Hi everyone!
As you probably know, my computers are going bonkers. Both of them! It’s like they both had an agreement with each other to go on strike at the same time.
Nevertheless, it’s been almost 5 years since I’ve had them. While I still prefer that they were still working, and I still love them, I think it’s time for an upgrade and I’m impressed that they’ve lasted so long.
I’m a proponent for desktops, but I’ll go with laptops this time round as there could be the time that arises when I need to do some editing on the go.
For me, I need a computer which is powerful enough to handle heavy multimedia applications – I edit photos, create cartoons and make videos. Anything with too little memory makes me ragey when the rendering takes a really long time or worse, hang!
(Speaking of which, I really miss teaching multimedia to my former kids in Singapore. It’s been such a long time and I’m amazed at how much they’ve grown up!)
I’ve friends who are Pro-Macs. I really don’t mind one. I’ve used one when studying before and I think it’s good to be fluent in different operating systems. Moreover Macs are reputedly the best when it comes to multimedia. But the entry level Macbook Pro costs 1.6k SGD and that’s a little over the budget.
Or I could get their cheapest offering of the Mac Mini at 800 SGD. But it’s not really that portable – how are you going to lug a monitor around?
Unless I could bother someone who could get a Macbook Pro for me at a discount, it’s really not a viable option for me.
So I’ve been doing a bit of research online for a replacement computer. At the moment I found something that I really like – The HP Envy Notebook PC
The specs look really nice. It has the new Core i7 processor and a 8GB memory. So this should be doubly fast compared to my current desktop. So hopefully a 10 minute video will render in minutes instead of hours.
It doesn’t appear to have a DVD reader, but that’s fine as I don’t use it much apart from installing some software for the first time. Plus I’ve an external one anyway. And at 1.3K SGD, I think it’s a fair price.
Although I wish it had something like the Lenovo Red Trackpoint. I love that. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like a regular laptop touchpad, which is why I use a mouse all the way. I’m old school like that.
At this point of time, I’m not sure whether to get the regular one or with a 200 SGD topup, the touchsmart version where you could touch the screen and navigate with your fingers. Although to be honest, I didn’t use the touchscreen function much on my touchsmart desktop, unless my mouse runs out of batteries or when Cart decides to be annoying.
Win8 is supposed to maximize these capabilities, nevertheless I still have a bit of time for deciding anyway.
Sometimes I wonder, why go through all these hassle and get a computer from Singapore rather than getting it from Italy directly?
Two main reasons. One is that the Italian keyboard, which is quite different. It took a while for me just to find the @ and the ‘ symbol on an Italian keyboard, although using Cart’s spare laptop these past weeks, I’m getting a little bit used to it.
But the main reason is the price. Italy has a higher goods tax, so the same thing in Italy costs 899 euro which, when converted is about 1.5k SGD. A good 200 SGD more. For that price, I could easily upgrade to the touchsmart netbook! (Which I still have yet to decide on getting)
So I guess, a big probability that unless I discover a better option, I’d get the Hp Envy notebook. My only worry though, what if breaks down within the warranty period while I’m in Rome? I don’t think that it is covered in another country.
you missed the MacBook airs..
I didn’t add it in the post as it is more expensive than the Mac Mini (Which I used as a comparison to the prices of Apple products) :p