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Securing a New Laptop

Pieter Boelen

Pieter Boelen

Navigation Officer
Administrator
Storm Modder
Hearts of Oak Donator
As some of you might know, my old laptop got fried due to water damage, so I'm now without access to a computer of my own.
I do have the money to buy a new one, but haven't got too much of a clue of what I need.
Therefore I'd like to ask your input and recommendations on the matter.

Here's some of my criteria:
- Large screen (17") like my last one (I don't carry it with me frequently, just back and forth to ze ship)
- Must be able to run Pirates of the Caribbean and Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships properly
- Quick response time (eg. I press a button and I don't need to wait five minutes for something to happen)
- Multi-tasking abilities (can run dozens of programs at the same time without the thing going "turtle" on me)
- Nice and large hard drive (though maybe using an external one INSTEAD would be a good idea... More water damage? UGH!)
- Long enough battery life to watch a movie before the battery runs out

At the moment, I'm looking into a Dell customizable laptop, but am confused on the following options:

PROCESSOR:
INTEL® CORE™ i5-520M (2,4 GHZ, FOUR THREADS, TURBO BOOST TOT 2,93 GHZ, 3 MB CACHE)
or
INTEL® CORE™ i5-540M (2,53 GHZ, FOUR THREADS, TURBO BOOST TOT 3,06 GHZ, 3 MB CACHE)
or
INTEL® CORE™ i7-620M (2,66 GHZ, FOUR THREADS, TURBO BOOST TOT 3,33 GHZ, 3 MB CACHE)

I have NO idea what the difference is!


MEMORY
4.096 MB 1067 MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2 x 2.048]
or
6.144 MB 1067 MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x6.144 + 1x2.048]
or
8.192 MB 1066 MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2 x 4.096]

My previous laptop had 1.024 MB memory, which appeared to not be enough.
However, would 4x as much (minimum) be enough? Would I need 8x???


HARD DISC
Large internal HD vs. large external one? External ones would be safer from water damage, I imagine.
But you have to plug them in seperately. Must have at least my music collection + some game installations and programs on the internal one...
Any thoughts?


GRAPHICS CARD
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

It sounds pretty good, but can it run Storm-engine based games well enough?
And how about more modern games? Could it handle those?


MOBILE BROADBAND-CARD
Dell™ Wireless 5540 Mobile Broadband HSDPA Mini-Card – UK

What the *** is this? It's optional, apparently, but what's it FOR???


SUPPORT AND INSURANCE
It seems the Dell site only allows for "At Home" support.
But 66% of each year, I'm all over the place, but NOT at home.
International support would be good, eh? Do you even need insurance?
Last time I DID get insurance on my laptop, but then it got fried AFTER it expired.
USELESS!


ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
I'd like Office 2007 (I think... only ever worked with 2003. :shock ), but I need a version that has:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint AND Outlook. Seems that DOES exist, but Dell doesn't have it available.
What they DO have is one for Small Businesses, which includes that and more.
I DO intend to use my laptop on the ship and possibly occasionally for work-related things too.
It seems Microsoft now really cares about whether you have a commercial version or not.
And I don't mind actually being legal and paying for what they want.
So... do I need to get a Small Businesses edition?

As for a virus scanner, I still have a long-term license for McAfee,
so I should be able to install that after I'd receive the laptop, right?

And what does it matter if you get Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate?
Because I haven't the foggiest. All I need is an operating system that WORKS!
 
Hello pieter I'm also about to buy a laptop these days. This is what they have suggested for me a MSI CR610-023NE:

PROCESSOR: AMD Athlon X2 2GHz

MEMORY: 3GB DDR2

MONITOR: 16'' LED 1366x768 Have you or anyone else any experience of a monitor with the "LED" technique?
I don't like laptop monitors with only one perfect view angle.

HARD DISC: 320GB SATA An external harddisc is really nice for backups - when your computer one day dies.

