laptop knowledge havers

[jk the sooner fan]

JK2 has asked me to help him get a laptop.....any brands i should stay away from? ibm, toshiba, sony, dell, etc?

he wants something basic, internet capability, dvd rom, nothing overly fancy but not an edsel either

any suggestions would be appreciated

[LilSooner]

Stay away from Toshiba like the PLAGUE! I have had two and both have died because of the crappy ac adapter design. It breaks and it won't charge. My A65 kept over heating and would just turn off.

I can't find anyone to fix the A65 so guess what Mr. Rhino and I are doing this weekend, buying a new freaking laptop. This will make the third one in 6 years and it will not be a toshiba.

[Vaevictis]

Yeah, I second the Toshiba thing. They used to be pretty good, but I bought a laptop from them, and the screen went out post-warranty expiration.

They want $300 to look at it. Not fix it. Just to diagnose. I will not buy a Toshiba again.

[Vaevictis]

I will say that I have yet to have any totally unresolvable problems with Dell systems, but their NBD service is worthless. I upgraded my warranty with them to NBD when I purchased my most recent system.

I had some serious troubles with it about 9 months in, and not only did they not meet the NBD SLA, but they jacked me around replacing parts over a period of about a month before they decided to just replace the whole thing. The only reason they stopped is because they started trying to swap out the same parts over and over again, and I told them that enough was enough and that they obviously didn't have a bloody clue what the problem was, nor were they going to figure it remotely, so just give me a replacement system.

On the plus side, when they sent me my replacement, they upgraded it to a refurb of the most recent model, which had a better sound card, video card, and some extra goodies (extra CD-RW, for example)... and they extended my warranty by a year. Without my asking.

[Ike]

one more for the toshiba-staying-away bit. While I like mine, I've had to replace the motherboard once and a power brick twice.

Their Tecra models may still be top notch, but the satellite models...pure crap.

[SoonerBorn68]

jk, I've got an Emachine & have had no trouble with it. It's got plenty of capability. Read this review (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2813) & see if it helps. The guy who wrote it states he paid $715 for it on Ebay. I bought mine for $498 at Evil Walmart.

[jk the sooner fan]

heh :)

thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

[OUDoc]

I've got a Toshiba Satellite that's about 6-7 years old. Besides the fact it's now slower than hell and the battery won't keep a charge (both of which seem reasonable in such an old machine), it's a tank. The kids still use it to AIM their friends. But there's plenty of other ones to choose from, I guess.

[LilSooner]

Of course you would know that I would have two satellite models.

[sanantoniosooner]

I have had a Toshiba for 3 years that I haven't had any problems with other than replacing a battery. It's a Satellite M-55.

That said, I liked the HP I had previous better.

I have heard that Sonys are good, but cost out the wahzoo to work on if you have to.

[Vaevictis]

Really, to tell you the truth, end user experiences are hit and miss. You'll probably hear about 50% for and 50% against most brands, with the exception of the truly terrible brands like Packard Bell.

Although there's one metric that ain't just random personal experience: The ****ers at Toshiba wanted $300 just to look at the ****ing thing.

[Mjcpr]

I saw an ad somewhere for a decent looking Dell in the $500-$600 range, you probably won't find many cheaper than that and it's hard to go wrong with a Dell. I've had pretty good luck with them anyway.

[Mjcpr]

Here's one for $600 (http://www.dell.com/content/products/results.aspx/notebooks?%7Eck=anav&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&a=9323%7E0%7E49300&navla=9323%7E0%7E49300)

Y'all experts pick it apart. :D

[slickdawg]

I'd get the next one up with an Intel processor and 1GB of memory, it's 650 or 700.

[Widescreen]

The thing about laptops is that they're all made in the same 2 or 3 factories in China with the same parts. So aside from relatively few design differences (obviously the AC adapter issue mentioned above would be included in that), they're basically the same things. The thing to focus on is service. I've had good luck with HP/Compaq and I always buy their extended warranty. The 2 times I've needed service they fixed it and got them back to me very quickly. Of course, I'm not in Iraq.

[Howzit]

I have an HP I've never cared for all that much. The keyboard has a tendency to misspell words.

Come to think of it, I had a Compaq that did the same thing.

[jk the sooner fan]

if you had to choose between XP for Home and XP Professional

which one would you go with?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

just a bit of advice...if you do buy a dell, when you go to the website go thru the small business part of it to purchase your computer..will save you about 400 bucks or so on the same computer in the home use dept

[Mjcpr]

if you had to choose between XP for Home and XP Professional

which one would you go with?

