View source for New PC - 2009

It's been a long time I'm surviving with the same PC at home. May be it's time to buy a new one...

== Requirements ==
* Main requirement: '''silence!'''
* Form-factor: '''Laptop''' would be a nice-to have. Would free some space on the desk, reduce cable clutter. But more expensive
** On battery time is secondary. I'll mainly use it as a desktop anyway
* Resolution: laptop, '''min. 1440x900''', ideally 1920x1200. Desktop, '''min 1920x1200''' mandatory.
* Ports: '''IEEE 1394''' interface mandatory to acquire DV Video from digital handycam
* OS: PC must be Linux compatible. Let's get a Windows license for ease. '''Windows 7 english 64-bit Professional''' minimum. 
** Ultimate + Media center would be nice-to-have
* CPU:
** 2 cores mandatory + Intel VTx instruction (or similar)
** 4 cores ideally
* Graphic cards:
** '''NVidia''' used to have good Linux compatibility, but I heard many troubles with these cards nowadays. This [http://www.system76.com/index.php?cPath=28 constructor] builds Ubuntu laptop, and includes a ''NVidia GeForce GTX 460M'' card (1.5GB).
** ''Intel''' GMA series work perfectly well on my DELL E6500 with Lucid 10.04.
* '''Bluetooth'''
* '''Wifi 802.11 n'''

== Hardwarde information ==

=== Intel ===
* Intel branding and CPU names is very confusing, and full of exceptions. We have 
** the ''microarchitecture'', 
** the ''codename'' (variants of that microarchitecture), and 
** the ''brand name'' (the name under which the CPU is sold on the market)
* First, look at '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmere_(microarchitecture)#Westmere Westmere architecture]'''. ''Westmere'' is the latest architecture from Intel, with the most powerful features. That page gives the best overview of what CPUs to look for, both for desktop or laptop. 
* For desktop, 2 codenames provides the ''Westmere'' architecture: 
** '''Gulftown''' codename (for server and performance PC) &mdash; basically all CPU branded '''Xeon 36xx / 56xx''' and some branded '''Core i7'''.
** '''Clarkdale''' codename (for value/mainstream PC) &mdash; basically some '''Core i3 and i5''' (and Pentium / Celeron).
* For laptops, there is only one codename, '''Arrandale''', sold under the brands '''Core i5''' and '''Core i7'''.

=== Intel microarchitecture ===
; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehalem_(microarchitecture) Nehalem] 
: The successor of the ''Core'' architecture.

; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmere_(microarchitecture)#Westmere Westmere]
: A 32nm shrunk down version of ''Nehalem'', which features some improvements like:
:* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AES-NI AES accelerated instructions]
:* Better virtualization support ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_VT-d Intel VT-d]...)
:* Integrated graphics (laptop)
:All CPUs with the westmere architecture should have the same features, however with some differences like # cores, cache size, CPU speed, etc.
: Note also that there are differences between laptop & desktop. For instance laptop integrates Intel VT-d in the CPU, whereas this feature is actually provided by the chipset (5500/5520) for desktops.

=== Intel Chipset ===
;(Desktop) [http://www.intel.com/Products/Server/Chipsets/5500-5520/5500-5520-overview.htm Intel 5500 and 5520 Chipset]
:Supports the Intel Xeon processor 5500 / 5600 series.
:Provides QPI, Intel VT-d (Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O), Intel TXT (trusted execution)
:See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Xeon_chipsets#Nehalem-based_Xeon_chipsets Wikipedia article]

=== Intel Codenames ===
The 3 following codenames are based on the ''Westmere'' architecture:
;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulftown_(microprocessor) Gulftown (32nm)]
:Includes the '''Core i7-9xx''', '''Core i7-9xxX''', '''Xeon 36xx''' (all with 6 cores) and '''Xeon 56xx''' (4-6 cores).
;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkdale_(microprocessor) Clarkdale]
:Closely related to mobile ''Arrandale'', originally sold as ''Core i5'' and ''Core i7''.
;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrandale_(microprocessor) Arrandale]
:Mobile version of ''Clarkdale'', sold as ''Core i3'', ''Core i5'' and ''Core i7''.

