Nikkijah

Yep, the above HP would be great for the OP, I would only add another Gig memory though. Always nice when you do graphic editing.

Agreed, sounds very reasonable!

I'll definitely check that out when I come back, only a week to go, no more window shopping for me jdinasia

Thanks again for everybody's help

Nikkijah

I just bought a "last years model" HP 1589L and believe it would do what poster wants - computer alone was about 17k and I already had a new 7k 19" Wide monitor and Visa at another 5k so about 30k in all. Best of all it is very silent and can download at night in bedroom without spousal complaints. I personally like the looks better than the new all black models.

Isn't that a printer?

I've just googled 'HP 1589L' and all that appears is a printer

If this is a silly question then please excuse it...

How high is the normal Bangkok water level compared to sea level?

Perhaps you mean to ask what is the normal sea level.

Um, nope. There are several water 'gates 'around bangkok which keep the water levels fairly consistent.

What I want to know is, if the sea levels rise 1.87 metres, as reported, will the water levels in Bangkok rise the same? Or will the inland water levels be restricted to prevent flooding of my house for example, which is only about 1.3 metres above the highest tide during the night?

If this is a silly question then please excuse it...

How high is the normal Bangkok water level compared to sea level?

Vista's UAC never bothers me. If I know I'm going to be installing a lot of things I just login quickly as Administrator and it goes away.

Strange you say this, I contacted a friend today who's already got Vista as I wanted his opinion on the whole thing, he said he logs in as administrator and has no awkward MS messages or anything else interrupting his work and that Vista is the most stable OS he''s ever used...

Honestly, I really don't mind this thread being hijacked, it's an interesting diversion to my earlier questions

I never knew operating systems touched so many nerves

You should see some of the Windows vs Mac debates.

That's always another viable option for you btw.

Please don't cdnvic, not another option

I think the whole windows Vs. MAC debate is a little bit pathetic actually

I've already ruled out a MAC for reasons I don't want to get started on...

I never knew operating systems touched so many nerves

I appreciate all of the arguments but I'm not sure that the deeper rooted problems are everybody's problems...are they?

More on the Thai professor...

Thai architect hits on blueprint for sustainable living in the tropics

What I can't understand is why Thailand doesn't do what many other nations do, encourage local consumers to produce their own electricity and buy it back from them? Many countries allow people on solar or wind to go on the grid, and when they are producing energy, their meter runs backwards, when they are consuming, it goes forward.

Seems to me that making solar & wind energy more readily available and easier (and cheaper) to use could be one way to encourage renewable energy resources.

I thought it did??

I was reading an article last year about a Thai professor - I can't remember his name - had created a completely self sufficient home, at night the roof collected condensation, by day the solar panels collected all the power needed, the waste water was collected, treated then used to water the gardens, but above all, the excess electricity, he said, he could sell back to the Thai government...

I wish I could remember the professors name, it was a very interesting house!

From an article in 'The Christian Science Monitor' not sure how I found this but it is a little bit worrying, could anything come of this??

The world's dirtiest fuel may be the country's best hope to ensure future energy security

By Daniel Ten Kate | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

Bangkok, Thailand - As the Thai economy continues its steady growth, policymakers are drafting energy strategies with a view toward keeping the lights on for the next 15 years.

To do that, planners say, Thailand must nearly double its electricity production to about 55,000 megawatts each year.

But as Thailand is learning and Malaysia has already discovered, coal could be the key to energy security in the coming decades. To secure supply in a cost-effective way that won't hold the country hostage to gas imports from regimes like neighboring Myanmar or Iran, analysts say the most viable option is coal – a fuel source hated by environmentalists who see it as the main driver of global warming.

"As much as I don't like coal, due to the carbon emissions, I'm equally worried about the need for Thailand to diversify fuel sources," says Mark Hutchinson, an independent regional energy analyst. "And there's really nothing other than coal."

A power plant fueled by natural gas has the added benefit of, on average, producing about half as much carbon dioxide, a third as much nitrogen oxides, and 1 percent as much sulfur oxides as a coal-fired plant.

