I use to use a tablet laptop before I got my MacBook Pro. I used it to draw, but ultimately I didn't use it for much, hence when I needed to upgrade my portable I got a Mac. As for the usefulness of a tablet pc, that depends on what you'll use it for. If you draw, it would be great. There are some great art tools out there (Artrage is a great app). But if you plan on using it for 3D, I don't think it's very useful. I use the keyboard a lot and the tablet ergonomics didn't work well with pen to screen + keyboard strikes. Folding the pc to just have the screen showing + hooking up a keyboard did work but it's kind of awkward, though that's your best bet. You should ask yourself if you really need to tablet functionality, i.e., would you go out and draw with it in the park? In my case I didn't need it as much as I wanted. This comes from a person that uses the Wacom Inuos 3 on my desktop for EVERYTHING. My mouse sees very little action. I even hook it up to my MacBook, because I have a hard time using SketchUp with a mouse now. For the money I'd say get a great laptop. Tablet PC's are still pretty pricey.

Having my 4th external drive know, i noticed two things to be important for me: the drive should have an on/off switch for a long lasting lifetime an integrated fan does a well job my vented hd only reaches 38°C max., while the others reach 53°C and above when doin hard work... if the chipset of your external case provides it, you may read out the smart info with this (free) tool and compare yourself: http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2006.01.22-HDDScan/ greetings marne

Here is the answer!! The FOOT MOUSE!!!!!! http://www.prleap.com/pr/95584/

@bertb said: Isn't about the same as my 3D Navigator? It is already a very usefull tool in SU; More info required Roger that "More info required"... which one do you have? I ran a quick search and came up with following... http://www.ascension-tech.com/products/3dnavigator.pdf http://www.3dconnexion.com/ http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/space-explorer-3d-navigator-no-more-clinking-work/ Sure is a lot of stuff goin' on in the 3D world!

Thanks for that info Rob. Dell doesn't have any stores around here so I will probably just take a chance.....but anyway I will need to upgrade my desktop sooner or later. Stu

kenny, thanks for the file. i will give it a go as soon as i have a free time.

thanks... glad to hear you're back up. now let's see what you're working on...

@unknownuser said: This looks like it could be fun Mike. I shall take a few pics tomorrow and give it a go I think. Hi Dylan, Be sure to post the results Mike

@kwistenbiebel said: I hope reworking the core to be 64 bit and multicore 'adapted' (not just 'compatible') is on the google team's task list. And if it's not...I'll come over at Boulder and write it myself on top of their whiteboards :egrin: together: "We want high poly...we want high poly....we..." :100k: Yeah, this has been at the top of a few peoples wish list for a while, getting SU to 64 bit computing. Rest assured kwistenbiebel, I feel exactly the way you do.

pictures... I cani't wead...

I opted for E4300 and 8800 GT 1024 meg

Just out of curiosity how much space do you have left on your drive?

For what it's worth I would go with the T3400 and Windows XP, but would add a RAID 1 array (matching hard drive) for peace of mind. Then look on Dell's site regularly for deals on the 24 inch wide screen LCD (1920 x 1200).

tv, paul...you have reinforced where I'm leaning: my head says go with the old knowledge (to a point), my gut says go with the new technology (to a point). Please also respond as you can (all who have been so kind here too) to my new thread on notebook vs desktop and the systems I have flagged for purchase this year. My very best, Tom.

he is right and wrong. 32 bit XP will only allow you to use 2GBs (or with the modification 3GBs) of ram for programs. Default settings reserves no less than 2GBs for system use, and only lets you use 2 maximum for your software. Although it is capable of using 4GBs of total memory.

Well after several hours on the phone with tech support....upgrading my power source and an eternity of hair pulling hours I found out that my AGP slot is only a 4X slot and I needed an 8X to run the video card....amazing!!! Thanks for everyones help though

I'm still running an old ATi Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB in my PC (yes, its old and AGP) with my 22" widescreen at 1680 x 1050 - no problems. SU suffer a bit though...

Chances are that it wont run games as well. If you go on Newegg and read reviews of some of the workstation boards you find that alot of stupid kids with alot of money buy these 1200 dollar GFX cards then freak out and complain and give the card a bad review because it doesnt run games very well.

I have tried Jodix Free iPod Video Converter. It works well and it is free.

I like to leave the MacBook Pro on permanently. I understand that its the best way to run Macs as downloads and maintenance can be carried out over night, I think! Its also a fact that laptops tend to heat up a bit when under pressure, more so than desktops. I thought one way to keep things cool would be to have some control over the fan. I located a utility called Fan Control, it does what it says. Okay if not on mains the battery life is effected but most of my time spent on the laptop when plugged in, so no problem. Also it can be adjusted in on the move. The links for Fan Control, a free application is, http://www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl/ I imagine there is also a free utility for PCs Mike PS: Something for the PC laptops, http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html