building a barebones laptop?

[darfur]

I'm looking at buying a barebone Asus z9, but laptops kinda worry me (I've never done one before).

Will any 200pin sodimm that's 333mhz work with it? I see on pricewatch and such it says for example "works with most hp, dell, compaq....etc...etc...etc" so I want to make sure I buy the right stuff.

Also, what's a good brand of hard drive for a laptop?

 

[Justin216]

Just make sure that you buy memory from a name brand...don't go with the cheap stuff, you'll undoubtably regret it in the end...

 

[darfur]

I was planning on using either Kingston or Samsung.

 

[tyim]

between kingston and samsung...

kingston for sure

 

[darfur]

thanks for the input...but what about a hard drive?

I want to put a 7200rpm drive in there...

 

[ActuaryTm]

There is a distinct reason barebone notebook machines are not a widely sold option in today's market: cost. It is simply more costly to obtain the various components as an individual than as a company - most especially mobile processors. Compatibility issues with memory are also a consideration, as even high end SODIMMs find difficulty running in certain machines - a costly fact to learn on one's own.

Unless one has a number of the components on hand already (and it doesn't appear that is the case), would be wise to carefully analyze the cost of assembling one's own mobile machine. You might consider posting the desired specifications of the end proposed machine - a number of the learned members of this forum might be able to provide a bit of insight into a reputable and inexpensive manufacturer or reseller from which to purchase a machine.

Regardless, good luck - whatever your decision may be.

 

[darfur]

my barebone is $400 than if i were to buy it at dell, plus I thought that barebone asus laptops still come witht he 3yr asus warranty?

Anyway, I'm looking for something in this range

15" screen
pentium M 1.8-2.0
1gb DDR333
40gb 7200rpm hard drive
cd burner/dvd-rom


(with the 1.8ghz)
From dell I get $1900
From my barebone i get $1525

 

[ActuaryTm]

Can certainly understand the motivation. Definitely considered a barebone machine for quite some time; however, due to the component availability and aforementioned issues, opted instead for a machine a bit more direct from an ODM.

In reference to the Z9 (Z9000), appears the Asus site does not explicitly support Dothan based processors, nor does the BIOS section seem to offer a newer release to support this added functionality. However, do see a number of vendors offer the Z9000 with a Dothan based processor, so it may be the case that either the specifications on the site are simply outdated, or a newer BIOS exists, and simply is not publically displayed.

Curious - have you considered the M6N (M6000N) as well?

There are a few alternate choices to Dell and what seem to be the larger companies offering mobile machines. Below are just a few suggestions pieced together from other threads. Nearly all these machines offer a bit more in the way of power and choices of display (higher resolutions):

• The Acer 1681WLMi - currently $1,289. Slightly less in the way of the processor, however.
• ECS G556e
• Compal CL56 - If opting for the Intel 745, $1,550 from Mwave, $1,785 from iBuyPower, $1,590.00 from DiscountLaptops, etc
• Sager NP3790
• Asus M6000N
• Acer TravelMate 8003LMI
• Acer Aspire 2012WLMi

Just hopefully presenting a few of the many alternate (but at times, lesser known) options that exist in today's market. There are many more options out there; simply borrowed this particular list from another recent thread. Again, nearly all the machines above are a bit more powerful than the original barebone machine listed at approximately the same price point.

Good luck with your decision and purchase.

 

[tyim]

Originally posted by: darfur
thanks for the input...but what about a hard drive?

I want to put a 7200rpm drive in there...

dell recently had the hitachi travelstar 7200 rpm 60 gb

good reviews

 

[ShellGuy]

Last time i checked i hadn't heard much about a 40gb 7200 drive only the 60's


Will G

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
Last time i checked i hadn't heard much about a 40gb 7200 drive only the 60's

Specifications for the 40GB drive can be found here, model number HTE726040M9AT00. Part of the E7K60 line, which has been discussed in this forum prior (and can be found via the search function).

Seagate has a 7200 RPM line due out this fall - the Momentus 7200.1 (Seagate's new naming convention uses a .x to signify the drive generation), available in 40GB, 60GB, and 100GB sizes. News regarding the 7200.1 drives can be found here. Specifications found here.

 

[darfur]

I'm trying to stick to $1500 as a budget, the sager is a little expensive for how I want it configured. I've never heard of Compal and I've only known ECS to make budget motherboards. My current laptop is an hp and I'm having all sorts of problems, so I'm trying to go with a solid brand, and I liked Asus because I've used several of their motherboards and I could build it myself.

I havne't considered the M6N because it uses the mobility 9700. That is something I don't need, therefore it is an unnecessary cost.

Should I instead look for a vendor who will custom build it for me?

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: darfur
I've never heard of Compal and I've only known ECS to make budget motherboards.

This should prove an educational read for you.

In the mobility world, brand is mostly nonexistent - a majority of machines are designed and manufactured by only a handful of companies, and only in a few rare cases are those machines sold to the end-user market under the original ODM brand.

The above in no way is meant to dissuade you from purchasing an Asus barebone machine - on the contrary, I think it an excellent choice for some (those with components already in their possession, upgrading to a newer machine and making use of components from the prior machine, if possible, also at times where a specific desired configuration cannot be found building from barebone machine can prove useful). Instead, am attempting to pass on a minute amount of information in the hopes that the end-user is fully educated about the mobile market prior to making their purchase.

 

[darfur]

Educational indeed.

Thanks for that!

However, so far I think this is my best bet. http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/me...Category_Code=Notebook

Configured with a 1.8ghz processor, 1gb of RAM and 60gb 7200 rpm hard drive it is $1592 (including assembly).

But I'm still open to other suggestions (I haven't dug around for the other brands so much yet).

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: darfur
plus I thought that barebone asus laptops still come witht he 3yr asus warranty?

In reference to this vendor as well as the product specifications listed above on the Asus site, am finding "1-year limited hardware warranty" quoted.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Also, one final word prior to logging off for a bit - from the vendor listed above, appears you've selected the XGA (1024x768) display. As it appears you are new to the mobility market, be certain that particular display resolution is what you are most comfortable with, as LCD notebook displays (and any LCD display, for that matter) unfortunately cannot display a higher resolution than their native.

Knowing your present desktop resolution aids in this decision. Most LCDs one finds at major local retailers are XGA (or WXGA on the wider aspect ratio machines), and thus if you are comfortable with that, you should be fine. There are however other choices that can be sought, even on this particular barebone machine as it mentions SXGA+ (1400x1050) is available.