I'm thinking most any new PC (laptop or desktop) is going to come with Vista these days aren't they?

And for a general use PC, the "Home" version of whatever will probably suffice.

[Cam]

just a bit of advice...if you do buy a dell, when you go to the website go thru the small business part of it to purchase your computer..will save you about 400 bucks or so on the same computer in the home use dept
Make sure you're talking like for like set-ups and not just the base model. Also depends on which promos are running for each group. Used to be a lot worse a few years ago, but the difference in segment pricing is much closer than it used to be.

[BigRedJed]

I've always been really happy with everything I've gotten from Dell, including laptops. Consumer reports always ranks them at the top.

That said, the laptop I currently use is made by a Boston company that specializes in ruggedized machines, which might be a good idea for him. Their URL is http://www.ergo-computing.com/ . My IT guy (who has an IS degree from MIT, FWIW) loves them and turned me on to them.

[Ike]

if you had to choose between XP for Home and XP Professional

which one would you go with?

I always go with home because it's cheaper.
So far I haven't had any instances of not being able to do something because I didn't have professional.

[SicEmBaylor]

Sony is great. HP is what I almost always get and I generally don't have any major problems with HP, but my cousin got one of their first systems shipped with Vista and they have it set up totally wrong with incompatible or non-existent drivers (which may not necessarily be HP's fault).

DO NOT buy a Compaq......ever..........for any reason........at any price......DO NOT buy a Compaq. They will crap out on you just after the warranty expires; it is guaranteed.

I'd say Sony or HP.

[Cam]

Sony is great. HP is what I almost always get and I generally don't have any major problems with HP, but my cousin got one of their first systems shipped with Vista and they have it set up totally wrong with incompatible or non-existent drivers (which may not necessarily be HP's fault).

DO NOT buy a Compaq......ever..........for any reason........at any price......DO NOT buy a Compaq. They will crap out on you just after the warranty expires; it is guaranteed.

I'd say Sony or HP.
Compaq is HP, just their cheaper models.

[slickdawg]

99% of all new pc's come with vista.

XP Home will do everything jk2 wants.

[SicEmBaylor]

Compaq is HP, just their cheaper models.
They are now. I'm not sure if the quality has gone up since they were bought out by HP or not, but I'm kind of doubting it.

[GottaHavePride]

Yeah, I had a Compaq laptop 9 years ago that was a piece of crap. that was 9 years ago, though.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Make sure you're talking like for like set-ups and not just the base model. Also depends on which promos are running for each group. Used to be a lot worse a few years ago, but the difference in segment pricing is much closer than it used to be.


Definitely for similar setups. I ordered through the home side first and they didnt put the right memory in. I sent it back and then ordered through the business side just to see if there was a difference.

[Tailwind]

So was there?

[BigRedJed]

Their URL is... ...my IT guy (who has an IS degree from MIT, FWIW)....
Man, I sure did use a lot of acronyms in that post! LOL!

[Cam]

Definitely for similar setups. I ordered through the home side first and they didnt put the right memory in. I sent it back and then ordered through the business side just to see if there was a difference.
How long ago was it? They were supposed to be coming in-line together, but we've since re-orged 2-3 times since then.


They are now. I'm not sure if the quality has gone up since they were bought out by HP or not, but I'm kind of doubting it.
You're thinking straight.

[soonerboomer93]

first rule of soonerfans is to never listen to sicem



I have a dell e1705 that is working just fine. I do have a small intermittent problem with the side usb ports, but it's rare that it occurs and only seems to be when i connect my ipod, so i'm not sure of the source of the issue. If you buy dell, check out the dell outlet and buy a refurbished one. same warranty and extended warranty options. I saved several hunred on mine

[Cam]

I have a dell e1705 that is working just fine. I do have a small intermittent problem with the side usb ports, but it's rare that it occurs and only seems to be when i connect my ipod, so i'm not sure of the source of the issue. If you buy dell, check out the dell outlet and buy a refurbished one. same warranty and extended warranty options. I saved several hunred on mine
For desktops, refurbed is the way to do. I wouldn't do it for a laptop. Employees usually get refurbed laptops and we keep the IT guys very busy.

[GottaHavePride]

For desktops I go the "build your own" route.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

How long ago was it? They were supposed to be coming in-line together, but we've since re-orged 2-3 times since then.


You're thinking straight.

