[Colton Idonthavealastna]

An awesome buy right now:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+17.3%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/9741729.p;jsessionid=D02C5457A4E88BF283D77D40D108F28C.bbolsp-app05-37?id=1218165344675&skuId=9741729

LOL, Now I see what Defron means by "Alienware is overpriced", that would've costed like 2K at alienware. Thanks guys, I was really thinking about getting an Alienware, I know I would never get their desktops, because I would build my own, but I know basically nothing about laptops.

[Sweet Blighty]

LOL, Now I see what Defron means by "Alienware is overpriced", that would've costed like 2K at alienware. Thanks guys, I was really thinking about getting an Alienware, I know I would never get their desktops, because I would build my own, but I know basically nothing about laptops.

Just so you know, that computer has about 1 hour batter time, in idle. Or so they say anyway.
So if you need a good laptop to bring with you to places where there's no electricity that won't last long.
I see the site says 2,27 hours, but from reviews and youtube vids I've mostly heard 1 hour.

Been looking at http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=598468 (swedish sitem but the specs are there) myself. A lesser GPU and only 4G of ram. But 5,5 hours of battery time (according to store, so maybe 3 or so?). And it costs a lot less, the money I save on that almost buys me the new GPU (GTX460) and the additional 4G of RAM I've been thinking of buying for my stationary.
Anyone with the knowledge care to evaluate that computer for me?

[luis ortiz]

So, my mom's PC hasn't had an antivirus or any type of malware protection for over a year now and I shudder to think what's found it's way onto her PC in that time, especially with her browsing/download habits and general lack of knowledge about these types of things. She's also shown rather poor file management and has tons of important documents for work spread all throughout a plethora of folders and directories, so that makes a simple reformat troublesome.

I bought her NOD32 antivirus since it's served me well for a while now, and I also downloaded Malwarebytes and Spybot Search & Destroy. Are there any other programs that would be a good addition to that list? I've never actually gotten anything on my PC so I don't know what all is best for finding and removing this stuff.

[Phillip Brunyee]

Just so you know, that computer has about 1 hour batter time, in idle. Or so they say anyway.
So if you need a good laptop to bring with you to places where there's no electricity that won't last long.
I see the site says 2,27 hours, but from reviews and youtube vids I've mostly heard 1 hour.

Been looking at http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=598468 (swedish sitem but the specs are there) myself. A lesser GPU and only 4G of ram. But 5,5 hours of battery time (according to store, so maybe 3 or so?). And it costs a lot less, the money I save on that almost buys me the new GPU (GTX460) and the additional 4G of RAM I've been thinking of buying for my stationary.
Anyone with the knowledge care to evaluate that computer for me?

If battery life is a concern, then this notebook is pretty decent. However, in gaming mode, that life drops like all other gaming notebooks do. This is a decent overlook on that notebook thta even goes into the battery life in detail:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Acer-Aspire-7745G-Notebook.31516.0.html

[Miguel]

If battery life is a concern, then this notebook is pretty decent. However, in gaming mode, that life drops like all other gaming notebooks do. This is a decent overlook on that notebook thta even goes into the battery life in detail:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Acer-Aspire-7745G-Notebook.31516.0.html

Yeah, I read that. Thing is, it talks about a 5850 that's with DDR3 and one with DDR5, is there really 2?
"Those who would class themselves as average gamers may be thoroughly pleased with the Radeon HD 5850 DDR3. More demanding players, however, will rather reach straight for notebooks with more potent graphic cards (Radeon HD 5850 GDDR5..."

And in another review they said:
"The Radeon HD 5650 delivers very good gaming performance at a resolution of 1366 x 768, so that a lot of current games can run with high details and activated extras (such as the AA & AF). The graphics details have to be lowered to medium only when graphics intensive games, such as Bad Company 2 or Crysis, and games with DirectX 11 support, such as, Dirt 2, are run." (It's also bold in the original text, so they seem to emphasise that it's a really good card.)

And I thought the 5850 was better than the 5650. These two reviews makes me think they value the 5650 higher than the 5850. That's what made me confused.
And battery time on gaming is no problem. I won't really game without the power cable. But I want good battery for internet and movies and such.

Still, 11 hour Idle time, that's good, and at least 3 hours DVD time, enough to watch most movies, 5 hours surfing, also pretty good for any semi long trips without power outlet. I'm good with those numbers.

@TESgamerKyle: From the review of the Asus you where looking at I found that the Asus had 2,39h of idle battery, but only 1,38 watching a DVD, which is less than most movies. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-G73JH-ATI-HD-5870-Gaming-Notebook.28191.0.html

[Jynx Anthropic]

Currently I am using a wireless G router and it crashes a lot because we have so many devices connected to it.

