Computer nerds required
 

Hey fellas, need to get a laptop for work and home (no I don't want a desk top or a MAC either) 15" screen, will run XP until the Vista software is debugged (or is it ok now?).
What sort of processor speed and ram requirements should I be looking for, no gaming, just surfing the net, music, movie downloading and then normal windows office stuff to run.
Any preferences for brand model if you see something would be appreciated.
Was thinking 2G RAM and Dual core but then saw this....is this ok?
Thanks boys

SONY® VAIO® VGN-FZ150 $1699

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300-2.0GHz Processor with 4MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB
1024MB (1GB) DDR2 RAM (4GB Max)
160.0GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
Integrated DVD±RW (Dual Layer) Super-Multi Drive (Copies/Burns both DVDs & CDs, and Plays both DVDs & CDs)
Audio: "Sound Reality" Intel® High Definition Audio Compatible, 3D audio (Direct Sound 3D support), Built in Stereo Speakers
Graphics: 358MB X3100 Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator
Integrated MOTION EYE Camera: Effective Pixels: 640x480, Image Device: 1/6" VGA CMOS, Lens: 2 elements in 2 groups F2.8, Focus distance: f=2.45 mm
Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 4.0 Hours), A/C Adapter
15.4-inch WIDESCREEN display (1280x800) XBRITE Display
Keyboard/Input Device: 19 mm key pitch / 2 mm key stroke, 82 keys, Intelligent touchpad
Interfaces: USB 2.0 x 3, 4-pin i.Link (IEEE 1394) S400 x1, S-Video Out connector x1, HDMI connector x1, ExpressCard™/34 Slot x1, RJ45 Ethernet x1, RJ11 Modem x1, Headphone Jack x1, Microphone Jack x1, Monitor VGA D-SUB 15 pin x1, Memory Stick Standard/Duo Slot x1
Integrated 56K Modem
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Integrated Wireless: Wireless LAN: Integrated Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/802.11b/802.11g)
Dimensions (WxHxD): 355.8 x 24.9 - 34.5 x 254.4 mm
Weight: 2.7Kg
Microsoft® Windows® Vista Premium

nice system, sony vaio make great media centres specially with the vista operating system. (make sure its premium)

Interesting that there got onboard video with 358mb shared graphics

Graphics: 358MB X3100 Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator

[QUOTE=mr_psi]Interesting that there got onboard video with 358mb shared graphics

Graphics: 358MB X3100 Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator[/QUOTE]
Is that good or bad? :o
Has it got enough grunt to look after my requirements for the next 3 years or so? Would have liked bluetooth on it too...
Is it easy to upgrade RAM on laptops?
Pls excuse my complete ignorance when it comes to compooters
ta Al

Just bought this one for work and home Stinga
[url]http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/ho/WF06b/1090709-1116637-1116665-1116665-1116665-78262579-80622175.html[/url]

Speak to Sirix Al, he sorted me out with a lappy for home at an awesome price!

HP/Compaq 8510.

Love it to bits, EXCELLENT resolution (1600x1050) & some power to boot.

Used mainly for Database Development, ships with vista (x64/x32 or XP) & soilid unit without the fangdangled comsumer razzledazzle.

I have a Toshiba Satelite K00 series. Its a good machine. Good for interwebz, good graphics for movies (read: porn)

only thing i don't like is the battery life, but that can be sorted out.

I got mine on Sal. Sacrifice thru work, from Cybershop. They have a pretty good range.

Ok that's not tooooooo bad... but if your getting Vista... you *NEED* 2GB of ram... no point getting any less cos Vista just runs slow otherwise... i'll PM you back with some options if you want.

Cheers,

Colbey

Cheers Colby, email if easier [email]allann@janda.com.au[/email]
15' screen and the rest is upto you ie brand and spec etc

Vista SP1 should be out in Quarter 1 2008.

If you are getting Vista from my experience with it I would go for 32 bit Vista Business, Home Premium or Vista Ultimate. Other versions are poo. I am running Vista Ultimate 64 bit and whilst the only program that gives me grief is iTunes, 32 bit would be easier to use.

