Another Computer Question DDR2 vs 3 & Buss Speed

I-SIG

I'm gonna get a new computer here real soon. (Got my eye on those Dell XPS specials.) I definitely want a laptop but since I don't carry it around very much I'm going with at least a 16" screen.

I'm buying a PC so don't start the "Apple rules" bullsh!t unless you can find me an iMac or Macbook with a straight up HDMI output for less than $1500.

More specifically, the Dell Studio XPS 16 has the newer DDR3 RAM and runs a higher buss speed (1066Mhz) vs the Studio 17 with DDR2 RAM at 800Mhz.

I know that the higher buss speed is going to be faster, but I can get a few more bells and whistles (and RAM) on the Studio 17 for the about the same price as a more basic, but faster, Studio XPS 16.

I don't buy new computers every year or 2 like some folks so I expect to get at least 4 years out of whatever I buy so I want a certain amount of "futureproofing" (relatively speaking) as I can get without breaking the bank, hence seriously considering the DDR3 machine.

I read a little bit about the latency issues with the DDR3 RAM, but most of what I found was at least 6 months old, so if that isn't an issue anymore then please say so.

Thanks,
Wes

nooshinjohn

are you stuck on dell or considering others as well...

I-SIG

Not stuck, but I don't seem to have as many options at HP or Toshiba and Dell seems to be running some decent specials right now. I haven't looked closely at Gateway...

Wes

nooshinjohn

I have thE Gateway FX series... and LOVE IT. It does all I ask it to reliably and has never let me down....

The fx laptops have been discontinued... these are the replacements

http://www.gateway.com/programs/mcseries/index.php?cmpid=topnav_computers

BB still has them...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9172511&type=product&id=1218043606827

I-SIG

I saw that one. That unit is on my non-Dell shortlist. Thanks!

Wes

nooshinjohn

IMHO this gateway is a bit better than dell in terms of reliability and adaptability later on. If you plan on four years with it go Gateway....

[Deleted User]

Wes,

Have you looked into slickdeals.net or dealnews.com? You could find some really great deal for laptops on there. I am not going to get technical on performance, because I do and can not say very well. However, Dell to me does not seem to perform as well as the specs indicate. I have owned Dell for many many years. The older inspiron seems to be better then the new ones, performance wise. If you are set on the Dell's, I think the upgraded studio would do just fine.

Halen

Airplay355

Apple rules!!!





j/k, I don't think they offer anything with HDMI...it's all DVI (maybe I'm wrong though). This is a dell technically I guess but it might have some extra options you want. http://www.alienware.com/customize/M17-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-M17&Subcode=SKU-DEFAULT

MacLeod

If youre talking about this Dell XPS for $800, that is the best deal out right now. The thing about this system is not just about the faster RAM but that monster processor the i7. This thing is the meanest CPU on the market and to your hands on one for $800 is a great deal! As far as I know, that is the most computer you can buy dollar for dollar.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/desktop-studioxps-435mt?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~desktop-xps-435mt_cto_1~~

The processor is the biggest thing to consider when looking for a computer IMO and especially for future proofing. The i7 is a a CPU that should be able to handle processing duties for several years.

I-SIG

MacLeod wrote: »

If youre talking about this Dell XPS for $800, that is the best deal out right now. The thing about this system is not just about the faster RAM but that monster processor the i7. This thing is the meanest CPU on the market and to your hands on one for $800 is a great deal! As far as I know, that is the most computer you can buy dollar for dollar.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/desktop-studioxps-435mt?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~desktop-xps-435mt_cto_1~~

The processor is the biggest thing to consider when looking for a computer IMO and especially for future proofing. The i7 is a a CPU that should be able to handle processing duties for several years.

On the laptops I've been looking at I've been sucking it up and upgrading to the Core 2 Duo with a 6MB Cache and 1066Mhz buss. Best I can do with spending $2k on a Quad Core.

Wes

I-SIG

Airplay355 wrote: »

I don't think they offer anything with HDMI...it's all DVI (maybe I'm wrong though). This is a dell technically I guess but it might have some extra options you want. http://www.alienware.com/customize/M17-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-M17&Subcode=SKU-DEFAULT

Once I add the 4GB of RAM and upgrade the processor I'm almost at $1900. I've looked at the Alienware but can't make it work with my budget unless I get a small screen.

Wes

dorokusai

I finally built a new computer a couple weeks ago....sheesh, I feel like I was living in the dark ages.

John30_30

I-SIG wrote: »

I'm gonna get a new computer here real soon. (Got my eye on those Dell XPS specials.) I definitely want a laptop but since I don't carry it around very much I'm going with at least a 16" screen.


More specifically, the Dell Studio XPS 16 has the newer DDR3 RAM and runs a higher buss speed (1066Mhz) vs the Studio 17 with DDR2 RAM at 800Mhz.

I know that the higher buss speed is going to be faster, but I can get a few more bells and whistles (and RAM) on the Studio 17 for the about the same price as a more basic, but faster, Studio XPS 16.

