Question:
HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
Whats the opinion of the HP ZD8215 laptop?
(The closest review I found was ZD8000 here )
The mammoth laptop is absolutely a dekstop replacement - with a 17 inch screen (gorgeous btw) powered by a ATI X600 128mb dedicated graphics card, Pentium 4 cpu @ 2.8ghz, 512mb DDR2, 80gb HD, DVD+RW, Windows MCE2005, external dual tuner capture box + remote control.
If I go for this monster - I would return the Compaq V5105 I bought last week.... I paid $629 for the Compaq V5105 (15.4" screen, Sempron 3300+, 512mb, 80gb hd, dvd-rom/cdrw, X200M shared video)... and pay the difference to $899. (plus tax, so about $300 g/t)... I'm considering it because just for me to upgrade the DVDRW in the Compaq is $75 (g/t) alone.... which is something I would like to do eventually.
Now, the HP ZD8215 is a HUGE laptop at about 9 lbs, and from what I understand the battery life is horrible at around 1hr to 1.5hrs. And even the sales guy was like: If you're gonna carry this thing around - I would consider something smaller, lighter and more battery friendly.
Any advice?
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
pentium 4s are horrible laptop cpus. i have one in my computer and it used to crash all the time when playing games b/c it would overheat. if you are willing to pay $100 more, the acer 5672 would be more worth it.
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
For once the sales guy was right. You should consider the FAQ and post back.
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
With all due respect to the FAQ: I think laptop buyers fall into seperate catagories.
The people who have very specific needs from thier laptops, and the rest of us... :) Who really dont have very "hit the nail on the head" specific requirements... but want to get the most from their dollar (and laptop). Like many people I think, I want a nice screen for watching movies occasionally, gaming occasionally, and I use photoshop, cooledit pro audio editing, and general use (web, email, etc).
I started the project to replace my aging ZT1000 series HP - which died (well, the LCD inverter went out and while waiting for the replacement part - I thought I'd look around at newer laptops)
Decided: Well, If I can buy a nice laptop for under $650 or so - I'll do it. After I bought the Compaq for $629 + tax ($680), I found out I could probably get a MUCH nicer laptop for not too much more... plus I really wanted a DVDRW drive.
So when I walked in my local store today and saw the ZD8215 P4 laptop with 17" screen for $899 - well, I wanted opinions. You guys know more in general about laptops than most. THATS WHY I ASKED.
I went back to buy the laptop, but alas, they were sold out (they sold 17 units in stock in about 3 hours at the $899 price). :(
The sale runs till Tuesday, and the guy said the store MIGHT get more in before the sale runs out.... I guess we'll see.
AS ALWAYS: opinions, suggestions and recommendations are ALWAYS appreciated - read - and explored!!! THANK YOU.
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
The FAQ is not an equation, but hopefully the FAQ helps you focus on some of the better choices based on your needs. When someone says I want a notebook with a couple of sentences, it could mean anything from a 7" Toshiba Libretto to a 20" DTR. Utimately it is your notebook and you have to live with it.
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
the 899 laptop is better than the 629 one
i think thats your question
i dont consider it a good deal really
what you ought to try and do is like ask for online options on a laptop with x700 or better and a laptop cpu, for $900
i think you can get the msi 1029 for that.
i would spend 100 more and get a core duo 5672 from newegg definitely.
Answer:
Re: HP ZD8215, good or bad? OPINIONS WANTED!!!
the 899 laptop is better than the 629 one
i think thats your question
i dont consider it a good deal really
what you ought to try and do is like ask for online options on a laptop with x700 or better and a laptop cpu, for $900
i think you can get the msi 1029 for that.
i would spend 100 more and get a core duo 5672 from newegg definitely.
Yes... that pretty much was my original question. Thank you. I'm still researching, which is why I'm posting questions to all you kind and knowledgable people :) THANK YOU ALL.
I'm still hopefull I can get one of these ZD8215 for $899, one of the reasons being it comes with a dual tuner external usb capture box, which I was planning on buying at somepoint for my media center pc in the living room anyways --- that device is easily valued at over $100, so that makes the laptop an even more attractive option. At present, my local store doesnt think they'll get anymore of them in :( so its probably a mute point at this stage anyway: I should have bought it Friday at 11am when I was in there, they had 15 or so of them in stock - but hindsight is always 20/20 right :)
I've juggled my budget to allow for $1000 to spend, thats the maximum right now - plain and simple :o so I would still appreciate advice. (and any links if possible)
My requirements:
DVDRW drive
High contrast screen (Truebright, Crystal view, Ultrasharp - whatever the manufacture calls it... the screen that looks like a CRT screen)
15.4 MINIMUM. I'd like a 17" screen.
80gb HD MINIMUM
Dedicated video memory
Then of course there's the common sense stuff.... The faster the HD is the better, the faster the video is the better, the faster the cpu is the better, the more ram it has the better....etc...etc...etc... thats the part like I said above: Most people want the most for their dollar. Obviously I would rather spend $999 on a KILLER laptop, than $899 on a "decent" one :cool: