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Geek Culture / Vista, Laptop - computer-y stuff

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 28th May 2008 17:47
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Hello, I'll be getting about £1000 soon (I don't know how soon, weeks, a couple of months maybe) and am searching for a gaming laptop (found a couple of good sounding ones) but I do have a few questions for those who are 'with-it'.

Now I *Don't* want this to be another OS war, I am perfectly aware of the advantages (and disadvantages) of MacOS, Linux and Win XP SP2. Vista is actually where I'm in the dark about - I've heard about it's bugs, but you know it's been out for a while now - MS has had to opportunity to exterminate a few bugs.

I want to know Vista users' opinions of Vista this far in, it's problems and what SP1 and other updates have fixed. I don't want to buy a laptop and have to deal with an OS I won't get along with, I had to deal with it on XP before I got any of the patches. I'll be buying good internet security with it, so I don't need to worry about how many viruses there are out there for it.

Also, Bluray drives - are they DVD/CDROM/PCDVD compatible? The more expensive of my choice has a bluray drive, whilst the other has a DVD R/W

And, nVidia GeForce 9500M, a good DirectX 10 card? Looking at the technical details, it seems quite impressive, especially compared to the 8400 which most of the gaming laptops have. I watched a video the card on Crysis and it still looked good (on similar system to the laptops I'm looking at) Has anyone got this card and what's their experience with it?

Has anybody here shopped with laptopsdirect.co.uk? What's your experience like, are they trust worthy?

The laptops I'm looking at are from the Acer Aspire Gemstone Range, the differences between the two models I'm most interested in (One is on laptopsdirect.co.uk and the other Play.com)

The one from Laptops direct is
2.0 ghz Intel Core Duo 2 Dual core
4GB Ram
512mb nVidia Geforce 9500M
250gb HDD
Windows Vista
DVD R/W
£700 including VAT

The Play.com (the more expensive one) is pretty much identical, but about £150 more expensive with, 2.1ghz and a Bluray drive. Both have a fingerprint reader, 6 in 1 card reader, 5:1 Dolby surround sound with a subwoofer (whatever the hell that is. ) They are 16 inch with a HD screen.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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Argorre
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Posted: 28th May 2008 19:34
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for gaming vista is way better than xp i have never had any problems with vista sp1 greatly decreased the start and shut down times
i dont understand all the lies about bugs never had it crash or freeze
iv had my laptop for 7 months
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Chenak
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Posted: 28th May 2008 21:10
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My girlfriend bought a sony vaio with vista installed and we have had zero problems. Blueray drives are fully compatible with dvds and cds, however Im not sure if they all support dvd ram formats. They usually include dvd r/w too.

The 9500 is okay, you can however get gaming laptops with 8600s for around 800-900
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bitJericho
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Posted: 28th May 2008 21:27
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i've been using vista since it first came out and wouldn't even think to go back to xp.

I havent really found any games that don't run on it. Most apps do as well, to think of it, I can't think of any program off hand that hasn't worked for me. You *may* have issues with older software that was released and not updated for vista. However, most old software does work no problems.

Your computer that you're looking at would run it very well, be sure to get the 64 bit version, there's really no reason to go with 32bit vista unless your hardware can't support it.

Some people find the UAC annoying. You can turn it off. I leave it on, and I actually find it comforting

I recommend trying to live with it's quirks like uac for a month or two. If you still can't stand it, then turn it off. But try it for a while, instead of just shutting off safety features you're not used to, cuz it can lead to more problems and a less happy experience.

As for "security", all you really need in vista is an antivirus. You don't need a third party firewall or spyware remover really. I would recommend spybot though to supplement microsoft's windows defender. Nod32 works very well under vista, that's what I recommend to anyone, it also catches a lot of spyware type stuff too, and it's very fast. You can try it for 30 days too to see if you like it. Do *not* get norton or semantec, they'll only make you hate your computer

Uh, other than that, be sure you get at least vista home premium so you get aero and all that good stuff.

And acer is a great brand, so you won't have troubles there.


Hurray for teh logd!
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SunnyKatt
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Posted: 28th May 2008 22:27
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This is actually reassuring for me when I get my next computer with vista... I'd hate to see xp go.

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 29th May 2008 01:08
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Hey Seppuku, how's it going?

I use Vista for my Laptop and I play quite a few games on it. I've had this laptop for about a year now and I haven't experienced any problems playing games at all.

