Question:
Budget Laptop as a gift
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
Under $1000 or as low as possible.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Simple tasks like Excel, email, web serving.
Powerpoint slides
Morphometric software (not sure how cpu intensive this is).
Some very light image manipulation
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it with you.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No games.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Just want to avoid brands that are unreliable.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4 hours or more.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Online or in person is fine.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Not sure.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Nice looking would be good but not a requirement. I guess looks are subjective though.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Several years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
60 Gb plus. 5400 rpm or faster.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Dual layer DVD writer.
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I looked at the list of candidates and noted the following candidates:
Dell e1505 $638
HP dv5000z $667
HP dv6000t $893
HP dv6000z $733
Compaq v5000t $791
Compaq V5000Z $763
Compaq V6000t $701
Compaq V6000z $768
Lenovo 3000 N100 $809
Deals are from the corporate discounts. In each of the case, I selected the cpu that's above celeron and sempron, 512 Mb of memory, a 15" screen that displays 1280x800, a GPU that's above Intel GMA 950, a 60 Gb or higher drive with 5400 rpm, 802.11b/g wireless with bluetooth, the bigger battery size (9 or 12 cell, etc).
I am edging toward the e1505 or the HP dv5000z because they seemed to be the best deal at the moment. Keep in mind that the primary user thinks her Pentium III laptop is OK, so I doubt even the entry level cpu would be too slow. However, I decided perhaps we could do better than sempron or celeron since I use her machine every once in a while. In addition, tech support is not that important either, since I am around to fix most problems.
What I like to know is the sturdiness and reliability of the machines above. Are Dells, HP/Compaq, Levono prone to breakage?
In addition, what do people think about insurance, accidental breakage, etc? Are they worth it?
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
Hello Paulisu, I would suggest either the dv6000t, or the dv6000z series. The dv6000z series is plenty fast with an amazing screen, the dv6000t is a bit faster however now that they have the Core 2 Duos. If you were just using the laptop for those applications I would suggest the dv6000z series with the Turion X2. HP also offers accidental breakage coverage for up to 3 years, at an extra cost however. If you are prone to breakage however it would certainly pay itself off however. Hope this helps, and good luck!
-Aaron
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
Except that the HP 6000 would be at least $100 more than the Dell e1505 and HP dv5000z. Is it that much better?
Paul
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
the build quality of hp's consumer line is definitely better the then the build quality of dell's consumer line. plus i hear dells standerd screens are pretty bad (not sure if thats on all models, i know their upgraded screens are usually fine, but ive heard complaints ont he base screens of some models)
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
I think the HP's are a cut above the other budget notebooks. If you want to tote this around quite a bit, you may wish to consider a 14" notebook. Something like the Compaq v3000t would fit. The screen resolutions is the same so you will see the same thing.
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
She wanted the 15" screen though.
Don't Compaq and HP suffer from weak hings?
Has there been problems with screen and build quality of Dell? Could someone with personal experience chime in.
On another note, I also looked at the Levono's, but decided that they were too expensive.
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
Since they have the same resolution you will see exactly the same thing irregardless of the size. Perhaps the Dell Latitude D620, a business class notebook, which tend to offer better quality. Can get some good deals at the Dell Outlet store, but your budget is kinda small for a business class notebook.
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
My father has a dell Inspirion with a 15" screen, when placed next to my HP the screen is a joke, I actually feel bad for him. Yeah there is that much of a difference lol
I have never had any problems with the hinges.....nor have I ever really heard of hinge problems.
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
OK, I eliminated the v5000 because it used the older 754 socket. Even though this is an entry level machine, I like to have some sort of expandability in the future.
Dell e1505 $773
HP dv6000t $893
HP dv6000z $733
Compaq V6000t $701
Compaq V6000z $768
Note that the earlier Dell price is a misquote, so I am now edging toward Hp dv6000z.
Answer:
Re: Budget Laptop as a gift
Wow, so many nice people on these forums lately buying laptops as gifts. I definitely don't know the right people ;).
I like the HP dv6000t for your needs.