Question:
Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
$800 +tax (if in-store)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
I'll be doing general school things, some light audio and picture editing plus watching dvd's, music, but I like multitasking
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I'll probably travel with it occasionally, but it would probably be sitting on my desk considering I have a desktop already
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
I'm not a computer gamer, but i'll probably be playing regular partypoker or pogo kind of games
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I'm looking at Dell and Compaq right now, but since I have a Compaq desktop and haven't had any problems with it, and hearing about the leakage at the bottom of the Dell screens, I'm tipping towards Compaq
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4-5 will be alright
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
I'll rather see it and touch it before buying it and would also be nice knowing I can return the notebook to a store with no problems if I have problems with it. On the other hand I take a risk of buying a Dell but only if I get a good deal on it
9) What country are you buying this in?
US
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
I'll prefer a widescreen, but I would not mind having a standard screen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
It doesn't matter because from what I've read, you can buy protective detachable screens
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Somewhat but not picky on that aspect
14) How long do you want this laptop to last?
3-4 years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
At least 60GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
A DVD-RW would be nice, but a regular CD-RW DVD-ROM combo it's fine
I've been reasearching notebooks within my budget and i've found couple but right now, I'm looking at Compaq Presario V2665US and a customizable Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
To give you an idea I'll post the specs for those 2
Compaq Presario V2665US: $770 +tax CircuitCity (in-store only)
-1.8GHz AMD Turion 64 Mobile processor ml-34 with PowerNow!, up to 1600MHz system bus, and 1MB L2 cache
-1024MB DDR SDRAM (2 DIMM) 333MHz
-ATI Radeon Xpress 200M IGP with 128MB DDR (shared)
-14" BrightView WXGA high-definition widescreen
-double-layer DVD±R/RW and CD-RW combo drive with LightScribe
-120GB (4200RPM) Hard Drive
-54g 802.11b/g WLAN with 125HSM/SpeedBooster and BroadRange support & Bluetooth
-6-in-1 integrated Media Reader
-3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, 1 notebook expansion port 2, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin), 1 headphone-out, one microphone-in
-Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector); high speed 56k modem
Customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core: $834 with Dell coupon (free shipping)
-Intel Core Duo T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
-14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp TFT Display with TrueLife
-512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
-Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
-80GB Sata Hard Drive
-Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
-8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
-Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
I just have some questions:
-What's the difference between 1.8GHz AMD Turion 64 Mobile processor ml-34 L2 Cache, and Intel Core Duo T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB), and is it noticeable for my needs?
-What's the difference between 1024MB DDR SDRAM (2 DIMM) 333MHz and 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM, specially what does the 333MHz and 533MHz mean?
-Do you guys think it's a good sacrifice going from the 1024MG RAM to a 512MG RAM considering the dual core on the Dell notebook?
What do you guys recomend, or is there another option within my budget?
Being a notebook beginner, i'll really apreciate your opinions and suggestions
Thanks in advance
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
I will recommend your
Customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core: $834 with Dell coupon (free shipping)
-Intel Core Duo T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
-14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp TFT Display with TrueLife
-512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
-Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
-80GB Sata Hard Drive
-Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
-8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
-Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
but with a few modifications.
With what you plan on doing, get the 1.66GHz Core duo. You wont notice any difference.
You did mention that all you need is a cd-drive, anything plus is just luxury. So, downgrade.
Same with the hard-drive.
This should make the price closer, or even lower than the compaq, for a much better overall system.
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
but how bad is the difference between an Intel Core Duo and a AMD Turion 64 M-34?
and also what's the difference between 333MHz AND 533MHz, i mean does it make a lot of difference?
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
the difference between core duo and turion is pretty noticeable. the core duo is on average 20% better than a single core processor. i also think that between 333 and 533, the difference will be noticeable (though 533 and 667 would be less so).
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
Thanks, I guess your right, it's just that the double RAM and the double Hard drive would counter weight the dual core
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
well, if you have a costco membership, i would suggest you get the compaq v2000z from there. this is b/c they have a 6 month full refund policy. so you could try it out, if it works for you, you can keep it. if not, you can return it. also, note that the hd for the compaq is 4200 rpm, which is somewhat slow.
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
but the Dell has a 5400 rpm hd so does that make a real difference?
Answer:
Re: Compaq Presario V2665US or a customized Inspiron E1405 Dual Core
i would say that going from 4200 rpm to 5400 rpm would make a noticeable difference. probably more than having an hd twice the size would have.