Finally came in yesterday. Ordered it off eBay for $518. Sure a spiffy new laptop would be nice, but I don't have $2,000 to blow on one.
It's an IBM ThinkPad 600E with a PII 366MHz processor and 128MB RAM with a 6 GB harddrive. A DVD drive which was the main appeal so I could watch movies. With Windows 98. That I'm gonna have to change when I go home and put XP Pro on it instead along with buying a bigger harddrive.
Now all I need to do is get my phone service activated and an ISP.
Posted by Colorful Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Five hundred bucks? That's quite a lot for a machine whose specifications were top dog four years ago. /methinks you've been ripped off...
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
At least he didn't spend around $3200 for a laptop like I did painted Martian Red with a desktop Pentium 4 2.4Ghz in it.
Posted by Magnus Pym Eye (Member # 239) on :
Yes, because that's asinine.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
I didn't buy it because it's the best laptop around or top of the line. Plus it was the average price on eBay.
I'm not sure what I can do to upgrade it either. I want more harddrive space, more RAM, etc...
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Shoulda looked for an iBook, Hobbes.
Seriously, Macs tend to age a lot better than the competition. And a two-year-old iBook with DVD can easily go for $500 on eBay...
Oh, well. I can certainly sympathize with the need for a laptop. The mobility is EXTREMELY useful once you get used to remembering that you can actually CARRY YOUR COMPUTER WITH YOU. (I've occasionally forgotten that I don't always have to sit at my desk.)
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
thinkpads always go for above average prices, due to the fact that they are very well made and use above average components. for a 366 thinkpad with a dvd, i think he did well. however, for twice the money he could have had this. that's what i'm saving up for. it requires an external dvd (bought separately). when i get it, i'm going to get a firewire pcmcia card and a firewire dvd player.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Laptops are notioriously hard to upgrade. They lack any sort of slots, and the memory is often soldered onto the motherboard.
You could get a new hard drive, but it will probably have to be a 2.5 inch one, rather than the cheaper 3.5 inch ones.
And will XP run on a machine with that spec?
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
It'll run, just not very swiftly. Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
just get an IBM travelstar. they run about $150 for a 15-20 GB drive on ebay. however, XP would really like some more ram than 128.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I spend a lot of my time commuting by train, so I can get a lot of work done on my little white iBook. I can use it all over the house as well, and even have a wireless internet connection so I can visit Flare while sitting on the back deck. I haven't used a regular desktop for any serious work for about 3 years.
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
*pfoooey* iBook? yuck! all joking aside, i was considering getting an iBook, but then i saw that little Fujitsu LifeBook. the touchscreen is what cinched the deal for me.
Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
You're Lucky you didn't get burned like Omega did.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
I would like a state-of-the-art or semi-state-of-the-art laptop myself. However, I can never have one because I have this odd quirk of wanting it to be completely clean. I want no OS, no bundled software, just the driver & hardware-specific software disks & I'll install Win98 & airthang else meself, thanks.
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
there are custom laptops that come non-bundled. i can't remember where they are off the top of my head, though. its not that big of a deal just to format the drive and throw away any CD's, you know.
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
That's funny, Alienware said to me that they can upgrade my cpu, hard drive, and memory whenever I feel like... I just have to send it to them.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I think he was referring to self-upgrading. And, depending on how it's set up, upgrading the CPU and memory are likely to require putting in a whole new motherboard. Not a problem you'd have w/ a desktop (unless you're simply upgrading beyond the motherboard's capabilities).
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
That's funny... I seem to recall that I bought a 256 KB memory stick and installed it onto my iBook with only a little screwdriver as a tool. Just a week ago, my sister bought an Airport card (wireless networking) and had that installed at home also.
Granted, the iBooks aren't the most upgradeable systems -- the hard drive and CD/DVD drives aren't switchable without factory servicing. But at the same time, the iBooks aren't marketed for upgrading as much -- they're built to last, and target more for personal/educational use. If you want better utility and upgrade options, then you go for the G4 TiBook.
Posted by Colorful Cartman (Member # 256) on :
256 KB? Not much of an upgrade Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Yeah, but no-one will ever need more than 640kB of memory, anyway.