GRAPHICS CARD: ATI HD4200

MOBILE BROADBAND-CARD: (It doesnt work anyway in the forest where I live)

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS: Windows 7 Premium I 'll get that out and in with the old XP if possible!
Microsoft Office is not included but they are going to add it (somehow)
 
Ah the joys of buying a new laptop! It's always best to buy the most power you can afford, the longer it lasts before it has to be replaced, the better value it is. I'll do my best to explain some of the things for you mate, I hope I am at least some help.

The difference between the two Intel processors :

INTEL® CORE™ i5-520M - INTEL® CORE™ i5-540M - These processors are almost identical, except for the speed and a few other minor differences. Both are 64 bit, and have a 3 Meg cache. Both have two physical cores, but each core can emulate another core through multithreading, essentially making them an emulated "Quad Core" processor. The Turbo boost function means that both cores will normally operate at 2.4 or 2.5 GHZ respectively, until you near maximum capacity of the cores processing power, it will then kick into Turbo mode and ramp up to 2.9 and 3.0 GHZ until the task that was pushing the processor to it's limits is completed, then it will step back down to it's normal speed. All this is automatic and almost instantaneous, you won't notice a thing when it ramps up. This helps a great deal in keeping the laptop cooler than processors running at full speed all the time. There are some other minor differences, but nothing that will really effect you much.

INTEL® CORE™ i7-620M - This one is also a 64 bit processor, and has a 4 Meg cache. It has 4 separate individual cores, a true hardware "Quad Core". With multithreading it can emulate 8 cores! The Turbo boost feature works the same on this one, it is quite a little powerhouse! I would highly recommend this option if you can afford it.

Memory : 4 Gig should be enough for anything you would need Pieter, but when it comes to memory, more is always better! If you can afford the 8 Gig option, I would go with that.

Hard Disk : You will need at least one internal hard drive, externals are really for backup or storage only. I would recommend at least a 500 Gig internal hard drive.

I don't mean to confuse things a bit with this option, but I want you to have all the information you can before you buy your new system. There is a new option for hard drives that are called SSD (Solid State Drives). These drives do not use platters like a normal hard drive, they are flash memory modules and have no moving parts at all. They are lightening fast and will boot a system from power on to usable desktop in around 20 seconds depending on your hardware! The drawback at the moment is that they are expensive, and the capacity's are smaller. For now, I would recommend sticking with a regular hard drive, you could replace it with an SSD later when the prices come down and the capacity's increase, if you choose.

GRAPHICS CARD :
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 : This is a DirectX 11 card and one of the best mobile cards you can get at the moment. It is a dedicated card with dedicated memory, which is definitely what you want mate! It should have no problems handling any game, including POTC, for some time to come!

MOBILE BROADBAND-CARD This will let you connect to the internet from anywhere, as long as the provider has coverage in the area you are currently in. Some of these plans can get quite expensive based on how much you download, I would be very cautious about ordering that option mate! Your better off just using the built in wireless access of the laptop and finding a free Wi-Fi connection.

SUPPORT AND INSURANCE : This one can be a life saver, but as you found out, only if the accident occurs during the warranty period! Most generally are two years ...because most accidents occur after the first two years! This is really something only you can decide mate, but if they are trying to charge you anything over $100, in my opinion, it is not worth it. Most all laptops have at least a 1 year warranty on parts and labor, and some even offer 1 year of free accident replacement as well. I am not sure whether Dell offers that or not mate!

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS : Again, mainly this is a personal preference issue. You can find completely free alternatives to Microsoft Office that read the same formats and do just as good or better. I used Open Office to build the POTC manual, I tried at one point to do a couple of shortcuts using Word, but had to go back to Open Office to fix it properly anyway. As long as you can get the same hardware configuration with the Small Businesses, if it has all the software you want, go with that. They may not include the same video card though, check that one closely!

Your virus program should still be good, I wouldn't think that would be a problem at all.

I think you will love Windows 7 mate, it is a MUCH better operating system than XP, there are some minor annoyances left over from the failure that was Vista, but those are minor compared to the increased speed and stability of Windows 7! Windows 7 Ultimate does have some nice features, but there really isn't anything you must have. Home Premium should do you just fine mate!

