New Laptop or Portable PC

[fh1805]

Ken,

My father was a qualified electrician. He taught me two things about electricity:

- a fuse blows for a reason: don't just replace it, get the fault found and fixed

- if you don't know what your doing, get someone who does in to do the work; electricity kills the ignorant

Priority job today is to get a sparky lined up to come and investigate and fix. However, its blowing a blizzard outside so finding one that will turn out in these conditions might be a bit tricky. Thankfully I have two table lamps that I can move from room to room as required.

cheers,

Peter

[Ken Cox]

Especially on a weekend - be prime rates as well:(

good luck

ken

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Ken,

My father was a qualified electrician. He taught me two things about electricity:

- a fuse blows for a reason: don't just replace it, get the fault found and fixed

- if you don't know what your doing, get someone who does in to do the work; electricity kills the ignorant

Priority job today is to get a sparky lined up to come and investigate and fix. However, its blowing a blizzard outside so finding one that will turn out in these conditions might be a bit tricky. Thankfully I have two table lamps that I can move from room to room as required.

cheers,

Peter

Good job it's just the lighting circuit, you'd be climbing up the wall without power Get some candles in. Blizzard??? bright sunshine here in God's Country

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Still struggling to come to terms with a new system. I sent a spec off to my builder with W7 Professional 32 bit as the OS & asking for 8gb Ram, he has come back saying the 32 bit version only supports 4GB and suggested XP Professional 64 bit as an alternative. I've checked the MS website but can't find how much Ram XP 64bit supports, sent my builder the query but it's a bit late. Off to bed now, big week next week.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[jfa]

Eric

As I understand it a 32bit system can effectively use a maximum of approximately 3.2Gb of RAM which means 4Gb is the physical limit.

On a Windows 7 64bit system running a Core i7 Home Prem. its 16Gb, Pro. 128Gb and Ult. 192Gb.

Have a look here for a good write-up on Win 7 64bit pros and cons including memory use.

http://zone.ni.com/d...a/tut/p/id/5709

[jfa]

Eric

Should have put this in my last post - XP Professional 64bit OS will support 128Gb of RAM.

Look here for info from Microsoft on XP Professional 64bit.

http://www.microsoft...ploringx64.mspx

EDIT 16:50

The 64bit version of XP Pro had a very limited set of drivers compared to that of Windows 7 64bit.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi John & All

I have read what MS has to say about XP 64 bit and copied the paragraph below from their site. I also to avoid confusion when replying I thought I’d better print where I am up to with my builder. As there is a mixture of his and my queries, mine are in bold.

MS statement

Who is the initial audience?

This release of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is primarily designed for 32-bit system users who are pushing the memory limits of their systems and want the new 64-bit technology to improve their PC or workstation performance. The core audience for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition includes these groups:

• Developers

• Gamers

• Graphics, audio, and media artists

• CAD/CAM users

• Enthusiasts

The reply to my quote from my builder is as follows:

You asked for 8GB of Ram, unfortunately the 32Bit edition will only recognise a maximum of 3.3GB so it wouldn't be in your interest to install 8GB of ram at extra expense. If the applications you are going to use would benefit from the extra ram then you will need to go with the 64Bit edition

(Ultimate edition will support upto 192GB of ram)

Have you considered going with Windows XP 64Bit edition? 70% of worldwide users including myself are still using XP as it is proven, reliable and works out of the box.

I thought I had read W7 Professional 32bit supported up to 18gb Ram? although I could be wrong? How much Ram does XP 64 Bit support?

I currently use XPSP3 32bit and my laptop has the maximum ram of around 3.5GB. I am finding that the LT is struggling each time I install the next version of PTE my slide show software. I am at a stage now where I have to switch off my LT screen when I have my projector connected. If I go XP 64bit, what about my existing hardware, I checked the W7 site and all my existing h/ware & software is supported with W7 32 bit the exception of Adobe Elements 6, which isn't a hardship.

You had several question marks,

22 x Dual layer drive (you will need this drive to be able to use cd/dvd

discs)

The question mark referred to the model you would use.

Integrated Lan, (all modern MB's have this as standard, this is how you

will connect to the internet)

Same as above.

Wireless card (option if you want to connect to the internet wirelessly)

Same as above

DVD burning software (We incude Nero 8 as standard, to enable you to create

your own disks to backup etc)

Answered

You sent a link which refers to the nVidia 9800GT graphics card, Is this

the card you require or the 9600GT

I looked at the spec of the 9600 and it didn't have a dedicated HDMI socket, only by adaptor. I've just checked the 9800 again & it looks like it doesn't have a VGA socket which I need to connect my projector, so I'm confused. I changed to the 9800 as I seemed a better spec for very little price increase?

Please consider all of the above and reply with your preferences and we

will quote accordingly.

Hope you can put me on the right track, If the XP 64 bit only supports 4GB of ram can't see much point in going that route when my software/LT is struggling with nearly that amount of Ram. My LT is a Samsung G15 with 2GB ram doubled up. giving about 3.6 to 3.8.

Back to Monday Sorry for any confusion,

Regards Eric.

Yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi All

After a few hours on the Net, I can report the following.

After 10 fruiless minutes on the Canon UK site, I tried Canon US, always the best option imho. You can check yout canon hw/sw against specific OS's & XP 64bit has compatable drivers for my 8800 scanner & 4500 printer.

Nikon is another matter, it's practically impossible to self help so I had to resort to email. Hedging their bets, their answer was neither my D5000 & D40 cameras, or my NX2 editing software have compatable drivers for XP 64bit. So unless someone is successfully using Nikon software on 64bit XP, it's back to square one. I have asked the question on the NX2 group on Flickr but am only getting opinions not actual users.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I have now finally reached a decision on what & how to acheive a system that will hopefully serve me for the forseeable future.

I have asked my PC builder to quote for the following specification:

Specification for New Cube Form PC.

If anyone has any problems with the spec' could they please flag them.

 Cube Style case with 750Watt PSU and sufficient cooling.

 Carrying case to suit.

 Intel Q8820 Quad Core Processor

 500Gb SATAII 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive.

 8gb memory (4x 2048Mb).

 22x Dual Layer DVD Re-Writer.

 1024MB DDR2 Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 256BIT Graphics Card 96w

 8 Channel High Definition Audio.

 Integrated LAN 10/100 Network Card. ?

 Integrated Wireless 54Mbps Network Card. ?

 6 USB2.0 Ports (4 Rear, 2 Front).

 Expansion Slots ?.

 External Connectivity - 6x USB2.0, 1x VGA,1x DVI, 1x RJ45 Lan, 1x Serial (Com1), 2x PS2, 1x Speaker, 1x Mic, 1x Line in. h HDMI

 Windows 7 Professional 64 bit operating system.

 Nero DVD Burning Software?

 12 months RTB Warranty.

 HannsG HQ191D 19" 4:3 LCD TFT Monitor, Black, 1280x1024, 5ms,

DVI, VGA,

 Wired Keyboard & Mouse

Yachtsman1

[JRR]

Eric:

I am not sure what you mean by "cube" PC, but I take it you mean something relatively small and portable.

I am no expert in this but what about E-sata (spelling ?) connections. As you only have a 500gb drive, the E-sata would allow connection to an external drive at virtually the same speed as an internal drive.

[Ken Cox]

Eric

specify

"NERO SUITE" LATEST VERSION

thefree oem version that comes with MOB, hardrives, burner's etc will not satisfy your needs

ken

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi JRR

The Cube is also known as lunch box, small form & shuttle style as opposed to the normal tower style. The hard drive info is as follows:

500Gb SATA II Hard Drive SATA is the next Generation ATA Specification that provides faster transfer rates. Larger Hard drives also have 16mb cache as apposed to 8mb and therefore writes and reads your data quicker. This system is also capable of having any combination of up to Four hard drives or optical drives. Thus again giving you flexibility and upgradeability.

Not sure what your query is?

Ken, Yes it will be the latest version.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[JRR]

Eric

With only a 500GB drive onboard, I assumed you would have external drives with more data etc on them.

Unless I am not understanding the specs correctly, the external drives can only be connected via the 6 USB ports.

USB is "realtively" slow at transferring data. E-sata ports are as fast as an internal connection.

I believe you can get a combo USB and E-sata port

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Jim

I have a 1TB HD connected via usb 2 which I store all my file back ups. There is a heat & space consideration with a cube, particularly if future upgrades are necessary. I consider 500gb is ok in this instance.

Regards Eric.

Yachtsman1

[Ken Cox]

Eric

to save some frustration

have the builder do all the software updates while it is in his place of business and all your aux pieces are recognized and work

dont take his word for it

ken

[goddi]

Hi Jim

I have a 1TB HD connected via usb 2 which I store all my file back ups. There is a heat & space consideration with a cube, particularly if future upgrades are necessary. I consider 500gb is ok in this instance.

Regards Eric.

Yachtsman1

====================

Eric...

JRR brings up a good point. My recent purchase of my new computer has an E-Sata port. I connect my external drive to it, since it is a Sata drive. The speed of this external drive, being Sata and connected via a Sata cable makes a world of difference in the speed of doing a backup. I have 3 500Gb internal drives and the external is 1.5TB (which has the USB, Firewire and Sata ports). I did a test once and, using a USB cable, a backup took about 3 hours. Using the E-sata connections, it took less than 1 hour. Not all external drives have the USB, Firewire AND the Sata ports. I would recommend anyone getting a new PC to have the E-Sata port in their PC and get external drives that have not only the USB/Firewire ports but also the Sata connection. It really makes a difference.

Just my experince... Gary

Added later... You don't list which motherboard you will be getting. Maybe you already will have one since you are getting a Sata internal drive. I really don't know. But I'd do a Google on your motherboard to doublecheck if it has or does not have one. It was not listed as a port in the advertisment of my ASUS's motherboard but it was listed in its manual.

[jfa]

Eric

... You don't list which motherboard you will be getting........But I'd do a Google on your motherboard to doublecheck..........

