I'm Completely Torn (E1505 or dv6000t or other)...
Situation:
I'm a college student (Electrical Engineer, possibly Computer Engineer later). I'm a computer maniac (I've built about 7 in the last two years for friends and myself), but I've never owned or purchased a laptop. I'm also trying to pinch pennies. I'm torn between the two options below but I'm open to other suggestions. It should also be noted I want something fast, I don't like anything slow. I'm currently on an Intel 3.0GHz Processor w/ HT, and that's plenty fast. I'm not sure if processor speed matters so much on these new duo laptops or anything, but I've upgraded the processor to the max in both my considerations because I don't want to risk having anything slow.I don't know how easy it is to replace RAM in laptops so I'm going with 2GB so I don't have to manually upgrade when Vista comes out and it nerfs my laptop. I also dabble in online gaming (WoW, Cstrike, BF2, etc.) and online poker (multitabling), so graphics and high resolution is definitely a plus. Read the FAQ belows for more.Considered:
Dell E1505:Conclusions:Total After 25% Coupon: $1,270.50
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
- 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
- 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
- 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
- 80GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g
- 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
HP Pavilion dv6000tTotal (after mail-in rebate): $1,277.99
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7200 (2.0 GHz)
- 15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen
- 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7400
- 80GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Dell seems to be the better deal with a (marginally) better graphics card, a higher resolution monitor and longer battery life(?). The HP is prettier for sure but I'm not sure sure about the battery life or the 1280x800 limitations.FAQ:
The specs are nearly identical. Of the two, the Dell has the slightly better graphics card. But I would recommend the HP dv6000t, for its better build quality. Its graphics card can also play most games well, albeit at medium settings. I'm confused. The build quality is better? Doesn't that just mean it looks better? The slight GPU improvement is still an improvement...
and the higher res screen allows me to cover more area when I multitable (multiple windows at the same time) when I play more than one poker game at once (my desktop only allows a 1280x1024 resolution, netting me 3 to 4 games at a time maximum: any smaller would be kind of depressing). The higher res screen allows me to cover more area when I multitable (multiple windows at the same time) when I play more than one poker game at once (my desktop only allows a 1280x1024 resolution, netting me 3 to 4 games at a time maximum: any smaller would be kind of depressing).
Also, you mentioned quality, customer service, and looks. I don't need any customer service at all (it's not going to get stolen or broken or dropped or anything, I haven't broken anything electronic like that since my cellphone back in middleschool when I went swimming with it). I don't really care about looks as long as it isn't awkward or ugly (see the Zune for an example of awkward and ugly electronics). Quality is nice though.
You have the 12-cell battery selected on the HP. I think that will last longer than Dell's 9-cell. It does extend from the bottom of the notebook though.
If you're looking to pinch pennies, you may want to drop the CPU to a T5500 or T5600. I believe the Dell's 9-cell sits flush with the laptop according to the review. After what chrisyano said, I don't know so much about the HP sitting flush. That might be kind of ugly and a turn off.
And won't the lower CPU be noticeable in the near future? My 3.0GHz desktop runs great after all these years but stepping back down to a 2.0GHz processor worries me, let alone a 1.66GHz or 1.83GHz. But that would definitely lower the price for me by a factor of $100 or $200. I'd like some input on this area... Does the Core 2 Duo make these lower CPU Speeds negligible? I've researched on wikipedia some:
"Unlike NetBurst-based processors, such as the Pentium 4 and Pentium D, Core 2 does not stress designs based on extremely high clock speeds but rather improvements on other CPU features, including cache efficiency and number of cores." - Wikipedia on the Intel Core 2I believe the Dell E1505 doesnt come with a Webcam. Don't need a webcam for... Anything. At all. I might add bluetooth to the dell though ($10 or $15) so maybe it can retrieve the photos from my cellphone? That would definitely counterfeit the webcam. I've got a webcam on my desktop as well, so if I ever need one I DO have one.
Xioustic, did you apply the dell coupon? Yessir I did. That's the only way I could get the two laptops as competitors with nearly identical specs. Also why I'm looking at purchasing potentially today, as the 25% discount coupon dies today and I want to get the laptop shipped before Christmas rush.
Answer: I think you can get a 7200 rpm disk drive with the Dell laptop. If speed is what you need, may want to consider that minor upgrade.
Others may have a different view.
One other thing -- don't forget about Dell's student discount. You can knock another 2%-6% off the price (if you can combine it with the 25% coupon code, I think you can do that).