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questions about the Area-51 m5500

post #1 of 21
6/12/06 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys. Sorry to bother you again. I posted a few days ago about an Area-51 m5500. I talked to my dad about it and he is really tight with his money, I think I have him pursueded but I needed to drop the $100 9 cell battery and maybe even the Odyssey Messenger bag. I just have a few questions that he needs teh answers too before I get the go-ahead to order it. And then, a few questions of my own. If you can help me out at all, that would be great. I will rep you and thanks in advance for reading my post.

Again, My system Specs:

Area-51® m5500

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 730 1.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4" WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD - Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Memory: 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 256MB
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Optical Drive: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Video/Graphics Card: 128MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon X700
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Modem: Integrated 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Wireless Network Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Communications: Integrated Dual High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Alienware Exclusive Offers: GameFly - Unlimited Game Rentals for 15 days - FREE TRIAL
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Messenger Bag
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager

total cost with instant money off and free shipping: $1,335



My questions (I numbered them so they will be easier to reply to if you choose)

1. How easy would it be upgrading the hard drive at a later time? Now, all I can get it 80 Gigs but I'm hoping to get around 120 eventually. Is it expenseive to upgrade and can I easily install the new hard drive myself?

2. Biggest concern at the moment. Memory. I planned on getting 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz. Now, the more I think about it, the 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz for an additional $100 sounds really good. What do you guys think? With the 512MB Dual channel will that be enough to multitask and game without hassel? How noticable difference is the 1GB in comparisson to the price?

3. There was some debate earlier about the screen resolutions: WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD (that I plan on getting) and WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD. I don't really understand the big difference between them (I've never had a decent laptop with either resolution).

4. What is the biggest difference between the 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo and the 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo ($50 more) optical drive? Do they both burn CD's and DVD's? If the 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo can burn DVD's, I would just as soon stay with that.

5. Is the graphics card 128MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon X700 decent? Does it support lots of games?

6. What does the m5500 come with as far as accessories and batteries? (stupid question alert) does it come with a power cord and what cell battery does it have? Do you get all the CD-roms for the operating system and programs already on the computer?

7. Does anyone have the Odyssey Messenger Bag? I think it looks really nice but I'm not sure how decent it is. $79 is kinda expensive for it. Does anyone have pics of their bag on them? I'd like to see how the size is and what it looks like on people before I spend the money on it.

8. If there is a problem that requires me to send my system back to alienware, with warranty it will be free, yes? Also, are you required to pay shipping costs.... even if it came to you originally damaged?

9. Im concerned about if my system will be able to handel Vista when it comes out...

10. How do payments to alienware work? What is the downpayment cost?

11. Do these specs look like they will be good for typical daily use on the internet / school work and gaming?


If you can help me out in any way, I would be very appreciative! I would like to buy soon so the quicker the response the better. Thank you very much!
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post #2 of 21
6/12/06 at 5:59pm
Hi Allastorm, don't worry about asking questions, that's part of the reason we're here...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Allastorm
1. How easy would it be upgrading the hard drive at a later time? Now, all I can get it 80 Gigs but I'm hoping to get around 120 eventually. Is it expenseive to upgrade and can I easily install the new hard drive myself?

The hard drives are very easy to upgrade. You can buy upgrade drives from Alienware at their vendor cost which is about 10% off their retail price, and they'll assist you over the phone if you want to do it yourself, or if you're under warranty you can send the laptop in and they'll do it for you. While under warranty if you send the laptop to them for an upgrade, you pay shipping one way and the vendor cost of the parts, they do the labor for free and re-test the machine and return it to you as if it were new. The return shipping is free.

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2. Biggest concern at the moment. Memory. I planned on getting 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz. Now, the more I think about it, the 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz for an additional $100 sounds really good. What do you guys think? With the 512MB Dual channel will that be enough to multitask and game without hassel? How noticable difference is the 1GB in comparisson to the price?

