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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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 08 Apr 2009, 22:30
The main reason I want a desktop is because I want a personal server, so a computer that's on 24/7. I don't just need it for torrenting, but as a means of securely accessing all my files. I might have to give this issue a little more thought though.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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10 Apr 2009, 07:18
xenok wrote: The main reason I want a desktop is because I want a personal server, so a computer that's on 24/7. I don't just need it for torrenting, but as a means of securely accessing all my files. I might have to give this issue a little more thought though. Could an NAS suffice? D-Link DNS-323 is nice and cheap. And hard drive prices are dropping quickly... http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DNS-323-Ne ... B000GK8LVE
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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10 Apr 2009, 13:28
zoinnk wrote: xenok wrote: The main reason I want a desktop is because I want a personal server, so a computer that's on 24/7. I don't just need it for torrenting, but as a means of securely accessing all my files. I might have to give this issue a little more thought though. Could an NAS suffice? D-Link DNS-323 is nice and cheap. And hard drive prices are dropping quickly... http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DNS-323-Ne ... B000GK8LVEThose NAS devices are really cool! My brother picked up a D-Link and threw two 500 GB drives into it. The whole thing came to under $200. He has it setup as a RAID 1 array, so one drive mirrors the other, reducing the likelihood you'll lose your data to practically zero. It has some cool network features too (bitorrent client so you can download directly to the NAS, FTP server, etc). RF
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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10 Apr 2009, 17:57
It would cover about 80% of my needs, I just need to figure out if the remaining 20% is worth paying the desktop premium. Thanks for the link.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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15 Apr 2009, 20:29
bsd_lover wrote: I went through the same and decided on an X200s. My reasoning was simple - more screen real estate is worth more than a little extra processing power. The weight stuff is just an added bonus. rca215 wrote: I think I have the top end one, 2.4GHz dual core. Zero performance issues. It runs very fast. Battery life if you're actively using the computer (word, internet, etc...) is roughly 6-ish hours for a 9-cell battery, using level 5 brightness (out of 15). How is the weight and bulkiness with the 9 cell battery? Do you notice the "bulge" of the 9 cell sticking out? I want the life of the 9 cell but I'm not sure if it adds much in hauling work over the 6 cell. Also, what do you think of the screen brightness? I'm debating the X200 vs. X200s and looking for any opinions. I can get the former for $1200 including an onsite+accidental 3-year warranty. I can do the X200s for a bit over $1400 for the same warrant. I would probably go with the 6 cell on the X200s since it runs a bit longer and to save weight. I gather the other plus of the X200s is a better screen, besides the BIG plus of being a lot lighter. I don't really know if the weight makes much of a difference (about 0.6 pounds between 6 cell X200s and 9 cell X200). Any thoughts? Also, what about the performance of the X200s? It has slower processor but I'm not sure how significant the difference will be running Vista. I change my mind on the topic every 30 seconds it seems. Someone please tell me the weight difference isn't a big deal and that the X200 has a lovely screen!  So after using it for a while what do you think of the resolution? I just had a sudden panic that a 1440 resolution on a 12.1 inch screen is going to be really tough on the eyes. What are your thoughts? How do things look if you switch it from its native resolution to 1280? Damn these decisions are tough. 
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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16 Apr 2009, 00:05
I love the resolution. I can have more icons on the screen an more general desktop area. If you are concerned about the fonts, its quite easy to enable larger fonts (on office, desktop, IE and firefox) - Ctrl ++ does the trick. There are some free software to increase size of fonts and icons system wide. In fact I'm typing this message on the laptop - the keyboard is a dream. Much better than the one on my sony vaio sz (which is a 13 inch laptop). If you can see one in action (in a retail store or something) - its probably worth checking out. rca215 wrote: So after using it for a while what do you think of the resolution? I just had a sudden panic that a 1440 resolution on a 12.1 inch screen is going to be really tough on the eyes. What are your thoughts? How do things look if you switch it from its native resolution to 1280? Damn these decisions are tough. |
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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16 Apr 2009, 04:35
I just got my new X200 yesterday and I love it. Despite the light weight (about 3.5 lbs) it still feels pretty sturdy. And of course it's got that wonderful Thinkpad keyboard. The screen size took a few minutes getting used to after having a 14" fullsize laptop for work the past few years, but everything is definitely readable. Haven't tested battery life on the 6 cell battery yet, but the battery meter says 7 hrs available with the "power source optimized setting" so I'm going to guess it's easily 5.5+ hrs of actual battery life, which I think is probably longer than I'll ever be without a power cord at school. Overall very happy with the laptop. One other thing for people in the US, I just picked up a 500 GB external USB HDD at Best Buy on sale for $115. Plenty of space on that for all your backup and other file storage needs, and pretty good deal at that price.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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16 Apr 2009, 13:39
I had a chance to check out several Lenovo models at a retail store in the States -- and the Ideapad U-Series (my initial choice) was compact and performed well, but didn't feel as durable as the Thinkpads. And the Thinkpad X301, while nice, is still probably going to be outside my budget.
