Please help me choose

[Doordie]

I have been seriously thinking about getting a laptop and I could use some advice. I found this deal at HP where I can pay it off over a year and not get slammed with interest or finance charges. I am a bit of a tech, but I would like to get a second opinion on what one would give me the most for my money. Trying to keep it under around $1,400

I was thinking the X1000 series with
64MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM)
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 705 (1.5 GHz)
512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)
FREE upgrade from 60GB to 80GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
Intel(R) Pro Wireless 2200 802.11b/g & Bluetooth. Is Bluetooth worth an extra 19$?

HP link

I will use it for school work and want to set it up so I can use the wireless capabilities for the internet. Maybe I?ll even use it to play NWN. I have a router I guess I can just add another wireless router to my network for the laptop. I really don?t want to buy wireless network cards for the PCs I have on my network already.

Well any advice would be appreciated. There are so many different series would HP be better then Compaq? I?m not even sure what the reputation of these laptops is.

Thanks everyone.

 

[NeBaWONG]

get this instead

Acer

 

[Doordie]

Thanks NeBaWONG, but I need to get the one year to pay it off deal that HP is having.

I keep getting the feeling that I'm going to choose one and then say to myself "Oh crap I should have...." I know there are a lot of really experenced techs on this Forum so I thought I would try and see if they would be nice enough to share their wisdom with a fist time laptop buyer.

 

[Doordie]

Originally posted by: Doordie

I know there are a lot of really experenced techs on this Forum so I thought I would try and see if they would be nice enough to share their wisdom with a fist time laptop buyer.

Guess not.

:roll:

Can any of you tell me a fourm to go to in order to get some help?

 

[ShellGuy]

Doordie,
Yes Bluetooth is a steal at 19 bucks if you ask me. As for what you are lookin at it sounds like it will do the job nicely 4 ya. As for the rep of hp and compaq. Sorry 2 say they ain't that great. IBM has the best bar nun but then again you pay out the wazoo 4 it. I am lookin at a Emachine or a high powred Donathin lappy. Not quit same field but u get my drift. Hope this is of some help.


Will The G.

 

[Doordie]

Hey thanks ShellGuy! I feel a little better about the choice. Yeah I'm not in a situation right now to dump a bunch of money on a better one. I just don't want to feel like I wasted my money if I get the one I was talking about. I would also hate it if there was a better HP or Compaq option and I did not know about it.

 

[ShellGuy]

Well i will look around on the sites and c what i can find out. What is ur price range????


Will G

 

[Doordie]

1,400 give or take, but I need the one year deal that HP is having so I can pay it off. Thanks!

 

[ShellGuy]

Door,
From what i have looked at between HP and compaq the Hp's have the better graphics chip sets. So try workin from this one. Or one of its brothers. Just remember to get the extended warranty.



Will G

 

[Doordie]

I think you may be right Shellguy

I was just looking at the zx5000 series it has a - Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 2.80 GHz to start with a 533 MHz front-side bus

The x1000 has a - Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 705 (1.5 GHz) with a 266MHz front-side bus

Does the M make up for all that difference in power?

I can also get the 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 9600 in the zx5000 for just 50$ more. The x1000 does not have that option.

 

[ShellGuy]

Door,
Its not that it lacks in power they are really about the same. Just that the M series is a more efficiant processor than the P4 is. The M is what they put in centrino systems. Meaning that they are very efficiant with their batt power and hence forth have a longer batt life per charge. Now this may be what you are after in which case you would want to look at the lappy that has the M series chip. Or you may want the graphics upgrade so u then want the P4 in this case. Either way it has 2 be what sutes ur needs and budget. Just remember 2 leave some cash for the Extended warranty at the end.


Will G.

 

[beyoku]

im sure i probably sound like the parrot of the laptop forum but i like and own an emachines. If you happen to have best buy credit card then i say grab the M6810. Athlon 64 3200 + ati 9600 is a pretty good combo. Right now you can get that for 1150.oo after rebates. It will be faster than all those systems. BUT it will be bigger. You do loose the bluetooth option.

 

[Doordie]

So the M running at about half the GHz and half the front-side bus is just a little less powerful or equal in power and is a lot more efficient? I'm just trying to get this straight. I'm out of touch with new processors as you can probably tell.

