- Dell 5160 -- What Do You Think? Need to Make a Decision
- Posted by Compulady on December 22nd, 2004
I am going to purchase a notebook for my 75 yo father as soon as today.
He will be using it for mostly email, web surfing and finances. He
will not be gaming or doing video editing. He needs something sturdy
and is not concerned about weight -- only functionality.
The notebook as opposed to a desktop is being purchased for because it
takes less room. He really needs something with a 15" screen or better.
I am looking at the 5160 because it seems sturdier than the 8600 and
also has a Pentium 4 processor as opposed to the "M" processor. I
hesitate to order a Celeron. I'm looking at the 5160 with the following
specs:
- Mobile Pentium® 4 Processor 532 w/HT Technology (3.06GHz, 533MHz
FSB)
- 15 inch XGA LCD Panel (Is this screen ok?)
- 256MB 333MHz (does he need the 512?)
- 40 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
- 24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
- 32MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForceT FX Go5200 AGP 4x Graphics (any reason he
needs a 64 MB card? I chose the NVIDIA instead of the standard 32MB DDR
XGI® Volari XP5 AGP 4X Graphics just because I was familiar with
NVIDIA GEForce)
- Dell Nylon Carrying Case
What do you think about my choice? Please be kind enough to give me
your feedback and/or suggestions. Thank you in advance.
- Posted by Quaoar on December 22nd, 2004
Compulady wrote:
This will work OK based on my experience with older individuals who
limit their computer activities to the internet, ms money, etc. The
SXGA 1024x768 is good for vision. OTOH, you can get more than adequate
performance with less expensive computers. The video is almost a
non-issue with the faster processors - shared video RAM and rudimentary
video adapters work fine for internet, family video, etc. A Celeron
process is also more than adequate for the proposed uses. 256MB RAM is
also adequate.
The major issue with older people is that the touchpad is a barrier. A
mouse is essential since many older people no longer have the manual
dexterity to handle a touchpad.
Q
- Posted by dgk on December 22nd, 2004
On 22 Dec 2004 05:05:50 -0800, "Compulady" <compulady@softhome.net>
wrote:
I hope you get some better answers than mine, but there is no problem
doing email, web surfing, or finance with a 300 mhz antique. Wouldn't
a Celeron be perfectly adequte for his needs? Overkill probably.
