Laptop with Vista

[Dean]

Getting a new laptop with a Core 2 Duo Processor. Most of them out there offer only 1 gig of ram, is that sufficient for non gaming? I can get them upgraded to 2 gigs for a bit more cash.

I have no experience with Vista at all and have heard it is thirsty for ram. I don't game with my laptops but generally I can have many programs open at once such as Office, Illustrator etc... My old IBM t40 finally bit the dust after my Wife accidentally introduced a glass of diet pepsi to it.

 

[Brainonska511]

1GB would be fine for most people (especially without gaming). Of course, it will run smoother with 2GB, but it's just like XP is fine with 512MB and runs better with 1GB.

If you want, you could par down the interface to save on RAM used until (or if) you upgrade to 2GB.

 

[Dean]

Yeah I think I found one I want. It has Vista Business on it with 2 gigs of ram. It costs more but it appears to be a nice machine with a faster processor.

Next time I will take a shortcut and just offer my wife a dribble glass when I need another laptop upgrade. The guilt method works wonderfully

 

[corkyg]

I endorse your choice. I have a Core2Duo Thinkpad with 2 GB of RAM (room for one more if needed) and Vista Ultimate. It moves right along - boots and loads faster than my XP Pro desktop. Enjoy!

 

[SexyK]

Definitely go for 2G if you can afford it. Sounds like you decided that already though

 

[frostedflakes]

Yeah 2GB definitely isn't necessary, I've run Vista Premium very comfortably on 1024MB (minus 128MB dedicated to onboard video). But memory is pretty cheap, as others pointed out you might as well go with 2GB if you can afford it.

 

[TheStu]

I have run Vista on 1GB, but more is always better, and RAM is awfully cheap these days. So another vote for 2GB

 

[VinDSL]

RAM... okay!

I've never been a memory kinda guy - that is, I don't have a memory fetish, or whatever.

I've always felt like a little bit of memory is just as good as too much, however...

I have several computers running in this house, right now - 3 desktops, a web server, a proxy server, and this Vista HP lappy. Memory in these machines is anywhere from 64MB to 1GB.

Expect for my Vista lappy... it has 4GB of RAM and a 4GB ReadyBoost drive.

I won't sit here and try to tell you to max out your lappy, like I did, but I will tell you that it made all the difference in the world!

If I had to do it all over again, I would buy a lappy with 512MB RAM, throw the RAM away and install 4GB. Why? Because, what I ended up doing is throwing 2GB of memory away, and I feel bad about that. A lot of ppl would love to have 2GB RAM, and mine is sitting in the closet, never to be used again...

And, that's the only reason I'm typing this... to make myself feel better!

The end.

 

[corkyg]

When I got my T60 this past spring, I opted for the slightly more expensive 2 GB SODIMM in 1 slot. I figured that would be enough for 32-bit Vista. '

I was right - it came weith Vista Business, and I upgraded it to Ultimate, and it has performed very well at home, on the road, and abroad.

I have one empty RAM slot, and can add another SODIMM if needed, but so far, that is not even hinted at.

One of the problems with the T60 for adding RAM or changing RAM is that the keyboard must be removed for access to those slots. That is not something that is everyone's cup of tea with a laptop, however, Lenovo does provide detailed instructions on the procedure.

 

[VinDSL]

Heh! Good advice!

Please, don't go down the 4GB path with 32-bit Vista (the maximum possible)...

I need to feel superior!

 

[zig3695]

creepily i think there is always some truth behind vindsl's comments, sometimes, but as far as my laptop goes- it runs excellent on 1gb ram. it came with two 512's so upgrading to two gb's would still cost over $100 so to me its not worth it. i dont game but i still enjoy vista aero in all its glory. sometimes i can tell its lacking ram but for the most part it runs absolutely great. i do have a tl-60 cpu though, that does help.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: zig3695
creepily i think there is always some truth behind vindsl's comments, sometimes...

Heh!

Can I quote you on that?

That would make a GREAT sig!!!

 

[VinDSL]

Look, here's the deal...

I really don't see any reason to have over 1GB of RAM in a desktop machine, nor a ReadyBoost drive. However, lappys are a whole different breed of animal.

The HDs in these things aren't all that great! They're low-performance POS! They heat up your whole machine, and kill battery life. The less you can use your HD - the better!

What's that got to do with memory? I'll tell you... and you can take it to the back!

When I first boot my Vista HP lappy, the HD goes crazy for about 5 minutes, pre-loading all the stuff that SuperFetch has decided I need.

The difference between me and everyone else is... my lappy not only preloads this stuff into some magical spot on the HD, but it also caches a duplicate copy to the ReadyBoost drive. After that, the HD basically goes dormant!

When the lappy needs this stuff, it looks in the ReadyBoost first, and if it's there, it can be retrieved and in use before the HD can move the head.

The bottom line is, after bootup, I'm basically running off the RAM and FLASH memory, not the HD... so, the more the merrier!

I guess you gotta see it to believe it! Maybe I'll make a before/after video and stick it on YouTube, showing how seldom the HD is accessed...

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Look, here's the deal...

