"Need Computer Advice" written by Gardenmama on estrip.org

02/22/09 02:33 - 26ºF - ID#47858

Need Computer Advice

Iâ€™m looking for a new (refurbished) laptop computer and have been checking out some stuff on e-bay. I could use a little advice from some of you incredibly knowledgeable folks regarding some basics. Iâ€™ve been looking at Dells, primarily at the D600, 610, 620â€™s with the Windows XP Professional OS but they have really varied configurations. I need to know what folks recommend regarding the following:

What is the minimum speed you recommend for a processor?

What type of processor do you recommend? (i.e., Intel Core 2 Duo; Intel Core Duo; Intel Pentium Mobile; Intel Pentium 4, etc.)

What Processor Config do you recommend? (i.e., Single Core, Dual Core)

Minimum RAM recommended?

Minimum Hard Drive capacity recommended?

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

theecarey writes at 07:02:24 02/22/09 - Comment #45830: I'll be due for a new lap sooner than I'd like, so I too am getting ideas now of what I should/shouldn't get. I need to bookmark this post and the answers/advice- great stuff, peeps!

tinypliny writes at 05:47:21 02/22/09 - Comment #45826: Oh and if you are a classical music (lossless) junkie just get a decent big hard-drive and save some money for an external mammoth harddrive. This reminds me I need to ask for advice from (e:strip) on this very issue. :D

tinypliny writes at 05:38:51 02/22/09 - Comment #45824: Wow - nice summary (e:heidi). :) I have very little to add (and probably useless biased trivia, but here goes)

a) I don't like Dells. They have died on me in the past. I prefer Toshibas. I have had good luck with all my Toshibas. They are pricey - but not as pricey as some of the Dells for the same features. That being said, a ton of people are moving toward the tiny and ultra-portable and inexpensive EEE pcs. You may want to check them out. (e:heidi) has a cute little EEE that she says works great for her purposes. On the flip side toshiba come preloaded with a TON of junk software that I inevitably strip down. Its time consuming and sometimes, when you are in a hurry, its not worth the hassle. For eg. my latest toshiba came preinstalled with Vista - that I didn't like and it wouldn't take Xp. So I had to create a slipstreamed XP disc modified for this particular laptop. :::link:::

b) What do you need your laptop for? That should guide your decision on what bells and whistles you need.

c) Do not get AMD processors. Again, I have had awful experiences with them. Stick to Intel.

d) Get 2.0 GB RAM or above. Don't even think of anything less regardless of what OS you are going to put on your comp.

e) To be on the safe side - the biggest hard drive you can afford. They fill up faster if you are a movie-music-photo pack-rat. :)

heidi writes at 03:44:16 02/22/09 - Comment #45820: I like XP Pro... you need 1 gb RAM minimum to run it, 2 GB is better, 1.5 completely tolerable. Essentially, if the RAM isn't expandable to 2gb, the motherboard is so old that the processor will be too slow. (In other words, the exact processor speed isn't all that important.) If you go with Vista, avoid Basic, Home Premium is nice. You'll want 3 gb RAM for it or at least have 2 gb with the option of upgrading the RAM later. Pentium 4s are probably out of date by now.

Harddrive size depends on what you do with it - if you plan on storing a lot of photos/media, you'll want something bigger. My 3 year old Toshiba laptop has a 100 gig hdd that is usually close to maxed out. If the machine you're looking at has a 40-80 gb hdd, it's too old and will not meet your needs for very long (unless you are literally looking for a surfing-only stupid box).

In my experience, Dell laptops are overpriced for the technology you get. I don't know how or if that plays out in the secondary market. If you're not going to be using it all day everyday, then an Acer might be an appropriate cheaper option - and might be affordable new.

Create a spreadsheet that will let you compare the specs of each machine that you are considering. You'll need to track at least these aspects:
- OS
- brand
- model
- processor type
- processor speed
- RAM installed
- RAM max (you'll google search the specs of the model if it doesn't tell you)
- hard drive
- other stuff important to you: card reader? bluetooth?
- price

I recommend checking tigerdirect.com for refurbs also. This will help you clarify what specs are most important to you and what range you want to look at.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions.

