Yesterday I ordered my new notebook from Xoticpc.com. I was originally going to purchase the Serval Professional from Sysytem76.com, but I wanted to look to see if there was a better PC or if it was on sale. I soon learned Clevo manufactures the notebook I wanted and provides this notebook to retailers who re-brand the units as their own. So I searched the Internet for W860CU (one of the models Clevo builds) and started reading posts about their products and posts about different resellers who deal with them.
So I checked out several on-line retailers and discovered that I can get the same notebook PC (from what I can tell by looking at pictures) with more options than what System76 offered. So I customized the PC (see below) and compared to what I was going to order from System76. The price difference, $1.00 US. Like most of us, I want the best value I can get for my money. System76 just didn’t offer me everything I wanted: Blue-ray player, 3 year labor warranty, and upgraded thermal compound.
There was an option to purchase the PC with no OS, but I wanted to purchase Windows 7 from Newegg at a later date. Now I can have either a dual boot system or create a VM from within Ubuntu.
When the PC arrives, I plan on backing up the HDD first then wiping it our for Ubutnu 9.10. I will install Windows 7 Ultimate as a VM. As I stated before I am really starting to like Windows 7 at work. I have the Enterprise version installed on three PC and found it to be reliable.
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920×1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i7-820QM, 1.73-3.06GHz, (45nm, 8MB L3 cache)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound – CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 280M 1,024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- 6,144MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- Standard Finish
- 2X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 – 16MB Cache)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio – Included
- Basic Black Business Case – Included
- 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD’s
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
- Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
UPDATE:
I just received an e-mail that my PC has shipped.
ratedmaxpower 