I would get the 1G memory. It will make a noticeable difference in smoothness. The more memory you have, the less the system has to use the pagefile, which is basically when the machine runs out of memory to use, it stores info on your hard drive. The hard drives are the slowest part of the computer, so if you can avoid using it, it's good. 1G should be fine, 512 is basically the least amount of memory you need to run windows xp well.

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3. There was some debate earlier about the screen resolutions: WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD (that I plan on getting) and WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD. I don't really understand the big difference between them (I've never had a decent laptop with either resolution).

If you look really closely at your screen, you'll see little dots of light. Those are called pixels. The higher resolution screen the more pixels are there. With the 1280 x 800 screen, you have 1280 pixels across the screen, and 800 pixels top to bottom. So the higher resolution screens will give you a better picture as there are more pixels to display the same image. For a 15" screen, and with the x700, I'm not sure how important that will be as you probably won't be playing the latest games at very high resolutions anyway. You can set a high resolution in the game, but if you have a low resolution screen it can only display as many pixels as it's capable. You can run lower resolutions on high res screens though, it's called "scaling down". I personally think the 1280 x 800 res will be fine for the hardware you're looking at, but the screen is difficult to upgrade later...

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4. What is the biggest difference between the 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo and the 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo ($50 more) optical drive? Do they both burn CD's and DVD's? If the 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo can burn DVD's, I would just as soon stay with that.

The 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo will burn CD's, but will only play DVD's. The 8x Dual Layer drive will burn CD's, DVD's and dual layer discs which I understand can burn dual layer discs that double the storage space over regular discs. A CD can hold 700-800M of info, a dvd can hold 4.7G approximately, and a dual layer DVD can hold about 8.5G of data.

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5. Is the graphics card 128MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon X700 decent? Does it support lots of games?

I don't know about the x700 or 6600 cards, but these cards will play any games out there depending on the settings. Go to google.com and search for reviews to compare benchmarks. Off the top of my head I'd say the 6600 is better, and games are all about the video card so get the best card here that you can afford. I'd get a better vid card over more memory as you can easily add more memory later much less expensively than changing the video card.

Quote:
6. What does the m5500 come with as far as accessories and batteries? (stupid question alert) does it come with a power cord and what cell battery does it have? Do you get all the CD-roms for the operating system and programs already on the computer?

You'll get the AC adapter (power chord) and you get one battery (I think the 5500 uses the 9 cell battery), it comes with the operating system disc, a driver disc, I believe you also get a Nero disc(cd/dvd burning) and a powerDVD disc (for watching cd's and dvd's).

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7. Does anyone have the Odyssey Messenger Bag? I think it looks really nice but I'm not sure how decent it is. $79 is kinda expensive for it. Does anyone have pics of their bag on them? I'd like to see how the size is and what it looks like on people before I spend the money on it.

Look for reviews of this bag in the review forum here. I understand it's a very nice backpack, and it has a padded pocket just for the laptop.

Quote:
8. If there is a problem that requires me to send my system back to alienware, with warranty it will be free, yes? Also, are you required to pay shipping costs.... even if it came to you originally damaged?

Under warranty you pay no shipping, or other costs. If you do need to send it back, Alienware emails you a shipping label you print out and use. All shipping, labor and hardware costs are covered while you're under warranty, and you also get their upgrade plan while under warranty that I mentioned earlier.

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9. Im concerned about if my system will be able to handel Vista when it comes out...

According to this page, the 5500 will handle Vista basic, but for Aero (all the bells and whistles) you'll need more than the standard 512 of memory.

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10. How do payments to alienware work? What is the downpayment cost?

No idea... You can call sales or customer service on their toll free line and ask. They'll be happy to tell you without pushing you to buy something.

Quote:
11. Do these specs look like they will be good for typical daily use on the internet / school work and gaming?

These specs will work, but I'd strongly advise you to get the best video card you can, and at least 1G of memory for playing the latest games.


Quote:
If you can help me out in any way, I would be very appreciative! I would like to buy soon so the quicker the response the better. Thank you very much!

I understand, and I hope you can get one soon. These things are great computers and waiting for one can be hard... Good luck...
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post #3 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:21pm
Just a couple of comments to add to Hammerhead's very thorough response:

1) You want at least 1GB of memory. Some people say you need 2GB, but I can't really say I see that much difference in my m5500 going from 1GB to 2GB. $100 for the 1GB is not too bad a price to pay, and you have the peace of mind knowing everything was tested at AW before you got it. If you think you want 2GB, you are better off ordering the minimum and getting 2X1GB at someplace like Newegg (will cost about $170).

2) The 1280x800 resolution will be fine for what you want.

3) I'd strongly urge you to get the go6600 video card over the x700. I'd go with the 256MB version of the card - but realistically, I don't think you'll see that much of a performance hit if you go with the 128MB version of the go6600 - I just like to be on the safe side in terms of maxing out the graphics card.

Good Luck.
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post #4 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:23pm
Thread Starter 
Wow... thank you so much, Hammerhead! Your responses helped me out so much! Now the difficult part, seeing if I can upgrade to the 1gb memory! I will probably have to forget about the bag but I can always get that later. I will be sure to let everyone know if I get the notebook and keep everyone updated... and lots of pics! Thank you again!
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post #5 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 
thank you too, Shazza!

What would happen if my video card cant handle games? By maxing out do you mean making it unusable if the games are too intense and damaging the card? Or, do you mean poorer graphics? Just checking. If my config will only make the graphics a little less defined that OK, I can live with that. Thanks again! You guys rock!
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post #6 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allastorm
thank you too, Shazza!

What would happen if my video card cant handle games? By maxing out do you mean making it unusable if the games are too intense and damaging the card? Or, do you mean poorer graphics? Just checking. If my config will only make the graphics a little less defined that OK, I can live with that. Thanks again! You guys rock!

What Shazza means by "maxing out" is having the game set at a high resolution with all the video settings on high. You may have to turn some of the settings down a little, like resolution, or shadows etc. to get the latest games to run smoothly.

For gaming you should get the best video card you can and the 1G of memory. 2G is still overkill for most systems, but if you want that you can upgrade later.

You can also upgrade the processor later fairly easy if you decide you want more speed in windows and other applications. Games are mostly dependent on the video card.

Keep in mind you can upgrade memory, the processor, hard drives and cd/dvd drives later. The processor and video card will be the most expensive to upgrade, so plan ahead.
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post #7 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:31pm
Allastorm - you will do fine gaming on the system with any of the graphics card options - it is simply a matter of how high you can run some of the performance settings - so, if you aren't fussy about things like shadows and some other advanced settings, you shouldn't have any problems.

It's all about expectations. Games like WoW, and Guild Wars will run great on the system. The more demanding games like Oblivion and F.E.A.R. will have to be run at reduced settings - but these games are tough even on top of the line desktop systems. If I had time, I'd google for benchmarks between the x700 and go6600 - that would be a worthwhile exercise for you.
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post #8 of 21
6/12/06 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
ok, thanks guys! I will do some research on this!
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post #9 of 21
6/12/06 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allastorm
ok, thanks guys! I will do some research on this!

Listen to Shazza Allastorm, she has an m5500, I don't...
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post #10 of 21
6/13/06 at 6:25am
Alastorm
If you like you can buy my 5620 Alienware,since I donot play games I don't need the speed. The unit still looks new NO DEAD pixels. Only the battery does not hold charge anymore I think. Here is the complete spec.
You can have it for $1250, you can emailme if interested.
Emil
Computer (Alienware)

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.1.2600 (WinXP Retail)
Date 2006-06-13
Time 01:02


--------[ Summary ]-------------------------------------------------------------

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180
Computer Name (Alienware)
Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4A, 2800 MHz (5.25 x 533)
Motherboard Name Intel Sheeks
Motherboard Chipset Intel Brookdale i845E
System Memory 1024 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Phoenix (03/11/03)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter MOBILITY RADEON 9000 (128 MB)
Video Adapter MOBILITY RADEON 9000 (128 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI M9

