The computer and electronics super geek thread

[mikeszekely]

You know I didn't quite understood that first link you posted. The components appears to be that of a PC stuff. What exactly is the Snow Leopard?

Yes, the components are PC stuff. For the most part, since Apple adopted Intel processors, the hardware is pretty much the same in both systems. The main difference is that Windows PCs still use BIOS on their motherboards, while Apple has adopted EFI (that is, extensible firmware interface). This is the main hurdle in building your own Mac, but that's why you need an 8GB flash drive if you follow the Lifehacker tutorial. The idea is that you're setting the BIOS to accept the flash drive as the primary boot disc, and then you're setting the flash drive up to run an EFI bootloader. Although the instructions might seem daunting, the alternative is to try to get a patched version of the OS, which (even if you buy a retail copy of the OS) is kind of a legal gray area.

Snow Leopard is the most current version of Mac OS X, version 10.6. Snow Leopard is actually good for Hackintosh (Hackintosh is a portmanteau of hacked and Macintosh) builders because the "upgrade" version is only $29 (the assumption is that you already have Leopard, which was OS X 10.5, installed on your Mac, and you're upgrading to it). Although the $29 version is called the "upgrade" version, it's the full OS and you're perfectly capable of doing a clean install from it.

[Agent-GHQ]

This is getting technical. Feels like learning a different language. Maybe its less of a hassle to buy a brand new one in box?? Then again, I'd rather save big bucks for Macross toys .

[mikeszekely]

This is getting technical. Feels like learning a different language. Maybe its less of a hassle to buy a brand new one in box?? Then again, I'd rather save big bucks for Macross toys .

I think, if you pick hardware close to what was in the Lifehacker guide, and follow the instructions carefully, then yes it's a little technical, but you'll be getting better hardware. It's definitely easier to just buy a Mac out of the box, but I'm not sure that the iMacs or the Mac Mini are going to deliver the all-out power you're looking for, while the Mac Pro is really blowing a fat wad of cash on a server processor you don't need (like I said, the Xeon in the Mac Pro is based on the same architecture as the Core i7, has the same number of cores, and runs at the same clock speed, for something like $600+ less).

At the risk of fueling the Mac vs. Windows fires, I think if you want a pre-built system you might want to wait until after October 22nd and buy a gaming-level Windows 7 PC. Check to make sure the graphics card is DirectX 11-compatible, and maybe go with a Core i7 processor. If you run the 64-bit version of Windows 7, go with either 6 or 12GB of identical RAM (for technical reasons, the Core i7 works best with three sticks of RAM in a tri-channel configuration). I think that'll get you the most bang for your buck, honestly... it shouldn't run you more than $2500 pre-built, or as low as $1500 if you build it yourself.

EDIT: Just cleaning up an ugly run-on sentence...

Edited September 7, 2009 by mikeszekely

[azrael]

This is getting technical. Feels like learning a different language. Maybe its less of a hassle to buy a brand new one in box?? Then again, I'd rather save big bucks for Macross toys .

Well, if you can answer my question on your intended usage, we can either recommend a pre-built system, a equivalent Mac, or recommend parts for you to buy and put together yourself. You said you wanted a high-end system. That's a start.

[Agent-GHQ]

Yes, I wanted a high-end system that is up to speed and can handle ALL types of tasks including advance taskings to its optimal level. Man, you guys are tech gurus here....lol. And I greatly appreciate your help. But some of things you mentioned is in another language for me.

Also, if I wanted a Mac Pro characteristics, why a window? Don't Mac use their own OS like the Leopard? And yes, I think I will built one as its obviously much much cheaper. So please help me pick the best parts out there on the market.

[mikeszekely]

Yes, I wanted a high-end system that is up to speed and can handle ALL types of tasks including advance taskings to its optimal level. Man, you guys are tech gurus here....lol. And I greatly appreciate your help. But some of things you mentioned is in another language for me.

Also, if I wanted a Mac Pro characteristics, why a window? Don't Mac use their own OS like the Leopard? And yes, I think I will built one as its obviously much much cheaper. So please help me pick the best parts out there on the market.

