Buying new computer

 

I'm buying a new computer and am very sensitive.  I'm
using a Dell Vostro 1400 laptop and I do well with it but it's
very old (2007) and I do need to replace it before it stops
working.  Some of the specs are:

Hard Drive, 120G, S2, 9.5, 5.4K TSHBA-LEO

HEATSINK, CENTRAL PROCESSOR UNIT, NOTEBOOK, SRM, LNVZ

PROCESSOR, T5270, 1.4, 2MB, CMER, M0

I want to know what to look for in a new laptop computer so that
I'm not sensitive to it.  I know the older models are not as
powerful but I'm not sure if that is because of a less powerful
processor.  My question is, what do I look for in a new computer
so that it is not very powerful.  Is it the processor I should
look at or are there other specs I should also look at.

Also, is it the powerful processors that cause the EMF's
or is it some other part of the computer.  I understand
about WIFI and other parts that I can turn off.  I'm
just not sure what to look for in a new computer so I
get the least reaction possible.

Thanks,
Susan

It's hard to say what people react to exactly within a computer.  For example, you have a Toshiba hard drive in your current laptop.  I've found in the past that a Hitachi hard drive was terrible, while every SSD (solid disk drive) has been fine.  I'm not sure that the newer CPUs are a problem, as I've now now got a Core i5 / Quad and don't notice anything bad from it.  

I do think the energy efficiency of the power supply can cause issues, with the more efficient ones being worse.  

Marc

If you are fine with your laptop, then i would use it as long as possible.
Of course a back-up of all the personal data / files is always needed, or two copies to be even more prudent.
A house-mate once nosed into my computer and someone else into an usb flash drive, so encryption could be a thing to consider here.
This small pc has been recommended by Richard Conrad :
http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/fitlet/fitlet-t/
http://www.conradbiologic.com/articles/%20LowEMFComputing.html
Note that the other ( smaller ) fitlet-models are not well shielded ( and slower ).
It's a "barebone" pc, one still needs to install a memory-card and a hard-disk ( preferable a ssd ).
If you like linuxmint as i do, the "mintbox 2" is ready to go.
You'll need an external monitor with it, one with an eternal power-supply is most probably better.
Desktops and laptops often break down because of dust creeping inside, which blocks the cooling.
And of course by malware, especially if you work with windows.
So keeping both the hardware and software clean may prolong the lifespan of the machine.
Life and machines are perhaps not very compatible, but you'll get the idea.

Hi Susan,

As Marc pointed out, it is very hard to suggest anything because everyone reacts differently to different stimuli.  I'm lucky enough to react to silly little things like RFID chips, so buying a new computer is basically impossible for me.  I have to buy good-quality used equipment.

Your best bet is to buy something that has at least a 30 day return policy.  Then try it out, and return it if it drives you crazy.

I have had good success with Dell desktop computers and their higher end monitors.  Processor speed tends to have little to do with it as far as I can tell; the quality of the electronics themselves seems to have more effect for me (some of the cheaper units kick off much more dirty electricity, I guess?).

I do not recommend laptops unless you have no other choice.  Having a desktop unit allows you to keep the unit further away from your body.  Using a laptop means having your hands and arms right on top of the unit.  

Best of luck to you and do post back once you've found something that works, as it may help others.

Lisa

How can one avoid getting a "new" computer that does not have a smart chip in it?  The bluetooh and wifi can be disabled and even removed. I may just remove them when I change out the speakers eventually or not as turning the wifi on can allow me to see how many networks in an area and if it's an area I should consider.

Still the chip in all new items that talks to the smart meters would be an issue. I will not be using a washing machine that plugs in again nor a regular fridge either, so I bypass there. But on things like computers or TVs?

A thought.

I have a 2009 MAC and its across the room! No good sitting at it.

What about a newer used one?

Is there some evidence that there is some sort of smart chip in today's computers?  And if so, does that apply to business computers, too?  (which would likely have no use for such a chip)

Marc

 

Marc had said that SSD Drives give off less EMFs than the platter Hard Drives so you might want to look for a Mac with a SSD Hard Drive, like the Mac Mini

Marc Martin wrote

Is there some evidence that there is some sort of smart chip in today's computers?  And if so, does that apply to business computers, too?  (which would likely have no use for such a chip)

Marc

Hmmm...this would explain what happened when I bought a new laptop recently--I double checked to make sure it had no GPS, no touchscreen, wireless and bluetooth were able to be disabled/uninstalled, etc.--there was nothing that should have bothered me!!!  But when it arrived, and everything was disabled, even with the power off, I couldn't have it in the house.  I had to go put it in the car and park it at the end of the driveway.

Yeah, it was that bad.

Macs always used to do that to me, but now it's Windows too.  And this was one of those military grade laptops that's supposed to be extra rugged and shielded...It's just too depressing to think about.

Yes, I'm the one who reacts to &*%$#@ chips...

Well, I've had the same sort of reaction to a laptop PC from the late 1990s, which predate all of these technologies. So I find this to prove nothing, as many people have found laptops to be intolerable even with the wi-fi off.

