Question:
Compaq V3000z or Gateway MX3410?
I have been looking at cheap notebooks that are Windows Vista Premium Ready and have found the Compaq V3000z and Gateway MX3410 (both with AMD Turion X2 processors and nVIDIA chipsets). Both are currently available at Future Shop and Best Buy.
My budget is about $800 CAN.
However, I can't decide which to get. The Compaq V3000z has a slightly better design and marginally better IGP graphics (it has the nVIDIA 6150 compared to the Gateway's 6100). The Gateway notebook is about $200 cheaper but has a slower and smaller HD (4200rpm), and less RAM.
I have a bunch of questions.
Should I wait a bit longer until the prices of these laptops go down? Does anyone think prices will go down by let's say October-December '06? Should I wait for a preloaded Vista laptop, or upgrade later? Will Vista come preloaded with laptops such as these immediately after it is realeased (I don't want to wait any longer than I have to)?
Thanks for the help.
Answer:
Re: Compaq V3000z or Gateway MX3410?
Well I have been looking at Compaqs online and it looks like you could get it cheaper if you customise it at hp.com. Also you might get free shipping or a free printer out of it. Just a thought if you get the Compaq. I personally trust Compaqs a little bit more than Gateway, but that is just me.
Answer:
Re: Compaq V3000z or Gateway MX3410?
I wouldn't count on Vista preloaded until January at the earliest.
There's a very noticible difference between a 4200RPM HD and a 5400RPM HD. Between that, the RAM difference, and the GPU... I'd lean towards the Compaq, but for +$200 it's a tough call.
Outside of weekly sales at retail I don't expect any significant pricing changes for the rest of the year.
Answer:
Re: Compaq V3000z or Gateway MX3410?
The AM2 Sempron is 64-bit capable, if this is what you are looking for. I don't think it is available in Canada yet, but you can try cross border shopping. I guess there is a small chance the Gateway model may drop to your price target this year (taxes extra) because of competition from Acer and possibly Dell.