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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Vistaorxp
Vistaorxp
2007-08-07, 8:44 PM #1
So I'm getting a laptop soon, just wondering if I should go with XP MCE, or Vista Basic. Yes its a Dell XPS, and I know I can probably get a cheaper machine if I look around, but right now I have hella cash and Dell's easy. Here are the system specs so far:

Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.00GHz 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB
2GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHZ, 2 DIMM
80GB SATA Hard Drive 7200RPM
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GTX

2007-08-07, 8:52 PM #2
Don't get a 7200.

That isn't Santa Rosa. You want Santa Rosa.

If the second number is an odd number, it's Santa Rosa

IE,

7300
7500

etc.



(And dude, 7 series card? LAME)

Wait until christmas and get a Dell Vostro with a REALLY good 8 series card.
2007-08-07, 8:56 PM #3
If you have hella cash why you getting such a poor laptop?

And on 512MB RAM you will not be running Vista, trust me.

Not to mention Vista Home Basic sucks. You need at least Premium or Business.
2007-08-07, 8:58 PM #4
(I like Vista more than XP)
2007-08-07, 9:08 PM #5
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
And on 512MB RAM you will not be running Vista, trust me.

That's the video RAM, smart guy.

Originally posted by Cool Matty:
Not to mention Vista Home Basic sucks. You need at least Premium or Business.

It doesn't suck, it's just not awesome. The biggest feature it's missing is Aero, but you can hack that in if you really want.

You should get Vista Home Premium. Look at the OEM copies, they are much cheaper. Don't worry about activation issues if you decide that you need to transfer it to another machine, you just have to call them up and they'll activate it anyway. If they give you crap tell them your motherboard died or you had to RMA your laptop or something.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-07, 9:10 PM #6
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
If you have hella cash why you getting such a poor laptop?

And on 512MB RAM you will not be running Vista, trust me.

Not to mention Vista Home Basic sucks. You need at least Premium or Business.


512 MB is the video card. Right now, Im not settling for less that 2 gigs RAM.

And I looked at the Dell Vostro, only comes with a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT. And besides theres not an option for Vista.

2007-08-07, 9:11 PM #7
Which is why I told you to wait until they get 8800.


You don't want a 7 series card.
2007-08-07, 9:13 PM #8
What is so bad about the 7 series? It's not the best, but it's still a solid performer. Is there something wrong with the 7 series in laptops or something?

I suppose it makes more sense if he has "hella cash" not to get one, but it's not like it's a terrible choice.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-07, 9:16 PM #9
No DX10. :/
2007-08-07, 9:21 PM #10
The Vostro is a lot cheaper with the same processor as my XPS config and an additional 2 GB RAM. (But also comes with a smaller hard drive, no Vista option, and limited to 256 MB video card).

But I need the machine asap, so I might just go with XPS.

2007-08-07, 9:22 PM #11
You know, you could just install Vista yourself later...
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-07, 9:24 PM #12
Yes but that would mean buying XP and Vista.

2007-08-07, 9:25 PM #13
Not exactly. You aren't paying full price when you buy the OS through Dell. Not the default option, that is.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-07, 9:28 PM #14
I have a Dell XPS Laptop with a 7 series card that has served me admirably in nearly every respect for the last 12 months.
2007-08-07, 9:46 PM #15
Originally posted by BombayZeus:
The Vostro is a lot cheaper with the same processor as my XPS config and an additional 2 GB RAM. (But also comes with a smaller hard drive, no Vista option, and limited to 256 MB video card).

But I need the machine asap, so I might just go with XPS.


Vostros have a Vista option.

You have to click "Build it with Vista"

Atleast on the 1500 series you do.

Also, get the cheapest hard drive, and then buy one of the same form factor on newegg for alot cheaper and install it when you get it. (Unless of course they offer a free upgrade to something outrageous)
2007-08-07, 9:49 PM #16
And what about a 5400RPM vs a 7200RPM hard drive? Right now I have a 7200 one in my desktop and it seem to run pretty fast. If I get a 5400 will there be any significant drops in performance? Coupled with 4 GB Ram, I don't think it would be big drop, but still I wouldn't want to take the chance. Plus, I don't want to open up the notebook and mess with it till the warranty expires (1 year).

2007-08-07, 10:00 PM #17
Yes, 5400 will be significantly slower. Hard drives are, by far, the largest speed bottleneck on PCs today.

