First time poster looking for some advice! The time has come for me to replace my desktop, and I would like to see many opinions as to what I should do.
First, my intentions with this notebook:
Gaming (WoW, Conan, CoD4, etc.)
Possibly running a small business using it
Multimedia (I want something amazing to watch DVDs on while I'm out)
Schoolwork
The most important things to me are gaming and multimedia. What attracted me to this particular model is the screen...though I can't seem to find a laptop backpack large enough to carry it (any idea on that?). Now, the build I'm looking at is going to cost me around $4k. I'm hoping that some small downgrades can happen so that I can spend a bit less, but it's not the end of the world if I cannot.
Another question that I have is whether or not WoW/Ventrilo will even run on Vista 64-bit. The HP guy I spoke with on the phone said that it wouldn't....but I would like to hear everyone's input and experience with regard to that.
Here is the build, please let me know if there's anything I can downgrade to without suffering greatly in performance:
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz)
20.1" diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920x1200)-"True HD" 1080p res
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS Video Card
240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007 (Figuring I can upgrade to business when/if things go that route)
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Is the X9000 Extreme processor worth the extra $350? They offer the Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9500 (2.60GHz) for $350 less.
They also offer 320GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive for $100 less than the one I selected. Would I notice a huge difference between the 5400 and 7200? Would I be able to purchase a 7200 in the future if I feel that I need that caliber of a drive?
Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'd appreciate any positive input that can be given!
First, my intentions with this notebook:
Gaming (WoW, Conan, CoD4, etc.)
Possibly running a small business using it
Multimedia (I want something amazing to watch DVDs on while I'm out)
Schoolwork
The most important things to me are gaming and multimedia. What attracted me to this particular model is the screen...though I can't seem to find a laptop backpack large enough to carry it (any idea on that?). Now, the build I'm looking at is going to cost me around $4k. I'm hoping that some small downgrades can happen so that I can spend a bit less, but it's not the end of the world if I cannot.
Another question that I have is whether or not WoW/Ventrilo will even run on Vista 64-bit. The HP guy I spoke with on the phone said that it wouldn't....but I would like to hear everyone's input and experience with regard to that.
Here is the build, please let me know if there's anything I can downgrade to without suffering greatly in performance:
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz)
20.1" diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920x1200)-"True HD" 1080p res
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS Video Card
240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007 (Figuring I can upgrade to business when/if things go that route)
--------------------------------------
Is the X9000 Extreme processor worth the extra $350? They offer the Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9500 (2.60GHz) for $350 less.
They also offer 320GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive for $100 less than the one I selected. Would I notice a huge difference between the 5400 and 7200? Would I be able to purchase a 7200 in the future if I feel that I need that caliber of a drive?
Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'd appreciate any positive input that can be given!