Browse > Home / Reviews / New Laptop

New Laptop

17 April 2007

HP Nx6325 LaptopI have a couple of important business presentations coming up and I need a new laptop. The old one, an NEC Versa c160 is about 3 years old now and although it still works, it takes ages to boot up and, more importantly, the last time I used it for a presentation it failed to do as it was told and its behaviour was, frankly, somewhat embarrassing. I had needed to connect it to the client’s projector and also establish an internet connection as the demonstration was of an on-line project reporting tool that we were developing for collaborative use by a number of different sub contractors. I had intended to use the client’s internal network to connect to the internet but the IT Manager was away and I had forgotten that there was a very sophisticated proxy server in place that meant some setting up was required. As the local LAN wasn’t available I had attempted to use a GSM dial up via my Blackberry which normally works a treat. Try as I may I couldn’t connect and determined that the power drain caused by the simultaneous use of the external projector coupled with the USB2 connection required by the Blackberry was just too much for the old laptop to cope with. A new laptop has therefore been on the shopping list for a month or so now and today was the day to purchase.

There are two distinct schools of thought when it comes to IT equipment purchases. One says, evaluate your specification and requirements and then purchase the lowest priced product that fits subject only to caveats concerning the manufacturer and quality of components. This is in the knowledge that you are going to purchase a replacement in 2-3 years time.

The other school of thought is to purchase the highest specified piece of kit you possibly can (and thus the most expensive) in the hope that your acquisition of the currently leading edge technology will extend the useful life of the product. My view is that this is a pipe dream and that you end up replacing the thing in 2-3 years time anyway. OK you may have the benefit of the fastest laptop money can buy but do you really need all that processing power and graphic ability if all you intend to do is a few on-line demos, a bit of email and some word processing.

I am in the former group and with 2 presentations / demos coming up later this week I have taken the plunge and ordered myself a nice HP Nx6325.  Specification is AMD Turion 64 with 1GB RAM, a decent sized hard drive , Windows XP Pro (Windows Vista is still too new/buggy to consider at this stage), Wireless LAN, a DVD/CD-RW combo and, something I find more and more useful, a 7 in 1 card reader. No extras.

Delivery is next day so I should be able to write a first impressions review tomorrow evening.

Written by Jim · Filed Under Reviews 

Comments

Got something to say?

You must be logged in to post a comment.


Related Articles


    Big Mac - I don’t like McDon@lds’ food! Not strictly true. I do like the food but it just seems such a waste of money. No sooner than you have finished a Big M@c you find that you are hungry again. So this blog post has absolutely nothing to do with food, fast or otherwise, instead its about an ........ Read more »  23 May 2007
    Comet - Web Exclusive Deals on Blackberrys - Comet have some great web exclusive deals on Blackberrys at present. Blackberry Pearl 8100 just £269.99 … more Blackberry Curve 8300 just £329.99 … more Blackberry 8800 just £339.99 … more ........ Read more »  1 March 2008
    The washing machine broke itself - Last week I woke to find the washing machine door had broken overnight. The glass was smashed and fell to the floor as I opened it to put the first load from the washing mountain that appears each day. No one knows how it happened, so I assume it was self inflicted by a machine ........ Read more »  28 April 2007
    Latest from JML - See the latest products from JML. Click here to visit their website New Products for May 2008 Hot Mate Multi-function microwave tray. - It is a tough and durable heat resistant tray - Use it to lift out hot food with out the danger of burning yourself - Hot Mate will make your microwave cooking faster, easier and safer - ........ Read more »  7 May 2008
    A new Category - I spend quite a lot of time on here editing and writing articles. When I’m not here I’m being Jim’s PA; a tongue in cheek job title, which Jim once used when I’d made a venue booking for the Company’s Christmas do! In reality I am a buyer ie I search for the best deal ........ Read more »  21 February 2008