No best buy credit card here. I want to avoid the interest anyway. Thanks beyoku

 

[jvarszegi]

Good luck in your HP/Compag marketing career. Why don't you present us with a few more pricing options from HP and/or Compaq? Hopefully, you'll be able to find an HP machine that meets your criteria-- unless, of course, there's a Compaq lurking just around the corner with even better characteristics! Decisions, decisions-- what's an HP and/or Compaq shopper to do? To go with the HP machine with X for Y dollars, or the Compaq for just $25 more with the Z option?

Here's how I would decide. HP and Compaq must still have different departments that handle marketing for each brand, yes? Does your immediate supervisor control some subset of HP or Compaq marketing, at least in the main? "Choose" that brand publicly, (theoretically at least) driving sales to that brand. Your boss will be happy, and we can terminate this awful thread.

 

[Doordie]

Huh? You may want to drink less caffeine jvarszegi. Something is definitely affecting your judgment. It is also not mandatory for you to read every thread you know.

 

[jvarszegi]

It is also not mandatory for you to read every thread you know.

Well, you're shoving this pseudo-thread in everyone's face by keeping it at the top of the list by frequent editing, as I'm sure you know. This tactic is called "bumping", as I'm pretty sure you also know, even if you only troll these forums for your 9-to-5 marketing job. Etiquette calls for an acknowledgement by the poster when bumping is done, but of course you wouldn't care much about that.

Your marketing ploy isn't a good excuse for such behavior, anyway; and if you are falsely marketing HP/Compaq machines in this way, you're committing an insidious form of fraud that's unfortunately hard to prosecute and currently escapes the public eye.

 

[Doordie]

Looks like you are the one keeping this thread on top at this point. I'm going to school for radiography and need a laptop that I can use for school some games and not pay all at once. I also don't want to pay interest on it. If there is another option I would love to know about it.

I just edit my posts too add thought I have had. If that is wrong then I will not do it again. Sorry that I have upset you so severely jvarszegi. It is not my intention to promote anything. Just get help with a choice. I guess there is no way to prove that too you so I will not be responding to your false accusations anymore.

You can move on to the next thread you feel you need to crap on if you like.

 

[jvarszegi]

Looks like you are the one keeping this thread on top at this point.

But two can play at that game, eh? People aren't as stupid as you think, at least not most of them. Just cut it out.

I just edit my posts too add thought I have had. If that is wrong then I will not do it again.

Good, please don't do it again. For a good example of what you shouldn't have done, look at the fourth post in this thread. (In case the poster modifies it, it's a dumb transparent bump that didn't add anything to the "conversation".)

You can move on to the next thread you feel you need to crap on if you like.

Just yours. You're the lucky winner, thanks to your abuse.

 

[ShellGuy]

Hey Jvarszegi,
How about u take ur chit elsewhere. If i worked for HP or Compaq i would have said so from the get go or contacted him from the start. If you read i told him that I like the Emachine 4 my self but want a bit more power and options. As for your lowley butt. You have been thread hopping bashing everyone you encounter. Sayin they work for this corp or that one. Well guess what bud i do work for a corp I work for WALGREENS. This is what i do for fun. Sorry 2 say you are like a leach in society. Feeding off what ever floats your way. How about you post what you do for a living and we can have some fun at your expense.


Will G.

 

[ShellGuy]

Sorry about that Door forgot all about talkin about ur probs. Most of the time you can find a happy place in the middle of a P4 with 128 vid ram and the M series with 64 ram. Since it is for school i would go with the M since it will give you the better batt life. Also you may just keep the ram low and install more your self.



Will G.

 

[Doordie]

NP Shell. Thanks for all the help. Hehe

I am still a bit confused though. You are the one that told me to take a look at the zx5000 series and I liked it a lot. Now I need to rethink again because you are saying M now. Don't take this the wrong way. I just thought it was funny.

 

[ShellGuy]

Sorry about that bro, I was thinkin more about the games than the batt life and all. Really it is up 2 u to decide. Is batt life not that important? Is a bit heavier book ok? lots of questions only you can answer.



Will G.

 

[Doordie]

OK thanks again. I may go for the zx5000 with the better batt. For some reason that one just cought my eye. I hope I'm right. Heh

 

[jvarszegi]

How about you post what you do for a living and we can have some fun at your expense.

I'm a software developer. Poke fun all you want; I'm not ashamed of what I do.

How about u take ur chit elsewhere. If i worked for HP or Compaq i would have said so from the get go or contacted him from the start.

You unmitigated dumbass, I wasn't talking about you. I like my "chit" just fine where it is, but maybe later I go cruisin' in my chebbie.