I hope that helps some Pieter, feel free to ask anything if I confused you, sometimes I even confuse myself! xD:
 
Thanks Thagarr. Interestingly enough, I can AFFORD pretty much anything.
My main question is what I need, really.
An uncle of mine recommended to get a good, but not great laptop
and then buy another one in a couple of years as specifications improve.
Which is basically exactly the opposite of what you recommend. :rofl

Windows 7 does sound pretty good. For the past few years,
Windows Vista has been annoying the cr*p out of me,
so I'm quite looking forward to working with an operating system that DOES work. :razz
 
The laptop I bought from Dell I am very happy with

I got the Studio XPS 1645

Intel i7 processor
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit (probably overkill)
6GB ram
500GB hard drive

Sounds pretty much like the computer your looking at :yes (and it does run the storm games well [on my system anyway])
 
Question to you, Captain: Are the BuildingSet buildings generally lighted normally or very bright?
They used to be normal on my dad's computer (THIS computer, actually),
but were way too bright on my laptop. That's annoying when it comes to screenshot-making, of course. :facepalm
 
Screenie: BS.jpg
 
Looks quite normal. Can you take one of Speightstown port and also the building in Cayman port?
I recall some of the biggest offenders were there.
 
Something else you may want to consider is buying a cooler for your laptop. As I recently discovered the hardway, the new laptops can generate much more heat, and especially when running games. I started getting the 'blue screen of death' After Installed the cooler, it fixed the problem, and I no longer have heat issues. They usually run anywhere between 14-50$ and just plug right into the usb for power.

Definetly worth the extra cash.
 
Have any of you looked at the new offerings from ASUS? I'm about to buy a new one as well as I transition into my new job. The new ASUS laptops offer large 17.5' screens, 6GB RAM, NVIDIA 260 with 1.5GB internal, super fast Quad core, and 500GB HD. All this for only $1100-1300 US dollars. Saw one at Best Buy on sale in Monterey CA last week for $1179.00. I paid double that 4 years ago for my still very capable HP Pavilion Entertainment/Gaming Laptop. I tried out Empire Total War with graphics set to highest level on one of those ASUS that a friend recently bought and there was absolutely NO lag. Movement was completely fluid. That's what sold me on the ASUS.

MK
 
I did look at ASUS laptops when I was looking to buy one a few months ago MK. I do like the looks of their new systems, and the system specs are second to none. Unfortunately, at the time I was looking to buy one, the laptop I was looking at was on backorder, and I would have had to wait at least a month to even get the system ordered, buy which time my funding would have dried up. I went with a Toshiba instead and I am quite happy with it. It has some of the best build quality I have seen in a laptop, and it runs cool even while gaming.

FireBat brings up a good point, a good cooler can extend the life of your laptop by years. That's one of the intrinsic design flaws of laptops, there really isn't room to get good air flow in such a small space. Hewlett-Packard and Acer are some of the worst offenders in this area.
 
Oh, oh. I got more questions!

Wireless connectivity
Dell Wireless 1397 mini card (802.11 b/g)
OR
Dell Wireless 1520 HALF mini card (802.11n)

Why is the HALF one € 20 more expensive? Sounds not as good. :shock

Also, it seems I now have the option to get a 1 TB (or actually two seperate 500 GB)
hard drives in there, but how much storage space does one need? Really?

There's two laptops, both very similar indeed,
but the one can have a blu-ray player and the other apparently can't.
How much is there to be said for a blu-ray player in the first place?
At the moment, we don't have one in the house and neither do we have a HD TV.
And my full movie collection is on DVD.

Also, the blu-ray supported one is more expensive because it's got a McAfee virusscanner included.
However, I still have a long-term valid license from my previous laptop that I could use. :facepalm
 
Pieter Boelen said:
Oh, oh. I got more questions!

Wireless connectivity
Dell Wireless 1397 mini card (802.11 b/g)
OR
Dell Wireless 1520 HALF mini card (802.11n)

Why is the HALF one € 20 more expensive? Sounds not as good. :shock
Click to expand...
because 11n is a much faster standard than 11g

but do the networks you connect to support N

(or will your N card simply act as a G card - and act as a B card on a very old network)

Pieter Boelen said:
but the one can have a blu-ray player and the other apparently can't.
How much is there to be said for a blu-ray player in the first place?
At the moment, we don't have one in the house and neither do we have a HD TV.
And my full movie collection is on DVD.
Click to expand...
its called "future proofing"
and what it really means is:
Spending your money NOW so you don't have it in the Future.

