Question:
HP or Dell or Toshiba?
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
E1,000 (~£673/$1,309)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Web browsing, instant messaging, CD/DVD playback, music/video downloading, CD/DVD burning, gaming, word processing, streaming media to Xbox 360, Windows XP Media Centre Edition.
I want a laptop that can effectively multitask with as little freezing, crashing and/or slowdown as possible
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
It will be in my room most of the time
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Football Manager 2007 and Company of Heroes
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I like HP Pavilion's, Dell Inspiron's and Toshiba Satellite Pro's
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
At least 2-3
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
UK & Ireland
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
d. WXGA or WXGA+
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte preferred, but if glossy comes as standard, no harm done
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, but build quality, durability and robustness are more important to me
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Next 3 weeks. Ideally 2 years at least
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
No less than 80, but 100+ ideally
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-CD/RW
17) Any minimum specs?
Core 2 Duo processor or best AMD equivalent, 1GB RAM, 128bit graphics card capable of handling Company of Heroes to an acceptable standard
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
CORE 2 DUO ALL THE WAY :D - AMD is good... but not this time around... well laptops have never been amd's strong point anyway.
I'd go with the HP Compaq business line... anything that starts with "n" (nx, nc, nw) and choose according to your purse, and performance needs...
light, infinite configurations, good performance, black business design.... :D
(i have the nx9420... HIGHLY recommended)
Take a look at Lenovo(IBM)... only choose from the old IBM lineup, not the new 3000 models.... can't go wrong with the T series...:)
Toshiba assembly is cheap and laptop, although powerfull, are not verry snappy... they tend to lag... driver support is quite good though (had a A100 and my older IBM was running circles around this model....)
Dell... well ... if you like big n' bulky, thick plastic, and low price... can't go wrong with this one... might also choose from the D820 line (business again, but hp has a better price/performance ratio )
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also take care of your eyes... choosing very high resolutions is not recommended
lower 1280x800
15 - the ALMIGHTY 1400x1050 IPS from IBM :D - might be kind of high for a 15 inch, but IPS is worth it
15.4 - 1440x900
17 - 1680x1050
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learned this from experience, plus... Apple has a research paper and recommends the same resolutions ( i like it when apple agrees with me :D )
1920x1200 on anything smaller than 19 inch is TOO SMALL TO READ... it will hurt your eyes.... plus 1920x1200 is too high for DVI (most laptops) and will run at half blanking.. not full...
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
Also take a look at the HP Pavillion line of notebooks. Its build quality may not be as good as its business counterpart, but the price and specs look just right for you.
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
Considering this is not the first FAQ that you fill out I'll try to recommend the HP nc8430 again (last time). It's an excellent business-class notebook with top notch build quality and it's only a few light years better than the notebooks you "like".
link to a great deal (call me if you find anything better)
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Hewle...ES/version.asp
Here is the picture of this offer since you didn't manage to use the link last time.
Good Luck
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
Much appreciated, thanks. No, this isn't the first FAQ I filled out, but I read over the one I filled out before and realised it was over-wordy, confusing, and n00bish basically. This one is more concise, and isn't as leading as the last one, I think. Thanks for your continued help anyway!
Noticing a very strong HP bent here, I must say. Interesting.
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
I agree with dreamer, for this kind of money and requirement the best deal out there right now is the HP nc8430 at laptopsdirect. Few others offer such a great combination of hardware and quality.
Answer:
Re: HP or Dell or Toshiba?
I'lll definitely check out HP's business class notebooks, as per yours and Dreamer's suggestions. I had only really considered their consumer Pavilion line beforehand, but I'll broaden those horizons. Certainly, it looks like HP is the clear winner, judging both by this thread and the general tone I've picked up on the forums.