Question:
cheap + good battey life
1) What size notebook would you prefer?
12-14.1"
2) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Web brwosing, MS word
3) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Moving around a lot!
4) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No.
5) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No.
6) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Atleast 3.5-4 hours
7) What is your budget?
less than $900 (possible?)
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Nope.
9) What country are you buying this in?
US
10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
not important
11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
would love to try it
Build Quality and Design
12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
should be decent looking
13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
atleast 15-18 months. I'm gonna upgrade my desktop replacement pretty soon.
Notebook Components
14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
40GB (5400rpm preferred but 4200 is also fine)
15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
just a DVD reader, CD-RW not required/not important
Basically my order of priority is,
1) Battery life & cost
2) weight
3) performance and good looks
Thanx
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
Compaq v2000z should be on your list. With the 12 cell battery you should get at least five hours.
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
Sure, $900 is enough to get you a decent notebook.
In the 13-14" range, I'd also say that the Compaq V2000Z is a nice choice; be sure to get the 5400RPM hard drive for best performance.
You can also check out the dv1000, it is slightly more multimedia oriented and has a bit better build IMO. But, you'll pay more, and won't get as good of a value. Check them both out for yourself at a retail store.
Cheers
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
I've researched those models (v2000, v200z, hp L2000 and dv1000) and I personally handled the V2000 today with the 12 cell and I don't like it.
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
Ok, the 630m / XPS M140 I think would be a good choice. It's not as light as the v2000. It weighs just under 5.5 lbs with the 6 cell (about 4 hrs) and with the 9 cell its about 5.8 lbs but gets you (about 6-7 hours). You can get it for sure for less then $900. The battery doesn't stick out nearly as much as the ugly 12 cell that the hp's have. The 9 cell on the 630m / XPS M140 doesn't stick out more then 3/4 of an inch out the back. It also looks quite nice, although some people don't like the "white bumpers". Take a look at it :).
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
I recommend the V2000Z/dv1000 - the Dell XPS doesn't have as good build quality as the Compaq and especially the HP do. If you don't like the idea of a 12-cell battery sticking out of the V2000/V2000Z, you might consider getting two 6-cell batteries instead.
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
are you sure the XPS build quality isn't that good?
what about the heat build up on the Turions?
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
I recommend the V2000Z/dv1000 - the Dell XPS doesn't have as good build quality as the Compaq and especially the HP do. If you don't like the idea of a 12-cell battery sticking out of the V2000/V2000Z, you might consider getting two 6-cell batteries instead.
sorry AMD, i'm gonna disagree here. i heavily researched the v2000/dv1000 before settling on the dell 6000. the v2000 is pretty crappy. flimsy keyboard and very flimsy latch for the screen. also just doesn't feel solid. the sister hp has those awful blue lights on it. if they were LEDs, that would be cool, but they're not and just look really cheap.
the v2000/dv1000 does have a great screen, though... very crisp and bright with the glossy.
i would say that dell wins on build quality over the v2000/dv1000.
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
I'm the owner of an XPS M140, and the build quality is quite good in my opinion. Like drumfu said, its better then the v2000. I have played around with the v2000 at computer stores and felt that the quality lacked.... The screen on both machines are very nice. and picked the XPS M140, and don't regret my decision. Although it's not quite as light as the v2000 it is packed with tons of features for its size. ex.. 4 USB 2.0 ports, fire wire, 8 media play buttons across the front, quite nice speakers, then the ability to play DVD's and CD's when windows isn't booted, and great battery life even with the 6 cell. (4 hours). The v2000 gets less battery life, and the way that 12 cell sticks out just makes the notebook look really cheap! The dell sticks out the back 3/4 of an inch with the 9 cell, and the 6 cell doesn't stick out at all. For your budget, and the features you want out of it, I think the dell XPS M140 / 630m wins over all of this.
Answer:
Re: cheap + good battey life
You can get the M140 right now for a final price of around $970(with my epp discount it's $930). This includes 1.86 pentium M processor, 512mb ram 2 dimms, 60gb hd 5400rpm, dvd burner and 14.1wxga brightview(or whatever dell calls it) screen. The graphics card is integrated but other than that you cant beat these specs for that price if youre looking for a smaller notebook with long battery life..imo of course.