Re: Soundcards--Specing a Computer for Voice Dictation
|
New member Username: WetbassPost Number: 3 Registered: Nov-04 | Hi all: I've "specced" a couple of Dell computers out for family members, just because my limited knowledge was more than their (zero) understanding of the hardware. But I have a question I need help with.... I really want a new computer to do two things: 1. Rip/Download/manage music 2. Really perform well at Voice Type Dictation. My research seems to indicate that Dragonspeak's voice type dictation (Naturally Speaking--nonprofessional version) seems to be the best. However, I want to know if a dedicated sound card would be a benefit to running voice recognition software? I've come to believe (from PC Magazine's reviews) that the Audigy 2 soundcard is the one to have. Last I knew, it was approx. $220.00. Does a sound card have any effect on the performance of voice recognition software? Also, I'm not even sure what the advantages of a separate sound card are--could somebody explain them to me? I mean, I understand that the Audigy 2 card is a "breakout box," in that it supplies a variety of input and output jacks (including optical ones, I believe?) but what exactly does a sound card do? Why is one sound card better than another? Does the sound card contain an amp to drive bigger computer speakers with? Any help on these questions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance! (Btw, what a great site this is!) |
|
Silver Member Username: DeathshadowPost Number: 269 Registered: Oct-04 | Well back in the day PCs actually did not have "sound cards"; sound actually was just generated by beeps from a system speaker connected directly to the motherboard and that was it lol  (mmmm vacuum tubes). When the "multimedia enhanced" PCs hit the market soundcards started to form and bring life into video games and movies watched on your computer. As this market started to flourish more sound card companies appeared and sound card capabilities got even better; capabilities such as flash memory for storing data, a dedicated signal processor that handles pretty much its own data, Digital Audio in converters for input to the computer from MICs and other devices, Analog Audio outputs so the signal can be sent to other external sound imaging/reproduction hardware. So in a sense today's soundcards are mini computers all in there own only using the CPU to store and manipulate some data. When Microsoft Windows hit the market (yuck) games really started to take hold; a port appeared on sound cards as well for joysticks and other related controllers (MIDI). The advantage of a good sound card as apposed to a crappy integrated card (there are some okay ones) is how accurately in real time input and output audio is induced/reproduced; with out going into a speal about "synthesis" and sound cards I will move on to another sub topic. When I build a PC I stay away from ANY integrated motherboard capabilities; sound cards, grafx (yes an elite common abbreviation) cards, modems, NICs, you name it. Integrated items such as these do SAVE money and allow the consumer to purchase a more modestly priced PC who does not demand high performance in the above particular listed areas. BUT since we are all audio & videophiles' here we demand the best from our graphics, sound, and network interface cards. Not having these integrated motherboard devices saves us a step later (disabling them -_-) and also saves on valuable limited IRQ lines; so in a sense if your putting GOOD hardware into your PC the old integrated stuff becomes dead weight. While there are better cards then Audigy out there I hear (I'm not into the sound card who is better scheme) the Audigy is an AWESOME sound card line made by one of the first companies to ever put a sound card on the market in the later 1980s/early 1990s. Soooooo... bottom line: * YES soundcards do affect MIC and other hardware input accuracy. * YES optical ports are an option on some cards; although the debate on whether or not optical has its advantages over coax will always rage on. * YES your voice recognition software will be benefited. If you are looking for a new PC I will recommend to you the same that I recommend to all my custom built PC customers with your same goals. Don't be dead set on the highest clock speed (3.x GHz +); while clock speed is important items such as front side bus speed, amount of onboard on-die cache, amount/type/quality of RAM and internal components, Hard Drive speed, type of motherboard & correct efficient cooling are VERY "VERY" (VERY) important and directly affect the PC's ability to perform. Having a PC that performs well and stable under harsh dramatic loads depends a lot on the cooling; do not skimp (like most name brand companies & crappy custom PC builders do) on GOOD CPU/Chipset/RAM heatsinks/thermal compound and high RPM chip/case fans. Having a custom built PC made with the GOOD hardware YOU want in it and superb cooling products as well is your BEST bet. Companies such as Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, HP can suck it; but id NEVER buy a dell and if I had to purchase a PC/Laptop id go with a HP or an IBM. * Hope this is what you were looking for! |
