Question:
Compag V2424NR Vs. Gateway Plantinum MX6650PE
I will be purchasing a laptop for my son whose main interests are doing Video Editing and music. The 2 laptops I have identified are the Gateway Platinum Edition MX665OPE. This laptop is available at Best Buys for $1049.99. The specs are intel pentium processor 750, 1024 mb DDR2 memory, 100 GB hard drive, read/writes DVD/CD's and 802.11 integrated. Have you had any experience with this laptop?? I have read some reviews which indicate that this may not be a wise choice because there have been problems with the hard drive? I would love your input on this laptop.
The other more affordable laptop is t he Compaq 2424NR priced at $899.99 at Best Buys. T has AMD Trurio 64 mobile ML technology, 512 MB DDR memory, 100 GB hardrive, read & write DVD's CD and integrated 802.11 wireless. We definitely want wireless and the only info in the reviews I have picked up is buying the 12 cell battery. Please share any input you may have!!!
Thank you!
Answer:
Re: Compag V2424NR Vs. Gateway Plantinum MX6650PE
Between the two I'd lean towards the Compaq, though the Gateway has a bigger screen. You might want to wait for the new Compaq v5000z series notebooks (aka HP dv5000z) to go on sale (Circuit City has a couple in stock but at regular price, Best Buy should get them soon), that's the 15.4" screen equivalent of the v2000z series you're looking at. Either Compaq has a MUCH better graphics chip than the Gateway and the Turion CPU is 64-bit capable, unlike the Pentium M, so you'll be ready for 64-bit Windows Vista late this year (I suspect many of the high-end audio apps will go 64-bit very quickly after Vista comes out). If your son would rather have the lighter weight rather than the larger screen size, go ahead and grab the 2424NR.
You can only get 12 cell batteries on build-to-order notebooks, or buy one separately (expensive). The retail model notebooks are significantly cheaper when they're on sale.
Answer:
Re: Compag V2424NR Vs. Gateway Plantinum MX6650PE
I purchased a Gateway MX6650 last month, and have been pleased with it - mostly.
At the moment I am doing a great deal of audio processing - transfering, cleaning up and archiving a large collection of live music from analog cassette tapes. As I had anticipated, the MX6650's on-board sound is inadequate for the task, and required the addition of a dedicated sound card (the Creative Audigy2 ZS PCMCIA). The primary gripe I have with the notebook is the location of the PCMCIA card slot... being on the right hand side and toward the front of the unit, in a cramped workspace it interferes somewhat with mousing.
I don't do video editing, but I am a Photoshop and Illustrator user, and I find the quality of the display to be quite acceptable for graphics work (though ultimately I still prefer a CRT). The extra viewing area of the widescreen is wonderful for accomodating all of the palettes and tools I am normally accustomed to toggling on and off.
The standard battery for the MX6650 is 8 cell; by dimming the screen brightness slightly, I get between 5 and 6 hours out of a charge, depending on how much I am using the wireless.
One other thought: rather than the 4200 rpm hard drive spec'd by Gateway & BB, my notebook came with a 5400 rpm drive (and no problems thus far); YMMV.