The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I'm after a laptop and money isn't a problem, I want performance. A real desktop replacement.
I've been looking around at some laptops and have narrowed it down to these two - a Dell XPS Gen 2 and a Mesh Ultima Pro.
Have been reading and have read that there won't be much power in the Mesh Ultima due to it using more desktop type parts and the battery will be drained with all the fans going etc. While the XPS 2 is supposed to be made of mobile components.
One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power, is this correct or am I missing something here?
How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with relative ease?
On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
If anyone knows anything about laptops or about the models I listed I'd be grateful for your advice, thanks in advance :-)
I've been looking around at some laptops and have narrowed it down to these two - a Dell XPS Gen 2 and a Mesh Ultima Pro.
Have been reading and have read that there won't be much power in the Mesh Ultima due to it using more desktop type parts and the battery will be drained with all the fans going etc. While the XPS 2 is supposed to be made of mobile components.
One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power, is this correct or am I missing something here?
How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with relative ease?
On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
If anyone knows anything about laptops or about the models I listed I'd be grateful for your advice, thanks in advance :-)
Page:
"I want performance. A real desktop replacement"
Sounds like a PSP is just what he's looking for!
Sounds like a PSP is just what he's looking for!
What a great idea!
If it's just to surf the net on the move, buy a psp with a decent sized memory card.
Yes obviously the first thing to think about is why you need a laptop. If it's because you're travelling then don't take any notice of people who say "but get a desktop!".
Secondly I'd say that getting a desktop replacement laptop, with a P4 or Athlon 64 in it is going to be one hell of a mistake. Proper desktop replacement laptops are huge and they eat juice like you wouldn't believe. If you don't mind only ever using your laptop on a desk connected to a plug socket then ok, but if you actually want it to be more portable than that then stay away from anything with desktop components in it.
Graphics card wise PCI-Express isn't necessarily anything to do with SLI/Crossfire (two cards at the same time), it's just a faster port (think about the difference between USB 1 and 2), so the cards are faster. I'd say go for an x700 or a 6600Go minimum, everything below that isn't worth your money.
As far as those two laptops you've picked out, the Mesh is a beast. There isn't really any point in buying it, as, unless you cool it with specialist equipment it'll will burn itself out quickly, and won't run at full power half the time. We all know about the trouble phi11ip has with his Dell, and that Mesh will likely be the same. It'll go as fast as the clappers for those precious few seconds before it melts into the desk. Avoid.
My advice would be to go for something with an Intel Pentium M, as it is far and away the best mobile processor you can buy. It's fast, it's small and it's cool so therefore it's also quieter. Obviously the higher the Mhz the faster it is, but don't compare the clock speed directly with a Pentium 4.
My next reccomendation is that you buy an Acer laptop. They're more portable than that Dell, well built and with quality components. My reccomendation would be this:
[URL]https://sslrelay.com/s77548008.oneandoneshop.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=1542e7be09a1530/shopdata/0130_Notebooks/0135_TravelMate/0110_TravelMate+8100/product_details.shopscript?article=0030_Travelmate%2B8104WLMi%2B%3D28LX%3D252ET7206%3D252E067%3D29[/URL]
If money isn't an issue you can upgrade the RAM to have 2GB, and that's as much as Windows supports, and will be well worth it.
If you don't trust me then type in Acer Travelmate into Google and read some reviews. They're all glowing. It comes no.1 in most magazines reccomendations lists.
But yeah, before you do anything, question your reasons for buying a laptop. 8 out of 10 times a desktop is the better option.
Secondly I'd say that getting a desktop replacement laptop, with a P4 or Athlon 64 in it is going to be one hell of a mistake. Proper desktop replacement laptops are huge and they eat juice like you wouldn't believe. If you don't mind only ever using your laptop on a desk connected to a plug socket then ok, but if you actually want it to be more portable than that then stay away from anything with desktop components in it.
Graphics card wise PCI-Express isn't necessarily anything to do with SLI/Crossfire (two cards at the same time), it's just a faster port (think about the difference between USB 1 and 2), so the cards are faster. I'd say go for an x700 or a 6600Go minimum, everything below that isn't worth your money.
As far as those two laptops you've picked out, the Mesh is a beast. There isn't really any point in buying it, as, unless you cool it with specialist equipment it'll will burn itself out quickly, and won't run at full power half the time. We all know about the trouble phi11ip has with his Dell, and that Mesh will likely be the same. It'll go as fast as the clappers for those precious few seconds before it melts into the desk. Avoid.
