46 replies to this topic

[Talio]

I have a Unix box running solaris 9 with 128 megs ram, and 800 mhz processing, a virtual dinosaur by todays standards. I've had it for about 2 years and I've never had to restart it. Thats right folks, the only time that box goes down is if I'm going away on vacation. I powered it down right after christmas because I went to California. Before that, it had run since August when I went to California. Before that it ran since January when I went to RI to Hasbro. Before that, it ran a year. Never rebooted, never an error except for run scripts I put on it, and then it was my error not the boxes (they can't change your code, Neo). My point? Lets see you do that with a Mac and get the same results. PC > Mac.

Talio.

[AirApache]

Go Unix! Although Unix kicks ass (I believe my dad has one lying around in the basement somewhere...don't know why we aren't using it) but I think there is a reason why everyone doesn't have one (not sure why, could be cause of costs or something, but like I said, I'm not sure).

Anyway, you probably aren't treating your iPod with the best care. For all rechargeable devices (yes, that means your laptop and cellphone) you should drain the entire battery with the first use and recharge it all the way (in some devices that actually sets how much battery life you get). Then, because of the constant recharging that you do, it's important to drain the battery all the way at least once a month. I drain my batteries on all my devices once every 2 weeks or so. I'd get into the details of why, but I don't have time right now.

As for the price, sure they are way overpriced but you know what? There is a market for them and they are making big bucks, so they can keep it at that price and people will continue to buy em.

Oh, and slightly off topic, old school Macs are just friggin sweet. Remember those ancient games on the Apple computers? Our elem school had an Apple lab and it was awesome. Of course, it's replaced with PCs now (efficient, cheap, *somewhat* reliable?). Course, they're dells so you never know.

[Techno-Dann]

In all the time I've had my iBook (G3, 700 mhz, almost 3 years old), I have not had a single problem with it (beside the occasional human damage to it). For example, my sister was mad at me, so she tried to kick me. I was holding the lappy, and she kicked that instead, made it fall on the (carpeted) floor from about 2 feet. Beside a minor screen display problem, nothing is wrong with it. I didn't lose any data, or anything bad like that. I suppose that was slightly off-topic, but it's part of the reason I like Macs: they're durable.

Basically the same thing happened to my PC-based laptop. It didn't ge kicked, but it was dropped hard enough to crack the plastic shell directly over the aluminum frame. The damage? One little tiny crack, and one dead pixel. That's it.

Also, There is something to be said for the upgradeability of PC systems. I've got a gig of ram in my system. If I wanted to double that, it'd be easy. Unscrew six screws, clip in the new ram right next to the old one, re-screw the same six screws. Done. Last time I checked, Mactops aren't that upgradable.

[N3maN]

The other great thing about PC is the range of brands you can purchase from. This makes for a compeditive market where anyone can find somthing to suit thir needs. The only reason MAC CAN charge so much for their gear, is they are the only ones who make it. If they were more affordable i would buy one So quik, but they're not.
N3

Edited by N3maN, 11 January 2005 - 06:11 AM.

[Spectre2689]

Anyway, you probably aren't treating your iPod with the best care. For all rechargeable devices (yes, that means your laptop and cellphone) you should drain the entire battery with the first use and recharge it all the way (in some devices that actually sets how much battery life you get). Then, because of the constant recharging that you do, it's important to drain the battery all the way at least once a month. I drain my batteries on all my devices once every 2 weeks or so. I'd get into the details of why, but I don't have time right now.

Wrong, and wrong.

1. The first iPod I may have treated badly, but I had only dropped it once, and it ran fine after that. One day it just started acting retarded. The second iPod I got back from Apple after sending the first one in died within the first couple days because the docking port wouldn't charge the battery properly. Which brings me to the other point.

2. The iPod runs on lithium ion batteries, which generally don't like being charged. They have no memory, like nickel-cadmium batteries, so it doesn't matter when you charge it. Instead, if you let a lithium ion battery uncharge all the way, it will either (1) take a long time to charge back up, or (2) not charge up at all. They have a ridiculous amount of charge cycles (that is, a full charge, half plus half, a quarter plus a quarter and a half, etc), so I can't see it dying from that, either.

My point is iPods surely aren't worth the time or money spent on them.

[xedice]

After getting pictures off the internet for a school project

Is that what they call it these days?

Haha, lets drop the subtleness and just say its called.. PORN!

[Rambo]

Sort of off topic, but has anyone used an Alienware PC?

[Ash]

Oh, yeah, alienware....

Overpriced, overmarketed, and way overrated.

I know them.

[Spectre2689]

Go with a Falcon Northwest if you're looking at an Alienware. Better quality all around.

[EDIT] Or what Fuse said. If you're not skilled enough to build your own computer though, read the above.

Edited by Spectre2689, 11 January 2005 - 05:51 PM.

[Fuse]

Oh, yeah, alienware....

Overpriced, overmarketed, and way overrated.

I know them.

Actually if you are looking for a laptop the Alienware is definitely the way to go, with Dell's XPS a close second. Ive used both quite a bit.

For desktops tho, go with the home cooked solution fo shizzle.

Edited by >Fuse<, 11 January 2005 - 05:50 PM.

[Ash]

Yeah, I was referring to the Desktops... I should have been a bit more specific.

