kvanderlaag
01-20-2010, 01:27 PM
Up for sale is my old notebook, a Gateway MT3418 - same unit as the MX3417 except instead of running Windows XP, it came preloaded with Windows Vista. I'm selling it because I bought something I am too ashamed to mention by name here. I'll give the raw specs, and then I'll give the history.
Price: $300, pretty firm.
Gateway MT3418
Display: 14.1" 'Ultrabright" WXGA Screen (Gloss finish, 1280x800
CPU: AMD TL-56 Turion X2 @ 1.8GHz (Upgraded from AMD Turion 64 @ 2.0 GHz)
RAM: 2GB PC5300 DDR2 (2x1gb)
Video: nVidia GeForce Go 6100
Hard Drive: 160gb 5400RPM Seagate Momentus IDE (Upgraded from a 120gb Hitachi Travelstar)
Optical Drive: Matsushita DVD+RW DL w/LightScribe, 24x/8x/4x (Upgraded from an HL DVD-RW non-DL)
Ethernet: nVidia nForce 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Controller
WiFi: Realtek RTL8185 Wireless B/G
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (OEM with COA) or Windows XP Home (OEM with COA) - your choice, both COAs are on the notebook.
As you can see, I've replaced or upgraded most of the key components in this notebook. It was originally purchased (by me) as a Refurbished unit from Laptop Depot (oh god don't get me started) who had it listed as a Turion X2 to begin with - it wasn't, it was a 2.0GHz single-core Turion 64. Jackasses.
This was in 2008, if I recall correctly. Anyways, very quickly, I realized I couldn't live with Vista and acquired a COA for an OEM copy of XP Home. The drivers for the notebook are identical to the drivers for the MX3417, which is the same machine except preloaded with XP, so those are what's used for that.
Next, I popped a pair of 1gb PC5300 SODIMMs in, replacing the two 512mb PC4200 sticks. Vista performed better with these, but it was so fast by comparison under XP that I just kept using it.
More recently, I decided that the single-core processor just wasn't cutting the mustard anymore, and picked up a 1.8GHz TL-56 Turion X2. Slightly slower clock speed, but much better performance for multitasking. When this was installed, I made sure to clean out ALL of the internals, so there shouldn't be "any" dust or crap on the inside of this thing.
Then most recently, the spring mechanism on the original DVD-RW drive became weak and flaccid, such that when you pressed the button it would make the popping noise associated with ejecting the drive, but it wouldn't actually eject. You kind of had to dig under the bezel with your fingernail and pull it out, and that sucked. So, I bought a Matsushita DVD+RW DL drive, and when it showed up it turned out they'd shipped me a LightScribe drive for the same price - in it went, and I swapped over the mounting bracket and the original bezel, so it looks exactly like stock and works even better.
The computer has been reformatted and had Vista installed from the original recovery discs - I'll include a copy of XP Home and a disc containing the XP drivers for the machine for whoever buys it.
Now for the caveats about this notebook, though they are very few:
First, the laptop shows some signs of its age. There's some wear around the edges, and a couple very minor scratches and scuffs here and there on the chassis. The keyboard and the touchpad both show signs of use, primarily in the form of that smoothness that develops on keyboard and things. It has been very recently cleaned thoroughly, both inside and out, and so despite this, it's still a nice looking machine in what I would probably call 7/10 cosmetic condition.
Second, the LCD panel in the notebook has a couple weird spots. There are a couple slightly dim spots in the panel, which have actually been there since I got it - refurbished my ass. There are no dead or stuck pixels, though, and no weird lines through the display or anything. Two of the spots are only visible from extreme viewing angles, and the one that isn't is very small - it really just looks like there's something on the screen, like a piece of fluff or something, though there isn't. A replacement LCD panel is ~$100, but I honestly don't think it affects the computer enough to merit replacing. I'll try to show it in one of the photos.
Aside from those two things, the laptop is in excellent condition, and is a great buy at this price for a computer that is fairly up-to-date in terms of hardware. Everything works, and most things work better than they did originally.
PMs, please.
