|
Posted by JM on February 22, 2006, 5:17 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> JM wrote:
> > My main use for a laptop is pretty light work: Excel, web, email, light
> > photo editing, checking wired and wireless network connectivity (I work
in
> > the data services industry). I'm not looking for a desktop replacement.
> > Rather, I need something mobile and *decent* battery life. When I'm in
a
> > hotel or customer site, I will almost always have AC power access.
> >
> > In desktops, I want a bunch of cpu muscle, but in my search for a laptop
I'm
> > looking at a Celeron M, because my experience with laptops is that for
what
> > I do with them the cpu isn't a critical factor (after a certain point,
of
> > course). Much more important for the way the laptop feels and responds
is,
> > a) hard drive speed and b) RAM.
> >
> > I see no need to spend more than $800 USD or so, after rebate, on sale,
> > whatever.
> >
> > Am I looking at this clearly?
> >
> > thank you,
> >
> > jm
> >
> I'm no pro nor a salesman, but it seems reasonable. I might ask why you
> seem to be planning on keeping two machines on hand. That inevitably
> means synchronizing machines or having files on the "wrong" machine at
> the wrong time. The difference in price between a Celeron M and a more
> powerful machine is not that much now. With an external drive or other
> solid backup means for files, I would get away from two machines, but
> that is a personal opinion. A full size keyboard and a flat screen make
> up my desktop when I leave with my laptop.
> You might also find that the lower level processor is meant for a
> "price-shopping" clientele and often includes a slower (4200 rpm) hard
> drive and 256 Mo of RAM. You start behind in your search.
> Going for a better processor will probably put you in a laptop with 512
> Mo of RAM and a faster drive.
> As they say "You pay your money and you take your chances".
Good points, all. I've battled the "two machines" issue for quite a while.
I won't bore you with the entire story, but basically I've wound up with two
desktops as it is, both of which I use extensively, and the laptop would be
a third. The first desktop is more or less a "family" computer. It's a
homebuilt AMD Athlon 64 machine running XP Pro with a gig of RAM and a beefy
video card and 5.1 surround sound for playing games, watching movies, and
listening to music. I also use it for a side business I have of restoring
old photographs, which means a lot of Photoshop and other digital editing,
scanning, etc. My wife works on it, too, both for her little cottage
business and helping me out with my networking business. The second desktop
is in my "real" office in the back of the house. It's the one I work on
most during the day. It's a homebuilt P4 1.8ghz machine running Windows 2k
with 512mb ECC RAM and modest components. It's strictly for work.
My solution has been to store all my files on a separate file server in
another room, with external hard drives for backup using a freeware backup
program called Back2zip. Other than that, the arrangement just takes some
consideration in where I save files and such. Which is why the laptop
doesn't need to be a mega-machine. My use for it will mostly be on customer
sites and for convenience, such as getting some work done while sitting in
the family room. I will log the laptop onto my network and work from shared
folders on my server.
Your points about the market position of the laptops with Celeron Ms is
exactly right. A Celeron M does usually mean less RAM and cut corners in
other areas. But that doesn't really bother me. I can add some a 256mb
PC2700 SODIMM for about $30, and the slower hard drive shouldn't affect me
too much. On that note, today I've been looking at this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1776203&Sku=A180-1172
I like AMD CPUs, and this certainly is an attractive price.
Could I bother you for your thoughts on that one?
Thank you,
jm
| 
XML Sitemap