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General discussion

I need some suggestions.

Sep 20, 2004 5:44AM PDT

Ive been researching on prospective note books to make a purchase in the near future. I would like to be able to use it mostly for colledge, and the occasional game. Ive never purchased a Notebook before, and my past desktop purchases have been solely from the bigger brands, so i admit im a bit new to this.


Ive liked two models, the Mayhem G3 from ABS, and the Xplorer x64 from Cyber power systems. Both seem to have similar stats, but the Cyber Power System is around 200 dollars cheaper.

Discussion is locked

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Re: I need some suggestions.
Sep 23, 2004 11:47AM PDT

No suggestions?

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You asked the same question as others here.
Sep 23, 2004 11:52AM PDT

The forum has discussed almost the same topic dozens of times.

Why did you start a new discussion?

Bob

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Re: You asked the same question as others here.
Sep 24, 2004 4:57AM PDT

You have not stated any of the important criteria for determining if you want 1 of the main 4 notebook cpu types out there:

1) Pentium M (Centrino)- best wi-fi performance, battery life, and lighter weight

2) Pentium 4M -- desktop equivalent for maximum performance at expense of heat, weight, thickness, and size.

3) Athlon 64 (64bit) -- future 64bit potential (and Linux and Windows XP SP2 hardware security functions now) -- falls in between the 2 above in performance and battery life/weight.

4) Apple -- outstanding if it fits your needs but more expensive.

I would not buy an off-brand notebook if you don't have experience with their service and their longevity. I have had clone desktops before and they were great (and nearly anyone can upgrade or fix an generic desktop) but you are better off sticking with one of the big mainstream notebook companies to insure they are around to supply parts and service if necessary.

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Re: You asked the same question as others here.
Sep 24, 2004 12:21PM PDT

Well i was thinking about an Athlon 64 this time instead of Pentium... the Mayhem 3 from ABS computing was sort of what i was looking for.

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Nice idea except...
Sep 24, 2004 12:26PM PDT

The history of the off broadway laptops has been strewn with horror stories. I'd stick with HP, Compaq, Emachine and maybe another name, but it eludes me.

Bob

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Re: Nice idea except...
Sep 24, 2004 1:15PM PDT

Yes, E-machines and HP/Compaq (1 model each -- same company, different shell appearance) gave the Athlon 64 notebooks.

HP/Compaq has a $100 custom order rebate good through 12/1/04 (use PDF file rebate found on mail in rebates link on lower left of homepage of hpshopping -- not lower rebates listed on order screen).

Also, if you are a college student you can get a 6% APP discount from HP/Compaq (custom order at hpshopping)

Note that the 2 cpu 64bit chips (from AMD and Intel) are coming in the future (perhaps late next year) but if you need a notebook now these are not a bad choice for the future now.