Permalink: Need_Computer_Advice.html
Words: 128
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: event

02/20/09 08:00 - 24ºF - ID#47839

Lecturer Ruby Bridges -Civil Rights Mvmt

I received the following notice at work - thought it was worth sharing. The event is open to the public and is free.

On November 14, 1960, surrounded by armed U.S. Federal Marshals, a shy six-year old girl became the unwitting symbol of the nationâ€™s struggle for civil rights and integration, as armed federal marshals escorted her past throngs of angry protesters into the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, to become the first black student in attendance at the school, and the youngest foot soldier of the Civil Rights Movement. Ruby Bridges continues to keep the spirit of tolerance and diversity alive today by bringing diverse populations together to develop relationship-building strategies.

As a lecturer, Ruby Bridges brings her message to children and adults
nationwide and leaves her audiences spellbound. Ms. Bridges will bring her message to the Seventh Annual African and African American History and Diversity Conference at McKinley High School on Friday, February 27, 2009 at 7:00 PM.

The conference theme is: "Yes We Can! The Road to The White House." The public is invited. There is no admission fee.

Contact McKinley High School (716) 816-4480 for more information.

Permalink: Lecturer_Ruby_Bridges_Civil_Rights_Mvmt.html
Words: 190
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: theatre

02/11/09 11:31 - 51ºF - ID#47723

Vagina Monologues

For those interested, I've heard the show is really good.

Permalink: Vagina_Monologues.html
Words: 12
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: movies

02/09/09 08:41 - 35ºF - ID#47695

John Cusack

I just watched the movie Grace is Gone (and am of course crying). I thought the movie was really good but I also just love John Cusack. He was great in the last two movies I saw him in too, Must Love Dogs and Martian Child. I really liked both of those movies too, and he plays great characters. I don't know why I never really paid much attention to him before.

Permalink: John_Cusack.html
Words: 72
Location: Buffalo, NY

02/08/09 12:01 - 43ºF - ID#47675

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

H
HA
HAP
HAPP
HAPPY
HAPPY B
HAPPY BI
HAPPY BIR
HAPPY BIRT
HAPPY BIRTH
HAPPY BIRTHD
HAPPY BIRTHDA
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY M
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMI
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMIK
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMIKE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMIKE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMIKE!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRMIKE!!!

Hope you have a fabulous day of wishes fulfilled!

Permalink: HAPPY_BIRTHDAY_.html
Words: 57
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/25/08 08:18 - 30ºF - ID#47177

Wishes of Happy

Wishing you all a peaceful, joyous holiday
shared with someone you love.

Permalink: Wishes_of_Happy.html
Words: 14
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/18/08 12:21 - 28ºF - ID#47097

Another attack reported - WTF

While I'm trying not to let this stuff make me crazy, this is the third incident of this type reported in the news in as many days. I can say that I won't be staying late at work anymore unless there is at least one other person staying who plans to leave when I do - a sensible position no matter the circumstance.

Reported in the Buffalo News

12/17/08 06:47 AM

A man was attacked and robbed Monday night on Niagara Street after he was approached by a group of about 15 males, according to Buffalo police.

The victim, whose age was not immediately available, told Central District police the incident happened at about 8:15 p. m. between Carolina and Virginia streets.

He told police he was punched in the face at least eight times, including once with brass knuckles.

The victim also said he was kicked in the back, and his cell phone and baseball cap were taken.

He may have fractured his right ankle while running from the suspects, who fled east on Carolina on foot, according to the report.

tinypliny writes at 01:42:33 12/18/08 - Comment #43479: Exactly! :( How *does* one respond to this? Mass panic is foolish. Total disregard is unwise. We need some kind of "suggestion-box-response" outlet where the police let residents know what is the actual situation and what their information status is. Does such a thing exist for Buffalo?

janelle writes at 01:36:23 12/18/08 - Comment #43478: I understand feeling funny about attacks at the same places where you go. I know I feel funny when I hear of things happening near where I live, because (e:Drew) and I tend to walk our neighborhood a lot.