By the way, Vista is a lot better than people are making it out to be. More people are scared of change I think :D

Laptop wise, your requirements are pretty light on so any decently priced machine will be good. I've been impressed by the HP's, Sony's aren't bad and NEC's seem to be good bang for buck.

Personally I would want 2-4 gig ram, fastest CPU available, 160+Gb HDD, highest screen resolution 1600 x 1200 minimum etc.

As mentioned shared graphics memory isn't as good as dedicated memory. And with only a Gig you haven't got all that much to start with. But if your not planing on gaming you'll be fine.

Price sounds alright for a Sony, is that RRP? I've ordered one of their [URL=http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665247953]Solid State ultralights[/URL] from the states.. can't wait to get it, but that's another story.

- hard drive is big, that'll last you a while, this is going to be your only PC right? you can always buy an external drive if you need more room.

- Get an extra G of RAM, I haven't done it myself but I'm pretty sure it's just a plug and play affair. Buy it [URL=http://www.ramcity.com.au/system/38461.htm]here[/URL] and I'm sure you could install it yourself and save a couple of hundred.

Other then that you should get 3-4+ years out of that. I have a 4 year old toshi (another good brand to look into) that'll still have another 3 years left in it (17inch monitor) as a desktop. As long as you buy a quality (eg not asus or some shit) then you'll get a lot of use out it.

macbook pro.....just go try one.

yer mate RAM is easy to install.... but keep in mind you only have two slots in Laptops...

Some manufactorers will say you get a gig and will install 2x512mb meaning you have no free slots to utilize the dual channel memory...

laptop memory these days for a gig is ~$100

Shared GP memory is bad but you get what you pay for.... to play movies and complete desktop tasks is fine but dont bother with games.

Also with the sony's you pay for the name and the extra bundled software with the laptop so keep this in mind.

Thanks
Mark

Cheers Chris, yes no gaming, and only PC at home, separate back up hard drive is no prob either, just wanna buy it once and not have to worry about having to upgrade hardware all the bloody time, was not long ago 256M of RAM was alot....

Sony with 2G RAM and bluetooth =$1999

SONY® VAIO® VGN-FZ15G

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100-1.80GHz Processor with 2MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB
2048MB (2GB) DDR2 RAM
120.0GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
Integrated DVD±RW (Dual Layer) Super-Multi Drive (Copies/Burns both DVDs & CDs, and Plays both DVDs & CDs)
Audio: "Sound Reality" Intel® High Definition Audio Compatible, 3D audio (Direct Sound 3D support), Built in Stereo Speakers
Graphics: 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT
Integrated MOTION EYE Camera: Effective Pixels: 640x480, Image Device: 1/6" VGA CMOS, Lens: 2 elements in 2 groups F2.8, Focus distance: f=2.45 mm
Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 2.5 Hours), A/C Adapter
15.4-inch WIDESCREEN display (1280x800) Clear Bright High Colour LCD 90
Keyboard/Input Device: 19 mm key pitch / 2 mm key stroke, 82 keys, Intelligent touchpad
Interfaces: USB 2.0 x 3, 4-pin i.Link (IEEE 1394) S400 x1, S-Video Out connector x1, HDMI connector x1, ExpressCard™/34 Slot x1, RJ45 Ethernet x1, RJ11 Modem x1, Headphone Jack x1, Microphone Jack x1, Monitor VGA D-SUB 15 pin x1, Memory Stick Standard/Duo Slot x1
Integrated 56K Modem
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Integrated Wireless: Wireless LAN: Integrated Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/802.11b/802.11g)
Integrated Bluetooth: Bluetooth® standard Version 2.0+ED
Dimensions (WxHxD): 355.8 x 24.9 - 34.5 x 254.4 mm
Weight: 2.7Kg
Microsoft® Windows® Vista Premium
Sony Applications: VAIO Video & Photo Suite 1.1, Click to DVD 2.6, SonicStage CP 4.3, SonicStage Mastering Studio 2.3, SonicStage Mastering Studio Audio Filter 2.3, DSD Direct Player 1.0
Other Applications: Windows® Media Center, Adobe® Premiere® Elements 3.0, WinDVD for VAIO 8.0, Windows® Photo Gallery, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 5.0 (Installer), Norton Internet Security™ 2007 (Free 90 day trial), Adobe® Reader® 7
1 Year Sony Australia-wide Warranty

As mentioned you do pay a bit for the label with the Vaio's. For instance this [URL=http://www.cybershop.net.au/Notebooks/SatelliteA200S01.shtml]Toshi[/URL] has a 2.2 processor, 320HDD & 512MB Vid card.

