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Before I buy...

post #1 of 16
7/30/05 at 3:37am
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone, I have a question that I'm hoping someone here can help me with...I'm seriously considering buying myself a Sentia laptop but I'm a bit worried as I'm not exactly a computer expert and I'm afraid to make a bad buying decision (which I've already done by buying an HP Pavilion laptop last year, which I ended up loathing). I'm not planning to use it for any serious gaming, mostly for wordprocessing/schoolwork, websurfing, playing DVDs, and some Photoshopping. I'm on a bit of a budget so I'm trying to keep my cost fairly reasonable. My plan is to get the Celeron M 350 1.3GHz 1MB L2 Cache 400MHZ FSB processor, 512 MB of RAM and 40GB HD. Would this be sufficient for what I want to use the laptop for? I've been told that I shouldn't even get an AW since I'm not a gamer, but I have to admit that the design is one of the reasons I'm sorely tempted to grab the Sentia...

Any advice would be appreciated...cheers!
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post #2 of 16
7/30/05 at 8:08am
Celeron? I would be turning over in my grave if I were dead. So instead I will just pull what's left of my hair out. In case you missed it I haven't got a high opinion Celeron processors. The Sentia is great for your uses. Unless the screen size will affect your use of photoshopping. I find it is so clear that it doesn't bother me at all. Otherwise my use is almost the same as yours. I think you would be most happy with a Sentia. Perhaps if you are looking to save money you can either wait till they run a special on them or perhaps chose a config with a slower Centrino processor. Either way good luck.....
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post #3 of 16
7/30/05 at 3:00pm
i have a 2.0 with 512 mb *1 stick* and 40 gb of hdd space...personally i wouldnt go with the celeron if my life depended on it...go for atleast the 1.6 plz

Jas
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post #4 of 16
7/30/05 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the advice guys! I'll go for the better processor then. I'll admit that I'm technically inept, so I'm not sure what you mean by "1 stick", would you care to enlighten me? Would there be any point in me choosing more than 512 MB? I used to rely on my brother to do these things for me (like building my PCs and upgrading them when needed), but unfortunately he's got a fiance and a life now *sigh* so I have to fend for myself...
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post #5 of 16
7/30/05 at 4:45pm
1 stick means that 512MB of RAM comes on one RAM module and only takes up 1 of 2 available slots for RAM. This means you can add another 512MB stick (or even a 1GB stick) later if you decide you need more RAM.

If you don't get the "1 SO-DIMM" option, you will get 2x256MB RAM sticks. This gives you 512MB total, but you'll end up wasting 1 of these modules if you upgrade RAM later.
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post #6 of 16
7/30/05 at 4:55pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks shazza, I'd no idea it worked that way. I'll definitely go with the 1 stick option to leave myself room for future upgrades. Thanks so much for the help guys!
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post #7 of 16
7/30/05 at 11:15pm
I just got my sentia not to long ago, and I'm basically using it for the same things you are, and I love it! But I got mine with the $400 rebate, and in my opinion the current price is way to much to pay. If I were you, I'd wait for for the next special offer, and save, hopefully, $400.
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post #8 of 16
7/30/05 at 11:25pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, I'd love to save that kind of money...does anyone know how often AW runs rebate programs??
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post #9 of 16
7/30/05 at 11:58pm
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=93078

Here is a thread talking about it. It seems like there were some more, so you might want to do a search on the forums by clicking the search button at the top of the page.
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post #10 of 16
8/1/05 at 12:24am
either wait for an alienware rebate, get a laptop from sager(same as alienware only cheaper) or pick up u dell 9300 with a 750 dollar off coupon (best bang for your buck)
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post #11 of 16
8/1/05 at 6:16am
Quote:
...pick up u dell 9300 with a 750 dollar off coupon (best bang for your buck)
The 17" 9300 is good value if you are a gamer or need the extra power it offers. It's likely not the choice for someone who wants a lightweight Sentia. A comparable Dell model would probably be the 700M - but no Alieneyes!!!
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post #12 of 16
8/1/05 at 12:18pm
oops, I thought the sentia was a 15 inch notebook, my apologies
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post #13 of 16
8/22/05 at 2:10am
Thread Starter 
OK, I've decided that I'm definitely going to buy the Sentia...and of course I have a few more questions...

First of all, I'm torn between getting the 1.6 Ghz and 1.8 Ghz Pentium M - is there really all that much difference in speed between these two? Especailly since my primary use for the laptop is wordprocessing and Internet surfing?

Also, would you guys say it's imperative that I get an extended warranty beyond the 90 days the laptop already comes with? I've NEVER bought an extended warranty for a computer in my life, and luckily I've never needed one either. I wonder how often extended warranties are there just to earn the company that much more profit...

And finally, if I were to get the 1.8 Ghz with 1 GB RAM, how long would you say it would take for the laptop to become obsolete? I'd like this laptop to last me a reasonable amount of time since I'm not one to buy computers as often as most...
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post #14 of 16
8/22/05 at 3:41pm
For word processing and web surfing, no, you wouldn't see much difference. If you were using photoshop while playing music and chatting/surfing, yeah, you would see a difference.

As for warrenty, I'd get at least 1yr. Some people really deck out their computers though, and that's when you want to get a warrenty that'll last longer 'cause it's a huge investment.

Obsoletness... In my opinion, for what you're doing, it should last you anywhere from 2-5 years. If security is an issue though (such as buying things on the net), the rule of thumb is to replace your computer every 3-4 years.
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post #15 of 16
8/23/05 at 8:51am
Valhalla, I think I understand what your talking about security issues and upgrading more often but would you mind expanding on that for me? Always out to learn more and hear opinions.
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post #16 of 16
8/28/05 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the help guys, I've decided on the 1 yr warrantly then, and the 1.8 Ghz processor.

Now I just have sit back and bite off what's left of my fingernails while they build it.....
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