I finally got my tax refunds, and already I’ve been spending them on toys (consumer spending helps the economy, right?) Here are some stuff I bought recently to upgrade my electronics:
Got a new laptop, a Toshiba Satellite U400–ST3301. It’s a relatively light weight (4.5 Lbs) with a 13.3″ LCD screen. The lightness is important for my wife. We actually had a choice between this and an ASUS Netbook, but we decided against it because the screen was too small at 10″.- Got a new compact camera, the Canon Powershot SD880IS. I needed a faster snapping camera with bigger LCD viewer (3″). I also needed a video capability that can record 30 frames per second.
- Upgraded my desktop memory from 4 GB to 8 GB. It was a cheap upgrade since RAM prices have dropped dramatically in the past 2 months.
Got a hard drive cage with cooling fan, for my HTPC. It improved the overall air flow inside the case. The temperature inside dropped by about 20°C.- Other accessories for my laptop: Avermedia TV tuner (regular and HDTV), Toshiba 250 GB 2.5″ Hard Drive, Coolmax 2.5″ HDD enclosure, and Vantec laptop stand/cooler.
Of course, I have more stuff to get. I’ll get through that list, sooner or later. I can definitely use some more of those stimulus money.
Building IT
Jot It Down
hey Rudy,
Thanks for doing your part to “stimulate” the economy. 🙂 Looks like you pumped a little more money into the state too since California bumped the sales tax another 1%.
Did you get Vista on the new laptop? Did you think about waiting for Windows 7? I’m toying with the idea of a new laptop, but as usual, am procrastinating… ~ Steve, the trade show guru
trade show guru´s last blog post..Trade Show Booth Display Design Secrets
Hey Steve,
The sales tax increase does hurt. Most of my favorite PC parts place are in California (Fry’s, NewEgg, etc.)
I do have Windows Vista Home/Basic edition on the new laptop. I am upgrading to Windows 7, but in no particular hurry. I’ll be putting W7 on the HTPC first though.
hey Rudy,
I like NewEgg too. I kind of wish they’d move out of state… (kidding). I think it says something about how they run their business that I’m willing to shop with a online store in California instead of going out of state to save on sales tax. Be sure to write a blog post about it when you upgrade to Windows 7. ~ Steve, the trade show guru
trade show guru´s last blog post..Trade Show Booth Display Design Secrets
I’ve always shopped with Newegg and have never really had any major issues. One time I bricked by Linksys router after screwing up a firmware upgrade and they agreed to issue an RMA without any sort of hesitation. Been shopping with them for probably 5 years now.
[…] did jump on the chance to get a $500 laptop for my wife. She needed one anyway, and she always wanted a lightweight […]
Very nice little camera, great size and works well. Takes pictures fast, refresh rate is great, easy to review and delete pictures if required. Download of pictures onto computer is easy also.
Hey Derek,
Yes, I’m definitely loving the Canon SD880IS camera.