I can't use the mic on my laptop in Vista anyways... But sadly, there's a bunch of other software I use that doesn't seem to much like the Lindows/Wine suites either (granted, it's been awhile since I took a real stab at it).
Turning this thread into my laptop blog, but I figure midas well let the buyer beware…
Traded the Toshiba in for a new HP laptop, with an nVidia card, let us compare:
OpenGL based CAD software = WORKS! (vs. crash)
NS @ 1400x900 x0AA = solid 60fps (vs. 20-40fps)
MSC @ same settings = 50-60fps (40 when viewing reflections) (vs. 10-20/5)
HL2:EP1 @ same settings = a solid 60fps (Vsync-on) (vs. same)
So, moral to the story is, if yer playing old games, or using odd software:
nVidia 7150M > ATI X1200 (and indeed, I suspect, nVidia>ATI in general).
Now whether I can downgrade this puppy to XP is another issue – I’ve a feeling I can’t. but at least I don’t
have to, unlike the ATI. I’ll fiddle with that within the next few days.
However, I must say, Toshiba makes a much better laptop than HP.
• Toshiba laptop’s venting system prevents “lap burn” and lets you safely set the laptop on a bed, while Hewlett Packard laptops vent from the bottom and back and are easily blocked.
• Toshiba laptop’s touchpads have friction, while the HP touchpads are the same sticky plastic the case is made of.
• Toshiba’s bloatware and Vista OS total to 12GB – while HP’s bloatware and same Vista OS totals 40GB – despite the fact they seem to be running basically the same crap, save for HP has an additional custom media center for use with their remote control. ( PS. Have we as a people gotten a wee bit too lazy when our portable devices have remote controls?
)
Only advantage the HP laptop has over the Toshiba is a built in microphone – which is handy for taking memos (even if Steam doesn’t recognize it) – and I was quite surprised the Toshiba didn’t have one. Oh yeah… that, and it works in OpenGL.
But if you can find a Toshiba with a nVidia card, I’d go with that over an HP.
That’s three brands of laptops I’ve been through in one week (the first was Gateway, which of course, I’d just flat-out avoid). With all of them, I think you more or less have to format these suckers from scratch for decent performance. They all come with so much demoware, bloatware, and spyware (custom rendered undetectable by Windows Defender, as part of the OEM package), that the additional system load is just staggering. You can’t use the restore disks on the new laptops, as they’ll restore all the bloatware as well. Takes about a day to comb all the crap out of em.
Sadly, Lady X got me the first laptop and a printer for herself on a rebate deal (with purchase of any laptop), so I was restricted to the selection they had at Fry’s, lest I wanted to rob her of her printer. In the end it cost me an additional $400 all in all, and I still didn't get the ideal laptop. As such, I'd avoid laptop shopping at Fry's - as their laptops are all basically the same (widescreen, touchpad, vista, bloatware) - so even though they sell 30 different laptops, there's very little real selection. (CPU, gfx, and size, is about it.)
When I'm done with all this, maybe I'll get to post in the political thread again.
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"OMG! Mario's gone into porn!" - Ex #7 upon seeing Ron Jerremy for the first time.
Thothie