Question:
Help me not waste my money?
This site has been really helpful! Maybe someone can help me determine if I'm making a good choice with a Compaq I found? First here are my answers to the FAQs:
1) What is your budget? Under $1000
2) What size notebook would you prefer? Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Mostly internet (I tend to have lots of windows open at once), Excel, Word, opening Adobe files, maybe some uploading pictures (a digital camera will be my next 21st century purchase, once I pay off the computer!)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? It will mostly only move around my apt, maybe to work once in a while.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? No, no need for gaming specs
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? Id like a company that has good customer svc available
7) How many hours of battery life do you need? Not sure, will probably be plugged in usually
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? Nope
9) What country are you buying this in? USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Dont care
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer? My current computer is set to 1024x768 and that looks fine to me.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? I think a matte screen
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? No, just nothing really ugly
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? Id like to buy it somewhat soon and I would sure like it to last as long as possible! I'm really concerned about buying something that will quickly become obsolete.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB? Not sure what I need
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? At least a DVD and a CD/RW
I read up on RAM and processors etc. on this site and put together the following configuration for a Compaq V5000Z. Any comments or suggestions would be GREAT. I have my Office XP CDs from my desktop and I understand I can use them on a new computer (as opposed to paying for Office again)...
The price with rebates for this was under $800.
Compaq Presario V5000Z customizable Notebook PC
ES188AV
Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
AMD Turion(TM) 64 ML-34 (1.8GHz/1MB L2 Cache)
15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
32MB ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M
512MB DDR SDRAM (1x512MB)
80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
FREE Upgrade to 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/125HSM!!
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Works/Money
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
THANK YOU!
Answer:
Re: Help me not waste my money?
the compaq is not a good choice. with your budget, you should get the core duo processor, currently the best out there. my suggestion would be either the dell e1505 with the dell coupon codes or the hp dv5000t.
Answer:
Re: Help me not waste my money?
I've heard some negative things about dells lately so I would lean toward your HP suggestion. What makes you say Compaq isn't a good choice?
Does the memory I had selected look good for my needs? Or should I splurge for 1 GB? I know there's SDRAM, DDRAM, RDRAM... Should I worry about which one I get? And I chose the 80 GB Hard Drive because it was the only one that was at 5400 RPM. Is that a good choice?
Thanks!
Answer:
Re: Help me not waste my money?
OK, all RAM these days is SDRAM of some form or another...be it DDR, DDR2, or standard SDRAM. You can't buy anything new with standard SDRAM or the barely-used, now mercifully defunct RDRAM anymore, and all modern Intel machines use DDR2 while AMDs typically use DDR - so just basically faster clocks = better within one type of RAM. And yes, you should definately get at least 1GB in this day and age.
Dells in my experience have better build quality than Compaq/HP machines, too - I've never owned an HP that didn't break at least once (and often multiple times) in some way or another (bad components, faulty cases, cheap screens, you name it) - and I've owned 4 HP PCs (because my family likes them, don't ask why - I have no idea). Conversely, my I9300 has been pretty problem-free.
So I second the Dell e1505 suggestions - better GPU, better processor, better build, and better price - sounds like a winner to me.
Answer:
Re: Help me not waste my money?
Thanks for the info. Yeah I tried to upgrade my desktop's tiny memory only to find out it uses the rare (and therefore super-expensive) RDRAM!
The only reason I'm cautious about Dell is that I've heard people have had major problems with their customer support. Gateway cust. svc. has been great for me (I have unlimited phone support which I haven't seen anyone else offering?), but it sounds like things are pretty uncertain for that company in the near future.
But I'll check out the Dells. I guess crummy customer support isn't such an issue if you don't have to use it as often...!
Answer:
Re: Help me not waste my money?
if you have warranty, you should be able to get the 24/7 customer support. the reason i say the dell would be better is because the turion processor is much slower than the core duo. it seems like a waste to go with old technology when you can easily afford new technology for approximately the same price with the dell coupons.