|
New member Username: WetbassPost Number: 6 Registered: Nov-04 | Damien: Wow! Yes, what you wrote is exactly what I was looking for--thank you! I really appreciate you starting from "back in the day" and giving me a little grounding in the subject. I do have a couple of follow-up questions: 1. Why would you never by a Dell? Historically, they've had the highest cust. support ratings, (though I've found I have to go through three reps, on average, to get one that knows more than me--an that's not saying much!) and the Dell computers I've used all worked well. 2. Can I order more cooling capacity from Dell or another PC manufacturer, and how will I know they actually installed it? (I'm from the automobile business--the "backshop" or service end--where ignorant customers are too often charged for work that isn't done, so I'm suspicious....)? 3. I'm not sure I understand what you meant by "Companies such as Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, HP can suck it;". Are you saying they're all capable of building bad computers, or poorly-cooled computers? Not meaning to nitpick, at all; rather, I'm kind of hanging on your every word here and wanting not to miss something. 4. I appreciate your thoughts on clockspeed--very interesting. How much hard drive capacity would you suggest, for someone who hopes to move a lot of music files around? It was suggested to me to purchase a modest hard drive, like 60-80 gig, then get a stand alone, 200 gig drive, for like $89.00. Does this have speed advantages? Does it present any problems? Would you do it? Damien, again, I REALLY appreciate your time and efforts here, as the Voice Dictation is huge for me. Also, any comments you have re: "speccing" for music file management would be greatly appreciated. Also, I would love to hear from anyone who has used any of Scansoft's Dragon Naturally Speaking products--the current version is #8, btw. Thanks again, everyone! Steve |
|
Silver Member Username: DeathshadowPost Number: 271 Registered: Oct-04 | 1. Well I am not a fan of dell because of my experience in the PC repair field; this can be read about more here https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/computers/77374.html . Dell is a proprietary company and really goes to great lengths to try and stop you from buying products from other companies (such as ink cartridges for printers, driver issues, etc...) Take away the PCs ability to expand with a variety of products and you have a MAC ; it's just not the "spirit" of what makes a PC a PC. As you stated above coupled with their poorly knowledgeable customer support staff (most of the time going down a list of pre-typed "trouble shooting" method from corporate) I do not like Dell as a company over all. That being said I refuse to buy from a company that puts out solely to appease and rip off the non computer literate masses who willingly buy into hardware (upgrades) they don't need because of Dell's convincing "computer sales associates". Their PCs are masked with a high clock speed but have poor bus speeds, cooling, and other hardware shavings (more on this below); Dell makes a customer think they are getting the BEST latest technology with their "deals". I am an honest guy and I treat all my customers with the same honesty when selling them a product; I feel that people appreciate being talked to like they are just that (hard working people). Dell also goes a step further and assures people that they are "safe and secure" with the software they have put on their machine; users then use the PC for banking or online purchases because dell said it was safe but in reality it is ANYTHING BUT! 2. The best performance will come from aftermarket products that Dell will not offer. These products include the Hyper 6 Heat pipe technology heat sinks (and similar products), Vantec Tornado high RPM case fans, silver laced thermal compound, RAM heatsinks, & CPU + Case temperature monitors and warning hardware. Another MAJOR contributor to correct cooling is the case itself, full aluminum cases (not the crappy plastic shells Dell has on an aluminum chassis) dissipate heat MUCH more effectively; heat is a major cause of system instability, PC crashes, and lock ups. When you plan on having a PC with really good grafx & sound cards cooling is a VERY important issue that must be dealt with accordingly. With all this said applying this cooling hardware in the correct way is also very important; thermal compound, heatsinks, and a push pull fan method not setup the correct way could spell disaster to your hardware (your CPU will literally