Posted: 6/14/2005 7:28:39 PM EDT
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-I need a new computer. I need a powerful one as I will have to be running a few hi-tech engineering programs off them. -This will be for college (dorm room) -I'd like to have a Dell or maybe even a Gateway. -My way upperhand, all time extreme limit is $3k I'm not sure if I want a desktop or a laptop. Laps are expensive and a desktop will get me more power for cheaper but...lappers have other advantages. Can you guys suggest what all to put on this thing as I'm not the smartest computer wiz out there. I want to be able to burn CDs. Not sure if I need a DVD burner or not...I need a fairly large hard drive with a preferably detachable external harddrive. I'd like to have something pretty fast...good performance so I won't have to upgrade for awhile...I have the fastest hi-speed internet available in MT where I'm at...but if I get a laptop, I'd also like to a wireless router (?). I went to Dell's site and checkout some of the hi end ones and went through the customizing but I wasn't quite sure on everything I should have and don't need. i was looking into a Inspiron Notebook 9300 or the really expensive XPS Gen 2. Then for the Desktops, the Dimension 8400, 9100 and the XPS Gen 4. I don't mind spending a little extra for quality. Desktop, I'd like to have a flatpanal monitar. If I got the laptop, I'd like to get the extra wireless keyboard and mouse. Help me out here computer geeks 
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Definately build it yourself, dont waste your time on a Dell or Gateway. You can get a much better machine, cheaper. I suggest checking out www.newegg.com and setting up all the parts yourself. |
Unless he wants a laptop.. which in todays college environment is much more benefitial. Desktop replacement laptops have come a long way in both preformance and price. I would check with Dell. Stay the hell away from Gateway. If you go with a desktop... I would still recommend Dell. You could build it yourself... if you know how.. but you will be stuck with mediocre warranties and when your computer dies and it comes down to spending the money.. or having Dell ship you a part over night... I'd rather have Dell to fall back on.. that way the money is there for beeeeeeeeeeeer :) |
You are well off with either an Inspiron 9300 or an Inspiron 6000 (high end version). Both are very powerful laptops that will easily take your engineering programs. I don't recommend the XPS Gen 2 because it is designed primarily as a gaming laptop, is heavier, and sucks a lot of battery power. Since your budget ceiling is $3000, you can get a very sweet system. You'll need 512mb minimum of RAM. 1gb is HIGHLY recommended. 1.8ghz Pentium M processor, 128mb video card, and 60+gb harddrive will be excellent. A CD burner/DVD combo drive plenty fine. Remember, don't pay extra money for a DVD burner if you ARE NOT GOING TO BURN DVDs. Lot's of friends have gotten the DVD burner, only to realize that they rarely, if ever, burn DVDs. |
For some reason I usually recommend the Latitude series from Dell.. as opposed to the Inspiron series. Im not sure why.. I do know that in the past there were problems with Inspirons but.. I think they have done a good job at sorting those out over the last few years. |
I'm not going to build my own. No clue how, don't trust anyone around here to do it.
Which one should I choose and why? Like I said, not sure if I would be burning any DVD's.
What is the difference between the 2 Dimms and 1 Dimm? Now, the campus library has the wireless internet (for laptops) available. What do I need so I can surf the internet while in the library? |
Go with the DVD burner, cause you just might find a good use for it. As for the 2 DIMMS/1 DIMM question - its all about the amount of sticks. A computer only has so many memory slots, and the 1 dimm will leave one of them open. Laptops generally only have two dimm slots, so if you choose two dimms, it going to fill both of them up, making any future upgrades a PITA. a 1 gig 2dimm option is actually two sticks of 512 megabytes each, whereas the other option will be one, 1 gb stick of RAM. To get on the wireless network, just make sure that the computer has the Intel Pro wireless card (if it is a Centrino - it has one). |
1. Are you willing to spend the money for the DVD burner? I'll bet that the vast majority of your applications with the CD drive will be either watching DVDs, burning music CDs, or making copies of software. Hence, you'll probably have no need for a DVD burner. Also, if you really did need to make a DVD copy, i'm sure you could find a friend that has a burner to mooch off of  2. 1 Dimm (Dual inline memory module) means that the memory is packed onto one strip of RAM. 2 Dimm is that its on two strips. Basically, 1 Dimm allows a free slot open in your laptop, so you could add some more memory later. 3. The computer comes with a built in wireless card. |
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Get a standard dell. Get an 800 mhz FSB P4. Get 1 gig of the fastest memory it can take and Windows XP Pro. Get at least 100 gigs of drive space. Get a 19 inch Dell Ultrasharp monitor--yes, it is worth the money. If you are going to be using engineering programs that require that you vary your screen resolution, get a high-end CRT instead of an LCD. If you don't stick with Dell, I would recommend any respectable computer with an AMD Athlon 64 running Windows XP with the largest hard drive you can afford, preferably three in a RAID stripe/mirror array and 1 gig of the fastest memory it can take. You don't need to spend 3k. We run high-end scientific workstation software on Dell Optiplex GX280s here, and they manage just fine. Jim p.s.--Let me guide you to some information from a professor I met at a conference last weekend, Daniel Bernstein from Univ. Illinios at Chicago...this guy really knows what he is talking about. |
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Thanks guys, what would you guys recommend? The desktop or the laptop? Obviously either one will run my programs. I'd get it as fast and powerful as possible with lots of memory and space. If I got the laptop, I'd have to buy one of those decks or ports...whatever they are called and then have to have a externeal keyboard and mouse...extra bucks... If I had a the wireless mouse, I could take it anywhere with me, correct? I can't stand the laptop finger pad mouse things so...I'd need an actual one... Like I said $3k is the WAYYYYYYYYYY upper limit. I'd like to actually spend max about $2500. If I got the desktop, I would pony up the doe for a quality flatpanal. |