Of the 22,684 megawatts Thailand uses each year, nearly 70 percent comes from gas and about 15 percent from coal.

While the reliance on gas is already considered high, Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand has warned that 90 percent of Thailand's power could come from gas if the country does not embrace either coal or nuclear energy.

That trend is particularly worrisome because Thailand already relies on Burma (Myanmar), an oppressive military-run state, for about a third of its gas.

In future years, as domestic natural-gas production in the Gulf of Thailand peaks, Bangkok may have to import increasingly expensive liquefied natural gas from Middle Eastern countries like Iran.

"Certainly it's a concern to be so reliant on natural gas," says Norkhun Sitthiphong, the Ministry of Energy's deputy permanent secretary who is overseeing the electricity plan. "Natural gas is subject to volatile world market oil prices, and we know exactly what can happen when they rise quickly."

Full story here csmonitor

Surely this is a joke?? Dose Thailand really need to use COAL to progress???

in the Gym i used the Thais would just sit on a machine resting and watching TV.

That'll be the new 'eye-workout' method

I several times I've passed by I have seen people with a blue plastic water pipe hung on their shoulders, what on earth is that doing? It's only about 3cms in diametre

They are doing hip twists and stretching exercises and that plastic pipe is perfect for it.

I thought there'd be a reasonable explanation, it still looks quaint all of it though

I can't physically drag myself along to a gym but there is one nearby where I live and I can't help but chuckle, it is just a converted shop front but is always busy, the equipment is a joke, several times I've passed by I have seen people with a blue plastic water pipe hung on their shoulders, what on earth is that doing? It's only about 3cms in diametre

The only fan in the gym is going so slowly it could be powered by the rising heat, however nobody in the gym is sweating, what they are doing though is all looking very serious and making no eye contact with anybody else in the gym, it all looks very funny, I'm not sure they are in there to work out, I think they are in there to show their faces.

Some of you might know it, it's near the junction of 'saam yaek fai chai' in Bangkok Noi... opposite the 333 club, take a look next time you're there

Last time I talked to MS on a non-validation issue I believe I was having trouble getting Windows 3.0 to boot.

And yes, authenticity is not normally an issue, but this is Asia so refer to that Cleanshop link I sent you.

Here's the link: MS clean shop listings

only problem is, there's no addresses so I might have to call each one until I find one near me..

Helpful link nonetheless

Search back through the Jan-Feb topics in this forum and you'll find posts about where to obtain OEM versions for less than the retail box versions. These however, are unsupported.

Unsupported as in you can't call M$ on the phone and get help, in every other way they are identical to a retail version.

So how many of us have ever called M$ on the phone for help?

OEM is the way to go to save money, usually you can only buy an OEM copy if you are buying components, so people usually buy a cheap HDD and an OEM OS CD to get around that.

I've never called MS & I don't know anybody who has either, so the only real difference is the support, not the authenticity right?

Thanks for the input CB, I think I would definitely have to upgrade the RAM as I've read that Vista(my OS of choice ) uses 500mb alone!

You'll find that Vista runs very smooth on 1.5+gb of ram. It handles the extra memory much more efficiently than XP did, and the complaints of UAC and DRM being a huge problem just haven't appeared. You won't be disappointed with it, I can assure you that.

DRM is dying on it's own, so don't worry about playing politics, take the OS that's going to work best for you. For me, I'm more than happy with it. Beats XP hands down.

hi been pondering about this for a while. how is vista really better than xp? better memory management? and what is DRM? sorry about my ignorance but just curious. i am a happy xp user though and just waiting for prices of vista to drop a bit. if possible or for vista to be a really fool proof stable system.

also if someone can clarify how good an intel dual core 925 is?

DRM means Digital Rights Management.

Does anybody think the price of Vista is going to drop? right up until recently XP was the same price as when it was first released(from what I saw anyway) so I'm not sure the price of Vista will come down, I've seen it for around £75, is it available any cheaper than this anywhere?

An even funkier route to take would be to use one of the Sliverstone SUGO evolution cases, it's a real case making out it's a SFF, very cool, I just bought one myself to re-house one of my PC's before I ship it over to Thailand and so far it's been superb.

I like the look of this case but I'm not keen on having my ports at the front of my machine(that's if I'm going to have my case on the TOP of my desk) - I'm quite a neat person and all I want to see on my desk(PC related) is my monitor, mouse & keyboard

Other problems are sourcing this kind of case in Thailand or the extra expense of shipping it, plus the risk of import tax

The ports at the front are extras, it has the same port setup at the back as normal, just gives you some on the front so you can hotplug stuff easier. Nice if you use things like a USB connected digital camera or a pen drive. Or even just to plug in headphones.

Maybe Silverstone have a distributer in Thailand? They are one of the large case manufacturers so maybe they do.

I'll check it out, thanks for your time

I looked around, and could not find anything better than the system you found in another thread:

Aspire L310-PS01L(not include Monitor)

* Intel®Pentium® 4 processor 651 (3.4Ghz/2MB L2Cache/FSB800)

* Intel 946GZ + CH7 chipset

* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)

* 512MB DDR-II (expandable up to 2.0 GB)

* 160GB HDD SATA up to 400GB (7200rpm)

* SuperMulti Plus , 5-in-1 Media Readers

* Integrated Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 (LAN Built-in)

* Embedded high-definition audio with 7.1 - channel audio support and Coxial S/PDIF output

* Hi-Speed USB Ports (ver 2.0)

* Acer USB Multimedia Keyboard & USB Optical Mouse

* Linux Program console mode

* 3 Years Warranty (1 Year for monitor and VGA card)

At http://www.acer.co.th/product/aspire/L310/index_p.htm

I would probably upgrade to 1gig RAM. THe system above does not appear to come with Windows pre-installed --- that's a good thing. Either run RETAIL Win XP Pro or Ubuntu Linux. In eiither case you'll need to make sure you have drivers for all the hardware.

Thanks for the input CB, I think I would definitely have to upgrade the RAM as I've read that Vista(my OS of choice ) uses 500mb alone!

An even funkier route to take would be to use one of the Sliverstone SUGO evolution cases, it's a real case making out it's a SFF, very cool, I just bought one myself to re-house one of my PC's before I ship it over to Thailand and so far it's been superb.

I like the look of this case but I'm not keen on having my ports at the front of my machine(that's if I'm going to have my case on the TOP of my desk) - I'm quite a neat person and all I want to see on my desk(PC related) is my monitor, mouse & keyboard

Other problems are sourcing this kind of case in Thailand or the extra expense of shipping it, plus the risk of import tax

Cmon Nikkijah.

This has been going on for 7 weeks.

The technology has already changed since your first post

Naka.

Lucky I've got people like CB giving me up to date guidance then

I've had to delay my return to Thailand so there has been nothing I can do here from Spain, I'll be back in just over a week so then I'll go out looking and reporting what I find

Nikkijah

This is what I'm after

Looks just about the right size for me and a few mates...and my son of course...

Thanks for the responses, now I want to ask you something:

WHAT WOULD YOU BUY WITH B20,000?

I only need the tower.

I've had my eye on a 3 metre inflatable pool from an outlet named Argos in the UK, it's small enough to fit in my suitcase with my few other posessions but if I could help it I would like to buy one in Bangkok to save hauling it half the way across the globe...

When I've bought things in Thailand I have noticed the silly prices of things we can buy cheaply back home and I'm worried that this £25 swimming pool from Argos will cost me a lot more in Bangkok, does anybody know where I can get one of these and how I can expect to pay?

Nikkijah

I'll take that into consideration CBinParadise, I don't suppose you fancy copying and pasting some of the info from your link do you? Looks a bit dodge if you ask me...

Anyhow, I contacted Dell what a laugh, I sent them a basic specification list along with my contact details and this is the response I received this morning:

Jiraporn,

Please help to assist to customer.

Thanks.

Regards,

Sanchai W

Not sure what this means, perhaps Sanchai was trying to pretend I was a Thai??

Perhaps I was simply copied in on this internal memo

I'm not feeling totally confident