burn up in the slot). Also more on the fan above; the Vantec tornado fans I speak so highly about move an amount of air comparable to a medium sized desk fan in a 80mm package lol. 3. Well in a sense they are poor computers, don't get me wrong they make some good ones ($2,000.00 +) but they use methods listed in #1; I will elaborate on this theory of clock speed masking further. Most people judge a PC by its clock speed, HD capacity, and amount of RAM (things they "know makes a good PC"). Well companies like to play a game on customers because they know this, they kind of spray paint over rust w/o sanding it. The companies provide customers with high RAM amounts, big hard drive capacities, "fast" clock speeds, and throw in a CD/DVD burner for good measures and make it look like a big expense benefit (these are dirt cheap today). For an example view the following list: *Yes the hard drive may 120 Gigabytes but they don't tell you it's running at 5,400 RPMS with no cache (technology of 1995) when it could be running at 7,200 -- 10,000 and over 8 megs of onboard cache; this hinders the drives ability to perform well. * Yes the clock speed on that CPU may be 2.4 GHz but what is the bus speed? What is the amount of L1, L2, and L3 cache? Is the cache on-die? Most people now know that a Intel Celeron processor is bad, this CPU is pretty much a processor with the cache ripped off (on-die cache is expensive to put on and research so it runs cool enough). Next time you're in a store see if you can find all this information on the statistics tag of the sales card; this information is what REALLY makes a CPU perform. If the cache is not on-die, the bus speed sucks, not cooled right this literally bottlenecks the CPUs ability to crunch numbers and renders a high clock speed useless. * Ok you have 512 Megabytes of RAM, cool... What speed is this RAM capable of running at? What type of RAM is it (DDR, RIMM)? What is the latency rate of this RAM? Is it ECC or no? Is it heatsinked and stable? * AWESOME you have a motherboard with integrated LAN, isn't that cool? What chipset is the motherboard equipped with/are they fan cooled? What is the bus speed? Is it equipped with RAID or ATAPI 133? AGP slot 4x/8x? How many PCI slots do you have available for upgrades? What CMOS firmware is it equipped with? Does it have rapid boot technology? * Look at that cool designed case, we are really moving now! What material is it made out of? How many optional fan ports does it have/where are they situated if I decide to put a high performance graphics or sound card in? How many drive bays does it have? How many watts is the power supply/can it support additional add ons such as a intense grafx, sound, multiple drives, or other additional hardware upgrades? * WHAT!? I have a DVD BURNER!!! AWESOME!!  The above listed questions are what computer companies who sell those high ticket high clock speed processor PCs skimp on. It so happens that the above listed questions can really bog your performance and decide if your PC actually is stable or not. Call the shopping network during a DELL special and read off that list of questions, watch them cringe, hehehe. 4. If you own a laptop or would like to transfer these files and don't have a network an external drive does have its benefits. I'm not really a believer of the "back up" benefit because a hard drive that is partitioned correctly can have space under a different virtual drive letter for storage. As far as drive capacity goes you actually lose money if you buy lower capacity drivers. You will get the most out of your dollar if you purchase a mid-high range Hard drive online (120 Gigabytes). Buy a Western Digital HD, www.directron.com for good PC hardware prices. *It is really no problem; ask all the questions you want! |
|
Silver Member Username: DeathshadowPost Number: 274 Registered: Oct-04 | *Please excuse my various typos' I was in a rush to leave ! |
|
New member Username: WetbassPost Number: 7 Registered: Nov-04 | Damien--that was awesome--thank you! I won't pretend to understand all of what you wrote, because I do not understand many of the terms of art, though I recognize them (e.g. DDR vs RIMM ram) but I clearly recognize the consciousness-raising benefits of a good "issue spotting" session, as you just laid down. Now, this may make me seem flaky, but since we've talked, I've now realized that a laptop would be a much more practical solution to my life, as I hope to start a small, commercial writing business, and I do have to travel frequently among three properties I mismanage--I would be up to 8 hrs. from home, and it would be inconvenient to drive home to conduct business, as one of the properties requires a boat and is near Canada. So the idea of having everything in one computer, that I use both here and there, makes sense to me. Consequently, I believe I am now interested in a powerful "desktop