I sent the other back and went through the business side for the one I have now. I saved about 400. This was in January

[1stTimeCaller]

http://baquia.com/fotos/09-2005/commodore_64.gif

http://cbmmuseum.kuto.de/images/cbm_c64_perip.jpg

[soonerboomer93]

For desktops, refurbed is the way to do. I wouldn't do it for a laptop. Employees usually get refurbed laptops and we keep the IT guys very busy.

but do they give you a top of the line laptop, or a lower end one?

my friend and I both have had zero problems, he has a e1705 also and he just bought a 15.4" one for his wife...

[Rogue]

first rule of soonerfans is to never listen to sicem

:D :D :D
Poor bastage, just not his week. We're gonna have to merge all of the threads that turn into SicEm dogpiles.

OK...laptops. 2 schools of thought here. 1 is buy the best, IMO Sony. 2 is buy the cheapest cuz the damn thing is about a 2-4 year tool that will need replaced anyhow.

Dell's service has been in the crapper for about a year now. In fact one year ago is when I was having seriously long discussions to get one of the 2 hard drives in my new computer replaced. It took me (seriously) over 50 hours online and on the phone until they were willing to fix it by sending a d00d to the house to switch out the drives. I eventually got a $50 printer for my troubles which greatly contributed to me not boxing the whole thing up and sending it back to them permanently. This finally happened the day before the safe-return date. Added up what it cost me in my time, it would have been cheaper to send it back and buy one from someone else. :mad: :mad: :mad: Their new gimmick is giving their Indian call center peeps "anglo-sounding" stage names like Dave and Jenny even though you still can't understand 'em.:rolleyes:

[Vaevictis]

FWIW, when I called the XPS help desk, they speak perfect English.

Didn't help on the laggy assed turnaround though.

[afs]

if you can find a good Packard-Bell, grab it. It's the only way to go.

[Widescreen]

http://oldcomputers.net/pics/atari400open.jpg
This was the 1st computer I ever owned. I upgraded it to 48k and replaced the flat keyboard with a regular keyboard. I taught myself to program in BASIC (albeit the Atari flavor of it) on that thing. Good times.

[Ike]

http://oldcomputers.net/pics/atari400open.jpg
This was the 1st computer I ever owned. I upgraded it to 48k and replaced the flat keyboard with a regular keyboard. I taught myself to program in BASIC (albeit the Atari flavor of it) on that thing. Good times.

heh. I had a similar one as my first...and the same BASIC cartridge. it also had an external floppy drive and an external tape (cassette) drive...that was pretty interesting...data on cassette tape.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/images/atari800.jpg


The second one we had was the slimmer model
http://www.cse.uta.edu/TheMuseum@CSE/images/Atari%20800XL.JPG

[slickdawg]

This is the ultimate:

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2104/kaypro8skh2.jpg

[jk the sooner fan]

if you didnt have a trash 80, then you werent living

http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/trs80iii/trs80.jpg

[Rogue]

Heh. Amiga!!! (http://oldcomputers.net/amiga1000.html)

[soonerboomer93]

FWIW, when I called the XPS help desk, they speak perfect English.

Didn't help on the laggy assed turnaround though.


I'm pretty certain that XPS has it's own seperate support system.

[Cam]

but do they give you a top of the line laptop, or a lower end one?
We get what ever's available at the time. Usually ends up being a so-so model.

[BajaOklahoma]

JK, I have a Dell that had recurring issues. I did get the in-home repair option, which cost Dell big bucks. But Harry, the repair guy, is nice to deal with - though he goes to church on Wednesday evening and won't come over. I did get an upgrade refurbished model in January. and they boot my calls directly to a supervisor now.

We have to buy Lil Baja a laptop for school. I plan to wait until late June to order it though. I want some of the Vista bugs worked out.

[soonerboomer93]

you can still order some of the laptops with xp :D

[Cam]

I sent the other back and went through the business side for the one I have now. I saved about 400. This was in January
That type of price discrepancy was supposed to be a thing of the past. Am I surprised that it's not, hell no...

[Zbird]

On my 3rd compaq - still ticking after 2 years-- had both others for 3 years before disk space and speed made me move on. Friend had a sony keyboard crap out after less than 6 months. Tech told him it's a common problem.

