Question:
Help me choose a laptop plz~~~
Hi all,
I was about to order the Compaq V2000Z with ML-37, however, the $150 instant savings suddenly disappeared and it is not worthwhile to try it.
Anyways, now I narrow down to 3 laptops that I am interested in, but I can't make up my mind which one I should get. This will be my first notebook, so it's kinda hard for me to decide. Therefore, I am wondering if you guys can help me a bit.
They are:
Dell Inspiron 630m
PM 740 1.73GHz 2MB cache
14.1" WXGA TrueLife
1280X800
256mb DDR2 533 + 1GB(self-upgrade)
40GB 5400rpm HD
8X CD/DVD DL burner
Intel GMA 900
6-cell Lithium Ion
Intel PRO 2915 + Bluetooth
5.47lbs
$1,000.00
Compaq V2000T
Core Duo T2300 1.66GHz
14.0" WXGA Bright View
1280X768
256mb DDR2 533 + 1GB(self-upgrade)
40GB 5400rpm SATA HD
DVD/CD-RW Combo
Intel GMA 950
6-Cell Lithium Ion
Intel PRO 3945ABG + BT
5.2lbs
$1,100.00
Fujitsu S2110
Turion 64 MT-30 1.6GHz
13.3" XGA Crystal View
1024X768
256mb DDR 333 + 1GB(self-upgrade)
40GB 4200rpm HD
DVD/CD-RW Combo
ATI Xpress 200M
6-Cell Lithium Ion
802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN
4.1lbs
$1,150.00
My budget is about $1100, so those 3 are all fine. I have an legal copy of Windows XP pro purchased from school, so the laptop will come with the home edition and I will re-intall the XP pro myself. I will not play 3D intensive games but I would like to play some old games such as Diablo II, Warcraft III, etc. I am a graduate student and I will bring the laptop around campus often.
I like the Fujitsu because of its smaller size and lighter weight, and I heard that the build-quality of Fujitsu is quite good, and that the ATI is better than the Intel GMA.
I like the Compaq because it comes with the new Core Duo. However, I heard that there would be some problem with the SATA HD when you re-install the Windows XP. I don't know if I can handle it if it happens. I am kind of a noob. :p
I don't like dell computers much, but the that deal seems quite good.
Can you guys please give me some opinion on which one I should get?? Thanks a lot!!!
Answer:
Re: Help me choose a laptop plz~~~
How badly do you need Bluetooth? Can you return or resell the copy of WinXP Pro you have?
Sams Club sells the Compaq v2401CL model for $850 -- that config is Turon 64 ML-32, 513MB ram (2x256 DDR333), 80GB 4200 drive, 14" WXGA brightview, DVD/CD DL burner, integrated 802.11b/g (broadcomm), Windows XP Professional (!!)., ATI Express 200M, (3)USB/(1)Firewire/6-in-1 Card reader, 1 6cell 4.4AH battery, etc.
I recently picked up this model -- I looked all over and couldn't find as good a deal for those specs which included WinXP Pro.
If you don't have a Sams Club membership, buy one for $35 and you're probably still ahead of the game.
-- Lew
Answer:
Re: Help me choose a laptop plz~~~
Many big box retailers carry v2000z variants like the one Lew mentioned, so be sure to check the websites of all the ones in your area. As much as I'd have liked to tweak the configuration, the price I got on my dv8125nr at retail was substantially better than anything via hp.com.
The ATI GPU in the v2000z is about twice as fast as the GMA950 in the v2000T, and I trust ATI's drivers much more than Intel's. The Turion CPU will also run 64-bit Windows Vista late this year. Dual core Turions won't be out until May 9th, unofficially.
Given your budget, I'd buy one of the retail v2000z's when it's on sale, buy a Crucial 1GB PC3200 SODIMM (or two) and buy a Bluetooth 2.0 adaptor (this one comes with the good Widcomm drivers).
Your WinXP Pro disc probably doesn't have the necessary SATA driver integrated, which means that you'll have to load that driver during installation from a floppy disc if you buy that v2000T. Or create a custom Windows install disc, but that's rather involved.