Trading my laptop

[locosway]

I currently have this:

1 224-1440 XPS M1530, Intel Core 2 Duo T5850(2.16GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache)
1 313-6439 Tuxedo Black Casing XPS M1530
1 311-7823 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1530
1 320-6693 15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD with Camera for XPS M1530
1 320-6081 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G
1 341-7083 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with Free Fall Sensor, Seagate Casey,M1530
1 420-9213 Ubuntu 8.04 with DVD Playback
1 313-5820 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive for XPSM1530
1 313-4783 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.2
1 430-2676 Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) Mini Card, for XPS M1530
1 312-0638 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion P Primary Battery, for XPS M1530
1 412-0360 Soft Contracts - Banctec
1 950-3337 1 Year Limited Warranty
1 950-9797 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 960-8710 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 988-5607 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus At-Home Service, Initial Year
1 984-2350 Banctec In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis , Initial Year
1 970-5927 XPS Specialized Support, DHS
1 430-2566 Dell Wirless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR)
1 310-9348 Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor
1 320-6797 15.4 inch Black Wide Screen WX+ LED TrueLife LCD with 2.0 MP Camera for XPS M1530
1 467-2337 Finger Print Reader XPS M1530

I was offered this in exchange, and I was wondering what the general opinion was. I really like my screen, and the laptop in general. I just wish it didn't have the video card it does. I'm not working, so I can't just go buy a new one. I'll be using it for programming C++/Python, HTML and some other web stuff. Also be using it for email and stuff, obviously.

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life

Product Features
Up to 10.5 Hours of Battery Life and Free Sleeve Case Included
Intel Atom N280 Processor 1.66GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM, 2 x SODIMM Slot, 2GB Max; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1
160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) and 10GB Free Eee Storage
Windows XP Home Operating System, 10.1-inch WSVGA 1024x600 LCD Display
Processor, Memory, and Motherboard
Hardware Platform: PC
Processor: 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280
System Bus Speed: 667
Number of Processors: 1
RAM: 1000 MB
RAM Type: SODIMM
Hard Drive
Size: 160 GB
Manufacturer: Portable
Type: Serial ATA
Cases and Expandability
Size (LWH): 10.31 inches, 7.01 inches, 1.02 inches
Weight: 2.9 pounds
Power
Rated Charge (normal use): 10.5 hours

And they'll throw in a portable LG DVD burner and netbook case.

[sepiid]

it depends on what you want to do with the laptop/netbook

also they are fairly cheap as well can be found as low as $199 at target/walmart up to like $600 at other places.

the EeePCs are great little machines for typical everyday stuff, but you can forget about gaming or heavy duty work.

in reality i would go with a lenovo netbook though, they seem to be higher quality and have better support options.

and just reading through that list bantec!!! haha i used to work for them.

[Corbin Dallas]

You will be highly disapointed with the single core ATOM processor of the EeePC.

Netbooks are great for doing one thing, being really small.

Other than that, they are a throwback in processing power, internet speed and in general a huge PITA.

Stick with your Dell and deal with the video card.


BTW, what's the deal with the card? Why don't you like it?

[locosway]

It runs really hot. 150F at idle today and it's cooler outside. Last night it was nearly 190F. Also, the video card really drains the battery. I don't game anymore, and was looking for something a little more efficient.

[Corbin Dallas]

It runs really hot. 150F at idle today and it's cooler outside. Last night it was nearly 190F. Also, the video card really drains the battery. I don't game anymore, and was looking for something a little more efficient.

Oh! I gotcha.

You could always throttle it back and it will use less energy and stay cooler.

But I do understand what you mean. I have a HP 8510W with an Nvidia Quadro FX M570 that is great for high def video, but it sure does get hot!

Why not upgrade to 10.04? I believe Nvidia makes a full driver pack for it that will allow you to control the quality of the video and power usage.

or....

You could "Uninstall" the nvidia driver and let Ubuntu use the native driver. This would effectively disable the high quality graphics and go to "UMA" mode.

[locosway]

Nah, I run Linux. I have the CPU set at 1GHz and the video card on the lowest setting which is 169MHz.

I can't set it to run any slower.

[Corbin Dallas]

Nah, I run Linux. I have the CPU set at 1GHz and the video card on the lowest setting which is 169MHz.

I can't set it to run any slower.

And you're still seeing temps of 150F?

Something is not right. Have you cleaned the cooling channel lately?

[locosway]

Yep, I blow it out...

The only thing I haven't done is open it up. Which I may do tonight... I'll have to see how involved it is.

[Corbin Dallas]

Yep, I blow it out...

The only thing I haven't done is open it up. Which I may do tonight... I'll have to see how involved it is.

Yea, something sounds fishy. I suspect you might have some dust bunnies in your fan or something.

If you crack it open you could always go a step further and re-silver the CPU and GPU for max cooling.

[sepiid]

on dells its pretty easy to open them up.
most access is under the keyboard.

you just have to remove the plastic bezel above the keyboard and remove usually 3 screws.

then you are in.

[MaHoTex]

I have the 1005HAB and would never think of using it for writing code, and you can forget about compiling. Not enough horse power to do anything really. It is used to surf the net (rather sluggishly mind you) and check emails. Other than that, I only use it to have a PC when I travel places.

My vote it to pass on this offer.

[TonyM]

Compiling on my n280 netbook is crazy slow.

I only use the netbook for surfing and ssh sessions to my more powerful desktop now and watching HD movies on the go (Nvidia ION). Basically it mostly sits around until I go on a trip somewhere.

[JDay]

It runs really hot. 150F at idle today and it's cooler outside. Last night it was nearly 190F. Also, the video card really drains the battery. I don't game anymore, and was looking for something a little more efficient.

Find the service manual, open it up, remove the built up lint/dust/hair from the heatsink fins, put it back together, power on and enjoy the lower temps.

Yep, I blow it out...

This will only fix the problem for a short time if at all, you need to remove the build up. The build up gets surprisingly thick, comes out as a thick pad.