I just bought a wireless N router, but I am not sure if my laptop's integrated wireless card supports it. I looked online, and the documentation says this:

Networking    * Networking Network adapter    * Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes    * Data link protocol Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11n (draft) , Ethernet , Gigabit Ethernet , Bluetooth 2.1 EDR    * Networking standards IEEE 802.11n (draft) , Bluetooth 2.1

However, I know for a fact that my laptop does not have bluetooth, and it says "(draft)" after the wireless N part. Does this mean the my laptop does or does not support N? It is a G50vt-X5 by the way.

If it does not support N, what is a good wireless card that fits into a PCMCIA slot?

[Symone Velez]

Currently I am using a wireless G router and it crashes a lot because we have so many devices connected to it.

I just bought a wireless N router, but I am not sure if my laptop's integrated wireless card supports it. I looked online, and the documentation says this:

Networking    * Networking Network adapter    * Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes    * Data link protocol Fast Ethernet , IEEE 802.11n (draft) , Ethernet , Gigabit Ethernet , Bluetooth 2.1 EDR    * Networking standards IEEE 802.11n (draft) , Bluetooth 2.1

However, I know for a fact that my laptop does not have bluetooth, and it says "(draft)" after the wireless N part. Does this mean the my laptop does or does not support N? It is a G50vt-X5 by the way.

If it does not support N, what is a good wireless card that fits into a PCMCIA slot?

802.11n draft means that its using technology before 802.11n was officially certified by the IEEE. AFAIK it has been certified, but many devices still display 802.11n draft or 802.11n draft 2.0 standard. None-the-less 802.11n draft and draft 2.0 are compatible with the latest release of 802.11n.

[Lisha Boo]

Heya, I was wondering if any of the community tech wizards could recommend me a tutorial/ program to clean up my C drive. 'S been losing space rather fast as of late, and no matter how I run my CCleaner, I'm still down a whole lot from what it usually is. I'm starting to think I might've overlooked a vital bit of info on the usage of the program. I just want to clean up the damned place without fearing I'll erase something vital on the C-drive. Generally just clean out temp, temporary internet files and recycle bin. Always been wary of deleting anything offa the C-drive since everything's been cryptically named or pose some benign, mystical purpose that cannot be determined by a simple Google search. <_< Any tips?

[Tracy Byworth]

I'm currently downloading a trial for Kapersky's. Is that a good Anti Virus to use or should I look for something else? I heard Norton 360 was good but I don't have a credit card to download the trial. I'll be able to use a credit card after the trial is up though so should I stick with Kapersky's or what?

[Beat freak]

I'm currently downloading a trial for Kapersky's. Is that a good Anti Virus to use or should I look for something else? I heard Norton 360 was good but I don't have a credit card to download the trial. I'll be able to use a credit card after the trial is up though so should I stick with Kapersky's or what?

Kaspersky is one of the top three antivirus solutions, and is highly recommended. Norton 360's detection rate isn't terrible, but the application is so bloated and they are better programs out there. Personally I use NOD32.

Also I wouldn't bother with any of the personal firewall + antivirus packages. If you really need a personal firewall then get a stand-alone one like Comodo. If you really want Norton's then get Norton 2010 AV not Norton 360.

[chloe hampson]

How do I prevent my computer from connecting to my family's wireless internet connection when I want it to connect through wired?

Sometimes it just decides to switch from wired to wireless (which is less fast and reliable, especially considering how far my computer is from the source).

I'm starting to consider physically removing my wireless card. This is terribly annoying in games when I can't figure out why my ping is high.

[Leilene Nessel]

How do I prevent my computer from connecting to my family's wireless internet connection when I want it to connect through wired?

Sometimes it just decides to switch from wired to wireless (which is less fast and reliable, especially considering how far my computer is from the source).

I'm starting to consider physically removing my wireless card. This is terribly annoying in games when I can't figure out why my ping is high.

Disable your wireless network card. In "Network Connections" (XP: Control Panel->Network Connections, Vista: Control Panel->Network Sharing Center->Manage Network Connections (on the side panel), WIndows 7:Control Panel->Network Sharing Center->Change Adapter Settings (on the side panel)) right-click your wireless LAN and select "disable". If you ever want to enable it, it is just as simple.

[joseluis perez]

My attention has actually shifted to the G73JH again... since I found it really cheap. I just have to make sure it's the one with the 5870 GDDR5 and not the 5870 DDR3.
I'm sort of annoyed by the battery time though. I'm really torn between battery time and performance. Because I have a good stationary that I intend to upgrade anyway. Still, performance is always nice. Gah.

