LAPTOP FORUM

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My son is off to University hopefully this September and he wants a =
laptop (dont they all !). His main reason is the lack of space in the =
halls rooms, which I can appreciate having seen a few of the rooms =
(cupboards more like). Anyway the one he is looking at is the Sony =
VAIO PCG-K115S from Comet on-line http://www.comet.co.uk/comet

The spec and software like quite good but I have a question or 2:-

1. Can Laptops run on-line games like counterstrike, and Diablo 2 to =
the extent that his Desktop can. His PC is a fairly high spec machine =
with a good gaming graphics card and is about 18 months old.
2. Could he hook up his Creative Labs 5.1 stereo speakers to a laptop, =
do they generally have the ports to cope ?
3. I have heard that Sony VAIOs have very clear displays, certainly the =
ones I have seen are very clear.
4. Is there anything bad I should know about Sony VAIO laptops ?
5. Can a DVD +RW write CD R/W disks as well as DVDs and what does the =
+ mean ?
6. Are there any other questions I should have asked, but havent ???

Ta
Wolfy




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The spec and software like quite good =
but I have a
question or 2:-

 

1.  Can Laptops run on-line games =
like
counterstrike, and Diablo 2 to the extent that his Desktop can.  =
His
PC is a fairly high spec machine with a good gaming graphics card =
and is
about 18 months old.

2.  Could he hook up his Creative =
Labs 5.1
stereo speakers to a laptop, do they generally have the ports to cope
?

3.  I have heard that Sony VAIOs =
have very
clear displays, certainly the ones I have seen are very =
clear.

4.  Is there anything bad I should =
know about
Sony VAIO laptops ?

5. Can a DVD +RW write CD R/W =
disks as well as
DVDs and what does the + mean ?

6.  Are there any other questions =
I should
have asked, but havent ???

 

Ta

Wolfy

 

 

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Ian wrote in message
news:y29qc.10308$J 7.5303@front-1.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
My son is off to University hopefully this September and he wants a laptop
(dont they all !). His main reason is the lack of space in the halls rooms,
which I can appreciate having seen a few of the rooms (cupboards more like).
Anyway the one he is looking at is the Sony VAIO PCG-K115S from Comet
on-line http://www.comet.co.uk/comet

Ok. Try not to post in html. It annoys people.

Hes chosen a top-of-the-range laptop. Most universities supply plenty
computer equipment so it sounds more of a want than a necessity. Id bear in
mind that halls are very insecure and a lot of thieving goes on so the lest
stealable kit thats in a room, the better. It only takes one person to
leave a hall door open and there could be 300 students in a hall!

1. Can Laptops run on-line games like counterstrike, and Diablo 2 to the
extent that his Desktop can. His PC is a fairly high spec machine with a
good gaming graphics card and is about 18 months old.

Laptops can do pretty much anything a desktop can.

2. Could he hook up his Creative Labs 5.1 stereo speakers to a laptop, do
they generally have the ports to cope ?

yes.

3. I have heard that Sony VAIOs have very clear displays, certainly the
ones I have seen are very clear.

They all do or they wouldnt sell.

4. Is there anything bad I should know about Sony VAIO laptops ?

Theyre not as good for backup/repairs/support as IBM laptops. IBM are the
bees knees of the laptop world.

5. Can a DVD +RW write CD R/W disks as well as DVDs and what does the +
mean ?

There are three types of DVD - +, - and RAM. A drive that says DVD +/- will
cope with + and - disks. Think of + as bacon and - as egg. Theyre just
names. A DVD RW drive will write to and read from CDs

6. Are there any other questions I should have asked, but havent ???

battery life, stealability, worth of buying one that might get puked on or
beer spilt on or dropped or whatever. Believe me, even the most sane and
sensible person becomes a lunatic in university.

--
Yours

Zebedee

(Claiming asylum in an attempt
to escape paying his debts to
Dougal and Florence)


Wolfy

My sons just finishing at uni, taking a computer science degree,
theres no doubt a desktop is the most useable and reliable and most of
all fixable, of the computer types available for students today.
all the things you list and he wants to do he can do with his desktop.
Laptops are inherently and relatively fragile to a desktop. when they go
wrong they are difficult to fix and costly.
Now Sony make a nice looking machine BUT their product support in
comparison to the others is non existent. For this reason alone its
unsuited to a student.
Heres a rundown on the main makes
IBM make the most reliable machines, there the most expensive and
provide the best product support. go to their web site and take a look.
toshiba have the fastest repair srvice as they have authorised dealers
who draw from Toshiba the components on a 24hr basis and repair within a
couple of days.
Compaq and HP in their pro ranges are good but are not well represented
like the first 2.
Dell are the fastest/performanne for the money, unless yove bought the
next day pro warranty, dont think about them when they go wrong. There
a mail order co.
all the others are just fringe laptop suppliers. The big outfits like
PC world are cheap but so are most of their products. Product support
is poor.
If it was me Id get an extra desk for him and send him off with his
desktop.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 21:58:03 -0700, ted.frater
wrote:
Laptop v Desktop for University

Whilst great in theory they are a bit hard to take into lectures,
library etc.