I don't buy new computers every year or 2 like some folks so I expect to get at least 4 years out of whatever I buy so I want a certain amount of "futureproofing" (relatively speaking) as I can get without breaking the bank, hence seriously considering the DDR3 machine.

I read a little bit about the latency issues with the DDR3 RAM, but most of what I found was at least 6 months old, so if that isn't an issue anymore then please say so.

Thanks,
Wes

You're probably good either way. The best bargains are for what was hot a year ago, i.e. the DDR2 with the extra bells & whistles. The newer model is going to have the next-gen processor and faster bus speed, but maybe only 15% faster overall. How much RAM total the laptop will carry, that's a consideration. Probably both max at 4 gigs?
If you're going for a workhorse laptop, I'd get one with a dedicated video card rather than integrated graphics.
There are several generations of the dual-core chips now, and the higher the Intel T-series #, the faster. i.e. the T2500 are the older ones, the T7700 are later-model and faster.

Things like bluetooth are nice, but usually with Dells, it's easy to put one on yourself. Did you post a link of the laptops you're looking at?

p.s. Alienware are just a boutique brand. The big joke (before Dell bought them) was, and probably still is that their laptops are identical to emachines and gateways with a few frills tacked on. Iow, the same Taiwan OEM builder. I'd steer clear of them.
If you want a boutique hotrod, the Acer Ferrari, Asus Lambo, Sager as a brand, are all better overall. But I don't think that's what you want either.

Systems

I-SIG wrote: »

On the laptops I've been looking at I've been sucking it up and upgrading to the Core 2 Duo with a 6MB Cache and 1066Mhz buss. Best I can do with spending $2k on a Quad Core.

Wes

The Core 2 Duo is the secret, definately go with that. And stick with Dell, they make very good laptops. I've worked on quite a few over the years and speed wise they are always the fastest.....

I-SIG

Thanks, John & Lor.

I'm getting at least 4GB of RAM on any machine I get unless I find a stupid deal on something and could upgrade to at least 4GB easily on my own.

I've noticed on a few machines that it lists 4GB as the max amount of RAM possible. Is that caused by some limitation of the motherboard or chipset? I understood 64-bit Vista to be able manage quite a bit of RAM, at least 8GB or more.

Thanks again, guys.

Wes

maggiefan

Vista 32 bit can only use a little less than 4 GB of ram, but 64 bit can use a lot more. I don't recall what the limit is but it's a lot.

I-SIG

John,

I'm looking at, specifically, the Dell Studio 17, Studio XPS 16 and the Gateway FX at Best Buy that nooshinjohn posted a link to earlier in the thread. The Gateway has everything I want except the 6MB cache and Bluetooth. It does have a huge nVidia 9800 1GB GDDR3 video card, which is more than I need, but for $1150 + tax it's hard to take it off the list right now, especially when the Dell's are running between $1500-$1600 after I get through with the option list.

On the Studio 17 I can only get an ATI RADEON 3650 with 256MG of RAM on the video card which is probably enough for me, but like I said, I want a little bit of futureproofing. The XPS 16 comes with a 512MB ATI RADEON 3670 video card and that's my only option. I haven't gotten into BluRay so I've been able to lay off the upgrade to a BR-ROM and spend that money elsewhere.

Also, FWIW, I can get 6MG of DDR2/800Mhz RAM on the Studio 17 vs 4GB DDR3 1066Mhz RAM on the XPS 16 and stay on budget.

Wes

nooshinjohn

may even have enough left over for upgrades...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8989124&type=product&id=1218006773367

wz2p7j

You guys are the music gurus I look to for advice. These guys are the computer gurus I look to for advice: :D

http://forum.pcmech.com/

Chris

I-SIG

Well, I stopped by Best Buy to check out the Gateway FX and I must say it is a certainly a nice machine. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details so I'm gonna have to strike it from my list. Thanks for the recommendation, nooshinjohn.

Wes

nooshinjohn

I-SIG wrote: »

Well, I stopped by Best Buy to check out the Gateway FX and I must say it is a certainly a nice machine. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details so I'm gonna have to strike it from my list. Thanks for the recommendation, nooshinjohn.

Wes

anytime... did you see the dell link?

I-SIG

Got the Dell Studio XPS 16 today. It was almost $400 off so I pulled the trigger. Thanks for the help guys.

Wes

zingo

Congrats!

BigMac

Nice.

MacLeod

Yup, told ya!

$800 for an i7 processor equipped machine is a great deal. Thats a good bit of future proofing there as well.

I-SIG

MacLeod wrote: »

Yup, told ya!

$800 for an i7 processor equipped machine is a great deal. Thats a good bit of future proofing there as well.

At the rate they are coming out with 64-bit programs, I'll probably still be near the "cutting edge" software-wise, a few years down the round. I haven't decided if that's good or bad, but I have picked my poison either way.

Wes