dlazz;673975 wrote:Gives you some room for upgrading RAM past 4GB.

ffm, As for the monitor question it should run independently. In other words, when you plug in the monitor, the computer will say "Hey, there's a new display present. What is it's ideal resolution?" and then automatically set itself to that resolution (or at least enable you to set it to the ideal resolution). It can and probably will exceed the stock 1366x768

Can 32 bit windows use 6GB of RAM? I thought it was capped at 4GB.

I can confirm that the resolution for the laptop does not affect the resolution of an external monitor. You can set the resolution for each display. I have a 15" laptop screen and a 23" external monitor and it's a thing of beauty.

You guys are an invaluable resource--thanks for all the advice. I'll see about doing the 64-bit instead of 32-bit--I assume it isn't an issue with our IT people, but I'll confirm.

fan_from_texas;674115 wrote: I'll see about doing the 64-bit instead of 32-bit--I assume it isn't an issue with our IT people, but I'll confirm.

Most likely a non-issue. They will probably tell you they don't support 64-bit Office, which unless you plan to drop a few hundred on yourself is probably not a concern.

gut;674135 wrote:Most likely a non-issue. They will probably tell you they don't support 64-bit Office, which unless you plan to drop a few hundred on yourself is probably not a concern.

Yep--they don't support 64-bit office, just 32-bit, which can run under 64-bit, but without any real advantage. Do you think it's still worthwhile to go with 64-bit to make room for future upgrades if it doesn't cost any extra?

Toshiba and Lennova are 2 brands I like. I have an HP for work and that thing is shitty. I've broken 2 of them already and I'm not a power user nor do I travel a ton and these things just puss out. One of them went to blue screen while I was logging back in after going to the bathroom. FRAGILE.

I've never owned an ASUS laptop, but I've had several ASUS items (monitor, MOBO, etc.) and they have been very reliable (knock on wood).

also, on slickdeals today they had an alienware Laptop from dell with like 8GB RAM and a i5 processor for 699.

fan_from_texas;674140 wrote:Yep--they don't support 64-bit office, just 32-bit, which can run under 64-bit, but without any real advantage. Do you think it's still worthwhile to go with 64-bit to make room for future upgrades if it doesn't cost any extra?

http://www.w7forums.com/windows-7-64-bit-vs-32-bit-t484.html
Pros and Cons of a 64 bit system:

* You can address much more than 4GB of memory, which is ideal for avid gamers, CAD, video editors and heavy multi-taskers. However, any 32 bit software you use will still be restricted to 4GB memory – you need a 64 bit CPU, OS and applications to take full advantage of the extra RAM.
* 16 bit applications will no longer run. Although this is unlikely to be a problem, if you use very old software (from the Windows 3.1 days!) then it will not work under a 64 bit OS.
* Existing 32 bit drivers no longer work.If you have older or poorly supported hardware you may find that it can no longer be used. Got a 7 year old scanner that just about works in Vista? You may not be able to get it working in 64 bit Windows 7.
* Unsigned kernel-mode drivers no longer work. Along with the issue above, the inability to run unsigned kernel mode drivers will cause problems for old hardware. (There is reportedly a way to bypass this check).
* Running some 32 bit applications on a 64 bit OS could actually be slower. The additional overheads in running 32 bit software in 64 bit mode could cause a slight degradation in performance. It will take some time for 64 bit software to become the norm.


Windows 7 Home Basic supports up to 8GB Ram, Home Premium is up to 16GB, Pro, Enterprise, and Ultimate are up to 192GB Ram

I don't know why all of you are making a big deal about 32bit/64bit. In the IT world, both are supported damn near the same. With Vista it was wishy-washy because the driver support wasn't there...but with Windows 7 I've had no issues with 64-bit drivers.

yeah, I agree its not a big deal. Just trying to provide info. If you are getting new, get 64bit Windows 7 Pro or higher.

j_crazy;674146 wrote:also, on slickdeals today they had an alienware Laptop from dell with like 8GB RAM and a i5 processor for 699.

it is probably a good deal...but it should be noted that this is a 11.6 inch netbook.

dlazz;674414 wrote:I don't know why all of you are making a big deal about 32bit/64bit. In the IT world, both are supported damn near the same. With Vista it was wishy-washy because the driver support wasn't there...but with Windows 7 I've had no issues with 64-bit drivers.

