Upgrading my new laptop (with preface)

Hey all!

This is my very first post and thread, and I hope I do ok. Yes, I'm a newbie in these parts, but any and all suggestions (sensible ones anyways) will be greatly welcomed. I am a newbie in the computer area as well, but have a voracious appetite for such information, learning whatever new and interesting things so that I can be at the cutting edge of laptops, at least within my very limited price range. I've been browsing the forums on some of my favorite topics for the last couple of days, almost 24/7. This site (NBR) is addictive!

That being said, I'd like to move onto the object of my obsession and (yes, I will admit it) love: My current laptop.

I have an HP HDX16t, newly bought only about 3 weeks ago, and other than minor issues, which almost added up into one major problem that may have caused me to seek a clone-replacement, it's been working perfectly fine. Fast, snappy, responsive.

As much as I can remember, my current laptop has the following specs: Intel 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo (Centrino 2), Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit (with a free Upgrade to Windows 7), 1080p screen, 320 GB HDD at 7200 rpm, remote, webcam, fingerprint reader, 4 gb RAM DDR2, Blu-Ray reader with DVD and CD burner, 6 cell battery.

I am fiercely protective (think a seriously pissed off and hungry mother grizzly bear with cubs that is just coming out of hibernation), careful, OCD clean, and pretty much obsessed with it. I learned some very painful and frustrating lessons regarding laptops with my tx1000z, despite it's "wow" factor, the dutiful service and the stubborn way it refused to die.

Now...what I want (perhaps need ) and am looking for:

1) Screen protector for my laptop. Clear, applied with adhesive that does not leave a mark, possibly anti-glare (not important), and should cover a 16" laptop screen very well. Should not be more than $20 US.

2) External Hard drive. It should connect to my laptop via USB, eSATA, and/or firewire, with eSATA being the most preferred. At least 300GB at 7200 RPM, all the way up to 1 TB at 5400/7200 RPM. It should not be more than $120 US. Company should be well known and have reliable customer support, with warranty and a good product.

3) 64GB-80GB SSD for my laptop, to replace my current HDD. I've had my eye on the Intel X25M for a while, but am open to other options. Should not be over $300 US.

I'll be buying all of this online, so link away please! Last of all, I am quite interested in RAM...not to buy, but to learn. I'd love some information about the pros and cons of having more RAM than you need, info about DDR2 vs DDR3, and when do you think DDR3 will hit the mainstream market.

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for reading my novella about my computer experience! I look forward to your suggestions and responses!

p.s. I am partial to HP products, since I can get some wicked discounts on there through a "contact".

Edit/Update: Thanks to the speedy responses of Serg and J&SinKTO, I won't be needing an SSD or any more links about the screen protectors. The external HDD is up for debate, though, I'm still thinking and working out the details. October 9th, 2009 at 6:57pm EST.

Edit/Update #2: Since I'm not going for the SSD Option, I have an extra $250 to spare. Does anyone have any ideas about any upgrade options I can make for my laptop with that kind of money? Any and all ideas are appreciated, thanks! October 10th, 2009 at 5:22pm EST.

Mr. Mysterious

 

Lol, I think I went a bit overboard with my first post...Let me edit and trim it a bit. *edits*

 

For number 2, the hard drive, that is easy. Go to newegg.com and pick out whatever hard drive you want. Newegg is very good about warranty issues. Also the big names in hard drives are all good with their warranties. Then pick out an external enclosure of your choice for the drive. A bunch 1TB drives are $80 shipped on newegg and the external enclosure shouldn't be a whole lot more than $20.

 

Hi there! And welcome to the NBR Forums!

If interested in CPU things, follow the biggest link in my signature about Intel CPUs, that should be quite some info for you, since you are info-hungry lol

Ok, about RAM. DDR2 vs DDR3 makes no noticeable difference on regular uses. More of a battery thing, where the DDR3 might make a 10-15 minutes extra than the DDR2. And that would most likely be all. RAM only makes a difference when using an IGP, which is not your case, so if you need info, ask, and we will reply.

About the HDD upgrade, as Trottel already said, newegg has some good ones. http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=15&name=Hard-Drives and for SSDs http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=636&name=Solid-State-Disks

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for that, Trottel. I'll definitely pay more attention to newegg now. I'm very familiar with it, but I was looking for slightly more...umm....reliable customer reviews. Think Amazon.com kind of reviews. Also independent third party reviewers like CNET, NBR, EnGadget, all the big, easily recognizable ones. Once again, thanks, I appreciate your input!

Mr. Mysterious

 

Hey there Serg, and thanks for the warm welcome. It is much appreciated. I'm not interested in CPUs so much as I am interested in machines as a whole, both laptops and desktops (includes netbooks). I do have to admit that I'm madly in love with intel...almost everything they touch turns to gold. Talk about a midas company!

Thanks for the info about DDR2 and DDR3...I already know a little bit (but never enough!) about the RAM memory stuff...Do you think that DDR3 will improve it's speed so that it's more noticeable over DDR2 and will perhaps become mainstream in as little as 2 years, maybe even less? (p.s. What is an IGP?)

