[elky] Re: Building a PC
- From: Chris Lindh <chrislindh@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:59:09 -0500
The Sony Vaio Z series starts a 3.3lbs and the Lenovo T400s at 3.9.
Both of these are hardcore laptops and are light weight. The Lenovo
has integrated graphics but the Sony has switchable graphics - you can
switch from integrated to the discrete card on the fly... from
"Stamina" to "Speed"... cool stuff.
Some netbooks are even lighter, especially with an SSD drive.
I'm looking to see if there are any serious components deals today,
"Cyber Monday".
--
Chris Lindh
http://www.PartsForSpeed.com
On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 6:36 PM, Robert Adams <ladams21@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I decided I needed a laptop, to be able to work around the house -
>> keep an eye on the boys, etc. As I shopped I came to realize there
>> are two classes of laptops: $300 Walmart specials or $1000+ fully
>> featured laptops. Since a computer is a vital part of my business I
>> need a workhorse, so as I shopped looking for power and light weight I
>> found myself deep in the $1000 to $2000 range. The Sony Vaio Z series
>> and Lenovo T400s were at the top of my list.
>
> Yup.
>
>
>> As we've discussed before a laptop is a compromise, out of necessity
>> to fit in such a small form factor. So I'm now thinking I'd rather
>> build a powerful PC and buy a cheap, small laptop. Not a netbook, but
>> a little larger - around 3lbs.
>
> A 3lb laptop... Where?
>
>
>> I also like the ability to troubleshoot a PC... I can swap parts out
>> if I have a hardware issue (which is rare in my experience with a PC).
>
> Yup. They are real reliable these days. Not like the old Tandy 286
> and 386 that had memory slots go bad and you had to pull memory one at a
> time to see which one to leave out for the computer to run...
>
>
>> Build versus buy: there is no doubt I can buy a prebuilt PC that will
>> do all I need, but these typically use the cheapest components. My
>> Shuttle PC was a barebones built with quality components (I bought it
>> built and upgraded parts along the way). My Shuttle has been very
>> reliable - it's been on for almost the entire 4 years I've owned it.
>> I will be building a full size PC, or possibly a mini ATX, but I doubt
>> I'll do small form factor again - I just don't need the portability.
>
> Get the biggest case you can. Raidmax makes great cases. You will
> need the room if you put in a real video card or two.
>
>
>> I was impressed with my RMA experience with Corsair so I'm looking at
>> Corsair ram and a little reading indicates Corsair is also one of the
>> best manufacturers of power supplies. I'm thinking about the new i7
>> processors and Windows 7 Pro.
>
>
> The i7 is good but overpriced... You need to go with the quad
> core than if you aren't going to overclock it then you just wasted your
> money. The quad core AMDs are the best bang for the buck right now. Get a
> Zelman cooler too.
>
>
>> I use a PC for spreadsheets, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, etc and the
>> backend for my website, among other tasks... I usually have several
>> programs going at once. I don't game but I'm going to get a decent
>> graphics card.
>
>
> Ok that's good. No real heavy programs other than Adobe. It's a
> resource hog like Quicktime and all that apple crap that is made for PCs.
>
>
>> I'd be interested to know your opinions about other components... my
>> focus is reliability first. Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> Chris Lindh
>> http://www.PartsForSpeed.com
>
>
> Stick with decent stuff and you'll be Ok. Hard to screw up a
> desktop build but make sure you get the lowest timing memory you can.
>
>
> Robert Adams
>
>
>
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