Laptop Decision - Which Features Most Important ?

[torrenova]

OK, I've been on this for ages but here's my feeling at the moment. Please pick holes in it and suggest either improvements or producst which will suffice.

Processor - Core 2 Duo (don't think I can wait for or afford the Core Quad)

Speed - 2mhz or higher (just how important is this ?)

Graphics - separate card (seems to be NVIDIA GeForce XYZ123 or something). How important is the dedicated memory (128/256/512) ?

RAM - minimum of 3Gb

Integrated webcam - minimum 1.3, preferably 2.0 mega pixels.

Wireless connection - obviously but what are the different types - what is 10/100/1000 ?

Operating system - probably Vista - does it matter which one ?

Hard disk - Anything over about 150gb will do but probably looking north of 200. Can't see the need for 400 or more.

Size - minimum 15.4" but could be persuaded for higher.

Weight - not really an issue

Not sure if I've missed anything. Price obviously and there is the crux. I'm having a difficult time doing my cost benefit analysis because I don't know what I can reduce or sacrifice to keep the cost down. I multi task so RAM is important as is some speed. Download quite a lot but then burn to DVD so don't need a 500GB disk at extra cost. Will use mains mainly so battery life is not critical. Build quality is an issue but I've read so many varying opinions it is mind boggling.

So if any of you can point the way I'd be very grateful as I want to nail this within a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Do I presume Panthip is the best and if so, where in Panthip ?

Thanks on advance.

[Dirk_brijs]

Battery life would be an important topic for me if I pick a model.

[Veazer]

Don't forget to think about future problems. I think warranty and support, and of course reliability, are one of the most important features. You need to be absolutely certain that wherever you are in the world that the maker is going to support you when things go wrong, and you need to be sure that they are going to do this for a substantial period of time.

I bought a very nice Dell desktop replacement some time again ago but stupidly only got the 1 year warranty because i hadn't had issues with previous laptops. The video card died shortly after the warranty expired and they weren't available in thailand. I had to order one, for a very high price, off ebay and have it shipped over for even more money. The replacement card was dead, and by the time i got it back to the US the seller wouldn't take it back and ebay wouldn't back me. I was stuck with an expensive brick until i returned to the US to get it fixed.

If I had opted for the 3 year warranty, they would have simply come to my house and fixed it. I learned my lesson.

[ajarnmark]

OK, I've been on this for ages but here's my feeling at the moment. Please pick holes in it and suggest either improvements or producst which will suffice.

Processor - Core 2 Duo (don't think I can wait for or afford the Core Quad) [longer you wait, more new technologies will be in the market]

Speed - 2mhz or higher (just how important is this ?) [you mean 2GHz! it is the speed of your processor, all operations are dependent on this. Faster it is, better it is]

Graphics - separate card (seems to be NVIDIA GeForce XYZ123 or something). How important is the dedicated memory (128/256/512) ? [if you have shared memory, that means your graphic card will take its memory from system RAM, thus reducing system RAM by the amount used by graphics card]

RAM - minimum of 3Gb [go for 4GB if you plan to run Vista on it, though Vista works fine with 2GB as well]

Integrated webcam - minimum 1.3, preferably 2.0 mega pixels. [Are you going to work for fox news?]

Wireless connection - obviously but what are the different types - what is 10/100/1000 ? [WiFi are pretty much standard, but 10/100/1000 are used for LAN and it specifies the speed of data transmission over LAN]

Operating system - probably Vista - does it matter which one ? [if you wanna pay for Vista, go ahead]

Hard disk - Anything over about 150gb will do but probably looking north of 200. Can't see the need for 400 or more. [The bigger it is, better it is, coz it will be difficult to upgrade hdd in the future, due to cost and data reasons]

Size - minimum 15.4" but could be persuaded for higher. [upto you]

Weight - not really an issue [it is a major issue, if you plan to carry it]

Not sure if I've missed anything. Price obviously and there is the crux. I'm having a difficult time doing my cost benefit analysis because I don't know what I can reduce or sacrifice to keep the cost down. I multi task so RAM is important as is some speed. Download quite a lot but then burn to DVD so don't need a 500GB disk at extra cost. Will use mains mainly so battery life is not critical. Build quality is an issue but I've read so many varying opinions it is mind boggling.

So if any of you can point the way I'd be very grateful as I want to nail this within a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Do I presume Panthip is the best and if so, where in Panthip ?

Thanks on advance.

Its really your choice where in Panthip, however, I would suggest you hardware house.

BUT look at other shops too. Sometimes, you get a better deal somewhere.

[torrenova]

Veazer

Sure a good point about warranty. I'd want 3 years but it would have to be international as it will be used in Singapore and possibly Europe. I've heard good things about Acer's warranty being honoured. Not up to speed on other makes and their warranties.

ajarnmark

Thanks for your replies. Not working for Fox News but webcam with family when away. Some only have 0.3 and that seems crap. Thanks specifically on the video explanation.

What's the issue with paying for Vista ? They all come with something unless you have it custom built and Somchai sure ain't flying down to Singapore to fix it is he ?

Now of course you want the best of everything but the best of all is over budget (not sure what the budget is but not that high) so where to trim the fat from the best areas ? Like is it better to reduce processor speed against a graphics card trade off or against the HD or Ram ? You see what I mean ?

[dave_boo]

OK, I've been on this for ages but here's my feeling at the moment. Please pick holes in it and suggest either improvements or producst which will suffice.

Processor - Core 2 Duo (don't think I can wait for or afford the Core Quad) [longer you wait, more new technologies will be in the market]

Speed - 2mhz or higher (just how important is this ?) [you mean 2GHz! it is the speed of your processor, all operations are dependent on this. Faster it is, better it is]

Why do you think you need something faster than 2 GHZ? A Core2 Duo is plenty fast at speeds less than that!

Graphics - separate card (seems to be NVIDIA GeForce XYZ123 or something). How important is the dedicated memory (128/256/512) ? [if you have shared memory, that means your graphic card will take its memory from system RAM, thus reducing system RAM by the amount used by graphics card]

Are you planning on running games? If not, skip discrete graphics; the added price and decreased battery life just isn't worth it. Granted, you lose some RAM to an integrated solution, but you can adjust how much. The only thing about most integrated solutions (other than being weak gaming solutions) is that you can't run Aero with full effects. However, running Aero with full effects eats up your battery life also!

RAM - minimum of 3Gb [go for 4GB if you plan to run Vista on it, though Vista works fine with 2GB as well]

Excellent advice; if you go with 4 and don't want to be 'missing' memory, you'll need a 64 bit copy of Vista. Also, going with 3 GB means that you have an unmatched pair in your system. Performance won't be affected much, but there will be a hit.

Integrated webcam - minimum 1.3, preferably 2.0 mega pixels. [Are you going to work for fox news?]

Make sure that it's not 'effective' 1,3 MP. I.E., a lot of webcams use interpolation to get those high numbers, and if it's built in, I'd bet it's no better than 0,3 real. Also, as pointed out, it's a webcam; you won't see that much difference getting a higher resolution other than decreased frame rates. Also important is wether the webcam can tilt. If it tilts, you will be able to centre it on your face. Otherwise you're going to have to tilt the whole screen.

Wireless connection - obviously but what are the different types - what is 10/100/1000 ? [WiFi are pretty much standard, but 10/100/1000 are used for LAN and it specifies the speed of data transmission over LAN]

Make sure that your wireless supports Draft-N. That's the newest speed offered, and it's backwards compatabile.

Operating system - probably Vista - does it matter which one ? [if you wanna pay for Vista, go ahead]

Best price/options for what you're talking about would be Vista Home Premium (64 bit if you want to utilise 4 GB of RAM).

Hard disk - Anything over about 150gb will do but probably looking north of 200. Can't see the need for 400 or more. [The bigger it is, better it is, coz it will be difficult to upgrade hdd in the future, due to cost and data reasons]

I totally agree; however would also like to point out that higher capacity hard drives are usually faster simply because their areal density (how much information is packed into the space) is higher. Some have so much higher that a 5400 RPM drive can be faster than a smaller 7200 RPM drive. Sounds odd, but think about it this way; if you want to move a lot of stuff across country, would you rather have a speedy car do it in several trips or higher a slower truck to do it all in one trip?

Size - minimum 15.4" but could be persuaded for higher. [upto you]

Bigger size is more of a drain on your battery. More importantly, what resolution do you want to run at? 15,4" usually tops out at 1680x1050. 17" goes up to 1920x1200. The higher resolution can kill frame rates in games. Another thing to worry about is do you want a nice shiny screen or an anti-glare model. The shiny screen is aboslutely gorgeous when it comes to displaying games. However, try and take it outside to work......glare will drive you mad. You'll see yourself, everything around and behind you. Also in regards to screens think about how far it will tilt. Look at viewing angles. ETC.