The list that was included in the Lifehacker post is a great place to start, because the author was able to get Snow Leopard on running on that hardware with everything accept the sound working, so he only needed to find one modified kext (a kext is sort of like a driver, but it's for Macs). And the hardware is certainly powerful enough... the processor is a step up from mine, he's working with 5GB of RAM more than me, and the video card is the same one I have, and I can pretty much pick up any PC game off the shelf without looking at the requirements and expect that I can run it at of very near the maximum settings.

There are ways you could build a more powerful computer... go with a GeForce GTX 2 series instead of a 9800GTX+, or pick a different motherboard that can support a Core i7 processor, etc. But building a computer that can run OS X is a little trickier, and a little more hit-and-miss than building one that can run Windows, so it might be a better idea to stick with the author's list.

The only change I would definitely recommend is dumping the 1TB Western Digital Caviar Green hard drive for the Caviar Blue or Black. From what I've heard, the Greens save energy by putting the hard drive into a low-power state when you're not accessing it. Then it takes time for the drive to spin back up when you are using it, so you wind up taking a performance hit with the Greens.

If you want Mac characteristics, why Windows? For some people, they switch to Mac and they find it to be easier to use for their daily chores, like surfing the net or syncing their iPod/iPhones. Those people are content with Mac and never go back.

Then there are people who use Macs professionally. It's the tool of their trade, and it's just what they're used to.

Some people, though, buy a Mac and immediately have to run Boot Camp or Parallels so they can keep their old Windows apps. They're frustrated when they pay a premium for their Mac, and then a year later Apple releases a newer model and their hardware suddenly feels out-of-date, or they find a Windows computer with better specs for a lot less than they paid. Or they realize that gaming on OS X is kind of dicey. And they get frustrated because aside from the Mac Pro, upgrading a Mac is kind of a pain, and mostly limited to installing bigger hard drives or more RAM.

Some people do get around all that by building a Hackintosh, but building a Hackintosh isn't really for the faint-of-heart.

Lastly, I do feel like I should ask... what's the last version of Windows you've used? When I first got into Macs, I know that Tiger (that was OS X version 10.4) seemed light years beyond Windows XP, and Leopard and Snow Leopard are even slicker and shinier than Tiger, so I can only imagine what an upgrade they must seem from Windows XP. However, Windows 7 has handily caught up to OS X, and has even combined some of the OS X Dock functions with the Windows Taskbar. If you go the Windows route, you can pretty much go hog wild and buy the most advanced hardware on the market and expect it to work.

If you want to try Windows 7 before it's actually released on October 22nd, it's unfortunately too late to download the release candidate from Microsoft. However, you can check various bittorrent sites (if you're into that) for either the release candidate (build 7100), which you can still get a key for from Microsoft that doesn't expire until March. Or, you can look for the RTM version (that's the version that'll go on sale in October). You won't be able to activate it, but I think you can still use it on a trial basis for something like 90 days.

If at the end of all that, you still decide that Mac's the way to go and Windows is just not for you anymore, I'm sure we'll be glad to help you with a Hackintosh.

[Agent-GHQ]

My last version of Windows I've used is the Vista. Shiets, I've been out the loop on computer and fail to noticed the Intel Core i7 and Windows 7. I'd assume these are the very best on the current market.

So yeah, I do want a Mac Pro characteristics to be in its optimal level at the highest level of functionality. For ALL major tasking from video, audio, graphics, internet, gaming, music, general computing, etc.

If I need to drop $5,000- just to built my own Mac Pro, I'll gladly do that. Also, can Mac Pro run both OS: Windows 7 and Snow Leopard?

Anyways, lets talk about what are the current top of the line components on the market that is compatible to build my own Mac Pro:

1. CPU

2. Optical Drive - Blu-Ray RW that can play HD DVD, DVD, and CD

3. Mother Board - latest jacks

4. Sound Card

5. Graphic Cards

6. OS

PS - Not sure what else I need?? Btw, I thought ATI Radeon HD 300 was the best on the market?

Edited September 7, 2009 by Agent-GHQ

[shiroikaze]

...Also, can Mac Pro run both OS: Windows 7 and Snow Leopard?

Anyways, lets talk about what are the current top of the line components on the market that is compatible to build my own Mac Pro:

1. CPU

2. Optical Drive - Blu-Ray RW that can play HD DVD, DVD, and CD

3. Mother Board - latest jacks

4. Sound Card

5. Graphic Cards

6. OS

PS - Not sure what else I need?? Btw, I thought ATI Radeon HD 300 was the best on the market?