=== Intel Brands ===
;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors Intel Xeon]
:''Intel Xeon'' is an Intel brand targetting performance / server desktop PC. We limit ourselves to those based on the ''Westmere'' microarchitecture:
:* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#.22Gulftown.22_.2832_nm.29 Xeon 36xx]''' (6 cores), only for uniprocessor motherboards
:* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#.22Gulftown.22_.2832_nm.29 Xeon 56xx]''' (4-6 cores), support multiprocessor motherboards

<div style='padding-left:2em;'>
Summary below, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#.22Gulftown.22_.2832_nm.29 wikipedia for details]:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Brand!!Codename<br/>(desktop)!!Arch!!Brand name!!Cores
|-
!Xeon
|Gulftown
|{{green|Westmere}}
|Xeon 36xx<br/>Xeon 56xx
|6<br/>4-6
|}
</div>

; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_i5_microprocessors Core i5] / [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_i7_microprocessors Core i7]
:Core i5 / i7 is an Intel brand, both targetting desktop and laptop markets. Summary below, see the pages on wikipedia ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core Intel Core], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_i7_microprocessors Core i7 list], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_i5_microprocessors Core i5 list]):
<div style='padding-left:2em;'>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Brand!!Codename<br/>(desktop)!!Arch!!Brand name!!Cores!!Codename<br/>(laptop)!!Arch!!Brand name!!Cores
|-
!Core i5
|Lynnfield<br/>Clarkdale
|Nehalem<br/>{{green|Westmere}}
|7xx / 7xxS<br/>6xx
|4<br/>{{red|2}}
|Arrandale
|{{green|Westmere}}
|4xxM / 5xxM / 5xxUM
|{{red|2}}
|-
!Core i7
|Bloomfield<br/>Lynnfield<br/>Gulftown
|Nehalem<br/>Nehalem<br/>{{green|Westmere}}
|9xx<br/>8xx / 8xxS<br/>980X
|4<br/>4<br/>6
|Clarksfield<br/>Arrandale
|Nehalem<br/>{{green|Westmere}}
|9xxXM / 8xxQM / 7xxQM<br/>6xxQM / 6xxLM / 6xxUM
|4<br/>{{red|2}}
|}
</div>

=== NVidia ===
See [http://www.guruht.com/2010/02/new-nvidia-quadro-fx.html this post on GuruHT]:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|FX 3800M||128 cores||1GB DDR3||256-bit mem itf||100W
|-
|FX 2800M||96 cores||1GB DDR3||256-bit mem itf||75W
|-
|FX 1800M||72 cores||1GB DDR3/DDR5||128-bit mem itf||45W
|-
|FX  880M||48 cores||1GB DDR3||128-bit mem itf||35W
|}

== DELL ==

=== Mobile Workstation ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Model!!Code!!Price!!OS!!CPU!!RAM!!HD!!Monitor!!GPU!!Other
|-
|[http://www1.euro.dell.com/be/fr/entreprises/Portables/precnnb/ct.aspx?refid=precnnb&s=bsd&cs=bebsdt1&ref=lthp Precision]
|M6500
|width="75px"|2759€ HT<br/>2939€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{green|64}}
|{{green|i7-840QM}} 1,86GHz
|4GB<br/>{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|{{green|1920x1200}} 17" {{green|RGB}}
|NVidia FX 2800M 1GB
|802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW {{green|slot-in}} + Base service
|-
|[http://www1.euro.dell.com/be/fr/entreprises/Portables/precnnb/ct.aspx?refid=precnnb&s=bsd&cs=bebsdt1&ref=lthp Precision]
|M4500
|width="75px"|2249€ HT<br/>2429€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{green|64}}
|{{green|i7-840QM}} 1,86GHz
|4GB<br/>{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|1920x1080 15.6" LED
|NVidia FX 1800M 1GB
|802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW + Base service
|-
|[http://www1.euro.dell.com/be/fr/entreprises/Portables/precnnb/ct.aspx?refid=precnnb&s=bsd&cs=bebsdt1&ref=lthp Precision]
|M4500
|width="75px"|2014€ HT<br/>2194€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{green|64}}
|{{green|i7-840QM}} 1,86GHz
|4GB<br/>{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|1920x1080 15.6" LED
|NVidia FX 880M 1GB
|802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW + Base service
|}


TBC:
* Alienware
* Z600
* Latitude

== HP Desktops ==

=== HP Essential ===
Nothing to see there...

=== HP Advanced Desktops ===
Nothing to see there...

=== HP Elite Desktops ===
Nothing to see there either...

== HP Workstations ==

=== Z200 ===
Core i3 / i5, too small.

=== Z400 ===
TBC 

=== Z600 ===
TBC

=== Z800 ===
TBC

== HP Laptops ==

Cfr [http://h41111.www4.hp.com/notebooks/be/fr/ laptops for small & medium businesses].