With Vista itself, very few things annoy me now. When I first got it, there was a lot I wanted to tweak in order to get it back to what I had it before, but I think I've settled in now.

The UAC continues to annoy me, but what annoys me more is vista screaming like a whiny (ahem) for me to turn it back on via a nice red icon in the system tray. So I just leave it be. Some of my programs need to be ok'd by the UAC when I start my computer, and I cannot save a file from MS Word to my flash drive because apparently it's dangerous or something. I have to drag it from my documents to the drive.

I like the way the folder structure is set up in Vista. Finally, something that makes sense. I had to memorize the folder layouts all over, but it was worth it.

Some Vista features I am thoroughly enjoying lately are DX10 and it's handwriting recognition capabilities, which are very good.

Overall, after a year of owning Vista, I give it an A-, about the same I'd give XP after knowing it's quirks for so long.

Go Vista. I don't think you'll regret it.

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" - Isaac Newton
-Computer Animation Major @Baker.edu-
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 29th May 2008 01:55
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This is encouraging to hear after a years use, now that all of the fears etc. have had time to unravel, with the myths out in the open air and other peoples problems at the start. Acer being a 'good brand' is also good to hear, as I've not heard a huge lot about them.

Quote: "The 9500 is okay, you can however get gaming laptops with 8600s for around 800-900"


I saw a couple with 8600s, but haven't tickled my fancy as much, plus I'm kind of moving towards wanted to spend the rest on software, though a Bluray drive does sound tempting too. (for the more expensive Acer model)

Quote: "Hey Seppuku, how's it going?"


Hey, not too bad, yourself?

With UAC and the reminders of Vista, I think being a general Windows user since Windows 95/98 I should be used to annoying pop-ups. I get them all the time, heck Clipit in MSWord always did it as well, luckily I'm a big boy now and can live without the little guy.

All this is reassuring whilst finally upgrading. Can't wait, I've been hovering over getting a new computer for a couple of years now. At least I'll be getting enough money to get something decent.

Cheers.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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tha_rami
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Posted: 29th May 2008 02:11 Edited at: 29th May 2008 02:14
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Hey Seppuku,

Well, as a retailer for computers, I usually say the following to customers.

"Nothing really changed, basically, the Start button is still in the lower left, the clock still in the lower right and the icons still arranged from top-left to bottom-right. On the other hand, Vista is more secure, looks better and has some tweaks that should help you use it. Networking has been greatly improved too. If anything, you might have problems with old software or printers that are 4-6 years old. [short pause]. You know, Vista can give some problems if you install it on an older PC. If you buy a computer with Vista pre-installed, you shouldn't have any problems at all."

If questioned about speed:
"Yes, Vista is heavier. That's why I recommend a PC that has a decent processor and at least 2048MB of work memory. Also, a bit of a video card would be a smart idea. There are options to speed things up, ranging from visual tricks to disabling indexing, which you can find on the internet, by the way."

If questioned about UAC:
"Actually, that's an option. You can turn it off through the User Accounts option in the Configuration Screen. If you do so, though, make sure you have good protection installed on your PC."

That's about it, and I'm the kind of guy that's just honest (according to my boss, I'm terrible at selling a lot and fast, but great for the shops' service image).

Also, do check my "Freeware" topic somewhere in Geek Culture.


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Mr X
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Posted: 29th May 2008 19:22
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I have used Vista for some time (did however go back to XP due to gaming compability problems, I like older and OpenGL based games, and Vista do not always like them), and it worked like a charm. Was a bit slow and so, because I do not have a very good graphics card (note that with your specs, it might run very well), but it was a decent OS and not that bad at all. The only thing that did not work was my microphone, everything else worked. Just not me, do not like how they have dumbiefied some stuff (the defrager), and it felt too overprotective (not talking about UAC really). On the other side it is far more secure, works far better out of the box then XP and is in my experience more stable then XP. The search box in the start menu is also nice, and I like some of the new interface stuff (not talking about Aero, do not think the outside is what makes an OS). But I will not comment on if you would like it. If you have a XP license, go for it, because if you do not like Vista you can just as well install XP again.

If you will like or not like Vista is up to you. To me it is decent, to you it might be the best one, or the worst one, ever. I would go for trying it out. Try it out, give it a shot, and you will know what you think of it.

And beyond that, the specs on that laptop is very good. Be glad you can afford one like that, I cannot. So when you get it, be happy that you have it.

