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[ndgmtlcd]

In a few months my main computer, a Dell Dimension 4100 will be 10 years old. I don't mind that too much, but the problem is that the companion screen, a Dell-Trinitron with UXGA resolution (1600 by 1200 pixels) has faded to a point where my eyes hurt when I'm reading text. It was great as long as it was "fresh". When I bought it back in 2001 I

Comments

A few questions/statements:

[chemikal]

1) Any interest in using a laptop instead? Personally I prefer those much, much more now (and I used to be a die-hard desktop fan). It's been wicked convenient for me with my travels here and there.

2) Have you looked at the various manufacturer's webpages for specs? I'm partial to Dell's business-line (Latitude) as that's what we use a lot at work.

3) Windows 7 will be a HUGE change for you, but really - from an IT guy's perspective, it's really nice once you get used to it. I did have to change a few things - like the grouping of icons on the taskbar and had to re-add Quicklaunch. The security benefits of the upgrade alone is worth it, IMO.

4) If you're going to upgrade over such a large gap - have you considered a Mac? Not my cup of tea personally, but their screens are beautiful and hardware seems to be pretty reliable. I use one at work and use VMWare Fusion to run Windows 7 on there too (there's a video I ought to show you if you're considering this route).

5) What do you use your machines for primarily?

Re: A few questions/statements:

[ndgmtlcd]

I bought a laptop (a Dell Inspiron 1150 running Windows XP) about six years ago and I don't use it much because I'm too spoiled by my big screen at home and even bigger and newer LCD screens at the office. I'm an extremely visual guy. Going "down" to something smaller than 1600 by 1200 pixels is a pain for me. Besides, I don't need the mobility at all. The main reason I bought that laptop was for a software development project with a friend and that flopped in a spectacular fashion