Laptops dont save you money

I got a laptop and sold my desktop to try to curb my upgrade expenditures.

Lets just say it hasn't worked.

Upgraded the RAM to 1GB
Bought a USB Hub
Bought a Bluetooth Adaptor
Bought a Wifi G card (Windows)
Bought a Wifi B card (Linux)
Bought a GPS Unit
Bought a Serial to USB Adaptor
Bought a bunch of old games to play on the laptop
And now I want a 7200RPM lappy drive.

I think I have a problem.

I think it's time for an intervention. . .

9mmCensor said:

I got a laptop and sold my desktop to try to curb my upgrade expenditures.

Lets just say it hasn't worked.

Upgraded the RAM to 1GB
Bought a USB Hub
Bought a Bluetooth Adaptor
Bought a Wifi G card (Windows)
Bought a Wifi B card (Linux)
Bought a GPS Unit
Bought a Serial to USB Adaptor
Bought a bunch of old games to play on the laptop
And now I want a 7200RPM lappy drive.

I think I have a problem.

Click to expand...

Well, if ya ponied up the $ for the right lappy.... The one I'm itching to get (Dell i9300) has;

Ram: I'll probably order it with 512, and get more from newegg...so ya got me there.

USB hub: I believe I'll have 6 USB ports, built in. Don't need it.

Bluetooth: Optional at purchase...$29, IIRC.

Wifi "G": Built in. Don't know if it works w/ Linux or not though...

GPS: Really don't have a need for one myself....

Serial to USB: I could use one of these...I've got an aftermarket, 3rd party "remote control", that's serial based. But, chances are when I buy the i9300, I'll get it w/ XP Media Ed., and the USB TV tuner, and that comes with it's own remote...

You had to go out and buy some OLD games?!?!? Heck, I've got a ton of stuff in a box, more than half of which I've never even loaded and played.

7200 RPM drive: Already got one, used thru our forums here. It's in my Presario 1720US ATM, and will "migrate" to the Dell (whenever I can afford to get it already... )

*me looks at gaming rig on table beside me as I type*

HMMM... I see a DFI LanParty mobo (cha-ching), 2.8C retail P4, a gig of the good stuff (Corsair XL PRO PC3200...the stuff w/ "activity lights...LOL) (cha-ching), waterpump, CPU/GPU fancy-schmancy blocks, radiator with a fancy-schmancy shroud... 9800 Pro 256 (modded to and XT), bought when they fetched about $300.... All kinds of bling-bling (UV lights, UV sleeving, yada-yada...) Etc...etc...ad-infinium...

I've got a feeling I'll probably spend LESS on an i9300, and the Dell will run circles around my ol' Gamer.

*sigh*

I'd be a lot easier lugging around a 9 LB laptop, instead of this watercooled, housed in a mid-tower Chieftec (albeit, and aluminum one) super-duper-uber-31337-it r0xx0rz-gaming rig.

Mr B said:

GPS: Really don't have a need for one myself....

Click to expand...

I dont need one either. And thats the problem.

9mmCensor said:

I dont need one either. And thats the problem.

Click to expand...

It might come in handy with my new job (field tech, servicing PC based registers, servers, printers, scanners, etc...in a couple local supermarket chains). I'm on the road a bit now, anywhere from Boston, MA to Providence, RI.

I just printed out directions on Mapquest, and carry a big folder of 'em, and a town by town mapbook of Eastern Massachusetts...

Well, you can feel better just thinking that you did not spend money in :

- A fancy mobile optical wireless mouse
- A mobile printer
- An external USB disk drive (for backups)
- A USB diskette drive (just to do easier flashing of the opticals)
- A DVD writer
- An PCMCIA microdrive
- An additional battery
- An additional charger
- A docking station
....

As you can see there are still a couple of ideas hanging around...

Think of the electricity you save and being to carry all that power with you anywhere you go.

My laptop uses 1/3 the power of my desktop and it can do everything I Need it to do.

or a logitech V500
SanDisk 1GB
2 sleeves and 1 bagpack
Antec coolingpad


upgraded to 1gb ram too

FTC said:

Well, you can feel better just thinking that you did not spend money in :

- A fancy mobile optical wireless mouse
- A mobile printer
- An external USB disk drive (for backups)
- A USB diskette drive (just to do easier flashing of the opticals)
- A DVD writer
- An PCMCIA microdrive
- An additional battery
- An additional charger
- A docking station
....

