My Tech Deals

I finally got around to switching out the RAM on my second Lenovo G555 today. So now I have my primary machine running with 4GB of RAM (well, almost... minus PAE and the graphics card):

$ free -m
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:          3526       1724       1802          0         99       1084
-/+ buffers/cache:        540       2986
Swap:          952          0        952

I don't notice any speed improvements, though I have no complaints about this computer at all, minus the muscle memory issues, which after about a week are just about gone.

And so my backup machine is running with 2GB.

ASUS UL50 Series UL50AG-RBBBK05 15.6" Windows 7 Home Premium NoteBook

A nice notebook this ASUS UL50 is, but note: it is recertified.

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Optical Drive Type: DVD Super Multi Resolution: 1366 x 768 WLAN: 802.11n Wireless LAN LCD Features: HD LED backlight Color-Shine (Glare-type) Display Memory Speed: DDR2 800 Battery: 8-cell lithium ion

NICE battery!

Switching from the ACER Extensa 5620Z to the Lenovo G555

I've finally found enough time to make the switch from my ACER Extensa 5620Z to my new Lenovo G555.

Keyboard Layout and Trackpad

The Lenovo G555 has some very nice characteristics, but I'm having a bit of a tough time making the switch because the keyboard layout is so different. I'm not sure if I will, but I just realized that GNU/Linux and other free operating systems like FreeBSD probably make it relatively easy to switch keys around. The problem keys for me are the Fn and Ctrl keys which could be switched, but the PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys are all in different places on this new laptop, and since I use those keys all the time its causing my fingers much much confusion!

I'm not crazy about the trackpad at all, but at least its encouraging me to use the keyboard as much as possible. The scroll feature of the trackpad is decent though. If I ever get around to buying a proper desk I will really appreciate the ability to use a mouse.

Screen Resolution and Video Card

The Lenovo G555 has a wider and shorter LCD display than the Acer Extensa 5620z, which is taking some getting used to, but I'm liking it. The screen is crisp and bright, and as opposed to the Extensa 5620z which has a glossy screen, the G555 has more of a matte screen, which I prefer.

Its really nice that the G555 even has a nice video card: the ATI Technologies Inc M880G (Mobility Radeon HD 4200).

This was another reason why I chose to use Ubuntu instead of Debian on this laptop, they make it much more convenient to use video card binary blobs. I'd prefer not having to use a binary blob at all... maybe someday!

Windows 7 or Ubuntu?

Since I prefer completely free and open source operating systems to Windows or Mac OS X, it didn't take me long to decide to install Ubuntu. I had previously installed Debian on the Extensa 5620z, but this time I wanted to go more mainstream (though I have installed the Awesome Window Manager), and I read that the wifi card only has binary blob support which Ubuntu makes a little bit easier to install.

The install didn't go totally without a hitch (like the missing atheros ethernet interface, which has thankfully reappeared), but its working great now. I was hoping to be able to install and run Windows 7 as a virtual machine, and although I got it to install OK, it would crash upon booting. I'll try again, but in the mean time I may setup a dual-boot.

My Overall Opinion of the Lenovo G555

No doubt about it, the Lenovo G555 is an entry level laptop. It comes with a small hard drive (160GB), 3GB of RAM (4GB max), and a four cell battery. Really though, I can easily overlook all that because at $399 the price just can't be beat considering it comes with the AMD Athlon II Dual-Core M320 2.1G and support for native virtualization! The chip itself is nothing to write home about. I'd say its comparable to the chip in the similarly priced Lenovo g550, the intel t4500, because although the M320 at 128k has twice the level 1 (L1) cache than the t4500, it runs at 2100 Mhz instead of 2300 Mhz. Thankfully, its definitely faster than the Extensa!! :-)

Its unfortunate that these machines are no longer available through the link I provided earlier because they are actually very nice machines! I'm glad I bought two, but maybe I should have bought more! This way, if one breaks, I've got a backup, and I can switch the 2GB RAM chip from one for the 1GB RAM chip in the other and max out the RAM at 4GB. Plus I also have two batteries! :-)

If you're interested in an entry level Lenovo and don't have a need for virtualization, take a look at the G550 series. There are a couple different versions available, though unfortunately only the one with an intel celeron (2958-8GU, as opposed to the 2958-9PU which has a dual-core pentium) is available:

I love Cisco gear! Its expensive but their products are top quality. In my years and years of working in technology and networking, I've only seen one piece of Cisco hardware fail.

Of course, no hardware is perfect and heat, time, and use will lead to failure of some kind. And that's another way Cisco is different, their support is awesome.

This is an integrated services router, meaning it can bring together some serious networks! The Cisco product page for this model states that is can support up to 1500 VPN tunnels. AWESOME!

I bought two of these laptops because they are such a good deal! My favorite things about them are:

• They run Ubuntu very nicely (not sure)
• They come with Windows 7
• The AMD CPU supports native virtualization, so KVM is super speedy! (I was referring to the g555, not this g550)

UPDATE: My mistake!! I have the Lenovo g555, not the g550. The g550 has an intel T4500 which does not include Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x).

UPDATE 2: The g550 is now sold out, but here is another choice at the same price:

lenovo G550(2958-8GU) 15.6" Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit NoteBook

Cavalry Passio 1TB 3.5" Black External Hard Drive

I'm in the market for one of these, and this is the one I've chosen. I'm ordering one ASAP!

I've never heard of cavalry before when it comes to hard drives, but the price can't be beat: 1 terabyte of storage for $89 minus a $25 rebate with free shipping brings the total to $64!!