New Computer

I just bought a new computer today! My Dell Inspiron 1525 has been giving me problems lately, and I feel like it's slowly threatening to blow up and stop working sometime soon. I bought this computer in Aug 2008, which wasn't that long ago... but already it's had to be serviced because of some malfunctioning fans, and reformatted a good 3 times (and has given me the blue screen of death a few times since then). So.. it's time.

Of course, whenever I need tech help, I turn to my brothers, who claim "Looking at computers makes [them] happy". One of my brothers recommended the ASUS U31SD-XA1, on sale for $599.99 at NCIX (sale ends today).

 Here are the specs:

• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Display: 13.3-inch LED-backlit HD display (1366 x 768)
• Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310M processor (2.1GHz)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 520M 1GB GDDR3 VRAM
• WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz)
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 8GB)
• Storage: 500GB 5400RPM hard drive
• Camera: 0.3 megapixel
• Speakers: Stereo speakers with EAX 5.0 sound
• Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
• Card Reader: 3-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/MS)
• Input / Output:1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out, 1 x VGA port/Mini D-Sub 15-pin for external monitor, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x HDMI
• Battery: 8 cell
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.2 x1–inches (W x D x H)
• Weight: 4lbs (with 8 cell battery)
• Color: Silver

What I'm really excited about is the battery life -- it's supposed to last about 10 hours! I can't even disconnect my current Dell for more than 2 minutes without it dying, so anything will be better than what I currently have. The processor will be faster than mine (which means games will run nicely...) and it'll have a bigger HD.

I don't think this laptop comes with an optical drive, but that's ok, whatever, I barely even use mine. I only really need it if I had to re-install Windows or something, so I'll probably get an external cd rom for when I REALLY need it.

So.. yes. That will be exciting. I am hoping it will be ready for pick up by Friday or at the latest, Monday... then I can start transferring files and stuff so my computer is school-ready by January.