This is a good point, check it has high-speed SATA Revision 3.0 compatibility which is 6Gbps link speeds and twice the data transfer rates of SATA Revision 2.0.

Also you should check if your motherboard has USB3, (with speeds of 4.8 Gbit/s maximum data rate. USB2 has a maximum data rate of only 480 megabits per second - USB3 is x10 faster than USB2), for future proofing. The solid-state HD will get cheaper and bigger in capacity. An external solid-state HD running on USB3 will be an excellent future choice.

You didn't mention if your RAM is DDR3, try for it if you can and the fastest speed possible, I believe it is up to/or faster than 2000mbps now.

[jfa]

Eric

Another point -- I have 9 USB ports in use on my PC and 3 spare. Make sure you are happy with just 6.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Guys

A lot of what has been suggested is over my head. I have put the motherboard question to my builder, up to now he is having difficulty finding an 8gb MB (4x2)to fit the case. What you have to appreciate is the size available is only around 300mm cubed which has to be cooled, it isn't a bottomless pit of space like a gaming tower case, or my pocket. I have set a budget of £1000 including the monitor. The initial concept is to replace the laptops I carry around when doing outside shows and replace them with the cube. There will have to be compromises, my main aim is to be ahead of future PTE requirements for the next 5 years, the photographic editing & audio side is less demanding. Thank you for the comments and suggestions, but if you can think about the limited space and price when making them, that would be very helpful.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[coopernatural]

Eric,

I may not have read/absorbed all answers so don't get grumpy.

Just check components for physical size.Power supplies and graphics cards can be larger than the norm.

For a power supply get one with modular wiring.This will help with the fit and do away with all the unnecessary spagetti that reduces cooling airflow.

Have been an XP Pro 64 bit user for sometime.(Yes I got to miss out on all the fun people had with Vista).

I have had no issues with 32bit programs.All the ones that I use work fine.For some apps like my Digital Audio Workstation the 64bit helps with the number crunching.

The extra ram comes in handy.Not sure I have seen a mobo that has the physical capacity for 128gig of ram though.

Problem will new operating systems is they aren't really fixed for about 1 year in.This is when feedback and complaints from the beta testers disguised as customers

get through to be sorted by the techies.

Win7 is no different.Of course they will be pushing 64 bit versions because of more money.

Certain software applications have started to make use of 64 bit.Video/audio etc.

5 years is an awful long time especially in computing terms.Never know what lies around the corner.

For a monitor I would look at a 16:10 ratio.Thats closer to the 3:2 of your camera than a 4:3 I think you were looking at before.

For displaying shows on a projector,would it be possible to do away with a PC on some occasions by using a hardrive based media player with a remote control?

Davy

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Davy

I will try and answer your points in a non grumpy manner.

1. As I am not building the machine it's the builders responsibility to ensure everything fit & works as its supposed to. Most of the custom builders have a flag up system if you try to add something that isn't compatable.

2. I use XP pro 32bit & steered clear of Vista, however I want to add more ram and XP 64bit doesn't support half my current hardware, including our cameras. So W7 looks like the only way, if you think back on XPs history, we had SP1 2 & 3, 2 being a MS cock up.

3. I chose a 4-3 monitor a because it suits my eyesight, my existing shows & my projector, 16-9 16-10 has been foisted on us by the film industry, now they are trying to bring in 3d, I bet you in 5 years time they will re-discover 4-3 if there is still is a film industry then. I also have a 16-9 laptop which my wife uses so I know which I prefer.

4.Using a hard drive media player would involve more expense, I have to up-grade my laptop before it dies, adding a media player into the equasion is not on.

Finally, I now have two builders prices at under £1000, however, the second doesn't include the monitor. The attached picture show the components.

Thanks for the comments.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

BTW

The new quote has a different case with an add on monitor, ideal for shows away from home, although it's an additional £130.

Yachtsman1

[coopernatural]

Hi Eric,

I wouldn't recommend a new build with XP 64bit even though it will run your hardware/Nx2 software etc.A manufacturer will claim something has

not been tested or is not supported in 64 bit is not the same thing that it won't work.It's just a get out of jail free card for them.

The world in 4:3 is years of conditioning to early TV.It's a comfort zone,but it's not as we see things.

A 16:10 display will be closer to your Nikon's 3:2 output,(surely you don't crop the ends of 6x4 pics from your Nikon).Not just as big a shock as 16:9 that you will

initially hate even more.Tvs etc may well go through a 3D change,but a 4:3 is never going to happen.

The cube looks mean.Course that widescreen display spoils it.Is there an option for 4:3 on it?

Good luck with the build.

Davy

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Motherboard information missing from previous spec's Asus P5QL-VM EPU Motherboard.

Yachtsman1

[coopernatural]

Eric,

Have a look at Overclockers for graphics cards http://tinyurl.com/yfrobwn

You will probably get something a bit better specced for your money.

The one you asked Lin about was around the £70 mark.

The memory and core clock are rough indicators of Horse Power.

As long as it's compatible with your mobo get the best spec that you can.

Might only be £10-£30 difference in getting something a bit more up to date

but with more grunt.

Davy