replacement" laptop and I breifly reviewed some specs. (I'm also writing to you using my g.f.'s brand new IBM Thinkpad (Type 2373?) that her work provides for her). While I don't yet know the clock/RAM specs on it, it says it has a Pentium M in it, and is running XP Professional. Hey--(if it's not time consuming to explain) what's the trick one can do to get the machine to list its clockspeed and other specs? Because I don't like laptops, (difficult keyboards, pinched screens, IMHO, though I'm getting used to using her old Thinkpad, and now this one) I would want to use a remote keyboard like my MS ergo-board, and probably a larger, CRT monitor, and I must have an external mouse, as I hate the pencil-eraser jobs. However, as I say, the laptop makes sense in terms of having all my business info with me, should I have to edit an existing job, or whatever, and I'm 8 hours from home. Soooo....my review of Dell and IBM laptops didn't show clockspeeds higher than 3.0, and most of them were in the 1.5 - 2.0 range. Plus, instead of the FSB speeds of 800Mhz I'm used to seeing in desktops, I'm seeing 400Mhz. Of course, the hard drives are smaller-I expected that. But what gives with the processor speeds at halfmast compared with the desktops? How are these things "desktop replacement models" with less than half of the nominal performance specs of good, midlevel desktops? I'm thinking you're about to refer me to some of the excellent points you just made, above, about mfrs. "masking" inferior desktops behind seemingly fast clockspeeds, right? For example, is it that the laptops have more harmony, among their processors/FSB's/RAM's, so that they actually do what you do with desktops, i.e., ensure they run well in reality, as opposed to look fast on a spec sheet? If not, again, what gives? I see that cooling is very important to you--it's very important to most machines that generate heat. I'm guessing that laptops have even more problematic cooling issues. Is that the case, or have the manufacturers done a better job of addressing this, possibly by being forced to by the extremely tight case clearances? I saw a review of a desktop replacement laptop in PC Mag. (forget the brand) and they said "it's heavy at 9+lbs." Damien, I have a question: why doesn't someone build a "backpack computer" as opposed to a "laptop computer?" IOW, give me a heavy (20lb?) "laptop" that's twice (three times?) as thick and heavy as a normal, but that uses the standard desktop components (sound cards, drives, etc..., to save money--I'm assuming everything in a laptop is "shrunk" when compared to desktop components) so that there IS no compromise when compared to a desktop, and not as much of a price difference, if the "backpack computer" could use many of the same components as a desktop? It could fold like a laptop, have a bigger screen than a laptop, and be ideal for me--unlike normal commuters, who would lug it every day, I tend to stay in a place for a week or two at a time, so the extra bulk, remote keyboard, etc..., wouldn't bother me. I'm not sure if I'm being clear, so I'll say it again--is there a PORTABLE desktop type computer I could lug around with me, that would not have the performance compromises I apparently saw in the laptop specs I reviewed? Again, I'm imagine a FAT LAPTOP that weighs 20-30 lbs.... In case you're not yet regretting you said "*It is really no problem; ask all the questions you want!" I know I'll have more, but for now, here are a few, final questions on this topic. And before I forget, let me thank you for your generous offer to continue bothering you on this subject. You are REALLY helping me out, and as my g.f. has been after me to make a decision already, about a new computer, she thanks you as well! So, are you as knowledgeable about laptops as you are desktops? Can you recommend a good laptop? Again, I want to move a lot of music around, and have the absolute best performance I can from Dragon's Naturally Speaking 8. What about Apple laptops? Though I loved my Mac when I was in grad school, my fear is that buying a Mac means you are either boxed out of buying many popular programs or you must wait for the market to adapt them to Apple, and/or they will be much more expensive than PC compatible programs. I think I know that Apples run a lot of PC software today, but isn't it true that when Apples do so, they run it slower than a PC, due to some translation process I don't understand? (I read about something like this years ago, so please forgive me if this is incorrect) Here are the system requirements for Naturally Speaking, but I'm assuming these are MINIMUMS--is that correct, and that more = better? 1. Intel Pentium III/500MHz processor (or equiv. AMD). 2. 256 MB RAM 3. 500 MB free HD space 4. MS Windows XP (SP1 or higher--does that mean "Service Pack 1?") Home and Professional, Millennium, 2000 (SP4 or higher). 