As usual get both... For $2500 you can afford to build your own desktop and get a laptop tooooo. I have never liked a single computer laptop solution if you have critical data… say like important class work. If you have a laptop failure and there is critical data on the laptop even if you have backups there is no quick/immediate replacement solution unless you have already spent enough extra for a top end laptop warranty… the extra cost of a top end laptop warranty is as much as a desktop. Of course if you have backups and your laptop is broke/stolen you can go out and buy a functional desktop to replace it quickly for less than $500 and get running quickly with the backups. With a desktop if you video card fails you go to the local computer store and replace it and you are back up and running, with a laptop you have to send the thing in for service and you are with out a computer for ??? If you do not want to build you can get a serviceable desktop (not top of the line but serviceable) from Dell and a laptop and still spend around $2500. |
Listen to this guy. Take his advice. You should probably look at getting a Dell. I'm not a Dell fanboy or anything, but let's face it... you're going to be using this machine for school. You need something with decent reliability, and a warranty. As you've said, you don't know enough about computers to build your own, so you don't want to go that route. The last thing you need is for your computer to whack out and you have to wait until you can beg borrow or steal to get someone to fix it for you. These guys see you say that your "way upperhand, all time extreme limit is $3k" and their eyes google out with dollar signs and they try to get you to buy the most outlandish machine you can get for $2,999.95. Fuck that... buy a mid to topline Dell laptop, get a good service agreement with it, buy some accessories, and save the rest. Look into buying a cheap/decent desktop machine also with the leftover cash. You don't really need a S00per D00per VooDooAlienTHERMiTEBatterySucker. Don't forget, desktop replacement notebooks have a lot of power, but they usually weigh more than other notebooks also. You might end up lugging that thing around campus all day. Which would you rather carry, a desktop replacement gamer notebook that weighs 8.6lbs or a thin notebook that weighs 4.1lbs? Look towards good battery life also. |
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Ok, for $3k you can get: Fairly well equipped Dell Latitude D810: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=D810PAD&s=biz And a Dell Dimension 4700 desktop: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_4700?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz As for the desktop, you can also buy/build any equivalent AMD system and possibly save a few bucks. One thing I will disagree on from above - nix the idea of RAID drives. Just get one big, fast, SATA drive in the desktop and make backups frequently. I agree on 1GB RAM, though. When Longhorn hits, you will need 1GB RAM. |
Hmmm...maybe we can work out a trade  I see what you guys are saying about going with the midline system, but don't forget, I have some pretty extreme engineering programs that need to be run. The one I am on now is (was) the best Dell 4600 available a year ago and it has LOTS of trouble running the 1 program I had installed. Couldn't do two windows of it either. So just keep in mind, I will need something pretty fast and powerful. I can get that cheaper with the desktop but laptops have other good advantages too... |
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$3000? For $600 you can get a decent midrange desktop, including a flatscreen monitor. Unless you're planning on spending your college years playing exciting 3D games, you won't need anything more than that. ETA: Oops. Number-crunching for enginerding. Ok, get a decent AMD 64-bit box. That'll drive the price up to about the $1500 range. Check AnandTech and TomsHardware for reviews on motherboards and CPUs to choose. Then you can still get a decent $1500 laptop for taking notes in class. Oh yeah, get the DVD burner. A 16X dual-layer burner is around $60 now and will let you back up 8.5GB of your hard drive at a shot. Useful for when you OIh yeah, download and burn and learn to use a copy of Knoppix while connected to the internet so that you DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THAT CRAP when browsing Russian porn sites, or anywhere else. |
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Spend 2k on desktop and 1k on laptop. Graphics card and memory and then monitor should be your priority. 80GB or bigger is fine for your HD unless you want to burn lots of video. As for laptop get one with a CD-RW/DVD and you will be fine. Any new laptop for a $1k can do Photoshop and five other applications at the same time. And buy Dell. Don't care if they use cheap parts what you want on a laptop is a good warranty. Get the 2 year extende warranty on everything and you can't go wrong. Yes you could build a kick ass pc with that sort of money but you would be dealing with manufacturers warranty which would be your PC down for 2 weeks at a time minimum. |
Just out of curiosity, what is the extreme engineering program you're running? FEA? Jim |
Daniel Bernstein's site specs out a standard workstation with the AMD64 processor for a total of $552.00. I'd bump the ram to 1 gig and the video card to something in the $200 range, or even a professional level multi-monitor engineering video card from Matrox or similar. Beware that the professional level engineering graphics card is probably not necessary for any undergraduate/graduate level work, except in extremely unusual circumstances, and that professional level graphics plus monitors will add anywhere from $1000 to $3000 on top of the price of a standard workstation. So you're now probably looking at $700-$900 or so for the machine (using nVidia/ATi), add in a decent monitor and you're probably at $1100-$1500. Sounds good... Jim |