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Intel 82801CA ICH3-S - AC'97 Audio Controller [B-1]

Storage:
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive Disk drive
Disk Drive TOSHIBA MK4019GAX (40 GB, 5400 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive TEAC DW-224E (24x/10x/24x CD-RW)

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 37095 MB (30042 MB free)
Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse HID-compliant mouse
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
Modem Smart Link 56K Voice Modem

Peripherals:
Printer
USB Device USB Human Interface Device



--------[ CPU ]-----------------------------------------------------------------

CPU Properties:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4A, 2800



--------[ Chipset ]-------------------------------------------------------------

Chipset Properties:
Motherboard Chipset Intel Brookdale i845E

AC'97 Audio Controller:
Audio Controller Type Intel 82801CA ICH3-S
Codec Name Avance Logic ALC200(P)/ALC201(A)
Codec ID 414C4710h

Memory Slots:
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (DDR SDRAM)
DRAM Slot #2 512 MB (DDR SDRAM)


Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download http://support.intel.com/support/chipsets/index.htm


--------[ BIOS ]----------------------------------------------------------------

BIOS Properties:
BIOS Type Phoenix
System BIOS Date 03/11/03
Video BIOS Date 03/03/05

BIOS Manufacturer:
Company Name Phoenix Technologies


--------[ Windows Video ]-------------------------------------------------------

[ MOBILITY RADEON 9000 ]

Video Adapter Properties:
Device Description MOBILITY RADEON 9000
Adapter String MOBILITY RADEON 9000
BIOS String BK-ATI VER008.007.010.000
Chip Type Mobility Radeon 9000 AGP (0x4C66)
DAC Type Internal DAC(350MHz)
Installed Drivers ati2dvag (6.14.10.6351)
Memory Size 128 MB

Video Adapter Manufacturer:
Company Name ATI Technologies Inc.
Product Information


Power Management Properties:
Current Power Source AC Line
Battery Status 34 % (Charging)
Full Battery Lifetime Unknown
Remaining Battery Lifetime Unknown


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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post #11 of 21
6/13/06 at 6:41am
Hammer head answeredall ur questions..but i wanna throw on thing in. If you want a bag to lug ur alienware around in, but cant pay the 50-100 for an alienware one, u can get one that will work just as good from buy.com for 20-30 bucks. I'd recomend one of these myself, since ive used them and know there good

http://www.buy.com/prod/Maxxum_Compu...202080044.html <45 bucks

http://www.buy.com/prod/198111261/q/.../10345209.html <under 30

also, check here: http://www.buy.com/retail/searchresu...cats=3&mfgid=0

thats there full listing of laptop bags Maby theres something u like and can fit into ur budget

L8erz
Jesse
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post #12 of 21
6/13/06 at 6:48am
Emil - I'm sure your post is well-intentioned, but if you want to sell something, it should be posted in the trading section.

And - the specs on that computer will not begin to approach the gaming performance of the m5500...
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post #13 of 21
6/13/06 at 7:29am
hmm, anyone know if its against the forum rules to link to your trades on like, AW forums etc? J/W and dunno where to check this ...


Oh and I agree with Hammerhead on the RAM thing. There are only a few games where it makes a difference to have 2 gigs of ram .. and they are generally games like BF2 that have huge memory leaks.

A gig is still fine, and even after Vista ships a gig should be plentiful.
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post #14 of 21
6/13/06 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
the specs on that computer will not begin to approach the gaming performance of the m5500...

Exactly what I thought when I did read through spec.s
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post #15 of 21
6/13/06 at 7:34am
That machine owns at Quake 2 !
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post #16 of 21
6/13/06 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
Emil, thanks for letting me know but I think I have my heart set on the m5500 lol. Thanks anyways.