[merlinski]

I'm not a big fan of their laptops either. They market them as if they are the best PC gaming machines money can buy, which isn't even close to the truth. The fact is that they're probably the best $3500 gaming laptop, but if you want to spend less you should look at the dell XPS or Inspiron 9100 (what I have) and if you want to spend more (or price isn't an issue), fuck alienware, go for a Go-L laptop.

Edited by merlinski, 11 January 2005 - 11:41 PM.

[Fuse]

I'm not a big fan of their laptops either. They market them as if they are the best PC gaming machines money can buy, which isn't even close to the truth. The fact is that they're probably the best $3500 gaming laptop, but if you want to spend less you should look at the dell XPS or Inspiron 9100 (what I have) and if you want to spend more (or price isn't an issue), fuck alienware, go for a Go-L laptop.

Actually Ive used both those Dells, and the 51-m. In my experience the 51-m still comes out on top, tho I do love my XPS. The XPS performs slightly better than the 51-m, which performs a lot better than the 9100. The XPS has the worst battery life, followed by the 51, then the 9100. The 51-m and 9100 are similar in size while the XPS is a beast (I should know, I carry this shit around campus on my back!). Id say its close between the XPS and 51-m, with the 51-m coming out on top due to its smaller size and slightly longer battery life. It also has much nicer built in speakers, even with my wonky "sub-woofer" battery pack.

Another nice but lesser known brand is ABS Computers. I've never used one myself, but I have multiple friends in my clan who game on them and love it. Unfortunately for my college computer my parents werent willing to go 50/50 on a brand they had never heard of.

[AirApache]

Are you serious? Lithium-ion batteries don't like being charged? I wonder why the company recommends you do what I suggested earlier then? No battery doesn't have 'no memory' at all. Also, you must have some weird ass batteries then because my batteries have never failed me when I drained them completely.

My point is even if iPods aren't worth all that, they still make a helluva lot of money.

[Fuse]

I just came across this picture on 4chan.

[Spectre2689]

Are you serious? Lithium-ion batteries don't like being charged? I wonder why the company recommends you do what I suggested earlier then? No battery doesn't have 'no memory' at all. Also, you must have some weird ass batteries then because my batteries have never failed me when I drained them completely.

No, no, lithium-ion batteries don't like being UNcharged. That means if you let the battery drain all the way, it kills itself. The way lithium batteries work depend on the electrons constantly moving. If they aren't constantly moving, bad things happen. You're right, no battery has no memory, but the iPod's memory isn't affected by bad charging practices, but the iPod can go through some ridiculous amount of charge cycles before it reaches 80% of it's original capacity. And I'll bet you quite a bit that the batteries you use in your devices are nickel-cadmium, which as I said before, don't have the same properties as a lithium-ion battery.

[AirApache]

Hey, you're right. I actually talked to this kid at our school (who basically knows electric appliances like the back of his palm), and he was one of the people who said that recharging every month is important. However, he said that for lithium-ion batteries, they actually take energy from all parts of the battery, so it's not layered energy removal (If you didn't catch that, its OK). But in anycase, uncharging my iPod has never hurt me. After all, there must be a reason why the site recommends it...?

[Black Wrath]

After all, there must be a reason why the site recommends it...?

So you ruin your iPod, and have to purchase another one, just after your warranty expires.

I know I'm sounding very accusing, but I generally dislike Mac and it's high prices:quality ratio. I've also witnessed Spectre's iPod's bullshit first hand.

[Spectre2689]

I was looking around their site and I never saw anything recommending to uncharge the battery. The closest thing that I could come up with was if you didn't use it for a long period of time (14-18 days) to charge it. Eh, whatever. The point is I still don't like Macs.

[Fuse]

I actually talked to this kid at our school (who basically knows electric appliances like the back of his palm)[...]

Woah, he must be really good at electronics if he's found a way to see the back of his palm.


I agree, iPods reliability leaves something to be desired. My friend has gone through 2 in as many years. Both died approx. 1 month after warranty. Meanwhile my Zen is still going strong, which is good since my warranty went to crap the second I put an 80gb HD in it.

[Ash]

Hey, you're right. I actually talked to this kid at our school (who basically knows electric appliances like the back of his palm), and he was one of the people who said that recharging every month is important. However, he said that for lithium-ion batteries, they actually take energy from all parts of the battery, so it's not layered energy removal (If you didn't catch that, its OK). But in anycase, uncharging my iPod has never hurt me. After all, there must be a reason why the site recommends it...?

I'll tell you what, I know they claim all that about lithium ion batteries, but in my experience they still have some level of cell memory. And, discharging them does not harm them. If you have any other devices other than that iPod or whatever, you can probably flip through the instructions and find a page where they recommend discharging the battery completely once a month. Litium Ion is still a better technology that Nicd, but if you keep it fully charged all the time (or close to) it will eventually lose battery life... this has happened to me several times, if you keep discharging the battery it lasts longer. Granted, if you discharge the battery and let it sit around for days or weeks, that is going to be the battery's demise, but if you discharge then immediatly recharge the battery, you will not have a problem as you have described. The easiest way to prove this method works is check out the new wave of Li-on chargers... they discharge and re charge the battery all in the charge cycle...

[Black Wrath]

The easiest way to prove this method works is check out the new wave of Li-on chargers... they discharge and re charge the battery all in the charge cycle...

Now that's a good idea, I would say.