Accessories for e1705

Soon I will be the proud owner of an e1705!
And I will also be taking it to college... and of coarse playing games on it!
So I was thinking about some accessories...

1. Mouse: Is a gaming mouse worth it? What are some quality ones?
2. CoolingPad: Bytecc cooling pad? Do you think I would even need one?
3. Backpack: I've read here that I could just get a sleeve or w/e it is called and then a normal packpack... however I have never even seen an e1705 in real life, is it feasible to put it in a backpack without looking like a dufus? And what are some nice covers/backpacks?

Hmm that looks good for starters! All opinions greatly apprechiated, and sorry for my lack of knowledge of all things, but I must admit I am a very ignorant person

 

1. Well if you will be playing FPS or action games then a gaming mouse would be useful. If not a gaming mouse, then a comfortable mouse is a must.
2. I don't have a cooling pad for my e1705. But I use a lightly customized cookbook stand as my laptop stand
3. I would suggest getting a laptop backpack that would fit 17" laptops. The laptop is a monster, so I don't think any regular backpack will fit it easily.

 

Yea... I was planning on a gaming mouse, just cause they are that cool

Hmm... my Physics book should work! What kinda customizations did you do? (If you added liquid nitrogen or something weird like that, I'll just stick with a pad )

I shall look into that! Oh, would anyone happen to know if there is a noticable difference between 667 ram and the 5somethingsomething kind? I am (as often stated) very much ignorant, but would like to know more!

 

Yeah I have a 1000 liter liquid nitrogen tank in my basement. LoL! Seriously though e1705 runs fairly cool.

And no, there's no big difference between 677 and "5somethingsomething" aka 533 kind

 

I'd recommend the Logitech Revolution if you aren't gaming. I'd recommend the Logitech mx518 or Logitech G5 if you are gaming. The Razer Copperhead is also very nice, but I prefer Logitech products.

If you want to get real serious about gaming you might get a Nostromo n52 for a fantastic gaming mini-keyboard that gets your hands away from the laptop itself.

Really any aluminum laptop cooling pad will be helpful if it elevates the laptop. Fans don't do much, but the aluminum will draw some heat away from the base. Deffinatly not needed, but it's an option if you are looking to spend money.

One important accessory oft overlooked is a good pair of headphones. You would be supprised how much they come in handy, and you spend a lot less getting real quality sound than you would if you were to buy speakers. Altho speakers are another option.

 

Logitech MX revolution looks way cool even though VX revolution would probably be a better all around choice.

By the way MX518 is way cheap now ($27USD) so that might indeed be a good option.

 

I know! The VX is tempting as well (perfect size for throwing along with the laptop). I am fighting off the urge to buy one, as I already own an mx518 mouse for my lappy, and a mx5000 set for my desktop.

 

Well, for a gaming mouse, I gave up my G5 for a Razer Diamondback. They look, and feel better... but my hands are abnormaly large, and I need the long button support.

http://www.razerzone.com/Products/Gaming-Mice/Razer-Diamondback-Gaming-Mouse/

 

Yep. I've seen a tried a Diamondback myself and it was pretty darn nice. Razer is an outstanding company. Like I said, I prefer Logitech .. but this is like Lamborghini and Ferrari. Pick a favorite and undoubtly someone will disagree and claim the opposite to be true. You honestly can't go wrong with either company.

 

Couldn't agree more. It comes down to comfort and personal preferance.

 

Sweet you all rock!
Headphones... those do sound helpful... how "good" is a good pair of headphones? (AKA - whats gonna be the pricetag on a good/decent pair)
Well I will see if any of the local comp stores have those mice (mouses? mices? whatever.) and see which feel I prefer
And once again, you all rock.

 

Yupp, most to all local computer shops will have those mice, along with all the essinatials you need! (Given it is a large chain- Fry's, CompUSA, Best Buy, etc.)

 

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's which I paid $200 for. They have a headset attached, and I got them almost 2 years ago. Great headphones for the money! Offer great low end, isolation, and comfort. I guess they're going for under $100 these days. A steal. Sennheiser also has their PX100's and PX200's which are nice.

Beyerdynamic has a $60 pair of phones called the DT 231 that offer some of the best sound for a closed travel size headphone around.

