It's been awhile since I've posted here and at my iWeb site. I'm a bit turned off by Apple, their Macs, and some of the software debacles lately, so I've been debating on where to post my Mac material. I'm hating iWeb more and more (and it's not being updated any longer...as well as MobileMe being end-of-life), so it looks like I'll stick to this site as my main blog. I'm not even going to bother with trying to import my other blog entries over to this site.
On this note, I've bought a new notebook. And it's not an Apple product. I bought an Alienware M17x R3. The specs are below:
Stealth Black, soft-touch
Intel Core i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
1.5TB Raid 0 (2x 750GB 7,200RPM)
Custom Nameplate
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Alienware Command Center Software, M17X
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
I opted out of the 3D 1080p screen (I don't care about gimmick items), although the resolution is a tad better than what I got. I almost got the red version, but thought that the AlienFX coloring might clash with the red case color.
I'll be making space next to my iMac for this machine, as I plan to use the 27" screen for gaming. I also to use this notebook in tandem with my AMD 6-core desktop system. In some regards, the M17x will replace my gaming desktop, especially when I'm traveling.
I also bought the Alienware TacX keyboard and mouse, a My Book Live 2-TB NAS drive for extra storage (I'll speak further on this later). I bought a Cooler Master NotePal LapAir and Swiss Wenger messenger-style Legacy Slimcase (which is checkpoint-friendly). I also bought a Cooler Master NotePal U2 desk cooler with fan system, for the desk.
The system is due to be delivered March 13th. I may be taking off that day to be sure I'm home to pick up the system and get it situated. I ordered it Feb 18th, so I've been waiting awhile for the system to be built. There was/is a stocking issue with the NV GTX580M video card, due to this past winter's flooding in Asia.
Another thing: RAID 0 with the HDDs on a laptop. They configured RAID 0 to offer optimal speed, but if one drive fails, I lose all the data of both drives (since data will be spread over both drives). I'll see how fast the machine is, and if I'm not satisfied, I'll contemplate changing to RAID 1. Then again, this is why I got the NAS drive. I'm not ready to go the SSD route...I've spent enough on this system to where I just want to use it for awhile before buying anything else. I *might* install more RAM, since I eventually plan to use virtual machines. Also, I'm not planning on running Linux natively on this machine...there's just no need, since I've a ton of natively installed *nix machines already. I might at least install Cygwin, though, as I've found Cygwin to be invaluable to use on Windows systems.
About the NAS drive, this thing was a PITA to get working with my Macbook. After doing some internet digging, I found that I have to ensure that my Macbook is already connected to the NAS drive via AFP (not SMB) as a user, otherwise Time Machine won't connect to it. It took me maybe a week to figure that out, and it's not anywhere on WesternDigital's knowledgebase (but is on their forums). The NAS' network connection speed is satisfactory. I was able to back up the Macbook in 24 hours (close to 70GB of data over a network connection).
I'll do some videos and take pics of the system when it arrives. I will NOT video the unboxing of it...there's enough of those types of videos.
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