And once again newegg pops its famous (or is it infamous? lol) face up, with people urging me to take a look at them. I have to admit that I'm a bit leery with them, because they don't offer products that they themselves have created (at least as far as I know), so as a rule, I tend to distrust them. Newegg seems to be the exception, however.


And to the rest of you: I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about the SSD and Protective screen! Thanks all.

 

IGP of mGPU stands for Integrated Graphical Processor or motherboard Graphics Processing Unit, respectively. It is an integrated graphics core, as the name suggests it, that uses the main memory to render. An IGP uses system RAM, and it is dependent of the type. The faster the memory, the better the IGP. And of course, paired with a good CPU is important too, since some of the mGPU work will be routed to the CPU to help process the extra job.

Now, with a GPU, with dedicated graphics, this is no problem, and system RAM increase in performance becomes negligible. RAM DDR2 at 800MHz and RAM DDR3 at 1066MHz only differ in pin count physically (they are 200 and 204 respectively, so they are not compatible with each other) and that the DDR3 module uses .3V less than a comparable DDR2 (IIRC). As for performance difference, as said above, there is little to non. (4%-7% AFAIK)

Note: GDDR3 and DDR3 and DDR2 in GPU world is not the same than DDR2 and DDR3 system RAM.

As for it becoming mainstream, it already is. Most new laptops are coming out with DDR3 RAM to help slightly improve battery life, and considering that the i7 CPUs uses DDR3, then it has become mostly standard.

Hope this helps!
Any question, I am here to help you however I can.

 

Got you crystal clear about the IGP, GPU and RAM.

I just talked to my neighbor (who is sorta my mentor in all things technological), and it was a rushed conversation, since he didn't have enough time. Anyways, he is a natural pessimist, and insisted that I didn't need an SSD because I ran only light applications like Firefox, iTunes, IM services, and movie-viewing software.

He does have a good point, since I rarely use other applications on a daily basis. Resource-heavy applications like multimedia editing and stuff...well, I'm not interested in them, but I always think flexibility is the key. IMO, it's better to have the capability than being caught not being able to do various tasks.

So now, I'm torn between 5,000+ users who insist that SSD is the wave of the future (no doubting that one!) and who convince me that buying a $250 SSD is worth it...and my neighbor, who brings up some very valid points about my daily usage and about how I should be happy with what I have.

Any help here?

Mr. Mysterious

 

About the SSD, if you want my opinion is dont buy it just now.
You dont seem to need it.
Sure the increase will be noticeable when loading things, but a 320GB 7200RPM HDD comes cheaper and gives a very good performance for the money, and a lot more space for a fraction the price of the SSD.

My suggestion is keep the SSD buy on hold, since the prices are coming down with newer SSDs coming out, then you can buy one cheaper and give a boost to the laptop, when you feel it starts to lag in some time from now. A 7200RPM HDD is very good!

 

For request # 1 - check out this site. Very responsive, even makes custom orders. Their product is excellent (have one on my Sony FW).
http://www.protectcovers.com/index....6-1-notebook-screen-protector-widescreen.html

 

Will do, Serg. Thanks again for all the help! I guess it's finalized then, I won't need an SSD (for now *evil laugh* muahahahaaaa!)

Mr. Mysterious

 

Sure, no problem to help!
Come back with any questions you might have,
we are all glad to help!

If you need anything else, or more info, you can always PM me and I reply ASAP.

 

Wow, excellent! Thanks, this is exactly what I'm looking for! Many, many thanks! =D

Mr. Mysterious

 

Hey, I have a question about the product since you seem to use it...Is it hard plastic, the one that doesn't bend, or some kind of thick, elastic plastic? Just for curiosity, thanks.

Mr. Mysterious

 

It is a stiff plastic film. Comes in a flat package and has thin adhesive strips to secure to the screen. Got mine when the FW model was fairly new, so just sent them the measurements and they sent me the film. I stationed in Korea, so was mildly surprised at how fast/efficient they were. Order to delivery was about a week.
Screen is nice and clear, I don't even realize it's there, except when doing minor cleaning of it. Protects the original screen very nicely.
Hope that clarifies for you.

 

They don't offer products that they themselves have created because they're a retailer, not a manufacturer.

When you walk into Best Buy, do you look for Best Buy-branded computers?

 

No, but at Best Buy, I can at least see the products in person. I tend to distrust online retailers because there's no person I can scream at if I need to, loll.

Don't worry, I'll be buying the external HD at Newegg only, and perhaps a better notebook cooler...I'm using the Targus Heat Defense Pad, which I've only found out a few hours ago that it is a HORRIBLE product, yikes.

Mr. Mysterious

 

It does, thanks.

Mr. Mysterious

 

Ahh, so you believe in brick and mortar. That makes more sense.

BTW, don't scream at the Best Buy employees... They've called the cops on more than 1 irate customer

 

Don't worry, I'm very much in control of my anger. I've yet to actually hit and/or beat up anyone in my life, really...Heh. I don't tend to scream at employees, but hey...there's always a first time for everything!

Mr. Mysterious