As you can see there are still a couple of ideas hanging around...

Click to expand...

You reminded me.

add...
Creative Zen 30GB MP3 Player for external storage
A bunch of USB flash drives from 64MBs to 1GB
a USB Floppy drive
and external USB CD-RW (for disc to disc copying)
the lappy has a DVD burner

9mmCensor said:

I dont need one either. And thats the problem.

Click to expand...

Ahahahaha, thats classic, yeah instead I have a garmin poket size one, it does work well while camping and hiking.

I can see it your way and Mr. B's way, I spent a fair amount trying to get my wifes laptop running better with more ram, etc, but didn't have to. So I guess I am in the same place you are.

dude... I think you do have a problem... But hey you dont have a laptop stand yet... or a bullet proof laptop case ...


So not that I'm trying to give you ideas or anything but, why havent you done a cpu upgrade?

Add a webcam for notebooks (clips onto the lcd) and a external usb hard drive to store my .txt files (250gigs worth).

its a sickness.

its okay if you have a problem, we still love you the same.

i think that if the rest of us COULD, we'd be doing the same.

Step 1: Admiting you have a problem.

yeah, there's always going to be something flashy or whatever that would be cool to have. Then you buy it. ei- I bought a wireless card for by PDA. I've used it twice. It's definitly cool to have, it's just one of those things.

step 2... send all of your hardware to four4875 and start over.

You clearly have too much stuff, and i need to experience this too much stuffedness.

i got mine caus i got used to having a lappy, for school and work and all. as opposed to saving money. but then again i still have my desktop.

ok Lets talk about my issues then shall we

I have

1 Dell 9300
1 AMD 64 3200+ Gaming system with 2 LCD's
1 Dell SC420 server
1 Shuttle SN45GV2 Athlon XP2500+ HTPC system (32" Flatpanel)

If I were to list all of the odds and ends I have; Remotes, game controllers and what not. I would be here forever but lets say its the cost of a small car.

All of which is in a 1 bedroom apartment where the bedroom is an office so I sleep in the living room on a futon.

I think I need therapy.

Dell 9300
+1gb stick of ram
+2 external hard drive enclosures
+ USB Audigy 2
+Xbox controller
+sidewinder precision pro joystick
+mx1000 mouse
+usb keyboard
+funcpad 1030 (although I have to admit I dint pay for this, I found it in the trash)
+Dell 2005 FPW
+Hyndunai L90D+




yeah I feel your pain

laptop +gps+ airsnot =

may be time to add a hammer to that mess or a nice external monitor, keyboard and mouse

My laptop is more valuable than my car... and I spend more on maintinance too

well my logitech g7 wireless lazer gaming mouse has just arrived so I can add that to my list.....

{g7,2 microrelays, 1 transistor, 24 resistors, 12 led's, 25 feet of 22 gauge wire, external lcd carbon fiber cover, 10 feet of solder, 2 cheap $6 soldering iorns, 2 gigs of ram, 1 pinmoddable processor from ebay, one universal connect all usb cable with accessories including (ethernet,crossover, phone line adaptors), 1 64mb flash drive, 100 blank cd's, 6 square inches of dynamat, 1 surge protector).....

lets see... my laptop cost more than my car when i bought it, and since then...


sold the laptop and got a better, more expensive one!

then...

usb LED for typing in dark

got an usb enclosure for extra storage. later decided it was too big.

3X external lappy hdd enclosures
1X 80gb hitachi for extra storage (now for sale)
1X 100gb toshiba to replace the too small 40gb 7200rpm drive (which is now for sale, unless i can find a way to get a seocnd hard drive in this bad boy)

2X512 ddr2 so dimms

new processor to play with overclocking (and dothans arent cheap!)

1 mx1000 to play games with

decided to buy a dually to make up for the lesser proccessing power of a laptop, so when i need to compile data for a dvd burn, ill do it on the dually then burn over the gigabit networking my laptop has built in.

then i decided the dually i got needed moar power, and bought 2 faster processors for it (before i even sent out the money for the dually i bought new cpu's for it....sad...)

oh yeah, and a 400 watt inverter so i can use it in my car for extended periods of time, a second wireless g card for linux support and to play with load balancing, several more wireless routers, and generally way to much expensive stuff. like upgrading my old gaming desktop to a server. which is getting replaced, with a dually.

im sure theres more, but im too broke to think of anything.