I believe Macs can now boot into either Windows and OSX with Bootcamp. Windows 7 and Snow Leopard shouldn't be any different.

I don't know much about the best motherboards and soundcards unfortunately... but,

for CPU,

Core i7 975 Extreme is the most powerful CPU you can buy... though it cost a grand. On the other hand, the Core i7 920 is a cheaper alternative that can easily overclock to higher speeds.

For Graphics,

From ATI, it's either the Radeon HD4890 or the HD4870x2.

From Nvidia, Geforce GTX 285.

For optical drives,

I've never even heard of a Blu-Ray drive being able to play HD-DVD discs (who'd want HD-DVDs nowadays?) until I saw this. Unfortunately, it's no longer available.

Let's not forget RAM, hard drive, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor

Edited September 7, 2009 by shiroikaze

[Agent-GHQ]

Ahhh.... That's what I forgot! What do you recommend for RAM and HD? The rest will be Apple product.

Edited September 7, 2009 by Agent-GHQ

[shiroikaze]

Any decently sized 7200RPM hard drive will do fine, is what I think.

As for DDR3 RAM, from what I hear, the higher speed RAM seems pointless at the moment... Go for DDR3-1600 I suppose?

Azrael and Mikeszekely can offer better input.

Edited September 7, 2009 by shiroikaze

[azrael]

Do you plan on running Mac OS as your primary OS? Or do you plan on running Windows (via Boot Camp) as your primary OS? If you plan on Windows, then it makes absolutely no sense to get a Mac Pro or build a Hackintosh on your own. It would be easier to build a machine tailored to Windows as opposed to being limited by what hardware Mac OS can support.

I say this because normally when people talk about using Mac OS, they do so because they plan on using Mac OS as their primary operating system (as opposed to Windows). Otherwise, why buy or build a Mac Pro if you do not intend to use Mac OS.

[yellowlightman]

I say this because normally when people talk about using Mac OS, they do so because they plan on using Mac OS as their primary operating system (as opposed to Windows). Otherwise, why buy or build a Mac Pro if you do not intend to use Mac OS.

Because they'd rather pay way more for gucci hardware? I've known guys who bought MBP's and just ran XP on them, so never under estimate someone's willingness to over pay.

[nhyone]

Despite the fact that it's not really different than RC1, I think it's a step in the right direction for Microsoft, and I'd honestly encourage everyone to move to it. It's enough of an upgrade from Vista to be worth it, and it fixes enough of Vista's problems (real and imagined) to please the XP hold outs.

I upgraded a 2004-era computer (2.8GHz HT, 2.5GB RAM, 67GB HD) to Windows 7 RTM and the biggest limitation was the lack of Vista graphics driver. I could only run it in 1024x768. Using the XP driver crashed the OS frequently.

A quick tip: be sure your PC components have Vista drivers before you upgrade.

I contemplated upgrading the graphics card until I found that the standard VGA driver could support 1600x1200, but at 16-bit color. It was good enough for me. (This is a work PC.)

So, most likely it's only the recent PCs that are worth upgrading, and they are already running Vista. Should you upgrade? I feel only for low-end and marginal PCs -- those slower than 2GHz, <=2GB RAM or <=80GB HD.

My notebook was such a case: 1.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 75GB HD. Vista was a dog on it. Windows 7 runs very nicely. If you have a fast enough PC, I think Vista should already run fine on it.

Although Windows 7 has many new features, the interface is so similar to Vista that a Vista user will be at ease immediately -- whereas a XP user will be almost totally lost. (Like I was when I used Vista for the first time. But now I'm used to it.)

[mikeszekely]

From Nvidia, Geforce GTX 285.

295, actually.

For Windows hardware, shopping for a motherboard is often more a function of finding one that has your CPU socket than and supports tech you want (RAID, Crossfire, SLI, etc) that whether or not is the mobo to end all mobos. But as far as I know, the mobo that everyone's been buying up for the Core i7s is an Asus. Not sure which model.

As for DDR3 RAM, from what I hear, the higher speed RAM seems pointless at the moment... Go for DDR3-1600 I suppose?

