Need Geek Input For Building A New Computer

[Triggar]

Not really building in the sense that I'm buying all the pieces individually and then assembling them, but rather I need help picking the best components for Alienware to assemble in my future laptop.

Right now I'm looking solely at Alienware's, based on the fact that I want a laptop that's going to give me great performance for a couple of years, that has a good warranty and service plan, and is reasonably priced. I was looking at Dell's for a while, but I hear the company's gone to shit, and I can get more RAM and harddrive on an Alienware, for cheaper.

So the system that I'm looking to get is the Alienware Sentia. The configuration I've decided on is:
-Intel Pentium Processor M with 1MB cache - 1.7GHz 400MHz FSB
-Intel 855GM+ICH4M chipset DDR
-Intel PRO/wireless 2100 network connection
-1024MB ddr pc-2100 (2 x 512 SO-DIMMs)
-80GB 5400 rpm ata100
-Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Technology
-24x10x24 cd-rw/8x DVD combo with MPEG2 decoder
-Integrated 10/100Mb ethernet NIC

I don't know much about the video card. What do you guys think?

[myrtar]

http://www.alienware.com/system_pages/sentia.aspx

[Triggar]

Ooooooooh

http://img22.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ERAUpilot/computer.bmp

[MVTek]

haha... now that's funny.

[Triggar]

No joke, geek boy.

Maybe I should get the green computer ... to match the color of your face when I GET it!

[ControlledBurn]

I wish I had money to buy an Alienware latop :-(

[MVTek]

No joke, geek boy.

Maybe I should get the green computer ... to match the color of your face when I GET it!

Personally I would get more use out of a PowerBook G4... all I would use a laptop for is traveling with (movies/music/etc) and coding on. Sounds perfect for a UNIX-based system with a slot load DVD-R.

[ControlledBurn]

DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEE

Mac is whack

Plus slot-loading players/writers no longer impress me. Too many problems with them, plus they scratch discs. (At least my Pioneer DVD player did)

[Triggar]

So uh, what do you all know about Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Technology?

[ControlledBurn]

It licks my balls. And not very well. In fact, I keep having to grab it by the ears and re-train it, but it keeps forgetting and going back to it's old crappy ball licking ways.

[myrtar]

now, forgive my confusion, but i can't tell if that means it's really bad or moderately good.

[Triggar]

Me neither :confused:

[ControlledBurn]

Really bad.

[MVTek]

So uh, what do you all know about Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Technology?

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Triggar]

What alternative should I get then?

[MVTek]

In a laptop? I would go for either an ATi based card or a GeForce Go based card... that is if nVidia hasn't released anything since then. I assume you're going to play some games on it... the Intel bullshit is just marketing... it's integrated graphics that runs off your system memory.

[Lithion]

So uh, what do you all know about Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Technology?

I can't believe you asked that

[Triggar]

Please nig - I might be married to a massive geek, but it isn't like osmosis

[MVTek]

She's right you know... been there, tried that.

[myrtar]

heck, i had my suspicions about intel graphics, but i don't know for sure about their new stuff - sometimes companies can make turnarounds in some areas. mac and microsoft, for example, in the OS departments.

even if she had osmosis from me, it wouldn't have helped

[MVTek]

Integrated graphics are ALWAYS a no-no.

[ControlledBurn]

I'd like to make an exception to that rule. NVidia's chipsets NForce chipsets work great. Granted they're not top-end graphics, but they are certainly reliable and usable for most gamers who are not hardcore about being on the bleeding edge.

[MVTek]

personally unless it's a server... I try to steer clear of it.

[Triggar]

Okay so what should I get instead?

[ControlledBurn]

A laptop with a GeForce Go or an ATI Radeon based video chipset.

Make sure the video memory is seperate from the system memory.

[MVTek]

Well I think a hampster running around inside your laptop would be pretty sweet.

[ControlledBurn]

Agreed, but I don't know what kind of graphics they'd produce.

[Triggar]

Alright Kids, how's this one look?

-15.4" LCD Display
-Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology Extreme Edition 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB 2.5 MB Cache
-1024MB DDR PC=3200 (2x512 SO-DIMMS)
-Area-51m ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO with 128MB DDR
-AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
-SoundBlaster Pro
-Hitachi 60GB 7200 RPM ATA100 with 8MB cache

And a free Alienware t-shirt to boot.

Anyone see anything that needs improvement with that? It's way over my budget, but I want a machine that won't be outdated for years.

[Triggar]

Phroar - just found this out about my processor:

Targeting a specialized segment with specialized needs, Intel has developed the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology Extreme Edition. Designed specifically for those who know their technology and crave high performance, this processor is available at 3.20 and 3.40 GHz with an advanced 800 MHz system bus and a whopping 2MB of L3 cache. Built-in Hyper-Threading Technology (HT Technology) provides immediate value in today's computing environment by enabling the processor to simultaneously execute two software program threads. This lets you run two software applications in parallel without sacrificing performance.

[MVTek]

And a free Alienware t-shirt to boot.

I'll approve it if you give me the t-shirt.