Laptop 'Battle'

Live forum: http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=61351

mpj31

04-05-2007 05:30:35

Considering purchasing a new laptop. These are currently on SD. Which one would you buy? I dont really know computer specs too well.

Dell Inspiron 6400 ~$650
http//forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=507598

[quote18c1887e8c]
li Intel Pentium dual-core T2080(1MB Cache/1.73GHz/533MHz FSB
li Genuine Windows XP Home or Windows Vista Basic
li 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display (with or without TrueLife for the same price)
li 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
li 160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
li 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
li 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 TurboCacheli
li Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
li 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
li 1 Yr Ltd Warranty, 1 Yr Mail-in Service, and 1 Yr Tech Support

Good upgrades to consider

li 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™(glossy) [Free!]
li Intel Core DUO T2350 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) [add $40]
li 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery [add $49]
[/quote18c1887e8c]

HP Pavilion dv9207us Notebook ~$880
http//forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=179074&t=504485
[quote18c1887e8c]
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Class Core Duo T2250
Processor Speed 1.73 GHz
Front Side Bus 533 MHz
Mobile Technology Centrino
L2 Cache Size 2 MB
Memory Type DDR2-SDRAM
Installed Memory 1 GB
Memory Slots Total 2
Memory Slots Available 0
Hard Drive Capacity 120 GB
Drive Controllers SATA-150
Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
Optical Drives LightScribe Double Layer DVD SuperMulti Drive

li Create a DVD Writable at a maximum 8X Write speed
li Other speed specifications are not available from the manufacturer

Additional Drives LightScribe DL DVD SuperMulti
Sound Support Digital Audio (16-bit)
Video Chipset Brand NVIDIA
Video Chipset GeForce Go 7600
Installed Video Memory 256 MB
Resolution 1440 x 900
Screen Size 17.0 in
Screen Type Active Matrix LCD (TFT)
Physical Aspect Ratio 1610 (Widescreen)
Port Connectors

li 4 x Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
li 1 x Audio - Headphone-out with S/PDIF Digital Audio
li 1 x Audio - Microphone-in
li 1 x Video - VGA (15-pin)
li 1 x Video - TV-Out (S-Video)
li 1 x RJ-11 Modem
li 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet LAN
li 1 x Notebook Expansion Port 3
li 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire (4-pin)
li 1 x Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)
li 1 x HDMI

Card Slots1 x Memory Stick
1 x Memory Stick PRO
1 x Secure Digital(SD)/MMC
1 x xD-Picture Card
1 x ExpressCard/34
1 x ExpressCard/54Network SupportGigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) Wireless Protocol802.11a
802.11b
802.11gModem Speed56 Kbps Input DevicesKeyboard
Remote Control
TouchpadSecurity FeaturesKensington Security Slot Number of Batteries1 Installed Operating SystemWindows Vista Home Premium Included SoftwareSecurity and Support

li Symantec™ Norton Internet Security 2007 (including complimentary 60 days Live Update)
li HP Total Care Help & Support Center
li Wireless Home Network
li PC Recovery (Softthinks Restore Solution)

Productivity and Finance

li Microsoft® Works

Multimedia

li Sonic Digital Media Plus
li Adobe Acrobat Reader
li HP Quick Play
li Muvee™ AutoProducer DVD Edition with Burning
li HP PhotoSmart Premier

In the Box

li HP Pavilion dv9207us Notebook
li HP ExpressCard Analog TV Tuner/PVR with Remote Control
li Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 pair)
li HP Mobile Remote Control
li 90W AC Adapter
li 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery

Height1.6 in Width11.7 in Depth15.2 in Weight7.7 lbs Limited Warranty1 Year (12 Months)
[/quote18c1887e8c]

zr2152

04-05-2007 05:37:10

GO with the dell, ive had bad experiences with HP

Retro

04-05-2007 05:57:36

I'd get the HP I thought there was a consensuses that Dells sucked?

JUNIOR6886

04-05-2007 06:02:25

i say go with the hp. It has much nicer specs

zr2152

04-05-2007 06:03:33

[quotea33a76e93e="Retro"]I'd get the HP I thought there was a consensuses that Dells sucked?[/quotea33a76e93e]

I guess it depends what youre using your laptop for. For me, dell is a perfect college laptop even though it is dell. I mean if youre going to use the new lappy for more things than just normal use then go ahead and go with the HP.