My advice would be to go for something with an Intel Pentium M, as it is far and away the best mobile processor you can buy. It's fast, it's small and it's cool so therefore it's also quieter. Obviously the higher the Mhz the faster it is, but don't compare the clock speed directly with a Pentium 4.
My next reccomendation is that you buy an Acer laptop. They're more portable than that Dell, well built and with quality components. My reccomendation would be this:
[URL]https://sslrelay.com/s77548008.oneandoneshop.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=1542e7be09a1530/shopdata/0130_Notebooks/0135_TravelMate/0110_TravelMate+8100/product_details.shopscript?article=0030_Travelmate%2B8104WLMi%2B%3D28LX%3D252ET7206%3D252E067%3D29[/URL]
If money isn't an issue you can upgrade the RAM to have 2GB, and that's as much as Windows supports, and will be well worth it.
If you don't trust me then type in Acer Travelmate into Google and read some reviews. They're all glowing. It comes no.1 in most magazines reccomendations lists.
But yeah, before you do anything, question your reasons for buying a laptop. 8 out of 10 times a desktop is the better option.
Monkey_With_Attitude wrote:
> One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while
> the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing
> makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power,
> is this correct or am I missing something here?
You're missing something.
As an example, AMD's flagship CPU, the FX57, is clocked at 2.8GHz but it will quite comprehensively own P4s at 3.8GHz in most applications.
Clock speed is a poor indicator of performance because of the wide differences in CPU architecture.
The Pentium-M CPUs use a different core than the desktop ones, so they can squeeze out more performance per MHz, basically.
>
> How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason
> I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future
> proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new
> processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with
> relative ease?
CPU - yes
RAM - yes
Hard Drive - yes
Graphics - no
> On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with
> PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is
> the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible
> in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
No.
Do you really need a laptop?
Because if you're after performance, the fastest laptop you can get is still only going to be half the speed of a high-end desktop.
> One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while
> the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing
> makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power,
> is this correct or am I missing something here?
You're missing something.
As an example, AMD's flagship CPU, the FX57, is clocked at 2.8GHz but it will quite comprehensively own P4s at 3.8GHz in most applications.
Clock speed is a poor indicator of performance because of the wide differences in CPU architecture.
The Pentium-M CPUs use a different core than the desktop ones, so they can squeeze out more performance per MHz, basically.
>
> How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason
> I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future
> proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new
> processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with
> relative ease?
CPU - yes
RAM - yes
Hard Drive - yes
Graphics - no
> On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with
> PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is
> the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible
> in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
No.
Do you really need a laptop?
Because if you're after performance, the fastest laptop you can get is still only going to be half the speed of a high-end desktop.
I'm after a laptop and money isn't a problem, I want performance. A real desktop replacement.
I've been looking around at some laptops and have narrowed it down to these two - a Dell XPS Gen 2 and a Mesh Ultima Pro.
Have been reading and have read that there won't be much power in the Mesh Ultima due to it using more desktop type parts and the battery will be drained with all the fans going etc. While the XPS 2 is supposed to be made of mobile components.
One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power, is this correct or am I missing something here?
How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with relative ease?
On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
If anyone knows anything about laptops or about the models I listed I'd be grateful for your advice, thanks in advance :-)
I've been looking around at some laptops and have narrowed it down to these two - a Dell XPS Gen 2 and a Mesh Ultima Pro.
Have been reading and have read that there won't be much power in the Mesh Ultima due to it using more desktop type parts and the battery will be drained with all the fans going etc. While the XPS 2 is supposed to be made of mobile components.
One thing about the processor...the XPS 2 has a centrino 2ghz while the Ultima has a 3.4ghz Pentium 4. Now looking at that in writing makes me see the Ultima as having the MAJOR lead in processing power, is this correct or am I missing something here?
How easy is it to upgrade laptops these days? It's been the reason I've always steered clear. If I want to update my PC to be future proof, I want to be able to put stuff in. Say i wanted a new processor or something, could I shove that in the laptop with relative ease?
On the subject of upgrading...the laptops I'm looking at come with PCI express graphics cards. I know a great feature of PCI express is the combination of two video cards at the same time, is this possible in laptops, or the two I meantioned?
If anyone knows anything about laptops or about the models I listed I'd be grateful for your advice, thanks in advance :-)
Page: