Question:
Ati 9800 and Pentium-M???
Hi everyone!
My good old Compaq was burnt by a power drop 2 days ago.. and no warranty![:(!] so I need a new one ASAP..
After searching for hours I have eliminated most of the nootebook from my list and the only one left was ACER 2020 Pentium-m 2ghz! (At a very close second position came DELL 8600) What do u think of this choice??.
I need a laptop that is future proof and I can happily keep for 3-5 years. I don't use a desktop and I use Laptop for everything from programming to playing latest games. Moreover, I really like the idea of a laptop that can last for so many hours on battery.
My concerns for the future are (sorry if some might seems stupid[:D]):
It doesnt have the ATI 9800(or X800): How long do you think I would have to wait to see 1 of those in a Pentium-m??? And do you think the 9700 with 128mb will be enough to run games in 2-3 years time (low settings)?
Pci-Express: do you think it will be a problem in the future that my laptop don't have one of those?
64bit Processor: Will The future Windows Longhorn or future programs run on this laptop? and when do you think I could start having the real NEED to buy a 64bit processor?
I know It is not possible to answer some of these questions for sure, I only ask your personal opinion.... If you tell me the waiting time it's too long and the ACER is the best choice I'll buy the Laptop Today..[8D]
Thank you all!!
And my suggestion is: ALWAYS USE A CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH YOUR LAPTOP![B)]
Answer:
At the moment the 9800 is only being offered by Dell, due to an exclusive deal between dell and ATI. There are rumours that others will start offering this GPU soon. My guess is that you may see a few DTR notebooks offering this GPU before Xmas. As for PM I would be really surprised if there are some this year. I think most will wait till the new intel chipset is released. This should be 1Q-2Q 2005. I would expect to see PCI-x at this same time and possibly the introduction of replaceable GPUs. The way games (and tech in general) are moving I think that you are asking way to much to from a notebook by expecting it to be able to play games 3-5years away. My 9700 struggles at times with doom3 @ med settings, I'm guessing next years games will push me back to low, the year after I will have upgraded my laptop.
As for 64 bit OS's, I think your worring to much. Longhorn isn't due until 2006, at the moment that 1-2 years away. Also it will take years for the rest of the world to transfer to a 64 bit systems, I bet XP will be supported to at least 2008. That gives you 4-5years. From my reading 32 bit apps will be compatable with 64bit os (thanks to AMD in part), so I can't see apps being made that will only run on a 64 bit system from day one of longhorns relase. Thus I don't think it is a problem that needs to be thorght about to much at the moment, maybe in 2006??
As for a laptop, if you want a PM and need to buy now then I think the ACER is a good choice. ACER have pumped alot of cash into their notebooks over the past few years and they are now one of the top notebook sellers. If your prepared to wait a month or two and go with a desktop CPU you maybe able to pick up a DTR with a 9800 from other manurfactures besides Dell.
Good luck
a
:)
ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 512Mb RAM
Answer:
I do not know near as much as the rest of these guys about laptops.. but I just recently ordered an 8600 from dell cuz I think it can handle what I want..
now whether you need the 9700 or if th e9600 is going to be good enough for you Im not sure..
but I do want to say this..
If you plan to go Dell I'd buy now ...
Today you can use the coupon on this site for 25% off .. plus it will stack with the 200.00 Mail in Rebate that Dell is currently offering..
and if you spec the machine like I think your giong to Pm2.0 with prolly 1 gb of ram and the 128 card your probably looking at a 2700 dollar notebook and you would save close to 950.00 after the MIR Plus the 25% off ..
So I'm not saying to get the 8600 but if your going to get it Id say today is a good day to get it since the 200.00 MIR ends tonight or tomm morning ... and this is first time in a few months Ive seen a MIR stack with coupon codes :)
Some People say drinking is a problem ---
-- They say you drink to get rid of your problems
----- But that its only temporary
Well I say if ya drink all the time-- ITS a PERMANENT Solution then
Answer:
thank u for your replies!
JonCRezk I know that dell 8600 is very good and there are good offers, but in England the price is not the best.. (Ive found out that in Swizerland for example the price is 700$ cheaper than here[xx(]) And I dont like this politic of price discrimination.....
Underpantman that was a precious help.. I ve decided to buy the Acer in the end, I think I was expecting too much from a laptop...[;)] And this system should be fine for me!
Now the question is what system to buy:
One with 1.6Ghz Pentium-M and 60gb of hard drive = 1112 pounds
Or 2ghz Pentium-M 80gb of hard drive = 1339 pounds
Is there much difference between 1.6 and 2?
Thank you guys[8D]
Answer:
Durden I believe you will find a pretty significant difference between 1.6 and 2.0 ... question is do they offer a 1.7 or 1.8 these seem to be the most popular Pentium M's that people are getting the 2.0 just seems too expensive IMO ..
is the 1.6 a banias or Dothan? if its a Dothan that will help a lot :)
Some People say drinking is a problem ---
-- They say you drink to get rid of your problems
----- But that its only temporary
Well I say if ya drink all the time-- ITS a PERMANENT Solution then
Answer:
Its a Dothan and they donīt offer any other intermediate speed..
At the moment iīm more in favour of the 2Ghz[8D]
Ill b broke.. but who cares[:D]!
And my suggestion is: ALWAYS USE A CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH YOUR LAPTOP![B)]
Answer:
Looks like you are facing the choice between an Aspire 2023 and 2026. I would take the 2023 and use the saving to upgrade the 4200rpm HD to a 5400rpm or 7200rpm as that's the one component that would really benefit dramatically from a change and maybe bump the memory to 768MB if you run memory intensive applications.
Answer:
I was interested in the Acer 2020 as well, but I couldn't locate it anywhere in the U.S. Anyone else have this problem?
Answer:
Acer in it's infinate wisdom have remove the Aspire 2020 line from the U.S. while leaving it available to the rest of the world. You might try one of the Canadian Retailer.
Answer:
I was finally going to buy the aspire 2023... but the only operative system is Windows XP Home![:(] (I NEED Win XP Pro for programming reasons.....)
I was asking to different internet shops if they could change it to XP Pro... but apparently I have to buy the upgrade and do it myself! and that would cost far too much..
Do you think I could find a aspire 2023 with Professional pre installed??
The person at the phone pointed me to the more expensive Travelmate 8006 (1420 pounds = auch) what do u think of this model? I have heard the quality of LCD is not very good.. is it true??
the much cheaper 8003 have only 64mb of dedicated Video memory.. damn!![B)]
I didnīt think that buying a laptop was so hard![:0]
Pls help..