I used to own a pair of Grado SR80's. Grado makes some good headphones. $100 for the SR80, $200 for the SR225. They can be a bit uncomfortable tho.

If you like in-ear headphones check out Etymotic's product line. Shure also makes some good in-ear style headphones.

If you are looking for something cheaper check out Koss. Their sound quality is amazingly really good considering their pricing.

 

Hmm.. well I will wait til I get my laptop nefore the headphones... and then see if my friends have any of those I can borrow to see how it all feels for me!

And for the record, I don't think I have ever heard of a fries!

 

Fry's is the best computer shop we have here in Texas. It is HUGE, almost all dedicated to Computers. (About twice the size of a grocery store)

 

For the e1705, I'd say that two decks of cards or altoids tins (see my previous setup ) would be fine. As opposed to the e1505, they have a metal casing on the bottom which automatically dissipates heat better, and it has two fans. I'd say get i8kfangui, a freeware program for dell laptops that lets you monitor temperatures and adjust fan speed, and try running the fans on full blast with the back elevated for a while. If your temps aren't getting too high, then you don't really have a need for it. But then again, my temps weren't very high but i bought a bytecc cooler anyway...

For a mouse, get whatever feels comfortable. If you're serious about gaming, then you'd already have picked out your favorite from either logitech or razer they both track well, it's all preference.

Like others said, the e1705 is big, most likely too big for a lot of backpacks. I'd say get a separate bag for just the laptop, or get a messenger bag and a sleeve. I know there will be people jumping down my throat about the back issues and stupidity and trendy man purseness of a messenger, but there's not way i could fit all of my stuff into a compartmentalized backpack.

 

It's not a purse, it's a mansack (my variation on the Friends "man-bag").

 

For the record, Fry's isn't only in Texas, it is here in southern california as well, it is a chain store, dedicated to computers, somewhat like a Best Buy. There store is amazing, so if u have one near you, definetly check it out!

 

mansack... I like my messenger bag, some people just can't bring themselves to have one. I guess theyre just too anti trendy?

 

I have found them in California, and Arizona when traveling. They are a pretty big chain, and are just great stores!

 

about headphones. I use Sony MDR-V900 headphones for 3 years now. Absolutely love them! They are hooked up to Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX USB sound card. [Current] price tag? $50-135 for the headphones ($250 MSRP) and $50-100 for the sound card.

P.S. I don't have any speakers. Just these headphones. And I have no plans to change this in the foreseeable future.

With headphones you can get better sound than with speakers, and as with most things in life what you pay for is what you get.

 

Hmm... okay!
My friend decided to give me a b-day present of... a Razer Copperhead! And so far it seems pretty sweet to me
Yea, I'm pretty sure Fry's is more towards east coast...
Like, whats that restaurunt with the star on it's sign over there? We have Hardies (okay so I don't know how it is spelled) which is the SAME resturaunt, down to the sign!

The Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition in my laptop... will that be good enough or do I need a different sound card? I'll probally end up buying some nice headphones... after I borrow a friend of mine, he has a pretty nice pair so I will see what the difference is and then end up buying some nice pair

 

depends on what you want to do. That "Audigy HD" is just software, nothing more. For mid-range headphones (say, under $100) should be good enough. If you want surround or are unimpressed with sound quality (through headphones) you'll need to get a different sound card. But only at that point, not right away.

 

Sounds like you got a dang good friend there! Congrats!

 

Hell yea!
Cause I told him about my lappy (which has made it to "boxing" stage, which I hear is like the longest) and then about the mouse I was gonna get for it, and he was like hey my mouse died... and then bought two and said happy bday! And I was like o yeyeye! =)
So now I have the mouse... but not the laptop! And I think this mouse is too fast for desktop

 

Cool, and I think mid-range will be fine for me... since I have never been used to anything better then really cheap speakers
Yeah... my computer knowledge is enough that normal people think I am good with computers, and people actaully good with them just laugh at me

 

The MX is just big and bulky. The VX feels more like a regular mouse that you are used to and would be a much better choice especially for a laptop.

 

Just so you all know, I do have a mouse now
But you can continue to discuss them for the benefit of the others!