Marc



On October  7, "roma247 [via ES]" <[hidden email]> wrote:

A second-hand computer is less of a gamble because of its lower price.
Especially quality ones with windows xp or vista should be cheap.
If worried about no update-support or for other reasons one could put linux on it when the emf is tolerable, or return it or sell it again.
Actually right now i use at my holiday-address a laptop from 2008 that is pretty fast and not so bad emf-wise, in fact i may start using it at home but then together with my low-emf monitor.
Right now it sits at 3 to 4 feet distance, with an external keyboard and a mouse ( both not too close ), the horizontal part being shielded off, and, very importantly according to my experience and measurements, having it grounded with a wire stuck into the opening for an anti-theft cable lock.
Grounding is i guess also possibble via an usb-port, connecting to the outside of a plug.
This construction avoids the need of a video-cable, which usually emits quite some electro-smog, even the shielded ones.
In comparison to this old laptop-screen, most external monitors are not very pleasant themselves either.
One has to ground either the computer or the monitor ( if any ) to prevent loops ( i am told ).
For mac-lovers ( ?! ) the mini-mac is probably not too bad, it is well shielded at any rate, but expensive.
The newer versions of the mac o.s. are counter-intuitive and overly smart, and drive me mad, however that is of course a personal thing.

Richard wrote that article on the FitPC2 based on my experience with them.  FitPC makes an I5 processor based model, and I wouldn't go lower than that.  

There's nothing more effective than cherry picking for ES folks; trying a whole bunch of different laptops or other electronics.  Dell has chemically some of the best computer PCBs out there. HP some of the most  toxic.  I'm presently using a Dell Inspiron I5 based laptop since it was so much cheaper than the equivalent FitPC.  I'm using it with the display turned off, as a remote computer for my shielded rear projection workstation.  At $270 used, it was less than half the price of an equivalent low power computer.  

You hope to find something that has emission peaks that don't match your specific frequency sensitivities. It does help to prescreen with meters (AM radio, ELF magnetic); I have a friend that did that for me with digital cameras. I ordered the lowest 4, kept the least bothersome.  It's marvelous to have one that I can leave on for a couple minutes without being in pain!

Long term, I think the remote workstation approach, with shielded cables or fiber to a remote computer/printer/modem.  I use approach this with shielded rear projection and a custom keyboard/trackball.

The fit-pc-s are pricey relative to performance but i like small size, lack of noise and especially the 12 volt dc supplies.
Cherry picking is of course utterly sensible but nevertheless not an easy affair.
Sensitivities to frequencies may fluctuate and even change over time and along with circumstances including other disturbances, momentarily health and mood.
According to Hulda Clark, the most lethal range for human organisms lies between 1.52 MHz and 9.46 MHz.
Not that i am some sort of follower of hers, but it could well be true to some extent.
After avoiding extremely strong rf from immediate wifi, dect and mobile phone sources, computer-use appears for many people to be the most detrimental.
So short band radios to pick up the fields within the lower MHz area seems worth experimenting with.
It is certainly cheaper than the only emf-meter ( a Spectran ) measuring these freqencies that i tested and considered to be rather unreliable.
Now i basically rely on a Gigahertz upto 100 KHz and an EsmogSpion ( mostly sound-output ) to evaluate monitors.
I had some fun with the EM2 of Heliognosis, which responded remarkably well to the latter, it even had a pleasant analogue display, but failed totally on 50 Hz, looks more like a cheap toy and broke down after forgetting to switch it off.
It is ridiculous that there is no all-range meter on the market for a price reflecting what it delivers and the probable production costs.
Anyway, nothing beats our own "inner" meters, certainly when it comes to personal relevance.
Shielded rear projection sounds ideal, unfortunately one bridge too far for most of us.
I postponed buying an optical usb connection ( an Opticis M2-100 ), now the preferable length is out of stock in Europe, but decided not to delay it much longer, as keyboard and mouse are also pretty problematic nearby disturbers.
By the way, let's not forget to mention external computer-speakers, as a rule the ones with power supplies are really horrible, and usb-fed tiny ones the least bothersome.

i got a raspberry pi, without wi-fi(uses ethernet), which is a little computer on a card-sized board with very low power requirements, hopefully can even use green energy with(solar, bicycle or hand generator).  and then you acquire a display seperately.  you know we now have sunlight-readable displays which have much lower power requirements, and maybe better health-wise for other reasons.
i still have not set mine up yet! but anxious to. very little help with day-to-day life in this culture, not even help (carpooling) to store or finding place to live.
-go vegan, end the death penalty

Raspberries pi are i guess rather slow and small displays require good eyes, but for some people this may work out fine.
If you are 100 % vegan, take care to get enough of the right type of vitamin b12 ( at any rate not ( never ever ) plant-based, preferable sublingual methylcobelamin, which is vegan, at least in my bottle ), in general people have been non-vegan for ages and our bodies need time to adjust and produce missing substances itselves, it seems a first generation of vegans usually runs almost certainly into trouble here within 5 ( in rare cases 20 ) years, i have two friends who did, one with lasting neurological damage, the other ended up in a intensive care unit, both take supplements now of course, they learned the hard way so to speak.