I want to replace my Asus X50SL into something lower wattage. I only need enough power to display a native 2560x1600 image on my 2560x1600 display, playback music, and write text into notepad. Which laptop should I get for this purpose?

Should I get ASRock NetTop ION 330 instead of laptop? I can buy it from store in 10 hours when it opens. I will purchase Windows 7 64bit at the same time and install into it. It is ok?

Buying a new system to reduce power draw will not pay itself back. Buy something when you actually need an upgrade.

Ok, I bought it but 2560x1600 doesn't work because HDMI to DVI connection doesn't support it. I can only get 1280x800 to work. I have two choices, buy a display with HDMI input or throw the nettop in trash can, what will I do? I think the trash can will save me money. After searching around I have found that my laptop is one of the very few laptops that work to output 2560x1600, oh well, I guess I was lucky when I bought it and unlucky when I tried to upgrade.

Is the nettop useful for something else I haven't thought about? Are there mini displays for $100 or so? I could put in closet...

I underclocked the nettop to the lowest voltages and disabled everything I could in BIOS. I hear crazy smoothness in my music now! I also compared Winxp + Foobar vs Ubuntu + Amarok, the Ubuntu gives a little smoother sound, it is because of lower wattage I believe.

Can't you return the nettop to the store?

Or at least sell it, instead of trashing it.

Wasn't Maledives supposed to be among the first to be under water, trashing perfectly good stuff only puts you there faster.

Sorry but it does not work that way.

With regards to HDMI/DVI: It's not possible to run HDMI at 2560x1600. Ever. So, even the rare 30" monitors that have HDMI-in will scale the resolution down to 1920x1200. With the exception of the troublesome Apple mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter, all DisplayPort to DVI adapters will also fail. So, the only alternative to dual-link DVI output > dual-link DVI input for 2560x1600 is DisplayPort output > native DisplayPort input (and there are only one or two 30" monitors with that for now).

With regards to buying a new PC to lower power consumption: as lm pointed out, that will virtually never pay for itself. Nor is it good for the environment, considering how many resources are wasted and how much power is spent to build that one new computer. (The same applies to cars, for all of you Prius-buying people! )

With regards to what to do with the nettop: sell it or return it to the store, unless you've found a good use for it. That "crazy smoothness" in your music doesn't make sense. You might just be used to noisy laptop sound outputs. If you want to get rid of that, buy yourself a cheap external DAC/amp or sound-card (USB or s/pdif / optical).

With regards to Ubuntu being lower wattage and sounding better: that makes no sense at all. Even if there IS really a perceptible difference between sound quality in those two OS's, there is a different explanation for it - e.g., differences in WinXP's and Linux's management of sound.

Why not?

I am already using EMU0404 USB external soundcard, it sounds better than dCS Elgar Plus DAC when the wattage from computer is very low.

Is the power cabling of your house very old? Are you on the power grid? Do OTHER devices than PC affect your sound quality?

Are you the type of person who believes that putting certain stones on top of your power amp makes sound quality better?

LebakTFark, unless you have verified the effect with some kind of blind test it's very probable that it's all placebo effect.

Not true:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_Comparison

DisplayPort can talk dual link DVI but you need an active adapter, http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... u=330-5521 that's why the Dell adapter has an USB connector, to pull power.

you're going to be limited to a laptop that has the ability to house a MXM-III or faster GPU- which means a NOISY and LOUD, hot system, with a NEWER big and burly GPU.

I'm not sure if anything out there can do it, if it's possible, but my fastest laptop can't do it, though it can output non HDMI in that resolution to a CRT or LCD. It's only good for mixing and stuff though- or having a bunch of VST's on screen- no 3D (dell xps 1710, Gf7950gtx, MXM-IIIalmost slot -proprietary dell MXM-style slot)...
I'd head over to oveclockers or extremegamers and ask over there in their laptop sections- those people know about HDMI and what can do it or not, as they use it all the time and know all the gear and GPU's and what is in what or what you can upgrade and how much it will cost you.