If you want to be adventurous you could pick up a cheap laptop from the states with the price of the dollar. [URL=http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665243973]This[/URL] for example would be a bit cheaper but higher specs. But then you have Customs to dodge and shipping and warranty’s to worry about. So you need to be pretty keen.

If your not looking for flash.. you just want something that's going to do the yards and act as a desktop PC, take a look at the Toshiba lineup.
[url]http://www.cybershop.net.au/Notebooks/notebookspromo.shtml[/url]

sony make shitt your only paying for the name brand

[QUOTE=stinga]Sony with 2G RAM and bluetooth =$1999

SONY® VAIO® VGN-FZ15G

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100-1.80GHz Processor with 2MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB
2048MB (2GB) DDR2 RAM
120.0GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
Integrated DVD±RW (Dual Layer) Super-Multi Drive (Copies/Burns both DVDs & CDs, and Plays both DVDs & CDs)
Audio: "Sound Reality" Intel® High Definition Audio Compatible, 3D audio (Direct Sound 3D support), Built in Stereo Speakers
Graphics: 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT
Integrated MOTION EYE Camera: Effective Pixels: 640x480, Image Device: 1/6" VGA CMOS, Lens: 2 elements in 2 groups F2.8, Focus distance: f=2.45 mm
Lithium-Ion Battery (up to 2.5 Hours), A/C Adapter
15.4-inch WIDESCREEN display (1280x800) Clear Bright High Colour LCD 90
Keyboard/Input Device: 19 mm key pitch / 2 mm key stroke, 82 keys, Intelligent touchpad
Interfaces: USB 2.0 x 3, 4-pin i.Link (IEEE 1394) S400 x1, S-Video Out connector x1, HDMI connector x1, ExpressCard™/34 Slot x1, RJ45 Ethernet x1, RJ11 Modem x1, Headphone Jack x1, Microphone Jack x1, Monitor VGA D-SUB 15 pin x1, Memory Stick Standard/Duo Slot x1
Integrated 56K Modem
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Integrated Wireless: Wireless LAN: Integrated Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/802.11b/802.11g)
Integrated Bluetooth: Bluetooth® standard Version 2.0+ED
Dimensions (WxHxD): 355.8 x 24.9 - 34.5 x 254.4 mm
Weight: 2.7Kg
Microsoft® Windows® Vista Premium
Sony Applications: VAIO Video & Photo Suite 1.1, Click to DVD 2.6, SonicStage CP 4.3, SonicStage Mastering Studio 2.3, SonicStage Mastering Studio Audio Filter 2.3, DSD Direct Player 1.0
Other Applications: Windows® Media Center, Adobe® Premiere® Elements 3.0, WinDVD for VAIO 8.0, Windows® Photo Gallery, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 5.0 (Installer), Norton Internet Security™ 2007 (Free 90 day trial), Adobe® Reader® 7
1 Year Sony Australia-wide Warranty[/QUOTE]

My laptop contains nearly excatly the same as this, minus the shit software you listed, and i paid $1500ish.

Look around Al, there are heaps of laptops to choose from in that price range, and as Makavel said, you don't wanna just pay for the name.

Yeah, no worries Colbey is on the case with a HP for me

how about this...

[url]http://dellstore04.dell.com.au/public/cart/configurator.jsp?prd_id=596027&sr_no=1[/url]

dell at the moment offer best bang for the buck!

I will say in my defense tho having just ordered a Vaio that when it comes to ultra portables they make a quality product at a good price.

The only 2 contenders in the 1kg weight division (with optical) are the R500 Toshi and the TZ sony's (there is the type G sony as well, but not up to spec).