[Zbird]

[quote=soonerboomer93]first rule of soonerfans is to never listen to sicem



Melo said never listen to the Green weenie from Baylor

[soonerinabilene]

i got a gateway from best buy a couple of months ago, and the only problems ive had are the compatibility issues that vista still has with some programs. got 2048 ram and 120 gigs with an athlon turion 64 processer that is awesome for gaming. much better than any dell ive ever had. if you can get one with xp, i would recommend that unless they come out with a patch soon for vista.

[soonerboomer93]

heh

2.0 ghz intel duo core
2 gb ram (667mhz)
100gb sata hd
nvidia 7800 video

I have no problems with games, I'm just running out of room on the drive. I'll probably slide a 160gb one into it first of april.

The big thing about gaming is it has to have a decent, nonintegrated video

[Mixer!]

http://www.macgeek.org/museum/applelisa1/apple1_00.jpg

[Vaevictis]

I'm pretty certain that XPS has it's own seperate support system.

Yep. :D

[Fraggle145]

I have had an HP for 3 years now and it is great, granted it was top of the line specs when I bought it. I would say if you go with a PC just amke sure you get the dual core processor. My buddy got one from dell and it works really really well. I am surprised nobody brought up Macs yet. As sad as I am to say it because I like PCs better because I am used to them, it seems Macs are becoming almost a must have, at least in my field. Their functionality etc... does have its pluses.

[OCUDad]

The Adam by Coleco. Bought in 1983. Power supply was in the printer. Take THAT, youngsters.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9551/adamzl2.jpg

[Soonerfan88]

Sony is absolutely the best laptop out there but also a little more expensive.

HP used to be good but not sure how much that has been changed by the merger with Comcrap.

I've never owned a Toshiba but heard good things about them.

Gateway has pretty good laptops -probaby the best thing they do- and reasonable prices. Also, all their phone tech is in N. America (have a small center in Canada so can't say US).

Dell laptops are generally crappy -worst thing they do- and their support has tanked since they sent all the work to Habib, aka Steve.

[soonerboomer93]

co-worker has a sony, verify similar to mine spek wise

from what I can tell, haven't used the sony a bit, my dell is superior. Of course I don't need tech support, and the first thing I did was reload the OS on the machine

[SoonerJack]

I'm just digging the old pc pictures. Man, if you would have shown us a modern laptop back then, we would have thought you were from another planet or something.

[sanantoniosooner]

co-worker has a sony, verify similar to mine spek wise

Close confidante of Switzer?:confused:

[yermom]

I have had an HP for 3 years now and it is great, granted it was top of the line specs when I bought it. I would say if you go with a PC just amke sure you get the dual core processor. My buddy got one from dell and it works really really well. I am surprised nobody brought up Macs yet. As sad as I am to say it because I like PCs better because I am used to them, it seems Macs are becoming almost a must have, at least in my field. Their functionality etc... does have its pluses.

the new Macs run Windows and are really solid machines

the MacBook is a great little machine, if you are looking for more computing power, that's what i would go for (they basically have the same guts as the Macbook Pro)

if you are going for the low-end machines, watch out for the integrated video and shared video memory. i can't stress this enough, it can be BAD

be sure to try one out first before you buy something in the ~$500 range, otherwise you may be unhappy with video performance, although this may not be as big of an issue as it used to be

i generally like Dell, but i never call them for support. i have a Lattitude D600 that is doleo-proof (heh, he uses a Mac now too)

i'd also avoid Vista if possible, i've yet to hear a compelling reason to upgrade. XP with Service Pack 2 is really pretty solid

[jk the sooner fan]

the new Macs run Windows and are really solid machines

the MacBook is a great little machine, if you are looking for more computing power, that's what i would go for (they basically have the same guts as the Macbook Pro)

if you are going for the low-end machines, watch out for the integrated video and shared video memory. i can't stress this enough, it can be BAD

be sure to try one out first before you buy something in the ~$500 range, otherwise you may be unhappy with video performance, although this may not be as big of an issue as it used to be

i generally like Dell, but i never call them for support. i have a Lattitude D600 that is doleo-proof (heh, he uses a Mac now too)

i'd also avoid Vista if possible, i've yet to hear a compelling reason to upgrade. XP with Service Pack 2 is really pretty solid

he wouldnt even know how to get a mac out of the damn box, much less use it

what are the bottom line specs on video stuff that you'd recommend?

