PC Question for those in the know

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pack529holycross
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PC Question for those in the know

Post by pack529holycross »

I didn't know if this quite fit in the "hardware" section or not, but I have been fairly successful on the heels of our event to secure approval for getting an official "Pack" laptop and a/v projector to do derby duties as well as all the other A/V needs of the unit. As I research the newest technologies available to us, a few differences have emerged amongst the competitors of components that make up these machines. So, if anyone has any opinions on pluses or minuses for PC hardware as it relates to running derbies, feel free to jump in.

The first and obvious decision is whether to go with an AMD or intel based machine. I am personally partial to AMD just to "oppose the big guy", and have always chosen their processors for the PC's I build for my family. I am a bit inexperienced as to the comparison in the world of Notebooks, so any possible feedback would be helpful.

The specific processors available in the Notebooks I have priced this month are the TL-52/TL-58/TL60 family vs. the Intel T2330 family. The was one SOny Viao with a Intel T5450 processor in the mix.

The second consideration is graphics processor, and there seemed to be three basic schools of thought - ATI 2150 family, NVidia 7000m and 7150m, and the Intel 965GM chipset. I know that the NVidia chipsets all support HD level processing, but I am unfamiliar with how well the Intel chips stack up.
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Stan Pope
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by Stan Pope »

Putting on my "Digital Goddess" hat for the moment (Sorry Kim, I won't EVER do it again!), it doesn't sound like you will be doing any heavy duty processing on this box. To me that means that you can get by with just about any current issue box. I wouldn't sweat the AMD/Intel difference ... I have several of each on my desk and LAN and they all rock! For the computer, I think you can let $ be your guidepost.

Now, for the projector, your budget may force you to let $ be your guidepost. I won't pretend to make recommendations there!
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ohiofitter
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by ohiofitter »

If your troop is going to buy the laptop...I would look at the online stores' to maybe get the best deal...Around xmas time bestbuy ran a add for a sony laptop (I think was the brand) for 229.00 but the store's only had a limited supply of them...That was what they called there door buster...I missed out on that deal but went back after the 1 of Jan. and picked up a compacq for 200 bucks
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by jeffd »

Also check out www.slickdeals.net - occasional deals show up there
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by knavekid »

jeffd wrote:Also check out www.slickdeals.net - occasional deals show up there
I second watching slickdeals.net - I have that site as my home page!

Dell is having a clearance sale right now on Latitude notebook computers, which is their business line. See them here:
Latitude Clearance Sale

These are a step up from Dell's Inspiron line. I would recommend the Latitude D620 for $599 with free shipping featured as shown below. We just ordered three of these at work.

Processor:
Intel® Core™ Solo T1400 (1.83GHz) 667Mhz Single Core
Operating Systems:
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
LCDs:
14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
Memory:
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Hard Drives:
80GB1 Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
Module Bay Devices:
24X CD-RW/DVD w/ Cyberlink PowerDVD™
Graphics:
IntelJ Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Hardware Support Services:
3 year Limited Hardware Warranty2 with Mail-in Service
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ohiofitter
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by ohiofitter »

If you don't mind refurbished try http://www.dell.com/outlet
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Re: PC Question for those in the know

Post by gpraceman »

The best computer buys seem to come right before Christmas. Many are on Black Friday, if you are lucky enough to be towards the front of the line, but there were many other good sales up until Christmas.

We ended up with a good dual core laptop for only $399 at one of those pre-Christmas sales and that included a free printer. There wasn't even the hassle of rebates on that machine. RAM was also on sale, so for $70 for 2GB, I was able to max out the memory.

Black Friday '06 we were able to get a projector for our pack for $399 after rebates. We use that for all of our Pinewood Derby races now, along with the $80 portable screen (free shipping) that we just got online from Circuit City.

I do agree with Stan, that as long as you are not doing heavy processing with it, a basic machine will do. If you want to do video capture and replay, then you will need some more horsepower.
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