So now it stands between these two.
http://shop.onoff.com/ProductSheet.aspx?prd=23372522 This is the cheap one I found, and the info says GDDR5, but it's about 5000Sek cheaper than any other source I've found so far, which is very strange. The lesser version with the i5 and DDR3 memory usually sells for that price.

and

http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=598468 This has a good battery time of 11 hours idle, 3 hours DVD and 5 hours surfing. Compared to 2,3 hours idle and 1,3 hours DVD on the Asus. But it also got pretty average performance reviews.

Any other suggestions to compete with the Acer? Something with good battery but maybe slightly better performance?



UPDATE: I found a swedish company that makes their own laptop batteries, and might be able to supply me with a stronger battery if I end up buying the Asus. Has anyone had experience with custom made batteries for laptops? Is it relatively safe?
The original battery says "AC 120/230 V" in the description, does this have anything to do with 120/230 Volt? I found out that it's 50-60Hz but the custom batteries doesn't say anything about it. It does say that their most expensive battery is 7,2-7,4 Volt though, which sounds quite low.

[Teghan Harris]

Is it normal for my computer to be using 20% Physical memory just idling?

And what's with manufacturers and advertising more hard drive space then is actually available! My laptop is 500gb but after just installing Morrowind I only have 419gb. What gives?

[Samantha Jane Adams]

Is it normal for my computer to be using 20% Physical memory just idling?

And what's with manufacturers and advertising more hard drive space then is actually available! My laptop is 500gb but after just installing Morrowind I only have 419gb. What gives?

Windows, microsoft office (if that came with it) and other pre installed programs. I think.

[Eve(G)]

Hi guys! Can anyone suggest a good low profile graphics card that can run with a 300W PSU? I'm in England and have a budget in the range of ￡50-￡75, but I can bend that a bit. I want to use it for gaming at Mid level graphics settings.

EDIT- And also my current 256mb HD 2400 apparently is 1GB now, what happened?

[Nikki Morse]

My attention has actually shifted to the G73JH again... since I found it really cheap. I just have to make sure it's the one with the 5870 GDDR5 and not the 5870 DDR3.
I'm sort of annoyed by the battery time though. I'm really torn between battery time and performance. Because I have a good stationary that I intend to upgrade anyway. Still, performance is always nice. Gah.

So now it stands between these two.
http://shop.onoff.com/ProductSheet.aspx?prd=23372522 This is the cheap one I found, and the info says GDDR5, but it's about 5000Sek cheaper than any other source I've found so far, which is very strange. The lesser version with the i5 and DDR3 memory usually sells for that price.

and

http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=598468 This has a good battery time of 11 hours idle, 3 hours DVD and 5 hours surfing. Compared to 2,3 hours idle and 1,3 hours DVD on the Asus. But it also got pretty average performance reviews.

Any other suggestions to compete with the Acer? Something with good battery but maybe slightly better performance?



UPDATE: I found a swedish company that makes their own laptop batteries, and might be able to supply me with a stronger battery if I end up buying the Asus. Has anyone had experience with custom made batteries for laptops? Is it relatively safe?
The original battery says "AC 120/230 V" in the description, does this have anything to do with 120/230 Volt? I found out that it's 50-60Hz but the custom batteries doesn't say anything about it. It does say that their most expensive battery is 7,2-7,4 Volt though, which sounds quite low.

The Acer might be your best bet if battery life is important to you. Suggest you to format the thing when you get it and reinstall Windows though...Acer always installs a LOT of bloatware. but this is probably the bet balance considering your needs.

The 120/230 V is regarding to voltage....dunno what that swedish company is selling you, but I'd look more into it if you're going that route. I've never bought third party notebook batteries....always preferred the manufacturer's.

Hi guys! Can anyone suggest a good low profile graphics card that can run with a 300W PSU? I'm in England and have a budget in the range of ￡50-￡75, but I can bend that a bit. I want to use it for gaming at Mid level graphics settings.

EDIT- And also my current 256mb HD 2400 apparently is 1GB now, what happened?

A PCI-E card? What computer is this for? Got a PC model?

Assuming you need a PCI-E card, this is probably your best bet:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/199409

As for your 2400pro, it sounds like a hypermemory version meaning the card is leeching off your system RAM to use as VRAM. You should always try to avoid these kinds of cards...video cards with its own dedicated memory is a must...no "turbocache" or "hypermemory" crap.

[Jordan Moreno]

EDIT- Yes, it uses PCI-e x16 for GPU. Thank you for the link! But the 2400 has never done anything like this before! Does it constantly leech off RAM?

