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computer related question

This is a bit off topic for this forum but I'm sure someone here knows about computers. I'm getting a new laptop and I'm wondering whether it is better to get a T9550 2.66 ghz duo processor or a Q9000 2.0 ghz quad processor? I'm kind of leaning towards the quad since I think in the next few years more and more software will start taking advantage of quad processors. However right now I'm thinking that the T9550 might work better. I want to keep the cost of the computer down or I'd just go with a better quad processor and solve all my problems. Anyway If anyone could be of help in this decision I would really appreciate it.
 
If you're looking for power, the quad is the way to go. Though if you're just going to be using basic apps the duo will be more then enough.
 
I built my own computer, so this is sort of down my ally. It all depends on whether you are going to be using multiple programs at once or not. If not, than I would go with the 2.66 Ghz. Quad cores work best on computers that have multiple applications open. it is like having (4)
.5 Ghz processors that can be assigned different tasks. If it were me, I would go with the 2.66 Ghz, but it all depends.
 
I do normally have at least a few applications open at once but I think a duo could still handle it. My brother has a 3 year old computer which I'm sure has a duo processor and he says he normally has ten or more windows open with no problems. I still think that the quad core could be nice.

If this link works right here are the specs to the computer that I'm looking to buy. If anyone has the time/desire to look at it and offer recommendations please do so.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&email_id=863686&jumpid=in_r329_emailconfig

also the computer itself is only $2145 but the service plan, printer, etc drive the total price up. It's basically as powerful as the $2700 toshiba qosmio gaming computer with the exception of the graphics card but it's quite a bit cheaper and has a few luxury features the qosmio doesn't offer.
 
Only thing I can recommend is GET A WARRANTY. I have gone through so many different brands of computers and they die on me so quick, but not quick enough to be still under warranty. If you want something that will still be able to have power in a few years to run the larger applications that I would go for the quad. But like I said if you're going to be using a few apps the duo will do.
Different windows require different power, if you're running 10 Word windows it'll require different power then say 10 google earth like windows.

Cant go wrong with an HP, I own one and I havent had a lot of issues at all. What I would recommend though is buying your computer at a Fry's or Best buy. Just somewhere where you can buy that extended warranty, I usually recommend no less then 3 yrs. After 5 yrs your computer will be way overdue for an upgrade. Good luck!
 
The hp looks like it would be great because it has very good specs. Now, a computer can become outdated within 3 years, but this shouldn't be the case with this one. I would get a warranty, but most things that go wrong happen within the first year or so.
 
I do normally have at least a few applications open at once but I think a duo could still handle it. My brother has a 3 year old computer which I'm sure has a duo processor and he says he normally has ten or more windows open with no problems. I still think that the quad core could be nice.
As others have said, it depends on how you use it. The issue is that software programs have yet to catch up to hardware changes. Most software is not multi-threaded - therefore it can only use one processor (or core). If you plan to use one large program and are hoping to speed it up (& it doesn't support multithreading), you'd actually be better off getting the fastest single core. If you have a number of programs open & none of them are real processor-intensive - the more cores you have - the better (possibly an over-generalization).

Also as others have noted, get a decent warranty (& a company that has a good rep honoring warranties). Personally, I still would get XP, even if it cost more than Vista. Micro-snot made Vista for itself & it's buddies with little thought to the consumer (imagine a monopolistic company doing that). :0o: It uses computer resources much less efficiently than XP (for the same unit - it uses more memory & runs slower). (rant mode = OFF)

For a thread with some different viewpoints on laptops - check out this.
 
Gah, get something besides Vista! XP or Windows 7 are much much better alternatives. I spent 2 weeks on a vista computer and I was horrified with what I had to deal with. There was a lot of crashing, and the OS itself eats up a good chunk of your processing power.



Jason
 
Dont even mess with Windows 7, it'll take at least 6 months for them to work out the bugs. They're working out some bugs for vista. I've been using vista for about 1- 1/2 yrs to 2 yrs and there's been a lot of updates and service packs. The only down side is how much power it requires to run. You wont have any problems with XP but on some computers it may not let you revert to prior Windows versions. I believe microsoft did this to 'force' Vista on people. And from what I've heard there is very little if any difference between Vista and Windows 7.

You'll be fine using Vista, and I find it to be more user friendly and easier to access your folders, tools, apps etc. using Vista then XP. There's always that crowd that hates moving forward and getting rid of the old operation system. The same thing happened when XP came out and everyone loved either 98 or 2000. This is the same thing. Vista for me bug wise has been fixed for a while and everyone I know who uses it does not have any problems with it either.

Let us know what you end up getting! Good hunting!
 
  • #10
I ended up ordering this. I cut a couple of things and ended up paying around 1800 for the computer itself.
tHP HDX18t Premium Series Notebook PC
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9550 (2.66 GHz)
- 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M
- 500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M - For DDR3 Memory
- 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
- Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
- Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
- 50% OFF!! HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
- Full Size Backlit Keyboard
- 50% OFF!! Extra 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
- No Productivity Software
- $30 OFF!! Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 7 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 7
 
  • #11
Nice choice! You wont be disappointed. I cant believe Blu ray is already on laptops, they waste no time developing. Good choice on the extra cells for the battery, wish I'd done that. 4 Gb of Ram has been amazing for me and you'll still get a good amount of power from the 2.66GHz processors, I prefer AMD though but there really is hardly any difference between the two. Nice going with the tuner and large screen, it'll come in handy for checking out some nice HD shots of some CPs.
Hope you like it :)
 
  • #12
I have a duo core Toshiba Satellite laptop from Best Buy and a quad desktop. The laptop is maxed on RAM but still rather slow like any I've gotten from a store.

The desktop is awesome and fast since it's a custom build with these bits (my part #s may be off cos it was built 2 years ago):
Quad core processor QX6500
5-PN SLI motherboard
1 GB Nvida video card
4 GB 800mhz ram
2x 500GB 7200rpm harddrives

The only thing I don't like is that I told the guy to put in XP 64 bit and then found out that a lot of software won't work on the 64 bit version of windows. This is infuriating since older stuff did work with 32 bit XP and does work on the Vista 32 bit laptop as well. So avoid a 64 bit OS if you have old software you wanna use. Some day I suppose I'll relent and install Vista 32 bit on the desktop so I can use my old software again.

edit:
I see you got 64 bit Vista how are all your CD-roms working?
 
  • #13
@ french3z
I think that it will be a good choice for me. I'll be headed to college next year so I'm kind of looking for something that will serve an entertainment center as well as a computer and this will definitely serve that purpose well. I will be sacrificing some portability but I really doubt I'll need to carry it around a bunch and if worse comes to worse I can always get a netbook. The 2.66 ghz duo processor was one of the concessions I made to lower the price but I finally got in touch with my cousin who's studying to be a software engineer and he convinced me that it wasn't really worth the money right now but when I get my next laptop it probably will be to go with the quad.

@ swords
I wish I was in the market for a desktop right now. I looked at a few when I was choosing my laptop and you get so much more for your money. You're custom desktop sounds like it would run great. As for the 64 vs 32 bit OS I don't know how old software will work on it but I probably won't be using much old software to find out. I've lost some of the disks to the software I have on this computer and even if I had them it's time to update and buy more recent versions.

Thanks to everyone for your help!
 
  • #14
Glad to hear we could help out. Like I said the quad really is for running lots of stuff, sometimes it can be hard to justify why you need to get one.

Good luck with College!
 
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