=== HP EliteBook NoteBook ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Model!!Code!!Price!!OS!!CPU!!RAM!!HD!!Monitor!!GPU!!Other
|-
|[http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/be/fr/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549-4097214.html EliteBook 8540p]
|WD921EA<br/>XN715EA
|width="75px"|1915€ HT<br/>1786€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{red|32}}
|red|i7-620M 2,66GHz
|4GB
|320GB
|{{red|1600x900}} 15.6"
|NVidia NVS 5100 1GB
|802.11n + BD ROM +<br/>DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony
|-
|[http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/be/fr/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549-4095872.html EliteBook 8440p]
|VQ667EA
|width="75px"|2048€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{red|32}}
|red|i7-620M 2,66GHz
|4GB
|500GB
|{{red|1600x900}} 14"
|NVidia NVS 3100 512MB
|802.11n + BD ROM +<br/>DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony
|-
|[http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/be/fr/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549-4095872.html EliteBook 8440p]
|XN710EA
|width="75px"|2025€ HT
|Win 7 Pro {{red|32}}
|i7-640M 2,80GHz
|4GB
|{{green|SSD 160GB}}
|{{red|1600x900}} 14"
|Intel HD Graphics
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM +<br/>DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony incl. GPS
|}

=== HP EliBook Mobile Workstation ===

<!---
WD939EA - OK 
WD936EA - No - 1680x1050 
WD941EA - No - 3041€
WD940EA - No - 3G Module
WD943EA - No - 4768€
WD942EA - No - 3199€
WD934ET - No - 1680x1050
WD935EA - No - 1680x1050
WD937EA - No - 1680x1050
WD938EA - No - i5-540M
WD757EA - No - i5-560M
WD755EA - No - 1680x1050
WD756EA - No - 1680x1050
WD762EA - OK
WD761EA - No - 3G module
WD758EA - No - ATI FirePro M7820
WD760EA - 
WD759EA - No - ATI FirePro M7820
-->

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Model!!Code!!Price!!OS!!CPU!!RAM!!HD!!Monitor!!GPU!!Other
|-
|EliteBook 8740w
|[http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&q=WD939EA WD939EA]
|width="75px"|1649€ HT(?)
|Win 7 Pro 64
|i7-620M 2,66GHz
|4GB
|500GB
|{{green|1920x1200}} 17"
|NV Quadro FX 2800M 1GB
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW
|-
|EliteBook 8740w
|[http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&q=WD762EA WD762EA]
|width="75px"|2789€ HT
|Win 7 Pro 64
|i7-740QM 1,73GHz
|{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|{{green|1920x1200}} 17"
|NV Quadro FX 2800M 1GB
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW
|}

<!---
WD926EA - No - i5-520M
WD928EA - No - i5-540
WD737EA - No - i5-560M
WD738EA - No - i5-560M
WD739EA - No - likely i5 + ATI-FirePro M5800
WD740EA - OK 
WD741EA - No - GPS + Mobile
WD742EA - OK
WD743EA - OK
WH138AW - No - 1600 x 900
-->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Model!!Code!!Price!!OS!!CPU!!RAM!!HD!!Monitor!!GPU!!Other
|-
|EliteBook 8540w
|[http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&q=WD740EA WD740EA]
|width="75px"|2284€ HT
|Win 7 Pro 64
|red|i7-640M 2,80GHz
|{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|{{red|1920x1080}} {{green|15.6"}}
|NV Quadro FX 880M 1GB
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW
|-
|EliteBook 8540w
|[http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&q=WD742EA WD742EA]
|width="75px"|1899€ HT
|Win 7 Pro 64
|red|i7-640M 2,80GHz
|{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|{{red|1920x1080}} {{green|15.6"}}
|NV Quadro FX 1800M 1GB
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW
|-
|EliteBook 8540w
|[http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&q=WD743EA WD743EA]
|width="75px"|2199€ HT
|Win 7 Pro 64 
|i7-740QM 1,73GHz
|{{green|8GB}}
|500GB
|{{red|1920x1080}} {{green|15.6"}}
|NV Quadro FX 1800M 1GB
|802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW
|}

=== HP ProBook NoteBook ===

Looks too cheap to be good.

=== Essential NoteBook ===
None (Old CPU's, like C2D, pentium, celeron)

=== HP Mini ===
None (out of scope).

=== HP Mobile Thin Client ===
None (out of scope).