5. Creative Soundblaster 16 or equivalent sound card supporting 16-bit recording. (Is the Audigy 2 a better card than this? Can the Audigy 2 be built into a laptop, if you order it?) 6. MS IE 5 or higher 7. Scansoft-approved noise-cancelling headset microphone (included w/ Naturally Speaking) 8. Speakers 9. A web connection for activation. Please note I snuck a few questions into the specs for you--lol. So, I'm wondering if all those are minimums, and if it would run faster/more accurately on a nice, new 3.0+/1 GB RAM/800MHz FSB desktop? And if so, how much more poorly would it run on a 1.7GHz/400MHz FSB laptop? Can the people at Scansoft actually be relied upon to give accurate answers to such question, in your opinion, or are they just there to push the software (if you know?). Damien, I surely hope my questions are of interest either to you or someone else on these boards, as they are of critical interest to me, and I hope I'm not wasting everyones' time, most especially yours. I look forward to your responses, but no rush, as I don't leave for upstate for a couple of days (no web access) and I will not be buying the computer for like a month, at least. Thanks SO MUCH, again, for your help. Peter |
|
New member Username: WetbassPost Number: 8 Registered: Nov-04 | Damien--that was awesome--thank you! I won't pretend to understand all of what you wrote, because I do not understand many of the terms of art, though I recognize them (e.g. DDR vs RIMM ram) but I clearly recognize the consciousness-raising benefits of a good "issue spotting" session, as you just laid down. Now, this may make me seem flaky, but since we've talked, I've now realized that a laptop would be a much more practical solution to my life, as I hope to start a small, commercial writing business, and I do have to travel frequently among three properties I mismanage--I would be up to 8 hrs. from home, and it would be inconvenient to drive home to conduct business, as one of the properties requires a boat and is near Canada. So the idea of having everything in one computer, that I use both here and there, makes sense to me. Consequently, I believe I am now interested in a powerful "desktop replacement" laptop and I breifly reviewed some specs. (I'm also writing to you using my g.f.'s brand new IBM Thinkpad (Type 2373?) that her work provides for her). While I don't yet know the clock/RAM specs on it, it says it has a Pentium M in it, and is running XP Professional. Hey--(if it's not time consuming to explain) what's the trick one can do to get the machine to list its clockspeed and other specs? Because I don't like laptops, (difficult keyboards, pinched screens, IMHO, though I'm getting used to using her old Thinkpad, and now this one) I would want to use a remote keyboard like my MS ergo-board, and probably a larger, CRT monitor, and I must have an external mouse, as I hate the pencil-eraser jobs. However, as I say, the laptop makes sense in terms of having all my business info with me, should I have to edit an existing job, or whatever, and I'm 8 hours from home. Soooo....my review of Dell and IBM laptops didn't show clockspeeds higher than 3.0, and most of them were in the 1.5 - 2.0 range. Plus, instead of the FSB speeds of 800Mhz I'm used to seeing in desktops, I'm seeing 400Mhz. Of course, the hard drives are smaller-I expected that. But what gives with the processor speeds at halfmast compared with the desktops? How are these things "desktop replacement models" with less than half of the nominal performance specs of good, midlevel desktops? I'm thinking you're about to refer me to some of the excellent points you just made, above, about mfrs. "masking" inferior desktops behind seemingly fast clockspeeds, right? For example, is it that the laptops have more harmony, among their processors/FSB's/RAM's, so that they actually do what you do with desktops, i.e., ensure they run well in reality, as opposed to look fast on a spec sheet? If not, again, what gives? I see that cooling is very important to you--it's very important to most machines that generate heat. I'm guessing that laptops have even more problematic cooling issues. Is that the case, or have the manufacturers done a better job of addressing this, possibly by being forced to by the extremely tight case clearances? I saw a review of a desktop replacement laptop in PC Mag. (forget the brand) and they said "it's heavy at 9+lbs." Damien, I have a question: why doesn't someone build a "backpack computer" as opposed to a "laptop computer?" IOW, give me a heavy (20lb?) "laptop" that's twice (three times?) as thick and heavy as a normal, but that uses the standard desktop components (sound cards, drives, etc..., to save money--I'm assuming everything in a laptop is "shrunk" when compared to desktop components) so that there IS no compromise when compared to a desktop, and not as much of a price difference, if the "backpack computer" could use many of the same components as a desktop? It could fold like a laptop, have a bigger screen than a laptop, and be ideal for me--unlike normal commuters, who would lug it every day, I tend to stay in a place for a week or two at a time, so the extra bulk, remote keyboard, etc..., wouldn't bother me. I'm not sure if I'm being clear, so I'll say it again--is there a PORTABLE desktop type computer I could lug around with me, that would not have the performance compromises I apparently saw in the laptop specs I reviewed? Again, I'm imagine a FAT LAPTOP that weighs 20-30 lbs.... In case you're not yet regretting you said "*It is really no problem; ask all the questions you want!" I know I'll have more, but for now, here are a few, final questions on this topic. And before I forget, let me thank you for your generous offer to continue bothering you on this subject. You are REALLY helping me out, and as my g.f. has been after me to make a decision already, about a new computer, she thanks you as well! So, are you as knowledgeable about laptops as you are desktops? Can you recommend a good laptop? Again, I want to move a lot of music around, and have the absolute best performance I can from Dragon's Naturally Speaking 8. What about Apple laptops? Though I loved my Mac when I was in grad school, my fear is that buying a Mac means you are either boxed out of buying many popular programs or you must wait for the market to adapt them to Apple, and/or they will be much more expensive than PC compatible programs. I think I know that Apples run a lot of PC software today, but isn't it true that when Apples do so, they run it slower than a PC, due to some translation process I don't understand? (I read about something like this years ago, so please forgive me if this is incorrect) Here are the system requirements for Naturally Speaking, but I'm assuming these are MINIMUMS--is that correct, and that more = better? 1. Intel Pentium III/500MHz processor (or equiv. AMD). 2. 256 MB RAM 3. 500 MB free HD space 4. MS Windows XP (SP1 or higher--does that mean "Service Pack 1?") Home and Professional, Millennium, 2000 (SP4 or higher). 5. Creative Soundblaster 16 or equivalent sound card supporting 16-bit recording. (Is the Audigy 2 a better card than this? Can the Audigy 2 be built into a laptop, if you order it?) 6. MS IE 5 or higher 7. Scansoft-approved noise-cancelling headset microphone (included w/ Naturally Speaking) 8. Speakers 9. A web connection for activation. Please note I snuck a few questions into the specs for you--lol. So, I'm wondering if all those are minimums, and if it would run faster/more accurately on a nice, new 3.0+/1 GB RAM/800MHz FSB desktop? And if so, how much more poorly would it run on a 1.7GHz/400MHz FSB laptop? Can the people at Scansoft actually be relied upon to give accurate answers to such question, in your opinion, or are they just there to push the software (if you know?). Damien, I surely hope my questions are of interest either to you or someone else on these boards, as they are of critical interest to me, and I hope I'm not wasting everyones' time, most especially yours. I look forward to your responses, but no rush, as I don't leave for upstate for a couple of days (no web access) and I will not be buying the computer for like a month, at least. Thanks SO MUCH, again, for your help. |
|
New member Username: WetbassPost Number: 9 Registered: Nov-04 | Sorry about the double post--tried to remove the wrong name. Is it possible to edit posts on this site? I haven't figured out how, if it is.... Thanks again. |
|
Silver Member Username: DeathshadowPost Number: 276 Registered: Oct-04 | Well there actually is a product on the market that simulates a backpack you can put your home PC in. BUT what you could do (and what I plan to put in my car soon) is use a rack mount server chassis; rack mount server cases range from 1U - 4U on the average (each U indicates an additional 1.75" increment to the thickness of the case) and house the most demanding machines ever (servers). Some servers will easily have 4 CPUs and up inside these cases; rack mount servers have excellent cooling as well because of the performance demands (two/four 2.8 GHz CPUs & 20 Gigs of RAM can create lots of heat hehe). A 2U -- 3U case (3.5"- 5.25" thick) could house this desired PC you are after and cool it extremely well; you will however not find a desktop enclosed in such a manner though unless you get someone who knows what they are doing (I doubt a best buy, staples, or circuit city store will be able to get what you need or begin to even understand what a rack mount case is) to design and build you one. You can also purchase a foldable 1U chassis that contains a keyboard, mouse, and 15" + LCD screen enclosed inside! To see what rack mount cases look like check this link out: http://directron.com/raccas.html Laptops... Mmmmm