I've read every review my hrs of aimless surfing at work found me and all say the sony is better built with a superior screen but too pricy. When you import and save 1k on them tho there's not much left to fault (except the wanker tag you'll earn when people think you bought it solely for the brand).

Don't get me wrong I'm not a fanboy, but if your looking for portable with build quality over a desktop replacement/multimedia machine then they're hard to beat. Horses for courses tho as they say.

sony is the best in the laptop market for home users however, you get what you pay for....

dell, hp and toshiba not soo good...

also have a look at the lenovo range... they have a good range but more directed at corp..

thanks
mark

Ok thanks to Colbey for some good pricing on the HP stuff, and to Chris for some advise as well. Ended up with a Sony VAIO 15.4" with T7500CPU, 2G RAM, 200GB hard drive and GeForce8400 with 512M video, wireless/Bluetooth and camera for $1600 delivered.

1) Can you guys tell me my next step for getting internet and wireless sorted at home? ie I assume I need some sort of wireless router modem thingy to transmit the wi fi stuff to the lappy. I want to organise this while I am waiting on the Laptop to arrive.

2) Work pays for my home phone and will pay for internet as well. Currently we have the home phone with AAPT and it would be nice to bundle the home phone and internet with one provider. Whats AAPT broadband packages like or better question what sort of specs should I look at for a broadband service. Just net surfing, downloading music and eventually I'll get into downloading movies etc I guess.

I know I'm too old for this shit:)

i have found the iinet phone/net package to be fantastic for my needs, also gives me a fantastic connection speed of 23mbit on good days no less that 19 :)

[QUOTE=stinga]Ok thanks to Colbey for some good pricing on the HP stuff, and to Chris for some advise as well. Ended up with a Sony VAIO 15.4" with T7500CPU, 2G RAM, 200GB hard drive and GeForce8400 with 512M video, wireless/Bluetooth and camera for $1600 delivered.

1) Can you guys tell me my next step for getting internet and wireless sorted at home? ie I assume I need some sort of wireless router modem thingy to transmit the wi fi stuff to the lappy. I want to organise this while I am waiting on the Laptop to arrive.

2) Work pays for my home phone and will pay for internet as well. Currently we have the home phone with AAPT and it would be nice to bundle the home phone and internet with one provider. Whats AAPT broadband packages like or better question what sort of specs should I look at for a broadband service. Just net surfing, downloading music and eventually I'll get into downloading movies etc I guess.

I know I'm too old for this shit:)[/QUOTE]

You need a wireless broadband modem/router. Just go to any computer shop and they should have them. Netgear or Dlink are a good option.

Most ISPs have similar pricing/packages, shop around, but maybe go for a 2mps link with say 5gb download limit. That sounds like a lot, but ISPs sting you for browsing, emails and any audio/video streaming you do also gets added to your downloads so you soon use that 5gb up.

Since we make a heap of phonecalls to NZ and UK/USA is this VOIP shit that iinet offer any good or just get skype?

[B]---------------------------------
THREAD HIJACK
---------------------------------[/B]

Hi guys, I'm looking to upgrade the ram in my desktop pc.

Spec is:
ASUS P5QC M/Board
Intel 2.7Ghz Dual Core CPU
NVIDIA Geforce 9600GT

My question is, am I limited to how much memory I can install? O/S is XP Pro. And is DDR3 better than DDR2?

Cheers,
Josh

for your main board:

Maximum Memory: 8 GB using DDR3 (with release of 4GB modules)
16 GB using DDR2

Expansion: 4 Sockets for DDR2
2 Sockets for DDR3

As to whether you go DDR2 or 3 it depends what your going to do. If your sticking with 32bit windows xp then go for 4GB of DDR3. If your going to upgrade to 64 bit then 8GB of DDR3 would be nice, but expensive as 4GB sticks of RAM are hard to find. For alot less you could easily pickup 8 GB of DDR2 in 2GB sticks.

Will probably upgrade to Windows 7 next year, so with the DDR3, I notice there's 1333 & 1600... which can/should I use? Price doesnt worry me, so whatever is better really.

are you going to be gaming?