I wouldn't really worry about DDR3. As I said before, I'd pick a motherboard that has a decent reputation, that supports the CPU I'd want to use, and maybe SLI since I usually buy NVIDIA cards (although the 190.62 drivers cause more problems than they solved, and the price tag on the Radeon HD 4890s are awfully seductive...). If that board happened to support DDR3, then I'd get DDR3. If it supported DDR2, then it supported DDR2. It's not a big deal. The important thing to remember about buying RAM though is that you're not actually buying the fastest RAM you can find, because it can't go any faster than the motherboard's front side bus speed. So if the mobo says it's FSB speed is 1066, then you buy DDR2 PC2 8500. It says 800, then you buy DDR2 PC2 6400.

So yeah, I do want a Mac Pro characteristics to be in its optimal level at the highest level of functionality. For ALL major tasking from video, audio, graphics, internet, gaming, music, general computing, etc.

Well, that's kind of the crux of it. If you want the best hardware at the best price, something that will give you the highest level of functionality for all those things, then what you really want is a gaming-level Windows PC. If you want that Windows PC to physically look like a Mac, buy an empty Mac Pro or Power Mac G5 case off eBay and build a Windows PC in it.

The minute you decide to go with Mac OS instead of Windows, you gotta start making compromises. Do you want minimum hassle, and do you want your Mac to definitely be able to run Windows too (you're definitely going to want to boot Windows, because gaming is lousy on Mac OS)? Then you have to buy an official, pre-built Mac. Of course, if you do that, you're stuck paying a fortune for the Xeon processor instead of being able to get a Core i7, and Apple doesn't make either the GeForce GTX 2 series cards available for the Mac Pro, nor the Radeon HD 4890. If you go this route, you're paying more for less.

If you want better hardware and better prices, then you might be tempted to build a Mac. I don't know if I've made this clear or not, but building a Mac isn't like building a PC. The fact is, you're not supposed to be able to build a Mac at all. It can be done, but there's a good reason people say "I built a Hackintosh" and not "I built a Mac." The list of compatible hardware is slim, and hacked kext files are often necessary. Not to mention that you have to create an EFI boot disk onto a flash drive (minimum 8GB) or use a hacked version of OS X to even attempt to build a Hackintosh. And since you're doing that, I'm not sure that Boot Camp will work for dual booting, and if you want to run Windows you might have to install it to a separate drive and set up the boot loader to give you the Windows option.

And at the end of all that, you really have to ask yourself if you want the best hardware on the market just to say you have it and you've got the money to burn, or if you really need it? I built my computer with top shelf parts (at the time) because I do play a lot of PC games, and it was important to me that I could play the majority of them (honestly, pretty much everything except Crysis) at the highest settings. I don't feel a strong need to upgrade my 9800GTX+ to a GTX 295 because I don't need it. I don't feel like tossing my mobo and processor to get a Core i7 in there because I don't need it. I only have 3GB of RAM because when I built it, I was using the 32-bit version of Windows Vista. I don't do hardcore video or photo editing, so I don't actually need more of that, either.

So if you're not doing hardcore video or photo editing, just watching videos and looking at photos, you don't need a high-end processor or a crap ton of fast RAM. If you're not playing games, you don't need a high-end graphics card or a high-end processor (and if you're are playing a lot of computer games, seriously, just stick with Windows). That just leaves music, internet, and "general computing", and if you're really dead set on running OS X, a Mac Mini will do.

Well, at the end of the day, practical advice only goes so far. I'm getting the feeling from you that you're considering our advice, but a part of you really wants that aluminum Mac Pro tower sitting on your desk, and I'm also getting the impression that you can afford that Mac Pro as well. So in your case, and I do mean your case specifically, screw practicality. Just go ahead and go the Apple Store, and buy a Mac Pro. A Windows computer might have slightly better hardware, but I can sense you really want the Mac. And a Hackintosh is really a fun geek project than a practical option for entry-level to moderate computer users. But buy the cheapest one (should be $2499), because Apple's going to rob you blind on any factory upgrades. IF (and I do mean IF) you decide you need more RAM or more hard drive storage, buy it separately later. And if you're budget really is $5000 (I'd be happy with $600... it'd build me a new Hackintosh and a new Linux box), spring for the 30" Apple Cinema display (if that's the display you saw the Mac hooked up to that you liked). It'd put your grand total at around $4300.

