Aaarg

[telophase]

Due to the UTTER TIME_SUCKING STUPIDITY of installing Civ IV last night, I have discovered that my audio and video cards* are not up to snuff. I can still play, but I have to turn the audio off to SAVE MY SANITY. At any rate, I think this means asking for $$ to either upgrade or get a new computer for Christmas.

Now I need to work out whether I want to upgrade, or get a new one. Upgrading: my computer's a frankenstein anyway and I can purchase and install various bits and pieces myself. Pro: cheapest option, plus I can keep using my current software and hardware. (the scanner MUST still be useful, and I am very leery of trying to use any other OS than the Win2K I've got right now.)

New one: I can get a laptop! I can actually take the thing to cons and not panic abut not getting enough prints! I can hook into wireless networks! I can set up my own and go sit on the couch to surf the Web! Cons: EXPENSIVE. I'd have to either make sure I got one that my ancient scanner** would work with, which I am not optimistic about, or I'd have to keep my old computer on a LAN and use it to scan.

Decisions, decisions...


* 5 years old. I'm not surprised they're getting obsolete, I'm just surprised they've lasted this long.

** This is an Epson 836XL. It is a large bed professional-level scanner. They do not make them of this quality for the consumer market anymore. No scanner I can pay less than $1500 for will make scans of the quality this one does. Buying a new one is Not An Option.

Comments

[badnoodles.livejournal.com]

Something to consider is that unless you go pretty-high end on the laptop, you're not going to get adequate screen size & quality to replace a desktop monitor. For someone who does art at the resolution you do, that's a major consideration.

Also, except on the very largest, most expensive laptops, keyboards and mice have terrible ergonomics. By the time that you've got an external monitor, mouse and keyboard hooked up so you can use the damn thing comfortably, you might just have well invested in a desktop.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

It's pretty much a given that I'm going to be hooking it to an external monitor and using an ergonomic keyboard and a trackball when I'm at my desk, but I already own all of those things. However, I have desperately wanted a portable computer for travel for a very long time now.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

I've got a souped up laptop that I adore, that my brother bought me (he's a computer geek by trade) but....I'm thinking of buying a desktop for Christmas. But not if I have to get Vista. Booooo vista. When I investigated desktops, the Dell rep (to whom I handed my budget and a handy-wavy I am an arteeeeeest and do not understand anything that is not Adobe or Painter) suggested I stick with XP because of compatability issues. Sounds like a death knell for Vista to me. (One of my profs think it will quietly fade a la Windows ME).

The laptop is awesome, as far as it goes, but, it's not quite oomphy enough to run Photoshop or Painter without major delays. It's also on the fritz because I use it ALL THE TIME. Er.

Make of this what you will.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am veeeery leery of Vista. On the Dell website, if I'm willing to spend $3500+, I can get a laptop with XP that is optimized to a reasonable extent for gaming, which is what I need for graphics. However, if I were spending that money on a desktop, I could get a pretty sweet system (even more if I built the thing myself). So I'd basically be paying $1000+ for the ability to sit on the couch and surf the net. Unfortunately, I've been dying for the ability to do that.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm....You know....

Can I make an alternate suggestion? Dell's been having sales on simple laptops in the five hundred dollar range. Some of my online cohort use this type. You could get a really sweet desktop for 2k, especially if you built it yourself (I priced one at 2k and it was fantastic) and a 500 laptop for netsurfing, and save 500 bucks.

*mad cackle*

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Heh, that might actually be a decent option. XD

And the boy just pointed out via email that we know 2 people who work at Dell who can probably get me a discount. XD

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

Oh wait....if a graphics standard lappie would be 3500, then a 2k desktop and travel lappie would be 2500....You'd actually save one thousand dollars!

Math. Is my friend. Obvsly.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

It's all funny money at this point, anyway. XD

[puppleball.livejournal.com]

Or lay in bed with the wacom and mess around. I have a Toshiba that I adore which we bought from best buy. While a drool over marco's huge wide screen lcd monitor, mine is nice on a laptop. It runs graphic programs just fine and I don't have issues with any of the games I run (with everything turned up). It was cheaper than a comprable Dell.
$2000 last xmas: 2 gigs ram, 120HD, T7200 processor, DVD/CD combo, Full size keyboard (with 10 key pad), bluetooth, geforce 7900 go graphics card. A year later and this () is what they have available in the same price range I paid. Comes with vista, but you may be able to get them to ship with XP instead.

[maxineofarc.livejournal.com]

I'm actually not too happy that I have a laptop right now-- the graphics capabilities are not what I would like or what many games demand, and I gather that it is not a simple thing to upgrade graphics cards. I'm considering getting a tower for gaming myself.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

I must say, it's really quite fun to be able to take a computer wherever you like. The first few weeks after I got my laptop, I toted it all over the house just for the excitement of it. 'Look! I'm sitting at the kitchen table! AND I'M ON THE COMPUTER! Now I'm on the couch! AND I'M ON THE COMPUTER!' XD

Dell laptops are fairly reasonably priced and are good systems, at least in my experience. I've had mine for nearly two years now, and it's a very sturdy system. No problems at all. *knocks wood* The graphics are pretty good, too. Granted, I don't do heavy-duty gaming, but I do play computer games on a pretty regular basis, and the resolution is quite good.

But yeah, whatever you do, don't get Vista! I tried it on my mother's work computer and I can definitively say that it is the Devil.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have way too much essential software and peripherals with drivers to even dare think of Vista. :D I'm going to have enough problems with hopping over to XP from my current Win2KPro right now. XD

[nekonexus.livejournal.com]

Dell is evil, and overpriced. also getting in bed with Staples. *runs fleeing*

If your ancient (and awesome) scanner is, as I suspect, on a parallel port connector, you will not likely find a laptop to support it unless you get an old off-lease one. Check with your local PC stores for that sort of thing. Parallel to USB converters exist, but I don't know how well they work.

Other options to consider for reducing price: factory refurbs, and places like TigerDirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com) where you can BYO system -- including OS -- for better than Dell prices. (I specced one out for a friend recently and came up about $500 cheaper for pretty much the same thing.)

Personally, I would go with the beef up the desktop and get a cheapie laptop for knocking about option. Stick with W2K if you can. If not, go XP Pro or Media Center Edition, not Home. Avoid Vista like the plague, but you knew that already. ^_~

Upgrading your existing video card may be difficult also, depending on which type of slot (PCI or AGP) you have on the mainboard. Sound cards are a little more forgiving. But again, places like TigerDirect do BYO barebones gaming kits starting at about $350 (mainboard, CPU, case, power supply, RAM) -- add the parts you want, throw in your existing hard drive, and you're good to go (after reinstalling windows to make sure it registers the new hardware properly :p ).