[Enny Labinjo]

I've been looking into upgrading my graphics card lately, since it's the weakest part of my system and was originally in my old XP system (a HD 4670, 512MB). I have my eye on http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125327 5770, but would it be worth the extra 200 bucks to go for a 5870? Is the 5770 a significant enough upgrade over my old card?

[Rachel Eloise Getoutofmyface]

I've been looking into upgrading my graphics card lately, since it's the weakest part of my system and was originally in my old XP system (a HD 4670, 512MB). I have my eye on http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125327 5770, but would it be worth the extra 200 bucks to go for a 5870? Is the 5770 a significant enough upgrade over my old card?

The HD 5770 is a significant upgrade over the HD 4670 but the HD 5870 is also a significant upgrade over the HD 5770. But the question should be: "does the HD 5870 worth this money"? Although I have a HD 5870 myself and I am very pleased with its performance I would probably say no. The reason I bought this video card is because I could get it on a discount when I built a new PC a few months ago. However, if I just wanted to upgrade my video card I would have probably gone for the HD 5850 because this is the sweet spot between price and performance. In any case, if you decide to go for the HD 58xx series make sure that you have a quality PSU to support it.

[Melly Angelic]

We've been toying with he idea of setting up an HTPC to use as a
dvr and to stream media from our network to our TV (s). We have most of the parts we need, we think, but...

What would be the minimum configuration for a wired network pc to display 1080 quality video from across the network, from netflix, and from an onboard blueray player? We have an Athelon II and MB, 4GB DDR2, will be running Win 7. We will need a video card (just enough to do the job), and a TV tuner card.

Any thoughts? The idea is to build an effective machine while spending as little as possible.

[Roddy]

Is it normal for my computer to be using 20% Physical memory just idling?

And what's with manufacturers and advertising more hard drive space then is actually available! My laptop is 500gb but after just installing Morrowind I only have 419gb. What gives?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte#Consumer_confusion

[Evaa]

Is it normal for my computer to be using 20% Physical memory just idling?

And what's with manufacturers and advertising more hard drive space then is actually available! My laptop is 500gb but after just installing Morrowind I only have 419gb. What gives?

GB (Gigabyte) is base 10 (decimal) whereas a computer is arranged in binary (base 2). The equivalent figure to a base 10 Gigabyte is a Gibibyte. 500GB (base 10) equals ~465.6GiB (base 2). Accounting for Windows and preinstalled software. 419GiB (base 2) or 449.9GB (base 10) sounds about right.

[Cagla Cali]

I picked up a 32" Sony BRAVIA EX400 HDTV today and was hoping to use it as a PC monitor as well, so I hooked it up to my GTX 285 via HDMI and everything looked great. I got a crisp, 1080p picture, my desktop looks good as do all my programs, except for games. When I start up a game it's very pixelated and text is nearly impossible to read. I set my TV to 1:1 pixel mapping, which should be a direct 1080p picture, but still no dice. The odd thing is that if I set games to run in windowed mode, everything looks normal. I've tried fiddling with option in the nVidia control panel but I still can't get it to display correctly in fullscreen mode.

Any ideas?

Edit- Nevermind, switched it from HDMI to VGA and it works now. Not sure why HDMI won't work though.

[Danii Brown]

EDIT- Yes, it uses PCI-e x16 for GPU. Thank you for the link! But the 2400 has never done anything like this before! Does it constantly leech off RAM?

Assuming this is a hypermemory version, it will leech off it when it needs it. Intense modern games will certainly have it constantly leeching.

I've been looking into upgrading my graphics card lately, since it's the weakest part of my system and was originally in my old XP system (a HD 4670, 512MB). I have my eye on http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125327 5770, but would it be worth the extra 200 bucks to go for a 5870? Is the 5770 a significant enough upgrade over my old card?

The just released GTX 460 and the Radeon 5850 are the best bang for buck cards right now and a significant enough jump from the Radeon 5770. You should have a large enough monitor to see and appreciate those benefits though.Make sure the PSU is adequate for the upgrade though as already mentioned.

We've been toying with he idea of setting up an HTPC to use as a
dvr and to stream media from our network to our TV (s). We have most of the parts we need, we think, but...

What would be the minimum configuration for a wired network pc to display 1080 quality video from across the network, from netflix, and from an onboard blueray player? We have an Athelon II and MB, 4GB DDR2, will be running Win 7. We will need a video card (just enough to do the job), and a TV tuner card.

Any thoughts? The idea is to build an effective machine while spending as little as possible.

What's the budget you're considering??