Get what you need, not what looks the shiniest.
 
rupertlittlebear said:
because 11n is a much faster standard than 11g
but do the networks you connect to support N
(or will your N card simply act as a G card - and act as a B card on a very old network)
Click to expand...
Sounds like a definitly don't need it then.
The only wireless network I connect to, is the shipboard one.
That's satellite internet and not quick at all in the first place. :no

rupertlittlebear said:
its called "future proofing"
and what it really means is:
Spending your money NOW so you don't have it in the Future.

Get what you need, not what looks the shiniest.
Click to expand...
Some very wise words right there! Thanks mate! :woot

"Spending your money NOW so you don't have it in the Future."
I really like that one! :rofl
 
You should be fine with 1 500 Gig Pieter you can always add another later on if you end up needing it.

I would recommend going ahead and getting the Blue-Ray player though, those are much tougher to add to a laptop later on. If there is an option for a Blue-Ray burner, I would highly recommend that. they hold much more than a standard DVD, great for backups!
 
Hmm... still wondering mainly on the processor and RAM required.
What kind of specs would you need to run Windows 7 properly smoothly?
This is the maximum I can get:
INTEL® CORE™ i7-620M (2,66 GHZ, FOUR THREADS, TURBO BOOST TO 3,33 GHZ, 3 MB CACHE)
and
8.192 MB 1066 MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2 x 4.096]
 
Windows 7 requires less than VISTA did, if you have 32 bit Windows 7 then it will only use 3gb ram but if you get 64 bit 4-8gb of ram is the go I reckon

The i7 processor is AWESOME!
 
It seems that for this laptop, Dell doesn't have the option to get the 32 bit version, so it is to be the 64 bit one. I haven't the foggiest what it even means. If the 64 bit version uses so much more RAM, why would I want it???
 
Pieter Boelen said:
It seems that for this laptop, Dell doesn't have the option to get the 32 bit version, so it is to be the 64 bit one. I haven't the foggiest what it even means. If the 64 bit version uses so much more RAM, why would I want it???
Click to expand...

64-bit operating systems do use more memory, however no operating system (except Vista before SP1) will EVER use more than 1gb on its own. These days, 4-6 gb of ram in a computer is the standard. the 1066mhz advertised is the very slowest form of ddr3, however still faster than ddr2 and well worth it. For a laptop, and for running Storm games, it will be much more than enough (the computer I have my storm games on is my old 2003 home-build gaming rig... 2.5 gb ddr2 @ 633 mhz, single core 2.66 ghz processor, geforce 6600... basically as far out of date as a computer can be and still work, and it runs CoAS on max settings with ease.) The difference between the i7 and the i5 is essentially price. The i7 processors outperform the i5 by a small margin and cost considerably more. It's up to you, but unless the price margin in your specific situation is marginal, I'd just go with the better of the two i5 options. One thing worth mentioning is that most old programs (Storm engine included) will not support multiple threads, and will therefore only use one processor core. In that situation, it may be best to get the i7 for the best performance per thread.

Oh and DO NOT GET THE 6,144 MB MEMORY OPTION. PERIOD. NO! That option uses two different size sticks, meaning that the memory will not support dual channel mode, and that is a massive detractor to memory performance. If you can afford it, dish for the 8gb option. It may seem like overkill, and it probably is, but it ensures that you'll be able to pretty much run as many programs as you want to simultaneously.

And get rid of McAfee. It's complete rubbish. Kaspersky Internet Security and Eset Smart Security are the only competitive software in that market currently. All other security software is so far inferior that it isn't even worth mention.

Additionally, should you choose to purchase from Dell, I strongly recommend that the first thing you do on receipt is format the hard drive and reinstall your Operating system, as Dell loves to package lots of proprietary garbage and "trials" with their computers, and not only is all of it useless, most of it actually slows your computer considerably.
 
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