[yermom]

again, doleo uses a Mac, it's not THAT hard ;)

i'd just look for something with a separate video card, like a Mobility Radeon, but it looks like that is only really available on the higher-end more expensive models now that i'm looking around more the price differences are a little bigger than i was thinking.

i would just try to use one first, make sure it looks crisp and plays DVD's, etc... what ever the minimum stuff that you want it to be able to do is

i think with the new PCI-e systems the shared video might not be as bad as it was, but more sytem memory would probably be needed

[jk the sooner fan]

this is an IBM thinkpad that i was looking at for him

* 1.83 GHz T2400 Intel Core Duo Processor
* Mobile Intel 945PM Express chipset
* 14.1” 1024x768 XGA TFT
* 512MB PC2-5300 667 MHz DDR2
* 60GB 5400 RPM hard drive
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 M52 graphics
* DVD-ROM/CD-RW 24x/24x/24x/8x speed
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* RJ-45 (ethernet) port
* External DB-15 monitor port
* 56K v.90 modem
* Internal/external microphone
* Headphone jacks
* Gigabit ethernet
* 9-key spill-resistant keyboard
* ThinkPad roll cage (one-piece magnesium frame)
* 3 year easy serv warranty – onsite pickup and delivery
* 24 hour x 7 day toll-free warranty support during warranty

Includes:

* 6-cell Lithium-ion battery
* 90W AC adapter
* Power cord
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)

Color: Black

Power: 100-240V (auto adjusts), AC, 50/60 Hz

Size: 12 3/8"H x 10"W x1"D
Weight: 5 lbs 8 oz. with optical drive and battery

[yermom]

that looks like it would be great, only i'd add more RAM, i'd probably add at least 1GB to that

the hard drive is adequate, but if an upgrade is cheap it's probably worth it for some more space. iPods come with more than 60GB now, with music and video that doesn't last long

the RAM is more important though

[jk the sooner fan]

this one is about 150 more......

MODEL: 1951-58U

* 2.0 GHz T2500 Intel Core Duo processor
* Mobile Intel 945GM Express chipset
* 15.0" 1024x768 XGA TFT
* 1 GB PC2-5300 667 MHz DDR2
* 60GB 5400 RPM hard drive
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
* DVD-ROM/CD-RW 24X/24X/24X/8X speed
* 6-cell Lithium-ion battery (built-in)
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* RJ-45 (ethernet) port
* External DB-15 monitor port
* 56K v.90 modem
* External microphone and headphone jacks
* Internal microphone
* Gigabit ethernet
* 89-key spill-resistant keyboard
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
* ThinkPad Roll Cage (one-piece magnesium frame)

Includes:

* Battery
* 65-watt AC adapter
* Power cord

Color: Black

Power: 100-240V (auto adjusts), AC, 50/60Hz

Size: 1 1/8"H x 13 1/8"W x10 5/8"D
Weight: 6 lbs. 4.8 oz. w/ optical drive and battery

[yermom]

that's actually a step down on the graphics, i don't think the increase in screen and processor are worth that

and it's only a little better on RAM, i'd suggest 1.5GB-2GB, but 1GB would do

neither of those mention wireless... is that an option? the internal mini-pci type stuff is better than the ones that use the PC slots, if that is an option

what is the model of the other one?

[jk the sooner fan]

MODEL: 2007-48U

[yermom]

it's good to go with wireless

i like option A with another 1GB stick of RAM

[jk the sooner fan]

ok thanks, much appreciated

[jk the sooner fan]

it's good to go with wireless

i like option A with another 1GB stick of RAM

ok where would you suggest i take it to get that stick of ram added to it?

[Vaevictis]

Just buy the part, open your manual, and follow the instructions.

Usually on a laptop, it's as simple as just turning the laptop over, removing the panel covering the RAM (maybe having to remove a screw or two), and popping the stick in (RAM is typically notched to prevent you from inserting it incorrectly).

It's pretty trivial, really. There's usually no reason to take it anywhere unless you're just totally uncomfortable with the notion.

[yermom]

your kids don't have any geek friends? :D

i'd see if they can ship it with more, otherwise if you take it somewhere to have it done, i think they are going to charge you a lot to do it. i don't know the places in the Dallas area though

it should just be a panel on the bottom of the thing, it's not that hard of an upgrade, so maybe you could find a place that wouldn't rob you for labor for a 5 minute job

EDIT: and what Vaevictis said, it's mostly a comfort level thing. it's pretty hard to screw it up, but it is possible :D

[jk the sooner fan]

the IT wienie here at work said he'd do it for me

but i'll watch and learn......and yeah, it is a comfort level thing....im more afraid i'd screw it up

[Vaevictis]

Well, once you see it done, your response will probably be "Gee, that's it?"