Ive just had some bad experiences with HP in the past but maybe thay have gottent their act together...i havent used one in a long time. Do a consumer report on both laptops and then go with that. Good luck.

mpj31

04-05-2007 06:09:04

Well I haven't bought a computer game in about 5 years I think. I might play a free one every now and then. My priority is music and starting up the internet fast. Also multitasking between Office and the Internet and Itunes would be best. Would I be dissapointed if I went with the cheaper dell? The dell has a processor upgrade which I would consider for only 60$ which bumps it to a core duo or w/e its called.

zr2152

04-05-2007 06:13:19

If music is your priority then definately go with the HP now that youve specified what you want to use it for. Its a great price for that kind of lappy. If you have the money go with the higher priced one. I dont think that the processor upgrade would do too much compared to what the HP already comes with.

Let me know what you decide.

mpj31

04-05-2007 06:18:05

[quote1ec1d0a80d="zr2152"]If music is your priority then definately go with the HP now that youve specified what you want to use it for. Its a great price for that kind of lappy. If you have the money go with the higher priced one. I dont think that the processor upgrade would do too much compared to what the HP already comes with.

Let me know what you decide.[/quote1ec1d0a80d]

Well let me restate it. Music is a priority but I also have logitech wireless PC hooked up to my surround sound. I think any laptop would produce adequate sound through that I would think, no? Apparently the HD does have surround sound though, would that make a difference through itunes?

justinag06

04-05-2007 06:21:01

I am not satisfied with dell laptops, I won't be getting another one

zr2152

04-05-2007 06:48:32

[quote4861fc3be9="mpj31"][quote4861fc3be9="zr2152"]If music is your priority then definately go with the HP now that youve specified what you want to use it for. Its a great price for that kind of lappy. If you have the money go with the higher priced one. I dont think that the processor upgrade would do too much compared to what the HP already comes with.

Let me know what you decide.[/quote4861fc3be9]

Well let me restate it. Music is a priority but I also have logitech wireless PC hooked up to my surround sound. I think any laptop would produce adequate sound through that I would think, no? Apparently the HD does have surround sound though, would that make a difference through itunes?[/quote4861fc3be9]

No the HD would not make a difference. As for the logitech sound system goes..you will have ot look at how many channels that each laptop has compared to the speaker count of your system. If the laptop is less than what your system is, then you wont be getting top performance from your system (basically some speakers wont be put to use). I know thats how my buddies computer is. His system is too big for his laptop.

Most laptops will produce adequate sound..but then again not all. I feel that most of the newer ones wont give you any problems. If you need anything else feel free to PM me.

dmorris68

04-05-2007 07:14:50

OTOH I've had many Dell Latitude (business line) laptops and never had a problem, they work quite well. And I've had lots of problems out of HP's, though they were desktops. Some friends of mine claim HP laptops are better than their desktops, so I guess YMMV.

Personally, I really like Toshiba. I took a chance on a Satellite recently instead of the Dell I started to buy, and have been extremely happy with it.. In fact I used to rate IBM/Lenovo and Dell as the best laptops, now I think I'd put Toshiba over Dell and possibly over ThinkPad's now. At least neck & neck.

mpj31

04-05-2007 07:27:13

Well I have a toshiba thinkpad r51 and it runs slow as heck lately.

I know someone who has a toshiba sattellite and after 2 years the motherboard died.

Dell I've heard people having hardware replacements after replacements.

That about leads it down to HP out of this discussion at least. I had a HP Pavilion pc and I was happy with that with the most part.

manOFice

04-05-2007 07:59:56

Dell sucks, don't buy a dell. I have a Toshiba satellite (amazing machine)I haven't had one issue with in in the years i've had it. HP is good too.

I got my Toshiba Satellite freshman year of college...I'm still using it without ANY hardware issues ...it's been hrm....6 years I think?

Captain All That

04-05-2007 10:35:01

lilicoughlilialienwarelilicoughlili

Admin

04-05-2007 10:36:48

[quoteccee7cf3fc="Captain All That"]lilicoughlilialienwarelilicoughlili[/quoteccee7cf3fc]overpriced garbage cough cough?

seconding the dell latitude line. they do business right for the most part.

givmea1032

04-05-2007 10:45:50

I currently have a Dell 6400, it's maxed out on everything because I bought it from work, but I've had it 6 months and love it. Definately no complaints.

dmorris68

04-05-2007 13:54:51

[quotebbdd460090="Admin"][quotebbdd460090="Captain All That"]lilicoughlilialienwarelilicoughlili[/quotebbdd460090]overpriced garbage cough cough?[/quotebbdd460090]
Fer realz. I wouldn't touch an Alienware computer -- especially their laptops -- with [ibbdd460090]your[/ibbdd460090] fingers. Period. Even if they are a Dell now.

mpj31

04-05-2007 19:40:29

I ended up getting the HP, thanks guys. It costs 1230 after tax with an additional 400 in rebates. For some reason I got an extra 50$ off which helped take off taxes.

Gooogler

04-05-2007 21:38:17

I think I'm gonna buy that dell lappy. It's freaking awesome.