Question:
Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
how do these compare primarily in terms of:
1) Build Quality; and
2) Customer Support
I actually prefer the D820's 15.4" screen to the P100's 17" in terms of size, as well as the 7200 HD, but the P100's GeForce 7600 seems to be much better than Dell's NVS 120m, and I've heard great things about the quality of Toshiba's screens. I've had problems with Dells in the past, but I've heard that the Latitude line is better than the Inspirons. I've gotten them both down to around $1500, so I'd appreciate any advice you could give between the two. The rest of the info:
General Questions
1) What is your budget? Roughtly $1500
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
I'd prefer 15.4" over 17", but am ok with the 17".
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Moderate gaming, photoshop, web design
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Mainly leaving it at home, but occasionally traveling with it.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
BF2, Civ4
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Like I said above, I've narrowed to Dell or Toshiba based on balance of price and components.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
doesn't matter
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Buying online is great, I like to customize.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
US
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
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?
Doesn't matter
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Today; would like to last for 3 years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
80GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Yes DVD-RW
==========
END COPY
Thanks!
Answer:
Re: Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
They have different types of screens making it difficult to compare. Perhaps the HP nc8430 is a better solution.
Answer:
Re: Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
They have different types of screens making it difficult to compare. Perhaps the HP nc8430 is a better solution.
i second that, i'm getting the nc8430
Answer:
Re: Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
I agree with Zaz about the HP.
I think you would want to compare the Toshiba vs. the HP nc8430.
The Dell D820 is a nice rig but it's GPU probably isn't suitable for the games you want to play (at least based on the 3DMark 06 scores I have seen).
Jason
Answer:
Re: Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
Thanks for the replies. Like I said, I'm mainly curious which unit has better build quality and which company has customer support. Based on price, components I want, etc., I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two. I agree they aren't directly comparable, and they each meet slightly different needs for me, but I'm trying to see if one is particularly better built or has particularly better customer support. Thanks!
Answer:
Re: Dell D820 v. Toshiba P100?
My only experience with a Toshiba is with my brother-in-law's laptop which is about 18 months old and likely cost around $2,200 CDN (so I assume it would be a mid-priced model).
Don't know what model he has but he uses it for Excel/VBA stuff and with 1.5GB of Ram it has a tendency to get too hot and shut down despite the use of a chill mat.
I just got the Dell D820 for my wife on August 11.
She is taking graphic and web design starting in September and will be running Macromedia Suite (dream weaver, flash etc), Adobe Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator) and, I think, Maya (sp?).
I have run some temperature tests (using that i8k... program) while using Dream Weaver and it runs surprisingly cool even without the Antec chill mat (keep in mind that I don't actually know how to use Dream Weaver so maybe it wasn't a very good test).
Of course, none of this means that the build quality of one is necessarily better than the other.
As for customer service: haven't had to use it yet with the Dell so I don't know.
My BIL had to ship his Toshiba back to Ontario (from BC - I'm in Canada) twice. The service was incredible in that he was without his laptop for 2 days the first time and about a week the second time (keep in mind it is probably about 3,500 Km one way between BC and Ontario so that's pretty good).
I'm hoping that my wife's Dell won't need to test the warranty/customer service departments.
Still think you should check out the HP though.
And maybe the Asus Z96j - I was going to buy the Asus instead of the Dell but it is much easier to buy a Dell (and incredibly annoying trying to buy an Asus).
Jason