Honestly, I wasn't aware of this. Thanks for the info!

The license key is the same for 32-bit and 64-bit installs. If you purchase a 32-bit system, and in the future you want to upgrade to a 64-bit system, you just need a 64-bit install disc. Just clear the computer and install the 64-bit O/S. Unless you want to run more RAM (~ 4GB+), as of right now, there isn't many pros or cons each way.

Personally, I go with Lenovo T series laptops. I have dropped mine multiple times (once on ice) and it has kept on working. Saying that, the next time I purchase one for work, I might want to look at an HP.

I have an HP and have not had any problems with it. Several people warned me about them, but the price was so good I couldn't resist.

Thanks for all the input. I ended up going with the Toshiba L650 I mentioned above. It seems like a good balance between power/portability and at a very reasonable price (<$900). I'll use the extra money to pick up a new phone, I guess, since my 3-year-old BlackBerry is running out of gas.

fan_from_texas;674565 wrote:Thanks for all the input. I ended up going with the Toshiba L650 I mentioned above. It seems like a good balance between power/portability and at a very reasonable price (<$900). I'll use the extra money to pick up a new phone, I guess, since my 3-year-old BlackBerry is running out of gas.

Toshibas have a good rep....good decision.

fan_from_texas;674565 wrote:Thanks for all the input. I ended up going with the Toshiba L650 I mentioned above. It seems like a good balance between power/portability and at a very reasonable price (<$900). I'll use the extra money to pick up a new phone, I guess, since my 3-year-old BlackBerry is running out of gas.

Throw the blackberry into Lake Michigan and go get an I-phone or Droid. My wife has the I-Phone, I have an HTC Sprint Droid and the upgrade from blackberry is nearly as noticeable as moving from the early cell phones to blackberries. I don't know how we survived without this. The engine is faster than my craptacular Comcast high speed (what a joke) home network and I can pretty much operate completely just from the device.

Manhattan Buckeye;674584 wrote:Throw the blackberry into Lake Michigan and go get an I-phone or Droid. My wife has the I-Phone, I have an HTC Sprint Droid and the upgrade from blackberry is nearly as noticeable as moving from the early cell phones to blackberries. I don't know how we survived without this. The engine is faster than my craptacular Comcast high speed (what a joke) home network and I can pretty much operate completely just from the device.

We're leaning Droid. Uncle F here required us to use a Blackberry (no iPhone or Droid allowed) for e-mail/cell, and just recently changed the policy. But now we're stuck in a T-Mobile contract for another year, so we'll see what we can do. It looks to me like T-Mobile won't let me upgrade without paying $300-400 for a phone, though I think I can break the contract for $150-ish and get new free phones for Mrs. FFT & I with a different carrier.

It seems kinda silly that T-Mobile would rather have us break our contract with them than extend by an additional two years with new phones, but that's certainly how it looks like this will go down. I think we'll probably go Verizon and pick up some inexpensive Droid.

dlazz;673975 wrote:Gives you some room for upgrading RAM past 4GB.

ffm, As for the monitor question it should run independently. In other words, when you plug in the monitor, the computer will say "Hey, there's a new display present. What is it's ideal resolution?" and then automatically set itself to that resolution (or at least enable you to set it to the ideal resolution). It can and probably will exceed the stock 1366x768

Any of the laptops sold with 4GB of RAM or more have Windows 7 64 bit anyway.

This is what I would like on top of my lap.