spending lots of money... hurts.

Post Rapture Laptop Breakage... (personal)

This makes me worried.  Like, REALLY worried.  Like, stalk laptop sites with the intention of spending money worried.

In that photo, you can see the insides of my computer..  the ones you aren't supposed to see.  Also, before you suggest duct taping it closed because you can't contain your inner redneck, the grey shit on the orange/yellow area is duct tape residue from where I had my computer "fixed" before I came to Bahrain.  It has worked it's way off, with only minor interference from my annoyed fingers.  Its a story that also involves Teh Dad, but he didn't PUT the duct tape there.  He did have to endure the wrath that was Teh Megan realizing that the tech had put DUCT TAPE ON MY COMPUTER.  SO MUCH RAGGGGEEEEEE.  2ndly (stfu, its my blog I do what I wawnt), due to the breakage, the corner is no longer able to shut at all, much less correctly.

So new laptop?  Siiiiigh, looks like it.

Dell, HP, Apple, Toshiba, Sony, Samsung, someone even joked about an E-Machine.

Its overwhelming all of the options.  I dared to look at the Dell website a few months ago, because I've known for a while that my laptop is on its last leg.  Then, the best processor was an i5.  Now its an i7.  When I bought this laptop, 4g of RAM was a lot (which is what I have because I'm a computer snob).  Now 6g of RAM is the free upgrade and 8g of RAM is only $60 more.

So I'm torn.  Do I buy the biggest and the best that is available right now for about $1k or do I settle for a mid-line system that is potentially cheaper?  Because nothing about me says go the mid-line option.  Everything is pulling me to drop the 1k on the biggest and best, but I ask myself how necessary is that?

What is my dream computer since I'm obviously willing to shell out some money on a new computer? Well I'm so glad you ask, cause I've been droolin' over a Apple Macbook Pro 17" for years now.

But that is about $2500 that I'm not willing to drop because of a name.  Especially when the hardware isn't as good as what I could get somewhere else.  Yeah its the most stable system out there if you're working hard on your computer, but I'm not in college using Adobe/Final Cut anymore.  And I hear the touchpad on a Mac is the best you can get, ever, anywhere, and that makes my eyes glaze over in delight, but a touchpad isn't the reason to buy an entire computer.

What are my specifications?  Glad you asked, again.

I want:
17" (thats what she said) screen size
i7 processor - can be the lowest GHz
size doesn't really matter for my HD (thinking at least 350g), since I have the external, but it has to be 7200rpm, not 5200rpm
at least 6gb of RAM, but want 8gb
at least a 512mb stand alone video card, 1gb would satisfy me, 3gb would prob make me need to change underwear
a wireless card that includes the bluetooth extension
Blue-Ray DVD player would be nice, but not necessary, as I do not plan to start buying Blue-Ray dvds anytime soon
9 cell battery
preferrably with backlit keyboard (which is a nice, but not necessary thing) or I would trade this option for the fingerprint reader which I've LOVED on this computer (because I'm too lazy to type in a password when I can just swipe my finger 1-20 times on the thingy).

and one of the simplest yet biggest things: SHIPS TO APO/FPO............

Me when I find out places don't ship to/offer free shipping for APO addresses.
I KEEL YOU ASSHOLES!  (DBTP)

side rant: NOT shipping to APO/FPO is UNPATRIOTIC YOU AMERICA HATERS!!!  I've had to deal with this issue for 2 years now, and this is one of the most ridiculous things I've had to deal with being overseas, probably debatable, but I'm willing to have that lovely rant/debate.  I've had to send a lot of stuff to someone else, to then have them ship it to me (to take advantage of free shipping or simply because they don't ship to APOs).  Apparently, there are places that you can ship items to that then will ship them to APO, but they charge you more than it would cost for your family to ship it to you through USPS.

So my front runners:

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition (HP site)

Dell XPS 17 Refurb (Dell Outlet)

I've never owned anything but a Dell.  That was a lie.  I once owned a computer that the Ex-Fiancé built for me to go to college.  It wasn't really a particular type of computer since it was acquired through the one of the school warehouse sells where they were selling the old CPUs and monitors that they'd replaced.  He and his dad did some work on it, mostly stuff I had no idea about because at the time I was technologically retarded. Either way, it worked, I got to name it (Ow, thats my ear! because when I asked for a name, that was the first thing anyone said because Ex-Fiancé's mom pull on his dad's ear for some reason).

Then he talked me into playing WoW with him, which would require a MAJOR computer upgrade for me.  That was my early cmas and birthday present that year, a new Dell desktop that I can't even remember what type it was.  Teh Granny has it now since she only really uses it for typing up recipes and looking at pics from trips she's been on.

As a pre-college graduation present/ if you want to go on this trip and take summer classes you have to have a laptop necessity, I bought a laptop.  An Inspiron.  I loved it.  The only reason I ever replaced it was because someone poured water on it, which I reported on my renter's insurance and they gave me money for a replacement computer since the HD was fried, which we didn't know was replaceable at the time.  After the  new computer was ordered (the now broken one), I took the inspiron to a computer guy who replaced the HD and it was good to go.  I'm such a nice person, I gave it to Teh Mom.  The only complaint I had was that the battery was dying to the point that it almost always had to be on the charger and the screen's hinges were loose, which apparently were able to be tightened.

I bought a Stupido Studio 17 to replace the inspiron.  It was the brand new Dell thing and I had discovered the Dell Outlet and the choirs of angels that sing when something is used but still new, because the tech gods decide that it can be cheaper than buying a new one.  It came with a cool lid cover (that is apparently $85 now) and I had one month of love your new laptop time before I left for bootcamp, and love it I did.  The hinges had issues when I bought it, but because of time and circumstance I couldn't really return it unless I wanted to have someone else deal with it for me, and thats never a fun time for anyone.

Recently, I've been getting more and more BSoD (blue screen of death), complete computer freeze ups, ridiculously long start up/shut down times, and the hinge remains an issue... obviously.  I mean hearing your laptop screen POP when you open/close it is normal, right?  /cringe.

(Someone's college econ project, this is why I love college)

So now, as Rafiki said:

It is time.

I have to break down and find a new computer and sort through the 10 mabillion options to figure out what I want vs what I need and what is a good price vs what is too much (lookin at your Apple, with disdain on my face and sadness in my eyes and hands void of a Macbook Pro).




I know that many people have many different opinions on what is good vs what isn't.  I'm a brand whore, I've always had a Dell, and rarely have I had too many issues with them, so I would call them dependable-y-ish.  Chuckolas already said "Dells suck."  Check.  I know that Miss Reflective has a HP that she's not complained to me about, and when I briefly used it a few times, I liked the feel of it, even though I did struggle with the touchpad, but thats a matter of getting used to the platform.

So what do I do?  Do I go for the biggest and best?  Or do I just settle for a midrange prepackaged deal that makes other consumers happy?  Will I eventually get my standard buyer's remorse for spending so much money on a laptop when I know that something with less bells and whistles would get me by?  ORRRR  Do I go the way of delight and just drop the money on the awesome computer and overcome that buyer's remorse with the fact that once I get to America and have real high speed internet, my computer will be AHHHH-MAZINGGGG(uh)!!!!!!???

Its a tough call for me.  I need help.  And I need to narrow down the options a little more, because I'm afraid that one day on the trek from my desk dining room table to my bedroom that a wire is going to get caught or something is going to get jolted the wrong way and I will no longer have a screen.  So this isn't really something I can decide another day (haha see how I did that with the title of my blog joke?  haha, I'm so funny).  Time is a tickin.

What do I doooooo?