Not really, don't have the time. It's mainly for graphic design and print.

Your M/B Supports DDR3(and has a 1600mhz FSB) ....So DDR3 is what you want for maximum memory performance.

Are you running 32 bit or 64 bit XP Pro?

32 bit- fit 2 x 2Gb sticks

64 bit: - fit 6gb (your M/b supports up to 16 gb of ram)

Austin Have :
G.Skill [B]4GB KIT DDR3 1600Mhz [/B]VALUE SERIES CL9 9-9-24, Non-ECC, Un-buffered 240 pin DIMM [F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ] [B]$135[/B]

if you are not interested in gaming then i would say run with the 1600mhz.

MY REXTC; what ram do you have in there now?

You won't notice any difference going to DDR3 ram on your dual core. Sure, if you benchmark it and read the numbers there will be a gain, but nothing that will be overly noticeable when using your applications. DDR3 will show a bit of an improvement with Quad Core cpu's and larger caches, etc.

I would definitely buy DDR3 if you *need* new RAM now, as you'll obviously carry the RAM over to your next cpu/motherboard upgrade. I wouldn't buy it just for the sake of expecting it to make a huge difference to your machine. However I guess that depends on what you have in there at the moment.

I currently run a 3.0ghz dual core overclocked to 4.02ghz with DDR2 800mhz RAM. I looked into DDR3 myself only weeks ago and found that it's not worth getting until I change my cpu/motherboard combo.

I have 2 x 1GB DDR2 667mhz at the mo

[QUOTE=Craig_H;396904]MY REXTC; what ram do you have in there now?

You won't notice any difference going to DDR3 ram on your dual core. Sure, if you benchmark it and read the numbers there will be a gain, but nothing that will be overly noticeable when using your applications. DDR3 will show a bit of an improvement with Quad Core cpu's and larger caches, etc.

I would definitely buy DDR3 if you *need* new RAM now, as you'll obviously carry the RAM over to your next cpu/motherboard upgrade. I wouldn't buy it just for the sake of expecting it to make a huge difference to your machine. However I guess that depends on what you have in there at the moment.

I currently run a 3.0ghz dual core overclocked to 4.02ghz with DDR2 800mhz RAM. I looked into DDR3 myself only weeks ago and found that it's not worth getting until I change my cpu/motherboard combo.[/QUOTE]

I run an E8400 @ 4.4ghz on water cooling.....(1950mhz fsb!)

Even going from ddr2-800 to ddr2-1066 is a significant increase in memory bandwidth.....I.e 25%!

[QUOTE=Rossco;396917]I run an E8400 @ 4.4ghz on water cooling.....(1950mhz fsb!)

Even going from ddr2-800 to ddr2-1066 is a significant increase in memory bandwidth.....I.e 25%![/QUOTE]

Don't make me go and spend unnecessary money :icon_lol:
Everything I've read said not to bother changing RAM (DDR2 vs DDR3) when it came to the dual cores. Just end up with bottlenecking, etc.

I'm running my E6850 @ 4ghz on air. Grabbed a Noctua last week and decided to reduce its lifespan since I might upgrade around xmas/New year. Thinking of getting an i5 since they're cheap at the moment, and overclocking the buggery out of it.

I'm kinda stuck with the MB I have at the moment, an Xfx 780 - 3 way SLI .

I'm running 2 x 8800 gt's for display & a 9600gt for physics/number crunching......

I'm going to go to Windoze 7 in the new year and I'll probably throw a quad core in it then too.

correct me if im wrong, but wont the computer only recognise 3GB of ram if you are using a 32bit operating system?
if you buy 4 gb of ram you need a 64bit OS or else it will only use 3gbs of your 4gbs

^^ Correct ^^

With matched sticks being sold as 4 gb pairs of 2 x 2gb what can you do?

[QUOTE=Rossco;396951]^^ Correct ^^

With matched sticks being sold as 4 gb pairs of 2 x 2gb what can you do?[/QUOTE]
DDR3 3 x 1gb sticks, triple channel :P but yeah ram is so cheap now its no biggie