PC Question : Advice Needed

[Maguspk]

What's the big deal about a good sound card?

[evilbau]

nothing really, imo; its not like you are hooking up a 5.1 system to it. waste of money.

[Maguspk]

Ok, XPS seems so overpriced, would it be a good idea to get a cheaper laptop like an Inspiron from Dell and just beef it up to have the hardware a XPS might? Can I do that?

With 4 GB memory and 80 GB HD and 512 Vid Card, I'm looking at 2.8k so much :/

[evilbau]

came across this which is pretty hot for notebook memory

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5200767 2GB stick for $90, can get 4GB memory for less than what it would cost to upgrade to 2GB through dell, this is what i'm talking about

[evilbau]

Ok, XPS seems so overpriced, would it be a good idea to get a cheaper laptop like an Inspiron from Dell and just beef it up to have the hardware a XPS might? Can I do that?

With 4 GB memory and 80 GB HD and 512 Vid Card, I'm looking at 2.8k so much :/

you can definitely go cheaper and if I were you I would, but like i said, inspirons are cheaper quality, but for the price I would do it. Inspirons aren't very cool, they are about as generic as laptops get, but they get the job done. Like I said, if i were to buy a laptop I would get a inspiron for rock bottom price and juice it up later

[Maguspk]

Ok, I get that I can save money if I buy parts but I don't know jack shit about installing it.

I need a guide or something or information as to how or what I need to install it. Isn't there a possibility Dell doesn't include space for this extra memory card thing? Or how can I be sure if I buy this I can just add it to my PC and it will effectively add 2 GB to my memory?

[evilbau]

oh and one thing about XPS being overpriced: you are right, but this is the cheapest w/the best specs I have seen XPS laptops go. And i keep track of these things daily.

[evilbau]

Ok, I get that I can save money if I buy parts but I don't know jack shit about installing it.

I need a guide or something or information as to how or what I need to install it. Isn't there a possibility Dell doesn't include space for this extra memory card thing? Or how can I be sure if I buy this I can just add it to my PC and it will effectively add 2 GB to my memory?

spent 1 min searching dell's site and i found it, you should view this document before deciding if you are willing to do any upgrades yourself.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/s ... /index.htm

looking at the owners guide, it is on page 119, starts on page 113.

that is for the xps, look up any other system you are considering to see what the procedure to upgrade it is.

the memory i linked should work for both systems, they are the standard right now for notebook memory. You could view dell's own memory they sell here: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... pid=167748 and see the specs are the same. They charge about 400$ for theirs tho (i don't know how they come up with 1.5k to upgrade to 4GB when they sell 2x 2GB in their own store for about 800).

hope this has been helpful, i'll be happy to help with more questions... although i really should be working haha

[Maguspk]

Hmmm so it looks like there are 2 places to install ram.

Didn't know the user's manual included instructions on editing the PC, that's great.

I have no problem following directions so I'd have no problem upgrading with the directions they provide.


So I assume you can install 2 2GB memory stick things in each spot and end up with 4gb cummulative right? That's how they get their 4 GB and 2 GB with 2 2GB and 2 1GB respectively, right? Also, since I can simply upgrade an Inspiron with instructions to have everything a XPS has in theory would it be worth it to buy an XPS? Are they set up differently? Include proper setup to install higher end graphics cards/memory sticks? Or is it simply dell packaging the same product differently?

I was also looking around and it seems 2 2GB is the best I can do for notebooks? 4GB is for desktops only?

[evilbau]

4 GB for that notebook is max, desktops its much higher. also note that if you are using a 32-bit OS you won't be able to use all 4 GB but that won't be a problem if you are running vista. you got it exactly right with regards to memory. Default 1 GB they will fill the two slots with 2x512, if you upgrade to 2GB they will put 2x1GB. I would get the 1 GB, buy 2x2GB from frys (link i put above), and then fleabay/craigslist the 2x512.

You could spec an inspiron to the level of an xps for cheaper than the xps probably. Like i said previously, the build quality is so-so. If you have time or inclination, i would visit a dell kiosk (if there is one in your area) or ask around if you have friends w/dell laptops and physically touch them to see the difference. XPS vs their cheap inspirons is quite a difference. I consider inspirons almost like toys in the way they are built (i've owned 3 over the years) but having said that, i would still get another. Stylish casing is not worth the markup to me, but no one will say your laptop is sexy (i couldn't care less lol)

[Maguspk]

Ok kewl, I think I might just get a really low line XPS and upgrade it. I can't find the video card dell has for 512 though: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7950 GTX

I've looked on newegg.com under search string: "512MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950" and "512MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX" but I got nuffin. Also searched frys, got nuffin also. What's the deal, is it just a rare card or is it from nVidia only?

If I can buy the video card and memory I think I can save a great deal, especially if I can sell off the stuff I have that comes with the PC, since dell likes to charge you for what they would've given you and what you want to upgrade to. :/

[evilbau]

Its unlikely you will be able to install a different video card than the one provided. This sucks but a reality for almost all laptops. Especially for this one since it is a small laptop, and not a desktop replacement. If you aren't going to carry it around a lot, you might want a heavier one with a bigger screen and more expansion options.

cnet has some reviews which is a decent starting point (although i don't really agree with them) as they give first hand account/hands on experience.

here is the one for the M1210 http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-xp ... =pdtl-list

[evilbau]

might want to check this one out:

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/739988/

HOT!!! Dualcore Gateway Laptop MT6456 160gb 1gb ram 802.11n for 449.99 at bestbuy clearance
Processor Brand AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2
Processor Speed 1.6GHz
Display Type WXGA widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology (1280 x 800)
Screen Size 15.4"
System Bus Up to 1600MHz
Cache Memory 512KB + 512KB on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM) 1GB
Type of Memory (RAM) PC5300 DDR2
Hard Drive Type Parallel ATA (5400 rpm)
Hard Drive Size 160GB
Optical Drive Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Graphics ATI RADEON XPRESS 1150
Wireless Networking Built-in Marvell TopDog 802.11n (Draft N) wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g- and 802.11n-compliant)

Not a fan of gateway at all but its a good deal

[Sigi]

Gateway's service wanks (at least the Best-Buy Geek Squad depot warranty)

As far as upgrading video cards in a laptop, it's easier than you think on Inspirons. You might need to do some after-market cooling and modding, depending on the card... however, most Dell laptop video cards are directly under the keyboard, and the service manuals are listed on the support.dell.com website ^_^

Mind, you WOULD void the warranty unless it's an XPS video card upgrade kit.

