Re: Laptop Question (off topic? I don't know)

[John Hedtke <john -at- hedtke -dot- com>]

I don't know if it's true about their laptops, but I've run into the 
problem on Dell desktops that you need Dell parts and not just 
anybody's parts.  For some odd reason, Dell parts always cost 
more.  It's like the old joke about putting the words "marine" or 
"Mac" in front of a part name and the price doubles for no apparent 
reason.  You may care to add "Dell" to that list.

(Having probably irked all the Mac users--which wasn't the point; I'm 
just repeating the joke--I'm going back to work.)

Yours truly,

John Hedtke

At 07:07 AM 5/13/2008, Collin Turner wrote:
>Windows XP Pro supports up to 4GB.
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/features.mspx
>
>I would *always* recommend the 7200 RPM hard drive and as much RAM (up
>to 4GB) as you can afford.
>
>Go with the advice about separate memory for graphics.
>
>Dell is a good brand, but I've had several of them require service. I
>have been hearing good things about Gateways recently and will
>probably be buying one myself, soon.
>
>When buying a laptop consider this:
>1. Always get the most memory you can afford/the laptop or OS will
>support (seriously!)
>2. Large, fast HD's will only add to the useful lifespan of your
>laptop (fewer upgrades down the road...software isn't getting smaller
>or less hungry)
>3. If you're traveling, or will be traveling? THINK LIGHT and smaller.
>You can always connect a laptop to external keyboards, mice and
>monitors.
>4. Put your money on your use. What is the main purpose? Concentrate
>on that...don't waste money on features you'll never use.
>5. Buy a REALLY good bag.
>6. Personal preference...I hate the shiny screens.
>
>-Collin
>  ________________________________
>  collinturner.com
>  The unofficial words of a Tech Writer
>
>
>On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 7:38 AM, Al Geist 
><al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com> wrote:
> > John made a good point about graphics RAM. My Gateway was configured with
> > 512 MB of dedicated video RAM for the ATI Radeon interface. When I was
> > researching laptops, I also discovered that many stated they had 2 GB of
> > RAM, but 0 RAM for the video. Instead, they used shared RAM...so a
> > percentage of your system memory would be gobbled up by the video card and
> > the amount gobbled would be determined by whatever action you were doing at
> > the time. For most Word Processing, the amount would be minimal and the
> > affect on system performance marginal. For heavy graphics applications, the
> > laptop could slow to a crawl. When you add Vista (a known memory 
> hog) to the
> > picture, the speed reduction would be impossible to bear.
> >
> >
> > Al Geist
> > Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
> > Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
> > Cell: 802-578-3964
> > Website: www.geistassociates.com
> > See Also:
> > Fine Art Photography
> > Website: www.geistimages.com
> >
> > "...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
> > without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
> > day." (Anon.)
> >
> >
> >
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >
> > Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
> > printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
> > Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> > http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
> >
> > True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> > Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> > documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
> >
> > ---
> >
> >
> >
> > You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com -dot- 
> >
> > To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> > techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > or visit 
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/straylightsghost%40gmail.com
> >
> >
> > To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >
> > Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
> > http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
> >
> >
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
>printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
>Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
>http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
>True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
>Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
>documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
>---
>You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as john -at- hedtke -dot- com -dot- 
>
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/john%40hedtke.com
>
>
>To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
>http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.