bachrock

I wouldn't feel the need for a new laptop if it weren't for a few things (in case you're curious)... My current laptop is hardly portable for two reasons: the battery gives me 20 minutes on a good day and the power input area is loose which means holding up the power cord with two erasers. Also, the first hard drive crapped out which means using a friend's old 40 GB one. One of the two 512 MB RAM sticks no longer registers (due to the port). This means no audio recording. About networking, I don't need bluetooth now and will just get a usb one if I do. As for the other possibilities, I take it my 2 year old linksys router is not an N router, and that my current wireless card on this 4 year old computer, that does me just fine, is the same or less than the bottom line one that would come on this new computer. The special edition dv6700t computer costs $150 more and I can't figure out why beside the color difference and the se one includes a fingerprint reader.

"So if you do a lot of CPU-bound tasks on your laptop (most people don't, it just sucks the battery dry too fast)" That would help explain my current battery. I wish there were a computer just like this that supported more RAM. It's looking like I'll go for the 3GB and upgrade like you said. About the networking aspect, my options are: 802.11b/g WLAN Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth Discover even faster speeds with the latest wireless technology With prices at 15, 40, and 65. I'm not sure what the different options mean exactly, but figure I go with the one that includes bluetooth. I don't use bluetooth right now, but maybe I will in the future as it becomes more common. Good idea? Thanks for the help.

Thanks so much for the help. If you're curious, I'm working on a Pentium 4 w/ 512 MB RAM (I used to have a full gig of RAM until one slot went bad). So many questions, so little time (and money)... Would it be better to go from a 2.0 to a 2.1 GHz processor or from 3 to 4 GB RAM (each costs $100)? The website says, "Superior performance for your entertainment applications with smooth multitasking" below the 2.1 GHz processor and nothing below the others. Is this trying to get people to make the jump with the smallest GHz increase per dollar amount or what (this jump is $100 while others are less and offer equal or greater GHz increases)? Thanks again.

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully I can get enough cash to upgrade my purchase. More questions: -Why do the drivers of the graphics card matter? -Why upgrade to the 2.4 GHz? -So with 3 GB configured as you imagine, and assuming the 2 GB memory would be dual channel, the 3 GB wouldn't be perfect inbetween 2 and 4 GB, but more like 2.5 GB? -DX10 = DirectX10 I assume, and how would I know if I need that? Does anyone else have some input?

Hello, I'm buying a laptop and need help with some of the specs. (for reference, I'm looking at the hp dv6700t) Graphics Card: ...Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 vs 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS Would the $84 upgrade help in watching movies or is this just for gaming? Processor: ...Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor T5750 (2.0GHz) How noticeable would the jump to 2.1, 2.4, or 2.5 GHz be. The jumps are 100, 50, and 125 dollars respectively. Memory: ...3 GB vs 4 GB I run memory intensive programs like photoshop and audio recording software. What kind of difference is there between 3 and 4 GB? Would it be worth $100? Thanks in advance.