[Maguspk]

Man... I wish I could just buy a freakin apple or something, and upgrade the video card...

What is all this cooling/modding you speak of? Is there some person I could like pay to install all this stuff for me. I mean like a professional who wouldn't void the warranty from Dell? I remember reading about it, but would it be a good decision, do they require me to buy dell parts and pay the dell person to install them?

[Sigi]

It depends. On my old system, if I wanted to upgrade the graphics card, I would have had to install a different heat spreader. With the upgrade program, you buy the card, and you can also purchase the install, or install the part yourself without voiding the warranty. Basically, it all depends. I'd honestly look at support.dell and check the documents there.

[evilbau]

Gateway's service wanks (at least the Best-Buy Geek Squad depot warranty)

As far as upgrading video cards in a laptop, it's easier than you think on Inspirons. You might need to do some after-market cooling and modding, depending on the card... however, most Dell laptop video cards are directly under the keyboard, and the service manuals are listed on the support.dell.com website ^_^

Mind, you WOULD void the warranty unless it's an XPS video card upgrade kit.

Yeah that gateway is ugly and i heard support sucks but it was a pretty hot deal for a lappy imo, it was a 'gotta jump on this deal now if you want it' kind of thing, so im positive its gone already. I definitely wouldn't recommend upgrading something like video on a laptop if you are a little apprehensive about even upgrading ram, but if you are going to try, more power to you.

[Maguspk]

Gateway's service wanks (at least the Best-Buy Geek Squad depot warranty)

As far as upgrading video cards in a laptop, it's easier than you think on Inspirons. You might need to do some after-market cooling and modding, depending on the card... however, most Dell laptop video cards are directly under the keyboard, and the service manuals are listed on the support.dell.com website ^_^

Mind, you WOULD void the warranty unless it's an XPS video card upgrade kit.

Yeah that gateway is ugly and i heard support sucks but it was a pretty hot deal for a lappy imo, it was a 'gotta jump on this deal now if you want it' kind of thing, so im positive its gone already. I definitely wouldn't recommend upgrading something like video on a laptop if you are a little apprehensive about even upgrading ram, but if you are going to try, more power to you.

It's it easy to mess up or something? I saw a picture sequence on some forum about upgrading ram and it looked hella easy.

[evilbau]

it is easy. i was just saying based on your earlier comments.

[Maguspk]

Ah ok.

So I'm looking around lately and Alienware has what seems to be a really nice deal and only 4k for a really decked out laptop which is like amazingly overpowered lol. I figure I'll get the 1k model and upgrade it to about 2k or so, or the 2k model and downgrade/upgrade to 1.5 or 2.5k. Either way I think they're my best bet.

I was going to get the XPS but the price isn't that great and they overcharge, and the look is kinda lame...

Then I looked at apple because damn those are sleek, but they are just too expensive for the lack of stuff they include. 2GB Memory, 256MB Graphics Card, and 160 GB space (150 extra to go to the accepted 7200 rpm) all for the low price of... 2.8k? Uh, no thanks lol.

So ya, Alienware.

They advertise with AMD or w/e which is that other kind of processor.

Model ML44
Thermal Design Power 35W
Frequency 2.4 GHz
L2 Cache 1 MB

Am I missing something? Is 2.4 GHz it's max, unlike the duo on most PC that are intel or quad which easily give 2x or 4x that 2 GHz? It also only have 1 MB L2 Cache, what's that about; the intel duo things come with 4 M L2 Cache.

edit: It's also kinda depressing to go from considering a macbook pro (1 inch height) to an Alienware average laptop which is 1.8 inches height... That's 2 fucking quarters man, that's one quarter too high! lol

edit2: Another question, is the additional battery ever worth it? Can you have 2 batteries in at a time to effectively double battery life? Or do you just keep one charged and replace for the double life?

Product Detail


[1] Aurora™ m9700

Processor: AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile ML37 2.0GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium - Without Remote Control or TV Tuner
Chassis: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD with Clearview Technology - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® NVIDIA® Mobile SLi Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 200GB (100GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Optical Drive: 8x Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW w/ Nero Software
Video/Graphics Card: Dual 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS - SLI Enabled
Sound Card: High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Wireless Network Card: Internal 802.11b/g WiFi Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth® Device
Primary Battery: Alienware® m9700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $100 Value - FREE!
Free Alienware® T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - White



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Finished making my laptop, it's pretty 1337. Unsure about a few things, that I mostly posted about above, like processor and battery setup. Also, I can save about 200 bucks if I downgrade to 160 GB 5400 RPM versus 200 GB 7200 RPM. Is the loss in RPM going to hurt my performance? I can also save about 400 bucks if I downgrade to simply using a single HD drive. Is this dual harddrive thing Alienware offers really worth it at 380 bucks? I mean it sounds really nice, having 2 80 GB or 100 GB drives working in tandem seems like it'd be great. But if it's just about extra storage I don't think I'm willing to shell out the extra cash.. I'd rather get the dual 512 MB video cards with the 400 dollars.