[Agent-GHQ]

Do you plan on running Mac OS as your primary OS? Or do you plan on running Windows (via Boot Camp) as your primary OS?

My goal is to switch from PC to Mac, entirely. So I would much want to run Mac OS. Basically, I want to build mine as near as the current Mac Pro, but of course at full optimal level for about or under $5,000--

[Agent-GHQ]

Well, at the end of the day, practical advice only goes so far. I'm getting the feeling from you that you're considering our advice, but a part of you really wants that aluminum Mac Pro tower sitting on your desk, and I'm also getting the impression that you can afford that Mac Pro as well. So in your case, and I do mean your case specifically, screw practicality. Just go ahead and go the Apple Store, and buy a Mac Pro. A Windows computer might have slightly better hardware, but I can sense you really want the Mac. And a Hackintosh is really a fun geek project than a practical option for entry-level to moderate computer users. But buy the cheapest one (should be $2499), because Apple's going to rob you blind on any factory upgrades. IF (and I do mean IF) you decide you need more RAM or more hard drive storage, buy it separately later. And if you're budget really is $5000 (I'd be happy with $600... it'd build me a new Hackintosh and a new Linux box), spring for the 30" Apple Cinema display (if that's the display you saw the Mac hooked up to that you liked). It'd put your grand total at around $4300.

Absolutely! As it seems to be the best route to go for my intended uses and wants. I mean according to yours and others advices and the link, there seems to be too much algorithmics to combine Mac and PC to operate together like partners in crime.

Perhaps, I should just buy the Mac Pro at lowest price possible and up grade it. Yet, that leave out the PC gaming aspect. What should I do?

[lechuck]

Agent-GHQ, just to confuse you a little more, you could also consider Alienware for your needs.

They make pre-built PCs for gamers/enthusiasts and it might be up your alley, albeit it's definitely not the Apple brand.

Edited September 8, 2009 by lechuck

[mikeszekely]

Absolutely! As it seems to be the best route to go for my intended uses and wants. I mean according to yours and others advices and the link, there seems to be too much algorithmics to combine Mac and PC to operate together like partners in crime.

Perhaps, I should just buy the Mac Pro at lowest price possible and up grade it. Yet, that leave out the PC gaming aspect. What should I do?

How much PC gaming do you do, and when you play, what kinds of games do you play? You'd pretty much have three options:

Option 1: Buy a copy of Windows. Use the Apple software Boot Camp that comes with your Mac to install that copy of Windows. Boot into Windows whenever you want to install or play a game, and hope that the hardware is up for it. This is the best option if you don't play games often and the games you do play aren't very graphically demanding.

Option 2: When you buy your Mac Pro, order it from Apple instead of buying the default cheapest one. Keep all the options at the minimum level, except when you get to the video card select the ATI Radeon HD 4870. This will add $200 to the price. It'll still leave you a little behind the current top video cards for Windows PCs, but apparently Apple uses special cards so you can't even go to the store and buy an HD 4870 off the shelf, let alone a GTX 295. Still, an HD 4870 should be enough to run 99% of the games on the market at the highest or near-highest settings. Also, for this option, after you buy your Mac you still follow the instructions from Option 1. This is the best option if you don't game too often, but you play some graphically intense games and you want to be able to run them on high settings for at least a year or two.

Option 3: Buy your Mac Pro and use it for 99% of your computing. Buy or build a separate Windows PC on the side just for gaming. This is the most expensive option, to be sure, but with this option you could get 10 years of use out of your Mac Pro. This is a definitely plus, because Apple has gone out of their way to make sure you can upgrade hard drives and RAM, but nothing else in their computers. Kinda rude, since that makes their computers the most disposable, despite their premium price tag. For the Windows computer, you're free to upgrade that as needed to keep up with whatever game you're playing at the moment. This is the best option of you really enjoy PC gaming and you want to keep up with it without having to buy a new $2700 Mac Pro every two or three years.