And a good think with Vista SP1 is that it will, if what I have heard is right, recognise and use all 4 gb ram of it (have not used SP1, but I have heard that).

The one thing worse then the brutality of the evil, is the ignorance of the good.
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coolgames
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Posted: 30th May 2008 02:56
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Go Vista!
I installed vista on my 6 year old computer and it works fine. Looking at the specs of the laptop you are thinking of getting, vista will run
very well. As for gaming, you get directx 10 on vista. There may not be that many dx10 games out right now, but there will be in the near future. Getting dx10 now makes it so you don't have to upgrade as soon, later.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 30th May 2008 19:43
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Quote: "On the other side it is far more secure, works far better out of the box then XP and is in my experience more stable then XP. "


That's what I like to hear, XP for me was quite unstable out of the box - I used to have loads of problems with it until I got to know a few tips and tricks and acquired the service packs.

Quote: "Be glad you can afford one like that, I cannot. So when you get it, be happy that you have it."


Haha, you sound like me there, so yes I am happy that I'll be able to afford one like that at long last.

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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Mr Makealotofsmoke
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Posted: 31st May 2008 11:37
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i would go for a 8600 instead of a 9500M and maybe a 2.4GHz CPU


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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 31st May 2008 17:02 Edited at: 31st May 2008 17:03
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I think it's better to go with XP for now... was on a friend's fully updated, AVed and firewalled laptop yesterday, went to copy 50kb of files. That took nearly a minute. Then, it locked up the instant I renamed one. When I rebooted, the file was completely unrecoverable. I had to copy it again.


I fail at life. No, really.
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tha_rami
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Posted: 31st May 2008 17:03 Edited at: 31st May 2008 17:10
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Try using TeraCopy from my freeware list. It's really better at copying than XP's or Vista's copying handling (which both suck horribly).

Bluray is backwards compatible, btw.

The Gemstone series really are one of the prettiest and most capable Acer laptops. These are the 6920's, right?


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bitJericho
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Posted: 31st May 2008 17:54 Edited at: 31st May 2008 17:54
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Quote: "I think it's better to go with XP for now... was on a friend's fully updated, AVed and firewalled laptop yesterday, went to copy 50kb of files. That took nearly a minute. Then, it locked up the instant I renamed one. When I rebooted, the file was completely unrecoverable. I had to copy it again."


Have you stopped to think that perhaps his a/v was faulty? Why does everyone have to blame vista

I'd bet fifty bucks on the symptoms you described that your friend uses avg, or if not, then norton.


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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 31st May 2008 17:58
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He uses Avast!


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bitJericho
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Posted: 31st May 2008 18:12
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/me gives Nex fifty bucks

But still, I've never had issues with transferring files. I know the issue exists from reading about it... SP1 supposedly fixed these errors, and I think in most cases this is not an issue, but a minority of systems are affected.

However, if it's a one off thing on your friends pc, likely it was some other issue.


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Jeku
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Posted: 31st May 2008 21:27
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Does anyone here have a Blu-Ray burner, and is it worth getting yet? I'm kinda sorta maybe considering getting one, as I have a weakness for early adoption.


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Mr Makealotofsmoke
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Posted: 1st Jun 2008 04:10
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well the discs them self cost a fair bit....think its like $50 for a RW 50gb disc here....so y not just get a 250gb HDD and an external closure?


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tha_rami
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Posted: 1st Jun 2008 05:35
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Not worth getting yet. Most software doesn't even play those damn discs yet. I'd wait until DVD is starting to thin out and the costs of those things start to drop (and games start to be released on BD).


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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Jun 2008 06:57
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it might be worth getting a reader, if you have a high def tv.

Otherwise, kind of a waste imo.


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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 2nd Jun 2008 15:03
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Quote: "These are the 6920's, right?"


Spot on, yes.

I might get the one with the Bluray drive, but I wonder if it's worth the extra £150? Though I don't know anybody who's shopped with Laptops Direct and don't know how reliable, so getting the more expensive version from Play.com might be worth the piece of mind, unless anybody here have any opinions of Laptops Direct?


The file transfer thing, I used to get that on XP - I suppose if any of this proves to be a problem, I'm sure I can partition my hard drive to include XP, this model is still supposed to be XP compatible. (As I've heard, companies like Dell are Vista only now...whether true or not, I don't know) Mind you it'd solve any compatibility issues as I still play some of the Old Classic games, not all of which can run uder DOSBox or SCUMMVM

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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