraserheads on all its laptops.
For some reason, Toshiba calls its eraserheads "Accupoints" and IBM calls them "Trackpoints."
To: the_Watchman
I erase the page cache several times a day with Norton Clean Sweep. I realize I have a slow connection, a 56k dialup.
To: Commie Basher
What is a "lapetop"?
23
posted on
08/16/2003 11:33:29 PM PDT
by
handk
To: Commie Basher
The bottleneck in web browsing is your connection speed, nothing else. You could use a 386SX and not know the difference. If your machine needs frequent rebooting, don't look for a machine that reboots gracefully, FIX THE PROBLEM!
To: Commie Basher
When I use a laptop on the road, I always take a mouse. We have ours set up so that the mouse will override the touchpad.
To: the_Watchman
That's funny to me....I've been using a touchpad for everything for so many years that I barely remember how to use a mouse. Just goes to show...each to their own.
To: Commie Basher
Do yourself a favor, get either a cable modem or DSL before you invest in a new laptop. You'll be amazed how fast pages upload, even on an older machine. Then you can focus on what you want to do for your laptop upgrade.
To: Still Thinking
If your machine needs frequent rebooting, don't look for a machine that reboots gracefully, FIX THE PROBLEM! My Norton Utilites finds no problems with my Windows 98, or anything else in my system. It's just Windows being Windows.
To: Commie Basher
The trade-offs between hard disk, processor and memory depend on what you are going to use the computer for.
If you are creating video, I would not recommend anything less than a 7200 rpm drive. A lower speed drive just won't cut it. You'll also need a high end processor and at least 512M of memory.
If, however, you don't need to lay down a whole lot of data in a short amount of time to the drive, then a lower-speed drive would do. A good example of the second choice is doing still graphics like Photoshop. In a case like this, processor speed and memory are much more important than hard disk speed.
For most everyday operations like word processing and surfing the web, the most important element is memory. More memory just makes everything work a lot better, letting you keep multiple windows open at the same time, keeping the appliations from crashing, etc.
WOO-HOO! FReeper Tech Questions!!!
What would be the best laptop that would run the soon-to-be-released DOOM III?
Alienware?
Dell?
30
posted on
08/17/2003 1:22:58 AM PDT
by
RandallFlagg
("There are worse things than crucifixion...There are teeth.")
To: RandallFlagg
The best would be whomeever comes out on Sept. 22 with a 2.4 ghz Athlon64 with a mobile radeon 9600Pro.
To: Commie Basher
My son has a Dell laptop (don't know his specs, but they are comparable to mine). I have a Mac PowerBook G4 (550 MHg, 556 MB). My son says my computer is much faster than his and mine is slow compared to most PowerBook G4's. My husband's PowerBook, at 667 MHz and added memory is faster than mine.
Can't wait until Mac comes out with a Powerbook version of the G5. That machine will be awesome.
Go to a local Apple store and try a PowerBook G4 out. You'll be impressed.
32
posted on
08/17/2003 5:42:40 AM PDT
by
randita
To: wirestripper
I have a similar model: Inspiron 7500. Just don't expect any support from DELL; it took me almost two years to get them to correct their records identifying me as opposed to the original Canadian owner (Refurbished purchase.)
To: Commie Basher
I clicked the thread solely to figure out what a lapetap was. :) I have no advice to give though.
34
posted on
08/17/2003 6:00:14 AM PDT
by
honeygrl
To: The Radical Capitalist
A good example of the second choice is doing still graphics like Photoshop. My Photoshop seems to take forever loading on a 4200 rpm hard drive. I've read that a step up to 5400 is noticably faster.
To: Commie Basher
Never buy a laptop unless you absolutely need one. You are buying downward in performance because you have to trade performance for convenience.
36
posted on
08/17/2003 6:04:46 AM PDT
by
AppyPappy
(If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
To: Commie Basher
I wouldn't buy one unless I really needed mobility due to work related travel. They are too delicate. Screens are too small and they are always slower than desktops. The hard drives are always slower by 2,000 rpms. If I had to blow $700 I would go to Dell and buy a desktop with 17" LCD monitor.
Generalizations but this is how I see it.
37
posted on
08/17/2003 6:08:04 AM PDT
by
dennisw
(G_d is at war with Amalek for all generations)
To: randita
My son has a Dell laptop (don't know his specs, but they are comparable to mine). I have a Mac PowerBook G4 (550 MHg, I've become more interested in getting a Mac. My wife wants a laptop and I'll likely get her one.
I am running a 1 yr old Dell, 2.2 gig w/ 512 mem so I won't be upgrading any time soon.
Now the question.
Can I network a Mac and a PC? Software would be a problem, wouldn't it?
My guess is that I would be better served by sticking to a PC until I upgrade , then going w/ a Mac.
Since we are on the subject... I've looked at HP, Compac, Sony, Dell. Won't buy Toshiba. Displays in XGA, SXGA, etc.
Anyone have a preference? Would be used for surfing, MINOR games ( no Doom, joystick stuff) and word processing.
My most important requisite is reliability.
38
posted on
08/17/2003 6:08:55 AM PDT
by
Vinnie
To: Vinnie
I've got a network running with PC's and Mac's... I just use a wireless wi-fi network.
To: Commie Basher
IBM is expensive. Go to this site and learn how to get ultra-cheap deals on Dell laptops and desktops. If I were in your shoes I would keep current laptop for travel and buy a desktop w/17" LCD.
http://www.gotapex.com/deals.php
40
posted on
08/17/2003 6:39:30 AM PDT
by
dennisw
(G_d is at war with Amalek for all generations)
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