if you'll recall, i initially decided upon 500 gb drives. these were basically the same price as the 1 tb drives. but, what was initially $70/drive slowly morphed into $95/drive, and i do not want to pay that much, so i'm revisiting.
for these laptops, i only need 500 gb. one is an actually mobile access point/guitar effects processor. the other is a half broken editing machine with external storage. performance is not particularly important for either. so, let's start over again with 500 gb.
these are my options:
staples:
500 gb barracuda hdd for 65 + tax + environmental = $75
best buy
500 gb barracuda sold out
500 gb firecuda sshd for 72 + tax + environmental = $85
amazon
500 gb barracuda hdd for $44 usd. ships to canada for $74. pick up would be 44*1.5 + 5*1.3 = $73 + border fees. app.
1000 gb barracuda hdd for $49 usd. ships to canada for $85. pick up would be 50*1.5 + 5*1.3 = $82 + border fees. app.
500 gb firecuda sshd for $50 usd. ships to canada for $85. pick up would be 50*1.5 + 5*1.3 = $82 + border fees. app.
i also checked walmart, the source, newegg....not of much use all around...
so, here's the logic: if i'm going to get a 500 gb drive, i'd might as well get the sshd and the extra three years on the warranty for the extra $10. while the tb drive is then the same price, it's not an sshd, and the warranty comes down. it's less that the tb sshd is too expensive in absolute terms, and more that it's not something i need. i'd just be pissing money away, and even if i have enough of it, it's still stupid. the thing is that when the drive was $4 less, the price was essentially interchangeable due to rounding. now that the price has increased, it makes sense to stay with the cheaper model - because i don't need terrabyte drives in either of these machines.
it still makes sense to buy at best buy, unless the dollar comes up dramatically in the next week. i'll check before i send. it's come up a bit the last few weeks, it very well might. best buy seems to be increasing their prices as the dollar is falling. good luck with that strategy, best buy.
the external drive isn't even close:
best buy
amazon
2 tb wd external for $75 us. ships to canada for $117. pick up would be 75*1.5 + 5*1.3 = $117 + border fees.
updated total:
phone (amazon): $105
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
battery (amazon): $27
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive: $117 [ships to canada]
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
==================
$536-46
total phone: $105
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $144-149 +$117 (external)
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2:
total desktop 3:
i decided last night that, rather than put the editing machine in the living room and connect it to the tv, i should leave it near the access point and connect it to the desktop monitor. so, i won't need to buy a monitor. instead, i'll need to get some kind of shelving unit; but, i can use the one in the living room, if i get a table for there at ikea, instead.
that means i don't need all those cables, i just need some kind of kvm. and, i'll figure out what i'm doing with audio in this room when i build the desktop. i'll probably bring in a receiver and a pair of little jbls, along with my 5-disc changer (and my alarm clock). that will make sense once the shelving unit is up. it was kind of the plan, all along.
as it is, i have a kvm. it's ps/2. what's more important is the video switch, so let me make sure that it works..
the video switch works, but i don't have the cables to check for mouse or keyboard. it's just that the laptop doesn't have a dedicated mouse or keyboard, right.
ok, how is this going to work? i will have to take the keyboard and mouse up and off the shelf in order to use it. how much is a usb kvm..?
amazon is again cheapest. there are some cheaper options, but i don't want a flimsy switch. it will break. the trendnet is the cheapest option with a solid switch. it's $17 us, and ships, so it should be between $30-35.
i like the kvm i have better, though. it's 4 switches. it's solid. i'll just have to make sure that, when i build the desktop, it has ps/2 connections. i would want ps/2 mice & keyboards, anyways. that means that all i'll really need is an adapter, and they're $6 us.
if i ship to detroit, it will be $14.50 + the bus. if i ship to canada, it will be $21. the shipping is overpriced. and, there's an option at amazon.ca for $4.50, including shipping, but they don't take paypal. i'd have to find a giftcard. loblaws. that's store #3.
i can't find evidence of it online, but i suspect i may be able to find one in town for less than $20. so, i'll add in the amazon.ca price for now.
i'm not sure if i want to connect it via a home network and upload over the access point (probable), or use the extra router to create another subnet. either way, i don't need to cable an extra rj-45. i have plenty of short ones.
ok. so, new total:
updated total:
phone (amazon): $105
2 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x15 [ships to canada]
battery (amazon): $27
8 gb sd ram for mp3 player (amazon): $13 [ships to canada]
4 gb laptop ram (amazon): $2x32 [ships to canada]
2 tb external drive(amazon) : $117 [ships to canada]
< 140 gb ide hds (found, not confirmed) (kijiji): $2x10
500 gb sshd laptop drives (best buy or amazon?): $2x80-85 [ships to canada]
ps/2 to usb connector [amazon.ca]: $5
==================
$541-551
total phone: $105
total mp3 player: $13
total laptop 1: $137-142 + usb sound card
total laptop 2: $149-154 + $117 (external) + editing software?
total desktop 1: $20
total desktop 2:
total desktop 3:
i think i'm finally done with the editing machine, now. maxed ram. new drive. all peripherals. it should sit at the bottom of the shelf, more or less always on, and definitely always plugged in. i'll just have to figure out whether i want to pay for software or not.
next up is the recording desktop.