Question:
HP zt3000 vs Dell Inspiron 8600
I'm looking at these 2 machines (HP zt3000 and Dell Inspiron 8600) for a very good general purpose - can do anything laptop - virtual desktop replacement. Looking for Pentium M (probably 2.0Ghz), 1GB memory, fast hard-drive (preferably 7200RPM), and very good graphics card.
So I'd like to hear what others have to say about my concerns/issues with each:
HP Plusses:
*) BrightView available (is this a positive?)
*) Probably better sound
*) Has Parallel port and Infrared port and an extra USB port
HP Negatives:
*) 7200RPM drive NOT avail
*) No 128MB Graphics card avail
*) Higher Price
Dell Plusses:
*) Price is less with the current 25% coupon
*) 7200RPM 60gig drive
*) 128 ATI 9600
Dell Negatives:
*) Appears generally not as reliable as the HP?
General Issues:
1) Not sure BrightView is a plus - isn't that just asking for a ton of glare??
2) Comparison of the 64MB ATI Radeon 9200 and either the 64MB NVidia Go5200?
3) If I get the Dell is the ATI 9600 worth the $48 upgrade over 64MB NVidia Go5200?
4) Any other comparisons I'm missing?
5) Any suggestions of other notebooks to look at instead?
Thanks!
Answer:
Since I haven't gotten any responses -- How about throwing the Dell Inspiron 9200 in the mix?
Which is best:
9200 Plusses:
*) Not much more than a comparable 8600 with the 25% coupon
*) Bigger screen - mostly a plus
*) 7200RPM 60gig drive
*) 128MB ATI 9700
*) 4 USB ports
*) DVI interface
*) Better sound than 8600?
9200 Negatives:
*) BUILD TIME - it will take a month to get one!!!
*) Weight - but mobility isn't the biggest issue for me
I'd probably go with the Dell 9200 - except for that build time!!! Anybody had recent experiences where the 9200 came quickly - or is it even shipping yet??
Answer:
no, unfortunately 9200's arent shippin yet. But in your case, i would go for it, because is the best desktop replacement out there that is centrino. Others are p4's with Nvidia Geforce Go6800 but are $$ and 10 + pounds. Yes, the 9200 is the best for its buy i would think
Answer:
o, and brightview i dont think is a plus. Dell has Ultrasharp, but i'm not sure if that is the same thing. My desktop 15 inch lcd is equipped with ultrasharp and it works wonders for me.
Answer:
i got both 8600 (2.1Ghz) and zt3000 (1.7 Ghz).
apart form what is said on papers, issues like heat and noise should also be well considered. from my experience, hp is a better choice.
hope it helps
Answer:
How about this:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=4670357/blsrt=1
Its got the Pentium M, dvd burner 128Mb ATI card, SXGA resolution etc. It sounds like you are interested in gaming. One should note that the graphics card is more important when gaming than the CPU. A 1.6Ghz should be more than enough juice to surf, do office, listen to mucis or whatever. If you want the 2.0Ghz, it is the TravelMate 8006. It starts around $2.5K. Whatever notebook you do get, it is often cheaper to upgrade the hard drive yourself than buying it from the maker. Dell charges $150 to upgrade to 7200Rpm hard drive which ironically is around the same price for the drive as on Pricegrabber. Then you'd still have to old drive left over to either throw in an external usb case for backups or sell. I would consider it pretty easy to swap the drives. It takes around 15 minutes, then you have to re-install the Operating System. If you are set on getting either the HP or Dell, I would agree the HP is the better option at least in terms of quality and support.
I know things, things that could get me killed
Answer:
POOHEAD.
Why do you like the zt2000 better? I like the compact size of the Hp, personally. How does batterry life compare?