Question:
My First Notebook.
Hi everyone,
This is going to be my first notebook purchase. I have strictly been a desktop user ever since I started using computers 8 years ago. Now, for first time I need a notebook which could replace my desktop, Intel P4 2.8 mhz with 80 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, ATI 9600 Pro 128 VCard or better yet be more powerful than my desktop. I am going to be using the notebook mostly for surfing net, playing high end 3D games (Battlefield 2, HLF2 and so on) and occasional photo editing, Software/Web Development and word processing.
I have narrowed down my choices to HP ZD8210...
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...2AD984DEE18A4E
Since this is a big financial purchase for, I figured It would be wise of me to ask for advice and suggestions for other models before going for HP ZD8210...
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
Well, the zd8000 is a great notebook, but I'd recommend something else for playing today's latest games. The video card, an X600, is very similar in performance to your desktop's card - you may want something a little more powerful for the next-gen games.
I would suggest looking at a Dell i9300 - the Go6800 in there makes it an excellent gaming laptop, plus, for probably about the same price as the HP.
Happy buying! :cool:
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
I think for around the same price you could get the Asus Z71v with the NVidia 6600 go card, but it is only a 15" screen. The Pentium M is a much better notebook CPU. It runs cooler and notebooks with it tend to weigh less. If you are looking for a 17" model, the Dell 9300 with 6800 go card is a good option. The only better card right now is the 6800 Ultra found on the XPS and a few botique rigs. Good Luck.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
Hey guys, thanks for the reply.
So, i have looked at both Dell 9300 and Asus Z71V. Dell 9300 is $1400 CND not including 6800 Vcard thou. The standard comes with a low-end card and if you want nVidia 6800 card, that's another $200 upgrade (that's what i saw on www.dell.ca). As for the Asus Z7IV, it only comes as a base model, no memory/CPU. At least that’s what i see when I go ASUS affiliates who sell their notebooks.
I want my notebook to be able to last at least 3 years and should be able to play the latest games. I don't know if X600 be able to handle Battlefield 2 and it's future mods and upgrades. Is nVidia 6600 faster than ATI X600?
The thing about HP ZD8210 is that, I can get employee discount on it. It's at around $1700 CND not including tax and i can get it for about $1500 including tax.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
The 6600GO is a little under twice as powerful as the X600 - aka it blows it's pants off. :p
If you want to see how well an X600 performs in games, well, you can look at the desktop X600 Pro and see what that gets.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
Z71v has the 6600GO but it comes with no CPU. What's up with that? I can't find any canadian site that has the fully price of this machine with all the parts included. I might just go with this.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
It's a barebone, AKA you build it yourself. Usually, barebones don't include a CPU, Hard drive, or memory, or anything else that is user upgradeable.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
Ah, a fellow Canadian shopper!
Unless you're restricting yourself to brick & mortar retailers, I would broaden your search. Like someone mentioned, the Asus z71v is a good choice.
However, the HP model you linked is $1700CDN, and for that budget I would definitely consider the z71v's big brother, the z70va. Compared to the z71v, it has a comparable video card (x700 vs. Go 6600), much better build quality (carbon fiber vs. plastic, plus it just looks cooler :)), and a better screen (the z71v is rumored to have some sort of "sparkle" effect).
Both of these models are available in customized configs (not barebones) from CanadaSys.
The z70va is a much better machine than the HP in terms of specs. The HP has a desktop P4 processor, which runs hot and kills the battery. The HP's video card is only an x600, which is approx. half as fast as the z70va's x700. For the same price, you can get the z70va with a Pentium M processor, better video card, and throw in an extra 512MB stick of RAM to boot. Besides the specs, the Asus has quite a strong reputation for build quality and reliability. I don't know if the same could be said for HP.
My opinion, you'd be crazy to buy the HP over the z70va :D. I've done a lot of research for myself, and am this close to ordering a z70va. The only hang-up would be the price, but your budget is already there, so go for it!
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
Hye thanks great advice...
The z70va sure looks apealing in terms of specs and visually. I am gonna have a closer look at both models z70va and z71v and compare it to HP ZD8210 once i get home..thanks again. Please let em know if there anythir models you think that might fit here.
Answer:
Re: My First Notebook.
You can configure one here:
http://www.canadasys.com/laptopasus.htm