Photos:
Open and running: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Open.jpg
The top case: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Top.jpg
The screen as a whole: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Screen.jpg
The little spot. It's outlined in red: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Spot.jpg
Price: $300, pretty firm.
Gateway MT3418
Display: 14.1" 'Ultrabright" WXGA Screen (Gloss finish, 1280x800
CPU: AMD TL-56 Turion X2 @ 1.8GHz (Upgraded from AMD Turion 64 @ 2.0 GHz)
RAM: 2GB PC5300 DDR2 (2x1gb)
Video: nVidia GeForce Go 6100
Hard Drive: 160gb 5400RPM Seagate Momentus IDE (Upgraded from a 120gb Hitachi Travelstar)
Optical Drive: Matsushita DVD+RW DL w/LightScribe, 24x/8x/4x (Upgraded from an HL DVD-RW non-DL)
Ethernet: nVidia nForce 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Controller
WiFi: Realtek RTL8185 Wireless B/G
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (OEM with COA) or Windows XP Home (OEM with COA) - your choice, both COAs are on the notebook.
As you can see, I've replaced or upgraded most of the key components in this notebook. It was originally purchased (by me) as a Refurbished unit from Laptop Depot (oh god don't get me started) who had it listed as a Turion X2 to begin with - it wasn't, it was a 2.0GHz single-core Turion 64. Jackasses.
This was in 2008, if I recall correctly. Anyways, very quickly, I realized I couldn't live with Vista and acquired a COA for an OEM copy of XP Home. The drivers for the notebook are identical to the drivers for the MX3417, which is the same machine except preloaded with XP, so those are what's used for that.
Next, I popped a pair of 1gb PC5300 SODIMMs in, replacing the two 512mb PC4200 sticks. Vista performed better with these, but it was so fast by comparison under XP that I just kept using it.
More recently, I decided that the single-core processor just wasn't cutting the mustard anymore, and picked up a 1.8GHz TL-56 Turion X2. Slightly slower clock speed, but much better performance for multitasking. When this was installed, I made sure to clean out ALL of the internals, so there shouldn't be "any" dust or crap on the inside of this thing.
Then most recently, the spring mechanism on the original DVD-RW drive became weak and flaccid, such that when you pressed the button it would make the popping noise associated with ejecting the drive, but it wouldn't actually eject. You kind of had to dig under the bezel with your fingernail and pull it out, and that sucked. So, I bought a Matsushita DVD+RW DL drive, and when it showed up it turned out they'd shipped me a LightScribe drive for the same price - in it went, and I swapped over the mounting bracket and the original bezel, so it looks exactly like stock and works even better.
The computer has been reformatted and had Vista installed from the original recovery discs - I'll include a copy of XP Home and a disc containing the XP drivers for the machine for whoever buys it.
Now for the caveats about this notebook, though they are very few:
First, the laptop shows some signs of its age. There's some wear around the edges, and a couple very minor scratches and scuffs here and there on the chassis. The keyboard and the touchpad both show signs of use, primarily in the form of that smoothness that develops on keyboard and things. It has been very recently cleaned thoroughly, both inside and out, and so despite this, it's still a nice looking machine in what I would probably call 7/10 cosmetic condition.
Second, the LCD panel in the notebook has a couple weird spots. There are a couple slightly dim spots in the panel, which have actually been there since I got it - refurbished my ass. There are no dead or stuck pixels, though, and no weird lines through the display or anything. Two of the spots are only visible from extreme viewing angles, and the one that isn't is very small - it really just looks like there's something on the screen, like a piece of fluff or something, though there isn't. A replacement LCD panel is ~$100, but I honestly don't think it affects the computer enough to merit replacing. I'll try to show it in one of the photos.
Aside from those two things, the laptop is in excellent condition, and is a great buy at this price for a computer that is fairly up-to-date in terms of hardware. Everything works, and most things work better than they did originally.
PMs, please.
Photos:
Open and running: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Open.jpg
The top case: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Top.jpg
The screen as a whole: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Screen.jpg
The little spot. It's outlined in red: http://images.digital-angel.net/mt3418/Spot.jpg