Don't worry about battery life. I just saw a white paper from Hitachi a while ago showing almost no discernible drop in battery life between 7200 and 5400 RPM drives. There are quite a few home tests on hardware sites showing similar results.

Don't worry about the warranty. You can always put the old hard drive back in if you need to claim the warranty. Chances are they will not check nor care anyway.

When we ordered my sister's laptop from Lenovo, the hard drive costs were very reasonable. They were about the same as NewEgg's prices. The RAM, however, was almost three times as much. Make sure you check that. It's almost certainly cheaper to buy RAM on NewEgg than from Dell.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-07, 10:43 PM #18
IF you're honestly worried about DX10, wait. Today's DX10 cards aren't worth a snot, and will be as ****ty as today's DX9 cards once the true DX10 comes out.
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2007-08-08, 6:09 AM #19
Originally posted by Emon:
That's the video RAM, smart guy.


I need to stop posting when I'm dead tired >.>

Quote:
It doesn't suck, it's just not awesome. The biggest feature it's missing is Aero, but you can hack that in if you really want.

You should get Vista Home Premium. Look at the OEM copies, they are much cheaper. Don't worry about activation issues if you decide that you need to transfer it to another machine, you just have to call them up and they'll activate it anyway. If they give you crap tell them your motherboard died or you had to RMA your laptop or something.


Home Basic is also missing the laptop mobility stuff, as well as backups software and Media Center.

And I totally agree about RAM upgrades, especially from Dell. They can be RIDICULOUSLY overpriced sometimes.
2007-08-08, 9:31 AM #20
And how much RAM do I really need? I can afford up to 4GB, but is that really necessary? With a 32bit processor, the system can only manage so much memory, right?

And I decided it would be best to get Vista Premium because of more mobility and media center options. So at least thats settled.

2007-08-08, 12:13 PM #21
Atlest 1 gig.

2 would be excellant.

4 is pushing the boundaries of retarded. (If all you're going to do is play games)
2007-08-09, 8:12 AM #22
I was just looking at Dell's Precision M4300, and t hat think seems like a beast. I was just wondering if the NVIDIA Quadro FX 360M 512MB is any good. Anyone here use a business grade Video card for gaming?

2007-08-09, 8:20 AM #23
The Quadro cards are just gaming cards rebranded with a different BIOS. I'm not sure which one that is based off of.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-09, 11:16 AM #24
Quadro cards are good for running 3dsmax and the like, but suck for gaming.


NOT worth it.
2007-08-09, 11:19 AM #25
I'm not so sure. They're supposed to be nearly identical.

Besides, 3dsmax and the like do everything in software.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-09, 11:22 AM #26
It doesn't work that way on laptops I guess. :/

Everything I've read says to avoid them if you want to do serious gaming on your laptop.
2007-08-09, 11:28 AM #27
I'm afraid to go with the Vostros because they're new and almost identical to the 1520s. On the other hand the only decent video card they offer are exclusive to these two systems (Gefore 8600M GT), which really pisses me off. All the companies with good customer service don't offer any good consumer graphics cards on their laptops, but they have powerful Quadro cards on the business machines.

2007-08-09, 11:32 AM #28
Dell has good customer service. :/

The people that think they don't are afraid of the phone, don't know how to talk to people, or are retarded.

Get the in home service one year warranty, it's worth it. You spend 45 minutes on the phone and they determine they need to send someone out, and you can usually get someone to come out the next day.

(They came and replaced my motherboard because my DVI stopped working after a lightning storm)
2007-08-09, 11:33 AM #29
PS, Vostros have better build control than the inspiron line, and are more durable. (They are business laptops) (I think the keyboard is even spill proof, or in your case drool proof)
2007-08-09, 1:45 PM #30
My dad uses a Quadro graphics card for his home office computer (he does CFD and CAD **** on it sometimes). Apparently the card was like $1500.
2007-08-09, 3:43 PM #31
Like Emon said, the Quadro cards you'll find in the laptops are basically GeForce cards with a different BIOS. Performance wise, they're pretty much the same as whatever their GeForce equivalent is.

The NVS 110m in my D620 is just a reflashed 7300, and the FX 2500m in my brother's M90 is exactly the same as a 7900 GTX I believe it is.
2007-08-09, 4:13 PM #32
any reason why they are so much more expensive?
2007-08-09, 4:16 PM #33
No, not really.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2007-08-09, 7:26 PM #34
Are Sager Laptops any good? Just took a look at the NP2090 and the NP5790. I'm pretty weary on spending so much money on a company I've never heard of before.

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