The one thing you don't want to deal with if you don't have to these days is a CPU heatsink. My god those things are obnoxious these days. But I guess that's to be expected when some jackass at Intel/AMD thinks, 'Man, wouldn't it be nice if our 1"x1" processor had to dissipate 80-****ing-watts-of-heat? That would just be AWESOME.'

[jk the sooner fan]

Well, once you see it done, your response will probably be "Gee, that's it?"

The one thing you don't want to deal with if you don't have to these days is a CPU heatsink. My god those things are obnoxious these days. But I guess that's to be expected when some jackass at Intel/AMD thinks, 'Man, wouldn't it be nice if our 1"x1" processor had to dissipate 80-****ing-watts-of-heat? That would just be AWESOME.'

ok, i'm sure "gee thats it" will be my response

as to your other "words"......dude, you lost me at "the one thing......"

[Vaevictis]

Basically, modern processors run so goddamn hot these days that they dissipate about as much heat per square inch as a ****ing stove element.

You have to attach a gigantic ****ing heat sink to the damn thing so it doesn't burn itself up, and the methods that they use to attach them are a right pain in the ***.

[jk the sooner fan]

ok, i'll keep that in mind......

[Vaevictis]

Heh, totally irrelevant, I know. Sorry :O

[jk the sooner fan]

:)

[Fraggle145]

You can cook eggs on the left side of my 3 yr old HP... granted its the 17inch with the Ge 448 Go, and a Pentium 4 2.66 Ghz processor. only got 512 RAM... need to get that upgraded. so its still almost up to code.

How much is RAM these days?

[yermom]

put it into Crucial.com's thingy and it will tell you what kinda RAM you need, their prices aren't bad and their shipping is awesome

or you'll have an idea of what you need to buy somewhere else

[ChickSoonerFan]

What about the MacBook? Anyone have one?

We went to the Apple store in the mall Saturday and got hooked on that photobooth program. I am such a sucker.

[yermom]

my buddy has one, i love it

[ChickSoonerFan]

my buddy has one, i love it

The MacBook?

Not sure I can swing it, but I like the system. I am thinking about getting the little box thing for like $600. My monitor and keyboard are old but work great....I can buy the other pieces as I can afford it...I think.

[SicEmBaylor]

Macs are fun to play around with but they're too expensive, it's very difficult if not impossible to upgrade them (at least by yourself), and the software is very limited.

I guess the last problem though isn't so bad now that you can run Windows software on a Mac.

[yermom]

The MacBook?

Not sure I can swing it, but I like the system. I am thinking about getting the little box thing for like $600. My monitor and keyboard are old but work great....I can buy the other pieces as I can afford it...I think.

yeah, the MacBook is awesome

i'm not a fan of the Mac Mini though

i think they are a bit expensive for what you get

[Fraggle145]

Ya the Mac Book Pros are impressive... I got one for the semester through a class at OU and i must admit it is really nice.

[yermom]

Macs are fun to play around with but they're too expensive, it's very difficult if not impossible to upgrade them (at least by yourself), and the software is very limited.

I guess the last problem though isn't so bad now that you can run Windows software on a Mac.

you can run Windows on a Mac, now a couple of ways, but you can't really run Windows programs on the Mac OS

i wouldn't say "very" limited, there are things you need Windows for, but they aren't that common anymore

[Fraggle145]

put it into Crucial.com's thingy and it will tell you what kinda RAM you need, their prices aren't bad and their shipping is awesome

or you'll have an idea of what you need to buy somewhere else

Damn that thing is nice... better prices on outpost.com though I think...

[ChickSoonerFan]

yeah, the MacBook is awesome

i'm not a fan of the Mac Mini though

i think they are a bit expensive for what you get

The Mac Mini...is that the $600 little box?

The least expensive MacBook is about $1100.

[yermom]

yeah, but the MacBook is a laptop with a screen, it's kinda pricy but well built

the Mini is OK, but you could get a Dell about the same price and have all the junk that comes with it

i think you overpay for small and cute with the Mini, and you get laptop innards in your desktop

[soonerboomer93]

just becareful on the ram upgrade J.K. with the new processor your computer should have paired sticks of memory in it, which means that it might come with 2 sticks of 256 mb, and to get you 1 gb you man need to buy 2 sticks of 512. Also make sure you're buying ram rated for 667 (not 533) so that it properly runs in dual channel with the same bus speed as the processor.

[jk the sooner fan]

thanks 93