Weight - not really an issue [it is a major issue, if you plan to carry it]

Weight can be an issue....are you planning on taking it on airlines? Plan on having anything else in the laptop bag? This could disqualify the bag due to weight limits.

Not sure if I've missed anything. Price obviously and there is the crux. I'm having a difficult time doing my cost benefit analysis because I don't know what I can reduce or sacrifice to keep the cost down. I multi task so RAM is important as is some speed. Download quite a lot but then burn to DVD so don't need a 500GB disk at extra cost. Will use mains mainly so battery life is not critical. Build quality is an issue but I've read so many varying opinions it is mind boggling.

Other items to consider are external connectivity. Think USB ports. I've only got 3 USB ports on my 17" laptop. Granted the sucker is only about 1,3" thick. However, I plug my mouse in, an external drive, and my iPod. What do I do if I have to copy something to a thumbdrive? I could use a USB hub, but everything on that hub has to go through one USB controller. Disk to Disk copies would be deadly slow! Also consider firewire. Do you need it? Monitor attachments. I've got both VGA and HDMI. HDMI should be standard on all laptops in my opinion. It's dave_boo proof (read idiot proof) way of attaching your laptop to a TV. Consider bluetooth. Do you want to connect your celluar phone easily with it? Also consider the touchpad/pointer stick. I LOVE Thinkpads, but will not use one if it doesn't have a touchpad. Others love the pointer stick. Others yet use the pointer stick for coarse adjustment and keep a finger on the touchpad for fine adjustment. Consider speakers. Do you want two; four; four with a 'subwoofer'. Take along some demanding music to test drive them. Consider audo in and out. Does it offer you the connections you think you'll need to hook up to whatever sound system you will use? Consider if it has an onboard mike, unless you're going to use a headset with your webcam. Consider a built in card reader. Does it read the cards you have? Some don't read CF/MD. I've think that has been enough from me!

So if any of you can point the way I'd be very grateful as I want to nail this within a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Do I presume Panthip is the best and if so, where in Panthip ?

Thanks on advance.

Its really your choice where in Panthip, however, I would suggest you hardware house.

BUT look at other shops too. Sometimes, you get a better deal somewhere.

[torrenova]

Thanks for taking the time Dave, some interesting points.

[stumonster]

getting built in Bluetooth is something I consider essential in a laptop - very handy

my dell , 3 years old , was an extra $20 to have it fitted but you will free up a USB port as you can use a bluetooth mouse - I have a small logitech that has done more than 6 months on a pair of energizer AA's

plus the connectivity to your phone , BT headset etc

[niller74]

When I buy new notebooks I look at the following..

- Good keyboard

- Good monitor

Interfacing with your computer should be good. If the keyboard or the monitor isn't good, you wont enjoy using the computer at all. IMO this is the most important aspect when buying.

- Bluetooth

- Integrated webcam

This is very nice to have and will make everyday life easier.

- Dedicated graphics

Is nice for gaming and 3D applications, but if you are not planning on using this you are actually better off with an integrated graphic card, due to less power consumption.

- Harddisk size

- CPU speed/type

Most modern CPUs and harddisks are good enough to run office applications. Unless you are going to play high-end 3D games this will be more than enough.

ALWAYS buy a good bag for your notebook if you plan to take it with you. Many people neglect this and end up with a broken monitor or harddisk cause they dropped it.

[think_too_mut]

I bought a very nice Dell desktop replacement some time again ago but stupidly only got the 1 year warranty because i hadn't had issues with previous laptops. The video card died shortly after the warranty expired and they weren't available in thailand. I had to order one, for a very high price, off ebay and have it shipped over for even more money. The replacement card was dead, and by the time i got it back to the US the seller wouldn't take it back and ebay wouldn't back me. I was stuck with an expensive brick until i returned to the US to get it fixed.

If I had opted for the 3 year warranty, they would have simply come to my house and fixed it. I learned my lesson.

Dell? Would they? I think not.

In Thai they support only corporate customers with large orders. Not individuals.

Try their site, there is no "Home" option. Try same kind of laptop through "Office" and you will be asked to log in. That login is for large orders only.

Dell Thailand

[Gary A]

Look for at least a three year international warranty. My Thinkpad is more than two years old and is now having problems. It looks like I will be testing the warranty soon.

I find the built in Bluetooth and WiFi nice to have. Unless you are a gamer, buying a very powerful computer is mostly a waste of money. I have just upgraded my desktop to Duo core with two gig of DDR2 667 ram. It doesn't boot any faster and although it is faster when using a program like photoshop, a second or two is NOT a big deal. Compared to my 2.26 ghz single core laptop with a gig of ram, I think the time would be milliseconds rather than seconds. I think duo core super fast expensive processors are overrated and a waste of money unless you have special applications that need a lot of power.

[TexasRanger]

Watch out for some cheaper laptops which have the fan underneath, I had one from work which had the fan in a position where it was covered by my leg when it was on my lap and it would overheat and shut down. Not much point having a laptop that you can't put on your lap.

Edited August 29, 2008 by TexasRanger

[raro]

Dell? Would they? I think not.

In Thai they support only corporate customers with large orders. Not individuals.

I do personally know (a fellow board member btw..) who had the DELL engineer the next day at his house to fix the laptop. In Pattaya.

As for the OP, price would be the main factor. ACER is great, buy the extended warranty (3 ys) with it and you are covered worldwide. As for the specs...if you are running just office software and some stuff like google earth 2 GHz dual core is absolutely sufficient. Get some extra memory, 4 GB is for sure good, I run 3 GB and have regularly some 20 windows open and it works....

[Veazer]

I bought a very nice Dell desktop replacement some time again ago but stupidly only got the 1 year warranty because i hadn't had issues with previous laptops. The video card died shortly after the warranty expired and they weren't available in thailand. I had to order one, for a very high price, off ebay and have it shipped over for even more money. The replacement card was dead, and by the time i got it back to the US the seller wouldn't take it back and ebay wouldn't back me. I was stuck with an expensive brick until i returned to the US to get it fixed.

If I had opted for the 3 year warranty, they would have simply come to my house and fixed it. I learned my lesson.

Dell? Would they? I think not.

In Thai they support only corporate customers with large orders. Not individuals.

Try their site, there is no "Home" option. Try same kind of laptop through "Office" and you will be asked to log in. That login is for large orders only.

Dell Thailand

Sorry, but that is not correct in my experience but i'm referring to Dell machines purchased outside of thailand. My previous employer had a dell latitude he purchased in the USA with 3 years of complete care. On more than one occasion they sent a technician to his house in Chiang Mai.

I am the process of looking at new laptops now, i just asked a Dell rep about this and he said no problem, you just need to let Dell the laptop has been moved outside the country of purchase. (HERE)

As for buying it inside thailand, i don't know. The selection on the thai site is a bit limited so i wouldn't bother.

[dave_boo]

Look for at least a three year international warranty. My Thinkpad is more than two years old and is now having problems. It looks like I will be testing the warranty soon.

I find the built in Bluetooth and WiFi nice to have. Unless you are a gamer, buying a very powerful computer is mostly a waste of money. I have just upgraded my desktop to Duo core with two gig of DDR2 667 ram. It doesn't boot any faster and although it is faster when using a program like photoshop, a second or two is NOT a big deal. Compared to my 2.26 ghz single core laptop with a gig of ram, I think the time would be milliseconds rather than seconds. I think duo core super fast expensive processors are overrated and a waste of money unless you have special applications that need a lot of power.

Gary A does have a good point; there are few tasks that you're going to be doing on a laptop that requires any sort of speedy CPU--unless you're using it as your main machine. I only have my laptop for a main machine when I'm out of the country, so I splurged and got one that would be totally inappropiate for the vast majority of TV users. However, I do a lot of video transcoding, gaming, etc. so the extra speed pays off in my opinion.

However, not knowing what OS Gary is running on his desktop, I can't comment on wether or not his upgrade was enough. There is a fine balance that goes on when you upgrade. If you over-upgrade something and under-upgrade another (which could be his problem if he's running Vista--i.e. he upgraded his CPU but didn't upgrade his RAM enough because you really, really need more than 2 gigs of RAM for Vista and Photochop) you won't see the returns on investment that you were expecting. For instance, my laptop came with a t5250 and 2 gigs of RAM. Now upgrading it to a T9300 and 4 gigs of RAM cut my transcoding time down by 1/3. Was it worth the ~500 USD? Seeing how it saves me approximately 1 hours for each dvd I rip (using h.264!), I'd say yes.

[think_too_mut]

Dell? Would they? I think not.

In Thai they support only corporate customers with large orders. Not individuals.

I do personally know (a fellow board member btw..) who had the DELL engineer the next day at his house to fix the laptop. In Pattaya.

