[AccessD] OT: Shopping for a new comp

Hi Gustav:

I would suggest the Asus G74SX series.

Supports up to 16GB of RAM and a addition 3GB of separate video memory,
Intel 7i multi-core CPU, two hard drive bays and can manage up to 2TB, 1GB
LAN and all with a special cooling system. It has a long life 8 cell battery
(up to 6 to 8 hours at full load) and all the slots/ports and even an
external eSata port. (Optical drive, high speed Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, DVI,
fingerprint reader, Express card, Smart card, Web Cam and so on...)

This unit is more like a portable server than just a work station. It also
comes with an unlimited 1 years warranty (drop it or even pour coffee on it
and it is covered) there is also an extended warranty of up to 5 years. If
you buy the unit via something like a VISA charge card the full warranty
period is doubled.

The price runs between $999 and $1,499 but the equivalent Mac will cost
about $3000 to $3500 and, as far as I know, Apple only sells desktop
stations that are that powerful. (A Mac can virtualize Windows but it runs
much slower and unstable.)

HTH
Jim 

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gustav Brock
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 5:10 AM
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Shopping for a new comp

Hi all

And so I did. After nearly 7.5 years my second IntelliStation has been set
"at ease" in honour. It's still working fine but I missed too much a 64-bit
OS, more than 2 GB ram, and some speed beyond that of single-core Pentium 4
at 2.2 GHz.

So what to pick? I was tempted by workstations from Fujitsu and HP but in
the end I couldn't do it; it had to be a ThinkStation as Lenovo's
workstations are labelled today. 
At a broker I found a ThinkStation E30 7783 with a Xeon E3-1245 3.3 GHz
quad-core processor with the integrated Intel HD Graphics P3000 and a 1 TB
drive. I don't do much graphic work and zero CAD/CAM so this way I saved the
cost of the (expensive) traditional add-on graphics adapter normally found
in workstations. To speed it up, I replaced the boot drive with an Intel 520
SSD and added 8 GB ram for a total of 12 GB ECC ram. This way I can convert
my old machine to a virtual hosted by the new machine.

Now, this new friend of mine in its neat black minitower boots to login to
our AD in 16 seconds, and the Windows Experience Index reports 7.9 for the
disk, 7.6 for CPU and ram, and 6.4 for the graphics. Excellent for my
purpose.

Next question is if this will serve for 6.5 years, the average of its
predecessors. That will be the time of Windows 10, touch screens, and who
knows what.

/gustav


>>> Gustav at cactus.dk 14-06-2011 18:31:55 >>>
Hi Rocky

You could and perhaps should build your own if you have the time, think it
is fun, and can live with the ugly boxes available for the purpose.

Not me. So much else is more fun. My current IntelliStation (P4) has run for
6.5 years and still looks stylish. The upgrades have been ram, two SCSI
disks, a USB-2 card, and a Plextor DVD-writer. Plug-and-Play. My former
machine was another IntelliStation which ran for 5.5 years. 

The major problem I'm facing is that WinXP today is outdated and I can't and
don't want to upgrade the OS as the next must be 64-bit.
Guess what I plan to buy in the autumn. They are not IBM branded any longer,
now it's Lenovo. Another option could be the Fujitsu range of workstations
which we have very good results with at some clients. 
Anyway, you should go for a machine with a decent graphics adapter, a CPU
with four or eight cores and/or an option for adding a second CPU.

/gustav


>>> rockysmolin at bchacc.com 14-06-2011 17:38 >>>
Thanks Bill.  Actually everyone else is considering that I build one. :) 
I'm still a bit reluctant.  


-- 
AccessD mailing list
AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com