Random thoughts.... [Tech Edition]

Yeah I can get decent performance for cheap... but I drop them constantly. I can get a toughbook that can take the hit, but they make the MBP's look cheap.
 
Why do you drop them so often? Why don't you just buy a nicely padded bag?
 
Because I am a horrible klutz and padded bags are useless when you drop them when you are using them. The worst drop this one suffered was me slipping when putting it IN the padded bag causing me to drop it then fall down on top of it.

I injure myself with the klutzy too so it's not just the laptops that have that issue. :|
 
There's still places that do barebones. Custom Asus' and Sager's and MSI's. Power Notebook's is pretty popular on the laptop forum I frequent: www.powernotebooks.com
 
MSI huh?
Excuse me I need to go drop mom's netbook on the floor a few times.

Mother does not like this plan <_<
 
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MSI huh?
Excuse me I need to go drop mom's netbook on the floor a few times.

Mother does not like this plan <_<

I've had a MSI Wind U100 (the first 10.1 inch netbook) and it's been very solid.
 
Yeah that is what she has. Seems to be made of the same sturdy plastic that they used on my dashboard that you could crack your head open on.
The touchpad on it however, is the most obnoxious thing I have ever had the displeasure of using. Even worse than the horrible thinkpad power nipples. Otherwise it is lovely but I couldn't use it on my lap too well due to that.
 
Yeah that is what she has. Seems to be made of the same sturdy plastic that they used on my dashboard that you could crack your head open on.
The touchpad on it however, is the most obnoxious thing I have ever had the displeasure of using. Even worse than the horrible thinkpad power nipples. Otherwise it is lovely but I couldn't use it on my lap too well due to that.

I will admit, the touchpad is very small. D:
 
Well I was more bothered by the fact that it doesn't have changeable settings, and when I searched for an alternate driver there weren't any. Any touch = click is really annoying to me and the fact it can't be turned of drives me nuts.
 
Doesn't it just use the Synaptics touchpad drivers? That's what my Asus netbook had, and with a certain driver update it unlocked multitouch features kinda sorta like on Macs.

You can get newer drivers off the part suppliers' websites usually if you know your computer uses that exact part.
 
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I looked for them but I couldn't find anything. I can't remember exactly but I think all I could find was broken download links for the multitouch and the only ones I could find were for the same thing that was on it :(
 
Yeah I can get decent performance for cheap... but I drop them constantly. I can get a toughbook that can take the hit, but they make the MBP's look cheap.

Look at Acer's, I had their convertible tablet and that thing took a lot of abuse. In fact its STILL running, and its something like 6 years old by now. Panasonic Toughbook if you can afford it :)
 
I already said the toughbooks were overpriced for what they are :p
The bottom model is 2x the price of a mac with the same specs and only rated for a 3 foot drop.
This one has taken 4.
 
I've dropped a bottom of the line 4 year old Dell from 4 feet, and literally thrown a bottom level business HP to the floor several times, both were fine. Top end Dells have aluminum and magnesium frames, and I think Thinkpads are the same way. The unibody aluminum of the Macs is awesome for sure, but other laptops will give you the durability your looking for. Also remember that Dell (and probably others) has a warranty that covers any accidental damage. Spilled a pitcher of lemonade on it? Covered. Broke the screen with a misguided toss of a water bottle? Covered. I think the thing you'll miss most is the trackpad, since you too unevolved to use a trackpoint :p
 
A friend of mine in college had a Dell Inspiron E1405, hardly top of the line. She dropped it more times than I can count. Two of the USB ports were busted, keys were missing, the hinges on the screen were gone (flapping around all the time) and I had to re-insert the hard drive several times, but that Dell just kept running.

It never actually broke down. She sold it for some small amount at the end, but it was still working. Very impressive.
 
Look at Acer's, I had their convertible tablet and that thing took a lot of abuse. In fact its STILL running, and its something like 6 years old by now. Panasonic Toughbook if you can afford it :)
My Acer Netbook was solid apart from some of the trim coming off, my tablet is very well made as well, and no complaints about my monitor. But I have to admit their laptops aren't stellar.
 
If one's looking for a PC alternative, you can't go wrong with any of the "big 3's" business laptop lines.

Latitude IMO has a nicer design, especially with the E6X20 series. You also get a 3 year warranty as standard and they're fairly affordable

EliteBooks look posh, but are pretty expensive if you want to customise....it's better to order one of these over the phone, as the reps can give you discounts. Phoning Dell works too, but you can get a decent deal on a Latitude online unlike HP

ThinkPad's have legendary keyboards and proven toughness, but I've always felt like they were a bit overhyped. They feel like they're made of many plastic pieces...just not that well finished imo.
 
Good, cheap, silent 120mm case fans? I'm looking for something in the $10-$15 range because summer is coming and I want to fill my case up. I don't know what brands are good, etc. I don't even know how silent you can get for this price.
 
Can't really find that one here, I'm looking at some ball bearing Chieftec ones. The thing is, these have a PWM and a Molex connector. I assume you only use one of them. And I assume again that a fan controller uses the Molex one, right?
 
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