Then, that's contrary to what DELL APJ manager told me 2 years ago - DELL does not play in home market in Thai. That's what their web site shows.

It is not possible to buy DELL for individual use, no resellers, for them PCs brought in for other countries do not exist.

Like, in Afganistan, there are PCs with the military, DELL has people to support them but if a local brings in a PC from somewhere, DELL would not take a call from him.

In 2003. I inquired many times about buying a PC for use in Thailand, they never responded (Penang).

The only way I can think of DELL engineer coming to someone's house would be - the PC was assigned or given to someone through corporate channel, which DELL will support even if that PC is used from home.

Another poster last year reported he had been turned down by DELL as they don't support individuals.

If I am wrong, I will be the first one to buy DELL for use in Thailand.

[think_too_mut]

As for buying it inside thailand, i don't know. The selection on the thai site is a bit limited so i wouldn't bother.

That is exactly what this thread is about - buying a laptop in Thailand. And DELL, one of world leaders in the field whose products can not be just ignored, has no interest in doing business with home market in Thailand.

[spacemunk]

Best is to get international warranty. And check what does the warranty cover.

CPU speed - 2.0 - 2.2 ghz would b more than enuff.

Rams - Check and see how many ram slots does it have. U just could get 2 x 2gig ram sticks. Its cheap.

Intergrated camera - Dont really need it. If u do just buy 1. usually built-ins suck.

HDD - 200gig will be enuff. Even at 160gig i still have more than enuff of space.

Graphics card - IF ur just using the laptop for multitasking IE - Work only. U dont really need a graphic card. Onboard graphics will b best. Since u wont b gaming.

Go for the Dell XPS. IMO. Dell has the best international warranty. Their tech staff will do on-site fixes if needed. U dont really need to go to their office. Back in Singapore , they came over the house just to do a 10min job.

Edited August 29, 2008 by cgbartz

[jeffer]

Then, that's contrary to what DELL APJ manager told me 2 years ago - DELL does not play in home market in Thai. That's what their web site shows.

It is not possible to buy DELL for individual use, no resellers, for them PCs brought in for other countries do not exist.

If I am wrong, I will be the first one to buy DELL for use in Thailand.

Times have changed so you need to take a walk around Panthip, Fortune or Zeer some time. Plenty of shops selling Dell laptops now and you don't need to be a corporate buyer. If you ever read the newspaper in Thailand you will often see half or even full page advertisments for Dell and some of the models advertised are for consumer use. There's not the large range you find in the USA but still there's about 4 main models with various configurations. Let us know which model you buy for yourself

[spacemunk]

I stay near to Zeer. Seen lots of Dell laptops there.

[think_too_mut]

Then, that's contrary to what DELL APJ manager told me 2 years ago - DELL does not play in home market in Thai. That's what their web site shows.

It is not possible to buy DELL for individual use, no resellers, for them PCs brought in for other countries do not exist.

If I am wrong, I will be the first one to buy DELL for use in Thailand.

Times have changed so you need to take a walk around Panthip, Fortune or Zeer some time. Plenty of shops selling Dell laptops now and you don't need to be a corporate buyer. If you ever read the newspaper in Thailand you will often see half or even full page advertisments for Dell and some of the models advertised are for consumer use. There's not the large range you find in the USA but still there's about 4 main models with various configurations. Let us know which model you buy for yourself

Been to Pantip last time just before Xmas 2006.

Will check again in 2 weeks. Always wanted to buy DELL, whichever comes with inbuilt SSD reader.

Right now I am typing from Latitude D420 (18 months old), whatever it's successor is, would do.

I need Thai PC with thai kbd and whatever wife has on her old Compaq to take with us to Japan for her use.

Edited August 29, 2008 by think_too_mut

[jeffer]

Dell @ JIB

Look around at Panthip for a JIB or BigIT shop that sells laptops. I've seen Dells there, other shops have them as well.

[raro]

If I am wrong, I will be the first one to buy DELL for use in Thailand.

you won't be the first one....

btw...check the bkk post today, they have a 6-page special inlet for promoting their laptops!

[Gary A]

Look for at least a three year international warranty. My Thinkpad is more than two years old and is now having problems. It looks like I will be testing the warranty soon.