Most Universities now are either already or in the process of being
fully Wi FI so people can work off their laptops in halls, Students
Union, Library, lecture theatres etc so it is very suited and aimed at
the growing number of people with Laptops..

Cheers

CHRIS

In article ,
ianw.sutherland@badday.co.uk says...
(dont they all !). His main reason is the lack of space in the halls rooms,
which I can appreciate having seen a few of the rooms (cupboards more like).
Anyway the one he is looking at is the Sony VAIO PCG-K115S from Comet on-line
http://www.comet.co.uk/comet
extent that his Desktop can. His PC is a fairly high spec machine with a good
gaming graphics card and is about 18 months old.
1) Yes if you spend alot of money but not to the same max speed as his
desktop. Laptops are at the best 60% of a desktop speed for 3D Gaming.
2) No. Look for a Creative SB Extigy.
3) Most laptop displays are clear.
4) Overpriced. Youre paying for the name.
5) Yes. The + means it supports the DVD+ format of writable discs.


--
Conor

If youre not on somebodys shit list, youre not doing anything
worthwhile.

wrote in message
news:40a92c48.6417687@News.individual.net...

In a dimly lit lecture theatre, its always easier to use pen and paper.
Most lecture theatres I have been in have been entirely unsuitable for
laptops in terms of space.


So they might be. It doesnt mean that hand-written essays are unacceptible.
No university worth its salt can downmark or refuse to accept hand-written
essays. Similarly hand-written notes are as good - if not better - than
laboriously entered data on a computer.

I can drop hand-written notes. I might spend ages sorting the pages out but
my notes would be more durable.

Dont get me wrong - I love computers. I do think that the data volatility
plus the delicate nature of laptops added to their attraction to thieves
tends to make them unattractive for me. I used to be a student but would not
care to risk what would be effectively my future life on something as dicy
as that.

--
Yours

Zebedee

(Claiming asylum in an attempt
to escape paying his debts to
Dougal and Florence)

Cars are expensive & prone to being stolen yet you would still drive one...

Data can be backed up, thats what CDR, DVD & Flash Drives are for...lecture
theatres are fully lit now we have electricity ;-)

Plus you can get good locks to keep your laptop secure...how much does your
mobile phone cost again?

Speaking as a past MCS student, I would rather be working in my flat or in
halls than sitting in a lab till 2am trying to finish an assignment...should
know as I did the latter!

Insurance, warranties etc all cover the laptop and theyre easier to move at
the end of term compared to a desktop.

Not to advertise too much, but check out a posting below (CFS: Sony VAIO
Offers!) detailing some offers on VAIO...try the FR415M;

FR415M - P4 2.8GHz, 512MB PC2100, 40GB, 15 XGA onyx-black TFT, DVD/CDRW,
Floppy, WindowsXP Home & other software - Was Ł999.99 inc vat, now only
Ł899.99 inc vat with free Canon CanoScan LiDE 20 worth Ł50 inc vat!!! **3
available in stock**

Pen & paper is great, but data stored and searchable is far better when it
comes to exam time!

HTH

Euan.
RCT

W - www.red-cloud.co.uk






Zebedee wrote in message
news:40a97999$0$1864$afc38c87@news.ukonline.co.uk...

RCT wrote in message
news:1084901523.38863.0@doris.uk.clara.net...
one...

Umm... Actually I use public transport because its cheaper. Free in Wales,
if youre a pensioner!


Yes. But how often does one back up? Ten to one, just before the weekly
backup, somebody calls around to drag you to the latest bar. Yuo return too
blotto to remember to back up. So backing up gets forgotten then remembered
when theres no time. before you know it, therere several months of notes
on the laptop - which is when it gets stolen.


Good locks maybe but how often does on forget to lock something? Besides,
most student accommodation is entered not through an unlocked door but
through a forced door.


Speaking as a past student myself, I did half of my essays by hand and the
othe rhalf on computers in the computer room. Most halls have some computers
supplied too.


Yes. But they dont recover stolen data/work. The stolen data/work is worth
more than money.


Is it? I thought reading through all of ones notes to find a certain titbit
of information helped revision. Besides, therere libraries for searching!

--
Yours

Zebedee

(Claiming asylum in an attempt
to escape paying his debts to
Dougal and Florence)