Something retro

Notice how the backdrop is a Voodoo PC . . .

Not unintentional, one presumes.

I thought it was a nice touch.

He is too busy retro gaming to reply!


I did download Underworld 1&2. We shall see if it is still fun to play, despite the REALLY retro graphics! I also tried the demo for an older Spiderweb RPG: Nethergate: Resurrection. Celts & Romans in old Brittania. They upgraded it in 2007, but it still uses and older engine than their games of the past few years, and it is definitely ackward. I am going to give it a chance, at least until I reach the end of the demo area. (Spiderweb games are essentially shareware, where the demo is actually the entire game that just needs to be unlocked if you purchase it.) Their demos are often nearly 20% of the full game.

At 20% in, if it is a good game, you are sure to purchase. Not a bad strategy.

I remember the shareware for Doom -- it included the first nine levels (a whopping one third of the game).

More or less. In my free time I have been replaying the first lunar game. So far I am up to the part where you sell the dragon SH- err diamond.

The sega seems at home;


Its styling was ahead of its time.

Indeed.

Hmmm. Looks like we need to discuss cable management. EWE.

That is quite the collection of consoles you have, EastT.

I knew better but, I couldn't pass up a 12ft belkin hdmi cable for only $16, white or not.

The rest of it is in need of some management. At least its not too noticeable unless your sitting directly in front of it using a camera flash to illuminate it.

Who needs fancy cable management when a rubber band will do?

Ah CES 1992


Sigh, Now I want a turbo duo even more.

As you can clearly see sega's early 90's "hip" image didn't age as well as NEC's more conservative approach.

Underworld!

Is that you "[telling] us straight up?"

By the way, after much thought I decided that when I upgrade (hopefully in the next few months) I am going with a desktop replacement-caliber laptop instead of another desktop. We still do not have internet access at home, and I really do not want to add it, so a laptop is the only practical way to go to keep the software up-to-date. Gives me an excuse to publicly show my support for the library by going in weekly to use their wi-fi for updates. Anyway, that pretty much puts me in the category where I will not be having anyone doing any custom building for me, but thanks for the offer. (I will still let my RAGE case go when the update happens, however.)

Is your current laptop a desktop replacement model?

Although I appreciate your need for power, you may want to test one before buying. The power is nice, but you may find it a bit big and awkward for carting around. Battery life sucks, too. I actually prefer 15-inch models, even though that generally means less power and less screen real estate. Of course, you can still find a decently spec'd model in that size with adequate power. And there are always external monitors when you're at your home base. Just some thoughts.

My current laptop is already a 17 inch model which was decently powerful when I bought it, especially for the price. Carrying it around is not an issue -- the point of getting a laptop instead of a desktop is so that I can keep it updated easier without having internet access at home; it is not something that I will carry around everywhere that I go. It will stay plugged in at home, and probably plugged in on the road as well, so battery life is not an issue. Getting another 17 inch means no need to spend any money on another monitor, and the keyboard will be full sized (I have a hard time with smaller keyboards.)

You obviously have it figured out.

It is interesting the points you raise. When possible, I've always preferred using external devices, including monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'm more comfortable with full-sized peripherals than with anything built into a laptop.

All things being equal, I agre with you, but since my RAGE is hopelessly outdated for gaming I have been using the laptop for the last couple of years, and I have gotten used to it. If it was anything less than a 17 inch with a full size keyboard, I do not think that I could deal with it. The mouse is another story -- I use an external one, not the pad.

The only real question right now is who I go with -- I am currently leaning toward OriginPC -- and how much that I am willing to spend. The biggest breakpoint is whether I go with a single GTX 485M or go for broke and get two in SLi, and that is not an insignificant difference in price!

I had never heard of OriginPC. I just checked them out; they seem okay.

As to your question around a single or dual GTX 485M: Both would be wrong. You need to opt for dual GTX 560Ms, and drop in a Xeon X5690 and 24 GB of triple-channel RAM (even though most of that will never be used) for good measure. I assume, too, that you will be opting for a solid-state drive. Don't cheap out here!

I was looking at OriginPC's line up. I am not 100% sure which laptop you were looking at so I assumed it is there top of the line eon 17. It is clearly the same laptop as the sager NP7282. The Sager starts at 2.2k whereas OriginPC's version starts at ~2.4k. I am not taking a cheap shot at OriginPC but, Is there support really $200 better? That money could be put toward the 2nd video card so that you can run sli.

I am still very interested in your RAGE. Maybe we can work something out and you will have even more money to put toward that 2nd graphics card.

One thing to watch out for if you are looking at the eon 17 / NP7282 is, It uses the previous generation of core i7 processors. These chips support more memory however you will not be able to utilize this in the NP7282 as its max memory appears to be capped at 12gb, Where as there NP8170 Supports the latest generation of core i7 processors, a maximum of 16gb of ram (the most that 1155 systems are capable of addressing in any configuration laptop or desktop) And comes with the same video card options as the NP7282 minus sli support. (And starts at only 1.5k)

You should deferentially shop around before you decide on a brand.

I had not decided anything yet and am still shopping around. OriginPC is one that I was considering partly because of a very good review that their Eon-15 got in PC Gamer. I am still searching. I tried building a similar system on Sager's website (it was close but not identical) and it was about $300 cheaper. What is your experience with Sager? By the way, I doubt that I will put more than 6GB of memory in to whatever I do, so that limitation does not seem to be a problem. Any other vendors that you would suggest?

Seamaster: Actually, you have it backward. The 560 is a step down from the 485. Never expect logic from nVidia's numbering schemes.

Son of a . . . .

I've been out of the game for too long. I used to know this stuff inside and out. Sigh.

Did Sagers not have quality and overheating issues once upon a time? That would be my only hesitation in going with them.

Falcon, of course, is likely the closest you'll get to the Voodoo of old, but I'm not sure the premium price will necessarily get you the latest tech. It's possible you will be paying more for bling than performance. Otherwise, I'm really not familiar with boutique builders these days.

All clevo based laptops resellers had overheating issues most of them were with the d870p. I really don't know how good an idea it is to buy from sager. My friend got one and couldn't be happier with it but he has never needed to call for there support. Here is there resellerratings page so you can draw your own conclusion. The 1155 based sager I was telling you about (the NP8170) is fairly new on the market. It is based on the Clevo P170HM. It should be available from other distributors should you decide not to trust sager.

I think that if i was currently in the market to replace my desktop with a laptop I would give sager a try. The trick with these laptops is to keep the fans and heat sink fins clean so that air can flow with out resistance. I use to do the ones in my d900t's a couple of times every month when I was using them. It is not hard at all, You just have to stick a toothpick in the fan grill so that you don't damage the fan bearing with the compressed air.





I know that mr blur had replaced the orange 855 I have now with a clevo d901c. I am not completely sure but I think it may have been a sager or m-tech.

Actually I do have an older but incomplete sager around here. The only problem it has is a defective webcam, But it appears to have had a hard life before I got it so I really cant fault sager for that.

Well, keep in mind that I am not a DIYer or tweaker, so wherever I buy from I will need the option for support. Cleaning the grills is no problem, but beyond that I am not going to fix anything myself.

I'm impressed by those like EastT who rip apart and rebuild laptops. Working on a tower is easy, but I'd resort to heavy cursing if I decided to take apart a laptop.