So X200 it is!
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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21 Apr 2009, 23:03
btw, I still love my X200 after 1 year of use. The weight is fine, and the screen is just the right size. I still have my desktop which I use as a sync server so I have my data on two computers at all times (and I like working on my desktop more because of the larger screen and keyboard). The 9-cell battery lasts a long time, but for some reason mine only lasts 6-7 hours on the dimmest setting...
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 10:38
Waterfield Designs (sfbags.com) http://www.sfbags.com/index.htmGod I love there stuff!  
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 16:47
bsd_lover wrote: I love the resolution. I can have more icons on the screen an more general desktop area. If you are concerned about the fonts, its quite easy to enable larger fonts (on office, desktop, IE and firefox) - Ctrl ++ does the trick. There are some free software to increase size of fonts and icons system wide. In fact I'm typing this message on the laptop - the keyboard is a dream. Much better than the one on my sony vaio sz (which is a 13 inch laptop). If you can see one in action (in a retail store or something) - its probably worth checking out. rca215 wrote: So after using it for a while what do you think of the resolution? I just had a sudden panic that a 1440 resolution on a 12.1 inch screen is going to be really tough on the eyes. What are your thoughts? How do things look if you switch it from its native resolution to 1280? Damn these decisions are tough. First post from the new X200s. Definitely like it so far! But I do think I'll have to bust out Ctrl++ from time-to-time, despite my eagle eyes.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 17:13
Hey rca have you tried eyerelief ? http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS- ... lief.shtmlGive it a whirl. rca215 wrote: .
First post from the new X200s. Definitely like it so far! But I do think I'll have to bust out Ctrl++ from time-to-time, despite my eagle eyes.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 18:50
I'm leaning towards a X200s myself. How much larger (physical size) is the 9-cell battery than the 6-cell battery?
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 18:57
It pokes out from the back, but its not too bad. The battery life is worth it !!! I'll try to post photos later when I have some time. YihWei wrote: I'm leaning towards a X200s myself. How much larger (physical size) is the 9-cell battery than the 6-cell battery?
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 18:58
bsd_lover wrote: It pokes out from the back, but its not too bad. The battery life is worth it !!! I'll try to post photos later when I have some time. YihWei wrote: I'm leaning towards a X200s myself. How much larger (physical size) is the 9-cell battery than the 6-cell battery? Sweet. Thanks, bsd!
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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30 Apr 2009, 19:35
bsd_lover wrote: Hey rca have you tried eyerelief ? http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS- ... lief.shtmlGive it a whirl. rca215 wrote: .
First post from the new X200s. Definitely like it so far! But I do think I'll have to bust out Ctrl++ from time-to-time, despite my eagle eyes. I'll take a look at that, thanks! I've been using the dpi thing so far and it's okay. A general question for anyone...any tips on how to have a sort of sync between my laptop and desktop? Do I need to set up a network and then sync when my laptop returns to that home network? Or is it safe/feasible to use the public folder as a shared "documents" folder between the two computers?
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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01 May 2009, 05:14
bsd_lover wrote: It pokes out from the back, but its not too bad. The battery life is worth it !!! I'll try to post photos later when I have some time. YihWei wrote: I'm leaning towards a X200s myself. How much larger (physical size) is the 9-cell battery than the 6-cell battery? I'm in the other camp and don't think the 9 cell is worth the extra weight/size. I have a x200, which is more power hungry than the x200s, and even so with the 6 cell battery I get a good 6+ hours of usage (using the power save setting).
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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01 May 2009, 06:21
the 9-cell is WORTH IT! For some strange reason I only get 6-7 hours with semi-power save mode (Level 3 out of 15 lighting), but it's good enough to last most days. I also find the sticking out part easier to grasp when I need to move with the laptop in hand. The Waterfield designs bags are AMAZING. 
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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02 May 2009, 17:24
Hi folks, Just starting to think about laptops for school. (I'm a bit behind) It seems that a lot of the folks on this thread like Lenovos over Dell. Any reason why I should avoid Dell? It seems to be less expensive than Lenovo.... thanks!
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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02 May 2009, 18:03
I personally don't have issues with Dell (never used one), but I have heard that the build quality is low and things break down often. This is coming from my classmates who use Dell (a lot of them do) XPS. Lenovo's are generally just sturdier and better built.
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Re: The great Laptop discussion forum &nbs
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