Posted by Magnus Pym Eye (Member # 239) on :
h4 H@!!! Bill 94+3$ I5 $0 STUPid!! sT3v3 jOB5 K1ck5 h1M In Hi5 Fac3!! APpl3 aND Lun1x pH0rV3r 8@bIe5! NOW 90 h0me!1
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
That would only be funny if I were that incoherent. Fortunately, I have valid reasons for preferring the Macintosh. Am I to be ostracized as a drooling, unintelligible nut simply because I'm enthusiastic about the kind of computer that I use?
You're just jealous because your computer isn't as cool as mine.
(And all kidding aside, yes, I am aware that some people prefer Windows or Linux or UNIX or... you get my drift. I may not agree with that opinion, but does that mean I have to remain quiet? I can respect others' opinions and still promote my own view.) Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
quote:I can respect others' opinions and still promote my own view.
not possible.
Posted by Magnus Pym Eye (Member # 239) on :
It was more directed towards how Bill Gates was a dummy back in like 1934 or something. Because he was a dummy.
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
you guys do know that Bill Gates probably never made that little comment about 640k being enough for anybody, right?
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I like Macs as well. I inherited an old all-in-one box from my dad in the late 1980s. It had a 40 MB hard drive and 4 MB RAM. I've been using exclusively Macs ever since. I'm not a techie, so I like the simplicity of using a Mac. No apologies.
Any other Mac users here?
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
quote:Originally posted by Prismatic EdipisReks:
quote:I can respect others' opinions and still promote my own view.
not possible.
Oh, sure it is. That's like saying that tolerance means that EVERYONE is right, and that you don't disagree with anyone. It's redefining the word. Don't do that.
As for getting burned, that's why I don't buy on online classified ads any more. And it's also why I don't buy from eBay sellers that just registered. I bought a $400 CD-RW drive/MP3 player for $85, and the guy didn't send the battery ($60) or the wired remote that contains the MP3 decoding hardware ($70), both of which were specifically stated to be included in the item description. Further, he refuses to respond to repeated e-mails to fix it, his phone number connects to a modem, and he's not listed in any directory I can find. All I have is an address and two, count them, TWO different names. Dyenis Kaslo, AKA Jian Liu, of Rockville, MD. I may just get enough from eBay fraud insurance to cover the battery. If I'm lucky. Pleh.
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega:
quote:Originally posted by Prismatic EdipisReks:
quote:I can respect others' opinions and still promote my own view.
not possible.
Oh, sure it is. That's like saying that tolerance means that EVERYONE is right, and that you don't disagree with anyone. It's redefining the word. Don't do that.
it was a joke, dude. no need to get all hot and bothered.
Posted by Springfield Armory Snay (Member # 411) on :
*SMACK*
Shut up, Edipis.
*WHACK*
Shut up, Omega.
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
you shut up, or the jeep gets it.
Posted by Springfield Armory Snay (Member # 411) on :
You ... you ... leave my Jeep alone! Leave my Jeep alone!
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
if you don't shut up, i'll stat cutting of the tires. every day you don't shut up, i'll mail you a tire. capice? Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
And when the working week is over and he still hasn't shut up?
Posted by Prismatic EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
then i'll start chopping off and mailing valve stems.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Congratulations on the laptop. I got mine about three years ago, and it's still working well. The only problems I have right now are that I skimped on the memory when I got it, and the battery no longer holds a charge for very long.
Still, it's nice to grab the computer and sit outside while doing work.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Riiight ... well you see the things I do Siggy, I can't take outside much less home.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Well, it's still a heck of a lot easier to pack and move than a desktop.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Oh yeah... Hobbes is working on need-to-know stuff, or something like that.
I admit I don't know much about military life, but I'm sure that you'll at least have some opportunities for recreational computer activities using your laptop. (Actually, now that I think about it, I'd be very surprised if I found out that you were allowed to do much of your military work on your personal computer, or transfer any kind of work files at all. Given that those are government files and all.)
Still, you get to bring the FSD with you wherever you go, right? Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Yeah, well first I have to go home and transfer all the files of my site to my laptop along with getting my site back online. I've planned a trip home at the end of the month.
And yes, everything I do is classified so I can't take any of the material outside the building.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
that's what i'm saving up for. it requires an external dvd (bought separately). when i get it, i'm going to get a firewire pcmcia card and a firewire dvd player.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Just a week ago, my sister bought an Airport card (wireless networking) and had that installed at home also.