wonderful things they are! My home laptop has been on 24/7 for the last 3 years (along with my other home laptop, 14 PCs, and 6 servers). Yes your assumption is correct when you stated laptops have more of a cooling problem; in fact MANY MANY do! BUT doing a few simple things will keep your top running cool and smoothly when you are demanding heavy processing power (games, intense editing programs, compilers, etc..) more mentioned on cooling care below. For laptop use the Intel Pentium M processor is coupled with an awesome chipset to deliver Intel mobile "Centrino" technology. An Intel Centrino 1.7 GHz processor is comparable to a typical Intel P4 Desktop 2.6 GHz CPU but uses substantially less power. The Centrino technology was created and optimized for mobility performance, give way to awesome wireless network technology performance, and save battery life (5 hours as apposed to the 2-3 hours a mobile HT P4 CPU will give you in a laptop); for on the go mobile laptop use Intel Centrino technology is where you want to be. Intel Centrino technology also opens the door to reasonably fast bus speeds (533 MHz), an alright AGP 4x interface, & a not to shabby 2 Gigabyte amount of 333 MHz DDR RAM. In laptops items such as graphics cards are "mobilized"; pretty much this means sacrificing some performance to achieve a cooler less power consuming piece of hardware. They make everything from mobile ATI Radeon graphics, CPUs, to sound cards as well; AMD CPUs are not a very good choice for a laptop due to the voltage requirements and the amount of heat they produce. While laptops will maybe one day be able to perform ("half mast performance") as well as desktops with less power; in today's day desktops still can run circles around them due to power, cooling, and space advantages. If you REALLY plan on running number crunching intensive tasks and using lots of system resources a laptop is NOT for you. The laptops that do offer high clock speeds and better performance generate to much heat (instability!!), use way to much power, and are very clunky. On another note I am not a personal fan of Windows XP (Or any Windows OS for that matter) at all; XP is a more "user friendly" jeweled up version of Windows 2000. I find that (if I had to run windows) Windows 2000 Pro runs much better on laptops (and PCs) due to the lacking ugly eye candy junk and user friendly items XP is equipped with leading to less demand on the system. The only problem is 2000 does not support HT and other new Intel advancements... As far as ergonomic dislikes in regards to input devices (keyboard & mouse) you can simply use the USB and PS/2 ports on your laptop to use external devices. I personally find the laptop style keys more comfortable and easy to use; I don't know just got use to them I guess (I do use an external optical mouse though). Really a good laptop would be anything made by IBM or high end HPs. The first and foremost thing I find most effective (when it comes to keeping laptops running cool) is propping the back of the top up (if it has underside fans) to allow good air flow. When I am gaming if I do not do this the laptop may sometimes overheat and crash; but when it is propped up in the back a half inch off the table it runs cooler and does not hesitate. It is because of this previously stated find they sell certain slanted laptop holders for desk and lap use. The next thing (this should be an activity taken part in for all PCs and laptops every 3 months or so) is to use compressed air to clean the interior of your case. Overtime your PC will gather dust, cat & other animal hair (and lots of it), as well as other small objects. These items lodge in your fan intake and exhaust air ways & coat the rest of your hardware with a make shift thermal blanket. Since heat is our #1 enemy this dust blanket that forms on your motherboard and all the other components must be blasted with air periodically; removing hair, dust, and other items around/on your fans is also a great practice. To aid in the correct circulation of air the case should be sealed at any unnecessary points of opening (empty bays, PCI slots with no covers, etc...). A. Yes the system requirements you listed are the BARE needs and often those are not even enough. B. What you said about Apple laptops is 100% true; yet another proprietary company... C. Yes SP1 = Service Pack 1 (Don't even bother with service packs, just close unneeded logical pathways, don't use IE, and use a good firewall + antivirus) Microsoft tends to fix 1 problem and create 15 others... D. The Audigy is WAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better then an old 16 bit sound card; you are talking light years ahead performance wise. E. The best way to view DETAILED system information is buy booting into BIOS at POST. *Feel free to let me know if I missed anything or ask any more questions, take it easy! - Damien |