I really don't see any reason to have over 1GB of RAM in a desktop machine, nor a ReadyBoost drive. However, lappys are a whole different breed of animal.

The HDs in these things aren't all that great! They're low-performance POS! They heat up your whole machine, and kill battery life. The less you can use your HD - the better!

What's that got to do with memory? I'll tell you... and you can take it to the back!

When I first boot my Vista HP lappy, the HD goes crazy for about 5 minutes, pre-loading all the stuff that SuperFetch has decided I need.

The difference between me and everyone else is... my lappy not only preloads this stuff into some magical spot on the HD, but it also caches a duplicate copy to the ReadyBoost drive. After that, the HD basically goes dormant!

When the lappy needs this stuff, it looks in the ReadyBoost first, and if it's there, it can be retrieved and in use before the HD can move the head.

The bottom line is, after bootup, I'm basically running off the RAM and FLASH memory, not the HD... so, the more the merrier!

I guess you gotta see it to believe it! Maybe I'll make a before/after video and stick it on YouTube, showing how seldom the HD is accessed...

uhhh my hitachi 7k200 200gb drive aint slow vin. >:\ Dont hurt my HP lappy's feelings.

But i have to agree with vin on the ram part. Im also Maxed 4gb of ram on my HP 8710p.

 

[tylerdustin2008]

Speaking of Ready boost.

"On top of that, while ReadyBoost can use SD and CF cards and cache, not all external card readers are supported." blogs.zdnet.com

My e1505 has a built in SD card slot, might this just happen to work?

Patriot 16GB SDHC

If it works, then holy shit. Vista will run great. Then again I don't know I do not prefer Vista, but in the next 3 days it will be triple booted.

Tyler

 

[googly]

Newegg has 2 x 1GB of Crucial PC5300 SODIMM for $49.99 shipped. Does anyone need 2 sticks of 512MB Hynix?

 

[zig3695]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: zig3695
creepily i think there is always some truth behind vindsl's comments, sometimes...

Heh!

Can I quote you on that?

That would make a GREAT sig!!!

hey its all fair game man, i dont hold copyrights to anything i post on the internet

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Speaking of Ready boost.

"On top of that, while ReadyBoost can use SD and CF cards and cache, not all external card readers are supported." blogs.zdnet.com

My e1505 has a built in SD card slot, might this just happen to work?

I suppose it depends on the lappy -- or rather, the card reader.

My Toshiba has a Texas Instruments 5-in-1 Multimedia card reader.

From what I've read, it WILL support a 4GB SD card, however...

I can tell you, from personal experience, that it does NOT support a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, however...

It does support a 1GB Memory Stick Pro, so that's what I'm using right now!

I was running a 4GB USB ReadyBoost thumb drive, but to tell you the truth, I can't tell the difference between a 4GB ReadyBoost drive and a 1GB drive. Either way, it allows my HD to spin down, limits reads, and allows my lappy to run cooler, and longer (on battery power).

That's the only reason I'm running a ReadyBoost drive, sooooo... :thumbsup:

 

[zig3695]

Originally posted by: googly
Newegg has 2 x 1GB of Crucial PC5300 SODIMM for $49.99 shipped. Does anyone need 2 sticks of 512MB Hynix?

thats a steal. shit why am i so broke? oh yeah we have no economy i forgot.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: zig3695

Originally posted by: googly
Newegg has 2 x 1GB of Crucial PC5300 SODIMM for $49.99 shipped. Does anyone need 2 sticks of 512MB Hynix?

thats a steal. shit why am i so broke? oh yeah we have no economy i forgot.

And if you want to go further, Newegg has some 2GB sticks of the same speed for under $60 shipped (since dual-channel memory doesn't do anything in a laptop and running mis-matched sizes still allows for running in asymmetric dual-channel).

I got this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820208341 when it was $95 over the summer and haven't had any problems with it in my laptop.

 

[VinDSL]

Not trying to pick a fight, but 2GB sticks are about as common (and exciting) as shaving or brushing your teeth!

THIS IS WHAT I'M RUNNING...

Costs a little more, but highly recommended!

 

[corkyg]

When I ordered my Thinkpad T60 last spring, I took Lenovo's single 2 GB SODIMM option - gives me an empty slot if needed should I decide to move to 64 bit Vista. It has actually been more exciting than brushing my teeth or shaving - especially when it boots Vista Ultimate faster (by a full minute) than my desktop with XP Pro. It pairs nicely with a 200 GB 7200 RPM drive - like steak and cabernet.

 

[VinDSL]

Yep...

Well, when 4GB SODIMMs drop to $59, they'll lose their shine too, I suppose.

I'll have to say, 4GB RAM and ReadyBoost have made Vista more fun!

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Not trying to pick a fight, but 2GB sticks are about as common (and exciting) as shaving or brushing your teeth!

THIS IS WHAT I'M RUNNING...

Costs a little more, but highly recommended!

This, along with 2 Hitachi Travelstar 200GB drives, is what I"m getting for my DV9500t to create a mobile VMWare workstation.

 

[googly]

This Toshiba's Specs say 2GB memory maximum, else I'd have sprung for 2 x 2GB sticks. why is it so difficult to get proper information about compatability? Grrrrr....