Question:
Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
I would appreciate anyones help in working out which notebook would be better for my needs.
What tasks will you be performing with the notebook:
Used as a desktop replacement (I dont' have the cash for a Sager 5760 :)) when I move interstate (Australia) as I don't want to carry around a pc whilst between motels while finding a place to live. It will also be used as a tv so the Digital Hybrid Tv tuner is a must.
Gaming - BF2 etc...
Home Theatre PC (HTPC) - DigitalTv viewing/Recording, Watching DVD/DIVX, MP3's etc...
General use - Internet, Ms Office etc...
These are the two I have narrowed it down to within my budget and with the features I need:
Millennia 8002 (Rebadged Arima W810-DCX)
Processor: Intel Dothan Pentium-M 1.86Ghz 2MB Cache 533Mhz FSB
Ram: 1GB (2x512) DDR2 Sodimm Memory (min 533Mhz)
Video: Nvidia Geforce Go 6800 256MB
Screen: 17" WUXGA
HDD: 100GB 5400rpm IDE
Tv Tuner: Mini PCI Digital Hybrid HD TV Tuner with Remote Control
Pros:
- Video In (HTPC benefit at a later date)
- Optical Out (Another HTPC benefit
Cons:
- IDE HDD
- Pentium M
ASUS A7Jc
Processor: Intel Centrino Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz
Ram: 1024Mb DDR II
Video: 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
Screen: 17" WXGA+
HDD: 100GB 5400rpm SATA
Tv Tuner: Built-in TV analog and hybrid (analog + DVB-T)
Pros:
- SATA HDD
- Centrino Core Due
Cons:
- No optical Out (Not good for HTPC but can live without it)
- No Video In (Can live without it but I would prefer having it)
I guess the main thing I need advice is how much slower would the Millennia 8002 be for HTPC use as in recording digital tv to the HDD and playing it back and possibly encoding it to divx/xvid for later playback. My main concern is the IDE HDD and the Pentium M processor and if these will create a bottleneck for HTPC use and Gaming. If need be I could get a 7200rpm IDE HDD in the Millennia 8002 if that would be beneficial for HTPC use?
Another thing is how much difference is there between the performance of the Geforce Go 6800 256MB and the 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 for gaming?
What I am used to at the moment with Gaming is the following desktop machine:
AMD XP 3000+
1GB DDR Ram
SATA 7200 HDD
Nvidia Geforce 6600GT
How do you think these two would compare to my current system that scores 3747 in 3D Mark 05?
I would really appreciate if anyone could help me out with this and I keep looking at both of these and I can't decide which one to purchase. They are both within $50 of each other in cost.
Thanks
Steve
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
I would go for the Asus...I think it has a better graphics card in it and its Duo
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
Go for the ASUS, it newer with duo core chip
And i think X1600 is newer and better then Go6600
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
Go for the ASUS, it newer with duo core chip
And i think X1600 is newer and better then Go6600
It's a Geforce Go 6800 in the Millennia 8002 :)
I was under the impression that the Go 6800 was better than the X1600 from the Mobile Graphics Card Comparison Chart but that's why i'm asking as im unsure:
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
The Go6800 and the Radeon X1600 are roughly equal in performance.
These days, definitely go for a dual-core machine, skip over anything else. In this case, the Asus is a much better machine performance-wise, I would not even consider the other.
You can also take a look at the Dell E1705 or the HP dv8000t (Go7600 256MB) for other choices.
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
definitely get the asus particularly because it's dual core and SATA - these days you should avoid getting the pentium m if you can. feature-wise and for future-proofing, it's the better option.
Answer:
Re: Advice on deciding between 2 Notebooks
Thanks for all your help everybody. It looks like the asus is the one to get.
Cheers
Steve