Recommendations for a mid level laptop

[Bonesdad]

HP dv6t...had free upgrade to HDD and Memory. I upgraded to ATI HD 4530 graphics and the CPU to a P7350 (not sure how much better that is than the standard P6600). There's a nice coupon floating around out there, so I applied that and get the following:

* Espresso Black
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
* FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 512MB ATI Radeon(TM) HD 4530 Graphics
* 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* Webcam Only
* Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* No Modem
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope



Total comes to $822 (free shipping and sales tax included)



Also looking at the HP HDX16T as follows:

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T6600 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive from 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
* FREE Upgrade to Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
* Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
* Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* No Productivity Software
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

This one is nice as it comes with the Bluray ROM, but is the graphics lesser or superior? The battery is a standard 6 cell v high capacity...and the CPU is a bit lesser.

This one ships for $853 (tax included)

Which one is a better buy or can I do better for a similar build?

 

[IlllI]

HDX16T is better. but depending on what you want to do with the laptop, you might be able to find something similar for less.

 

[Bonesdad]

can you expand on the comment pls?

 

[tvih]

The second option is indeed better. The GPU is stronger, and the free upgrade to a Blu-ray drive is worth over $100 at least. The other specs seem mostly similar enough (though the second machine has the added fingerprint reader). Worth noting though that you should make sure you can be happy with a 1366x768 maximum display resolution, because not everyone can.

 

[Bonesdad]

I was wondering about the resolution...don't seem to be many options out there in my price range. I have a 21" Acer LCD I'd like to use when the laptop is on the desk...will it work OK with either of the laptops above?

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
I was wondering about the resolution...don't seem to be many options out there in my price range. I have a 21" Acer LCD I'd like to use when the laptop is on the desk...will it work OK with either of the laptops above?

Yes, either laptop will easily run the monitor in a single or dual monitor setup.

 

[Bonesdad]

Got an HDX16 w/ P7450 C2D, 4 Gig, 320 Gig, and 1080 p screen resolution for $719. THanks!