And there have been day time attacks around my building where I work and I'm in and out of the building to go places throughout the day.

tinypliny writes at 01:29:38 12/18/08 - Comment #43477: I don't want to sound too crazy here, but I have what I like to call the "crime watch triage". It's around half-hour of intensive crime news reading and decisions every friday night/saturday morning.

I don't do this everyday because that would be totally insane. But the objective is to be aware of all reported crime, map it and adopt safer ways. Just to make it clear, it's not really Buffalo specific. Buffalo is actually a safe haven compared to some of the other places I have lived and worked.

The triage consists of a quick scan, map and time of the incident, assessment of whether I am likely to be next, and future precautions to make that unlikely. Some of the things that have come out of this (specific for Buffalo) have been:

- I don't walk in the south-side pavement in front of my building after dark.
- I don't go shopping at Guercio's weekday evenings.
- I don't wait at bus stops more than 10 minutes and time my transfers very close.
- I avoid main-street as far as I can and walk on residential side-streets.
- 75% of my path from home to office and back is covered by some kind of surveillance.
- I don't wait at the tube station at lean/non-rush hour times.
- I don't go walking downtown weekdays after dark.

That's a lot of restrictions on my "lifestyle" but I accept these as decisions from the triage. These gang violence reports have been out of the ordinary and I am not sure how to respond to them. They are not crimes committed by one individual against another in an opportunistic environment. They really smell of some disturbing mob mentality that I have witnessed first hand in the walled city of Old Delhi.

As (e:libertad) says in his journal -> (e:libertad,47100) I have been at these very spots at those very times in the past. I am not really a street-fighter so yes, I am concerned about these particular reports. :(

janelle writes at 08:34:02 12/18/08 - Comment #43464: If you read the Buffalo News crime section, there's usually some act of violence or incidence that takes place in this city everyday.

tinypliny writes at 01:31:47 12/18/08 - Comment #43462: That's it. I am coming back home at 4:30.

Permalink: Another_attack_reported_WTF.html
Words: 184
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/15/08 02:46 - 41ºF - ID#47070

More jobs

The City's Civil Service website has some exams posted (filing deadline is Wed.). Also, at the bottom of the page that this link takes you to, there are some provisional jobs posted. For anyone not familiar with the city lingo - that means there is no existing hiring list for the position and that people get the job until the exams come up again. They then have to pass the exam at the top to keep the position. Someone can potentially be in a provisional job for a couple of years before the exam comes around though.

Also, though it's not on the website, my understanding is that the school district is hiring teacher aids/assistants and I think they may have some clerical positions available either provisionally or temporarily. The HR dept. for the Board is on the 7th floor of City Hall - rooms 719 & 720.

Permalink: More_jobs.html
Words: 167
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/08/08 08:11 - 25ºF - ID#47001

Almost done?

Well, Iâ€™m almost done with my Christmas shopping. I have a few gift certificates and a few books still to pick up, and Iâ€™m waiting for several things to be delivered; otherwise, Iâ€™m pretty much done. Yea!!! I even spent some time this weekend wrapping and got almost all my family stuff wrapped. I still have friend-of-the-family gifts to wrap, but thatâ€™s not too bad. My house looks like the Christmas wrapping bomb went off, and of course I still have baking to do, but I at least feel like Iâ€™m making some real progress and that I may actually come out the other side of this someday. Of course, I canâ€™t help but wonder if Iâ€™m sort of kidding myself about how close to being done I am, because, every time I turn around, thereâ€™s someone else I have to get something for - co-worker, daughterâ€™s teachers... Oh well, for now, I feel good.

Christmas bomb went off in my house

Also, had lunch over the weekend with my granddaughter. All she wants for Christmas...

...is her two front teeth! Hahahaha

Permalink: Almost_done_.html
Words: 198
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/04/08 11:21 - 27ºF - ID#46963

Companies hiring in WNY

I just saw a story on channel 2 news about a number of places in WNY with job openings. Don't know if anyone is interested, but these are hard times for many - hoping maybe someone can use this info. Here's a link to the channel 2 news story which has info on the jobs/companies hiring and some of the details.