I find the built in Bluetooth and WiFi nice to have. Unless you are a gamer, buying a very powerful computer is mostly a waste of money. I have just upgraded my desktop to Duo core with two gig of DDR2 667 ram. It doesn't boot any faster and although it is faster when using a program like photoshop, a second or two is NOT a big deal. Compared to my 2.26 ghz single core laptop with a gig of ram, I think the time would be milliseconds rather than seconds. I think duo core super fast expensive processors are overrated and a waste of money unless you have special applications that need a lot of power.

Gary A does have a good point; there are few tasks that you're going to be doing on a laptop that requires any sort of speedy CPU--unless you're using it as your main machine. I only have my laptop for a main machine when I'm out of the country, so I splurged and got one that would be totally inappropiate for the vast majority of TV users. However, I do a lot of video transcoding, gaming, etc. so the extra speed pays off in my opinion.

However, not knowing what OS Gary is running on his desktop, I can't comment on wether or not his upgrade was enough. There is a fine balance that goes on when you upgrade. If you over-upgrade something and under-upgrade another (which could be his problem if he's running Vista--i.e. he upgraded his CPU but didn't upgrade his RAM enough because you really, really need more than 2 gigs of RAM for Vista and Photochop) you won't see the returns on investment that you were expecting. For instance, my laptop came with a t5250 and 2 gigs of RAM. Now upgrading it to a T9300 and 4 gigs of RAM cut my transcoding time down by 1/3. Was it worth the ~500 USD? Seeing how it saves me approximately 1 hours for each dvd I rip (using h.264!), I'd say yes.

I'm using XP Pro on the laptop and desktop.

[dave_boo]

Look for at least a three year international warranty. My Thinkpad is more than two years old and is now having problems. It looks like I will be testing the warranty soon.

I find the built in Bluetooth and WiFi nice to have. Unless you are a gamer, buying a very powerful computer is mostly a waste of money. I have just upgraded my desktop to Duo core with two gig of DDR2 667 ram. It doesn't boot any faster and although it is faster when using a program like photoshop, a second or two is NOT a big deal. Compared to my 2.26 ghz single core laptop with a gig of ram, I think the time would be milliseconds rather than seconds. I think duo core super fast expensive processors are overrated and a waste of money unless you have special applications that need a lot of power.

Gary A does have a good point; there are few tasks that you're going to be doing on a laptop that requires any sort of speedy CPU--unless you're using it as your main machine. I only have my laptop for a main machine when I'm out of the country, so I splurged and got one that would be totally inappropiate for the vast majority of TV users. However, I do a lot of video transcoding, gaming, etc. so the extra speed pays off in my opinion.

However, not knowing what OS Gary is running on his desktop, I can't comment on wether or not his upgrade was enough. There is a fine balance that goes on when you upgrade. If you over-upgrade something and under-upgrade another (which could be his problem if he's running Vista--i.e. he upgraded his CPU but didn't upgrade his RAM enough because you really, really need more than 2 gigs of RAM for Vista and Photochop) you won't see the returns on investment that you were expecting. For instance, my laptop came with a t5250 and 2 gigs of RAM. Now upgrading it to a T9300 and 4 gigs of RAM cut my transcoding time down by 1/3. Was it worth the ~500 USD? Seeing how it saves me approximately 1 hours for each dvd I rip (using h.264!), I'd say yes.

I'm using XP Pro on the laptop and desktop.

XP is quite happy with 2 gigs. However, I don't want to be rude, but the e2220 probably wasn't the best choice for your upgrade. With only a 800 mhz FSB and 1 MB of L2 cache (the same FSB as my laptop but it gives up 5MB of L2 and 100 mhz) it would have been a good upgrade from a single core CPU, but not so good from another dual core. However, did you make sure that XP is configured to take advantage of your new processor? See here. And here's how to make sure that it is configured properly. I hope that it speeds up your system.

You know what type of OS I run. Perhaps, not trying to beat a dead horse, if you ran it you'd be seeing better results. I'll avail myself to get you set up in running when I return to Thailand in November. We were planning on taking a vacation up to Chiang Mai anyways, if I recall correctly you're in Loei so it wouldn't be a bother....

[Gary A]

Dave, I downloaded the package and when I went to install it, it told me that I already have it. I am using SP 3. The other site is down.

[jayceenik]

Watch out for some cheaper laptops which have the fan underneath, I had one from work which had the fan in a position where it was covered by my leg when it was on my lap and it would overheat and shut down. Not much point having a laptop that you can't put on your lap.

The HP notebooks manuals, available online, specifically enjoin never to put the notebook (laptop) on one's laptop! Indeed for preventing fan cooling blockage problems. Must be set on a hard surface.