[mikeszekely]

For those of you thinking about building a new Windows (or Linux) computer in the next few months, the new round of Core i7 processors came out today. The new 860 supposedly outperforms the old favorite 920 with a slightly higher 2.8GHz clock speed (vs. 2.66GHz on the 920), uses less power, and costs around the same price. The new 2.93GHz 870 is supposed to be pretty close in performance to the 3.03GHz 950. Finally, for those of you looking to upgrade on a budget, the new $200 Core i5 750 (at 2.66GHz) is supposed to be pretty close to the old 920.

The main differences between this new batch of Lynnfield processors and the older Nehalem/Bloomfield batch is that Lynnfields are optimized for dual-channel RAM instead of triple-channel, and if you plan on using SLI or Crossfire set ups the Lynnfields run the PCIe x8 instead of x16 (single cards still run at x16). Also, the Core i5 dumped hyper-threading. Oh, and either due to those changes, or just because Intel wants to be a pain, this new batch of processors uses a different CPU socket, LGA 1156 (vs. LGA 1366 for the old i7s, or LGA 775 for pretty much every other processor Intel has made for the last three years).

The early consensus seems to be to stick with the 920 if you're 100% certain you're going for an SLI or Crossfire setup, but to go with the new 860 if you're thinking about saving money with a single-card solution. I'm personally a single-card man myself, since my solitary 9800GTX+ runs everything but Crysis at the highest settings. But then again, I just built my computer last year, so I'm hoping to get another year or two out of it before I do anything as drastic as a mobo/processor upgrade.

[azrael]

Absolutely! As it seems to be the best route to go for my intended uses and wants. I mean according to yours and others advices and the link, there seems to be too much algorithmics to combine Mac and PC to operate together like partners in crime.

Perhaps, I should just buy the Mac Pro at lowest price possible and up grade it. Yet, that leave out the PC gaming aspect. What should I do?

How much PC gaming do you do, and when you play, what kinds of games do you play? You'd pretty much have three options:

Option 1: *snip for length*

Option 2: *snip for length*

Option 3: *snip for length*

Agreed. These are probably your best choices. And it will depend on how much gaming you plan on doing. You can buy additional memory from Newegg.com for much cheaper prices. You can buy your hard drives from Newegg or most other retailers off-the-shelf without much hassle.

For those of you thinking about building a new Windows (or Linux) computer in the next few months, the new round of Core i7 processors came out today. The new 860 supposedly outperforms the old favorite 920 with a slightly higher 2.8GHz clock speed (vs. 2.66GHz on the 920), uses less power, and costs around the same price. The new 2.93GHz 870 is supposed to be pretty close in performance to the 3.03GHz 950. Finally, for those of you looking to upgrade on a budget, the new $200 Core i5 750 (at 2.66GHz) is supposed to be pretty close to the old 920.

Now that the i5s are out, I will definitely be looking at the i5 750 or the i7 860.

[shiroikaze]

295, actually.

Yeah I got confused by Newegg's "GTX for Mac" on the sidebar lol...

[kensei]

295, actually.

For Windows hardware, shopping for a motherboard is often more a function of finding one that has your CPU socket than and supports tech you want (RAID, Crossfire, SLI, etc) that whether or not is the mobo to end all mobos. But as far as I know, the mobo that everyone's been buying up for the Core i7s is an Asus. Not sure which model.

Usually the P6T Deluxe from what i understand. My Rampage II Extreme has failed on me once, and the rate is about 60%. If I knew this initially I would not have bought it. Let's hope I have no more problems.

[Roy Focker]

Here's my issue. I got a loose power connection jack on my lap top. The result is me having to wiggle the connected power cord till I get a power going. Repair involves talking the entire thing apart to get to the problem and soldering the jack back in place. From my understanding a simple repair but time consuming (in labor cost) to get to the part.

Computer is 3-4 years old. Already replaced the power cord ($110), Screen is showing wear ($100 future expense), Power Connection Jack Repair ( $20 if I do it myself). When I bought this thing it was considered a new and current computer. Maybe 30% of what was out there was better than it. A quick look like a best buy I see that my lap top is about equal to the cheapest ones they have in performance and etc. Not going to invest lots of money into this one. I will use it till it dies. I didn't plan on spending more money either. I hate to see my on going plans to get more Macross be hurdled by this. Well my Health Insurance might be premiums is going up. Maybe I'm screwed to be out Macross money anyways.