Jesse, thanks for the links to other bags. I talked to my dad about this all last night, showed him my configured specs (I ended up going with the 1GB memory... yay!) but I had to drop the bag, the DVD burner upgrade and I had to keep the ATI graphics card that comes standard with it...

The thing is, I have a bag for my current laptop but it says DELL on it! *hides* I know, I know.... thats NOT cool! lol. Oh and just for the record, I hate my Dell so don't think I'm a dell supporter or anything lol.

I might look into getting one of these bags for cheeper, though I really love the alienware bags... Or, I might have my sister buy it for me for my birthday. THat could work...

Anywho, I pretty much have the go ahead from my dad (I'm paying for most of it, but I need him to approve the financing card and stuff and hes giving me cash towards it for my b-day). The only thing is, he doesnt know its a gaming notebook, i kinda just told him that it was for school and applications and stuff. So when I mentioned the card upgrade he made a face like "you dont need that" and I didnt want to argue. And I want the DVD burner upgrade... anyone know how much that will cost to upgrade in the future? I can always do it myself after I get the laptop hehe.

Thanks guys, you are all incredibly helpful! I will keep you updated!
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post #17 of 21
6/13/06 at 6:26pm
Sounds good.

I did a little research, and I don't think there is much difference between the x700 and the go6600 with 128MB. The go6600 with 256MB is the best they offer at this time, but I doubt the performance increase is really worth it if you're on a tight budget. The good thing is, with the m5500 - you may have the option to upgrade the video card down the road if you want. (I say may, because things change so fast with notebooks, it's really just a matter of whether or not new cards are produced in a year or so that are compatibile).

Anyway - I say "Go for it." Good luck working through the financing...that can take a bit of time.
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post #18 of 21
6/13/06 at 8:08pm
Allastorm,

Sounds like your dad is like mine. He always made my get the bottom line products and wouldn't listen to any arguments about improvements if they cost more money. But you generally get what you pay for... My dad probably would have made me buy a Dell.

First, don't worry about the Dell bag, it'll work fine. The Alienware bags are nice, but for now the computer is what is important. If you're worried about it, take the Dell label off.

As for the video card, the 5500 uses an mxm socket, so you should be able to upgrade later if you want.

As for the burner, with burning cd's, you can fit about 700 - 800 Megs of data on a disc. If you get the dvd burner you can put up to 8.5 Gigs of data on a single disc. That's more than ten times the data for only a small difference in cost. If you upgrade later you'll have to pay for a whole new drive and that'll cost more. Might be a good argument to pitch to your dad.

If your dad is like mine though, you don't want to make waves. If he's letting you get the AW the way it is maybe it's best just to leave it alone...

And gaming laptops aren't just for games, they're just full of high performance components so they do everything well.
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post #19 of 21
6/14/06 at 8:00am
Thread Starter 
Thanks Hammerhead! Yea, he wont let my upgrade the video card but (thanks you Shazza) it shouldnt be that big of a difference so I'mok with htat.

That is a good arguement for the DVD burnen. This is what he said "You dont need to be burning DVDs" so I just left that because this was when I was configuring it. But I might bring that up again. Mention that it will be more expensive later.

Heh, the bad news. My brother-inlaw came over and he knows everything about computers and my dad asked him about it when I wasnt home to defend myself! And, he told my dad that alienware was a rip off because of the way they look is what you are paying for and they are for gaming! But, I convinced my dad that I looked at other notebooks with the same config from other brands (dell *shudders* he thinks i should get a dell or a gateway) and they cost relatively the same price (ok, maybe a hundred or two less but...) So... basically, I just need to wait for him to actually order the alienware. I have him convinced and I can't even wait to start the phase game!
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post #20 of 21
6/14/06 at 8:13am
While your brother-in-law is partially right and Alienware generally does command a premium (some of us think it's worth it) - this isn't exactly true for the m5500. It's very reasonably priced - especially the way you've configured it. I've compared pricing on similar systems, and it's a good deal...hope Dad lets you go through with it
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