Yeah, I wondered if I'd better get 1 GB of RAM. However, I do pretty good on 256 MB now, so 512 MB would be an improvement. No need to run Virtual PC at the moment. It would probably work for me, but I also like to have a docking station to avoid reconnecting a bunch of cables all the time and I'm not sure I like the docking station for this machine.

Thanks for your input.


>>So what's a bad implementation?
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>It was a VIA ?N 400,
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>>Do you know anything about the HP zv6130us? One thing I have not paid attention to, yet, is the chipset on this machine. Of course, there are so many chipsets now that it's hard to keep up with what the differences are and what are the pros/cons of each one.
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>Not from first hand experience. Glancing at the specs: If you ever need an external disk, you'ld probably have to check performance of USB vs. more expensive Firewire or double interface disks, since ATI-chipsets sometimes have problems with USB speed. RAM at 512 Meg is the only real bad choice I see. Keep in mind, that swapping on 2'5 HD is signifcantly slower than on desktop machines. If you ever have the need to run a virtual PC on this laptop (not a very good idea because of 2'5-HD speed anyway) you'll probably be unhappy. The memory size is on the low side but still ok for 32Bit OS, but if you build a multi-boot system, the memory will be strained for 64 Bit OS. Probably built-in 2*256, so upgrading leaves you with some chips. Don't know what options your outlet gives you, but I'ld try to get a machine with 1 * 1GB and 1 free slot if strapped for money, 2 * 1GB if budget allows it - but if staying at 512MB make sure 1 socket is empty. Verify your memory need against your usage
>patterns and keep in mind that software bloat still is an unbroken trend <g>. Still not sure whether the chip is a pure desktop chip, a desktop replacement with slightly less power need or one of the different mobile 64 ones - which could lead to more fan noise.
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>my 0.02 EUR
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>thomas