Any recommendation about whats new and good lap top out there to get? I leaning to maybe getting one with a blu-ray player.

[eugimon]

I just got the asus g51vx-a1 and I love it. Fast, quiet and stable. The only draw back is thanks to the quad core CPU, dual HDD and 260m GTX GPU the battery only lasts around an hour.

[mikeszekely]

Any recommendation about whats new and good lap top out there to get? I leaning to maybe getting one with a blu-ray player.

If you want to actually watch Blu-ray movies on your laptop, I'd guess that's going to narrow your choices significantly. Due to HDCP requirements, many computers with Blu-ray drives can't actually play Blu-ray movies (between that and expensive blank media, it's a good explanation for why Blu-ray drives aren't more ubiquitous yet).

What other kind of stuff do you plan on doing with your laptop? Do you prefer powerful hardware or better battery life? I'll need a little more info to make a solid recommendation.

[Roy Focker]

Besides visiting macross world. I use the lap top to watch online video and work on big files text docs with a lot of pics. I want something that can handle a lot of stuff at once.

[eugimon]

Besides visiting macross world. I use the lap top to watch online video and work on big files text docs with a lot of pics. I want something that can handle a lot of stuff at once.

check out the 51's big brother: http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g71gxa1-p-2591.html

has a quad core CPU, plenty of power plus it has the blu-ray drive.

[azrael]

Besides visiting macross world. I use the lap top to watch online video and work on big files text docs with a lot of pics. I want something that can handle a lot of stuff at once.

How big of a screen were you looking at? Will this be your primary computer? If not, were you planning on attaching an external monitor?

[Roy Focker]

It will be my primary.

Big screen is good.

[mikeszekely]

It will be my primary.

Big screen is good.

How about battery life? Do you plan to use it more at a desk where it'll be plugged in, or unplugged?

[Roy Focker]

It will be plugged 95% of the time. When it isn't plugged in I like to be able do a couple hours work.

[azrael]

You'll probably want something with a 15" screen or larger. Now for the last question, what's your budget for this system? You said you don't want spend too much money. So less than $1000? <$800? <$600?

(We really need to come up with a simple questionnaire for people to fill out before they post "Recommend a system for me".)

[mikeszekely]

You'll probably want something with a 15" screen or larger. Now for the last question, what's your budget for this system? You said you don't want spend too much money. So less than $1000? <$800? <$600?

(We really need to come up with a simple questionnaire for people to fill out before they post "Recommend a system for me".)

Yeah. Especially with laptops, because what people want is often contradictory.

"I want a powerful laptop, with good battery life."

"I want a huge screen, but I don't want a laptop that's too big."

Etc.

[Roy Focker]

I want a huge screen and big laptop. Cause I want to see things and be able to kill someone by using it as blunt instrument.

Budget Below $1000 after Holiday Promotions, Sales & Rebates.

[mikeszekely]

I'm going to suggest this one then.

Gateway P7805u

2.26GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile isn't going to be the fastest CPU in the world, but it'll be fast enough for most activities, and since it's part of the Centrino platform you'll get balanced battery life out of it. The 320GB hard drive isn't the biggest either, but hard drives are usually cheap and easy upgrades. Where this sucker starts to become a value is the 17" screen (1440x900), 4GB of RAM, HDMI 1.2 out if you feel like hooking it up to a TV or something, 9-cell battery should hold out awhile for generic computing, wireless N or gigabit ethernet if you want to plug it in, and the GeForce 9800M GTS with 1GB of DDR3 will give you gaming power if you want it (if not, it'll at least make short work of HD Video). Sucker weighs about nine pounds, so you're definitely going to do some damage should you find the need to brain somebody with it. It's got Vista Home Premium 64-bit, but I'm sure it'll qualify for an upgrade to Windows 7. And it fits neatly into your budget at $899.99.

Only downside I can see with it, as far as you were looking, is that it doesn't have a Blu-ray drive (or Bluetooth, but I've never found a good use for Bluetooth on a computer anyway...).

If you're dead set on Blu-ray, you can trade some performance (slower RAM, slower CPU, weaker GPU) for a Blu-ray-equipped laptop for about $100 more.

VAIO FW series.