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Low-Cost "Get Stuff Done" Laptop

Post Date: 2012-05-23
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taw2015 View Drop Down
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Low-Cost "Get Stuff Done" Laptop
    Posted: 23 May 2012 at 11:43am
Budget: under $2000

Expectations: multiple windows open at same time with lotsa stuff in 'em

Usage: MS Office, FileMaker Pro Advanced, Quicken/TurboTax, Photoshop/Premiere Elements, WinDVD, iTunes (for syncing iPhone)

Special Needs: no quad-core sized power brick

Saved Ticket #691668 <---click this

Specifications:

Chassis Model: Digital Storm xm15 Laptop (Model: 3260)
Display: 15.6 Inch (95% NTSC Color Gamut) (Matte Surface) (16:9) (1920 x 1080) LED-Backlit Display
Processor: Intel Core i5 2450M (2.5 GHz Turbo Mode to 3.1Ghz) (Dual Core) (3MB Cache)
Thermal Compound: Stock CPU and GPU Thermal Compound
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Primary Hard Drive: Intel 240GB SSD (520 Series) (SATA 6Gb/s)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player & Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Blu-Ray 6x)
Wireless Card: Intel Ultimate-N 6300 Wireless LAN Module
Video Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M 1GB with NVIDIA Optimus Technology
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Jun 2012 at 2:33am
i made a few tweaks for about the same cost:

Saved Ticket #699479 <---click this

Chassis Model: Digital Storm xm15 Laptop (Model: 3260)
Display: 15.6 Inch (95% NTSC Color Gamut) (Matte Surface) (16:9) (1920 x 1080) LED-Backlit Display
Processor: Intel Core i5 2450M (2.5 GHz Turbo Mode to 3.1Ghz) (Dual Core) (3MB Cache)
Thermal Compound: Premium IC Diamond CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise)
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
Primary Hard Drive: 750GB Hybrid 7200RPM with 8GB SSD (SATA 3Gb/s)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player & Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Blu-Ray 6x)
Wireless Card: Intel Ultimate-N 6300 Wireless LAN Module
Video Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M 1GB with NVIDIA Optimus Technology
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty
Learn history from the people who lived it via BBC Witness podcasts.
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Posts: 758 		  Quote Orange7 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Jun 2012 at 2:56am
Even if you do not want a quad core CPU, it still would not hurt to take the free upgrade to the 3210, which is at least an Ivy Bridge CPU. At the same time, I don't know your needs, but if you don't need a Bluray player or Windows 7 Ultimate, you could easily save a few hundred dollars, which you could use to improve hard drive, CPU, etc.
DS xm15 Stage 4
i7-3820 (2.7GHz/3.7GHz)
16GB 1600MHz DDR3
GT 630, 1GB
240GB Intel 520
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Jun 2012 at 3:26am
Thanks for the 3210 info... was not aware. Will adjust on purchase next week.

Got a question: why no terabyte drives for the laptops?

Edited by taw2015 - 16 Jun 2012 at 8:55am
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Jun 2012 at 11:17pm
I've now upgraded to this config, just so I can have a beastly amount of RAM on my system (memory is cheap, of late):

Saved Ticket #:699770
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Posts: 758 		  Quote Orange7 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Jun 2012 at 3:52am
Don't get me wrong taw2015, but what would you ever be doing that would use 32GB of RAM. Personally, even though I have 16GB, I have never used more than 4GB. If you were willing to cut back to 16GB, you would save $266, more than enough to upgrade to a hybrid hard drive and and either improve your processor or extend your warranty.

Edited by Orange7 - 17 Jun 2012 at 3:52am
DS xm15 Stage 4
i7-3820 (2.7GHz/3.7GHz)
16GB 1600MHz DDR3
GT 630, 1GB
240GB Intel 520
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taw2015 View Drop Down
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2012 at 3:19pm
Final Configuration:

Saved Ticket #: 700317 <--- click here

Tweaking, lessening, and it's nice to have a 670m.
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Bobby View Drop Down
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Posts: 324 		  Quote Bobby Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2012 at 4:01pm
Don't forget the fine print on the optical drive from your last ticket:
 
NOTE: This Blu-Ray drive does not come with any bundled Blu-Ray movie playback software. It will read Blu-Ray discs (data and movies). Windows 7 does not support Blu-Ray movie playback natively, you will need to purchase Blu-Ray movie playback software to watch Blu-Ray movies.
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Jun 2012 at 4:48pm
Yep. Already aware. Same as with my desktop gaming rig, I use Corel's WinDVD which supports BluRay playback.

SYSTEM ORDERED !!!

1- Got the confirmed-order phone call
2- Stage 1: Order # issued

Edited by taw2015 - 18 Jun 2012 at 8:53pm
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Posts: 141 		  Quote taw2015 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Jul 2012 at 3:38pm
Had to cancel. Incurred a small fee in the process.
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