Notebook...opinion plz

jumalian · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 7625 City: san diego

Which would you get?

Dell Inspiron 600m
$2,717

- Pentium M 1.6GHz 14.1 inch SXGA w/ ATI 64MB Video
- Windows XP Pro
- Microsoft Office Pro
- 512MB DDR, 266MHz 2 Dimms
- 40GB hard drive
- 4x CD/DVD burner
- Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 WLAN (802.11b, 11Mbps) miniPCI card Centrino Mobile Technology
- Dell TrueMobile 2300 (802.11b/g) Wireless Router
- RecordNow! and MyDVD Deluxe (burning software)
- Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch
- Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition
- 3yr at-home warranty
- McAfee Security Center w/ VirusScan, Firewall and Privacy, 90-day trial

or....

Hewlett-Packard Pavilion Notebook
$1,849.99 (minus $200 mail-in rebate)

- Pentium M 1.5GHz WXGA
- Windows XP Home
- 512MB DDR SDRAM
- DVD+RW/CD-RW drive; HP personal video recorder and InterVideo home theater software
- 15.4" widescreen display with 1280 x 800 resolution; S-video TV-out
- 60.0GB hard drive
- ATI Mobility RADEON 9200 graphics with 32MB DDR SDRAM video memory; built-in Harman/Kardon speakers
- 1 IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports; Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard (SD/MMC) digital media slot
- Included Software InterVideo WinDVD Creator; MusicMatch Jukebox; HP Image Zone; Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator; Windows Media Player 7.0, MovieMaker 2.0; Microsoft Money, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer; Quicken New User's Edition; Norton AntiVirus 2003 and more
- Free case

Tbonez · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 3:37 am Post subject:

I have had two Dells and three HPs in the last 4 years. The Dell laptops have all worked fairly well but the HPs have been Crap! The HPs have been in and out of the manufacturer constantly. Our company got a large account with HP and we switched all of our laptops over to them. It was a very bad move and we are still paying for it....You will laugh but the best laptop I have ever owned was a Gateway. You could run over that thing and it wouldnt die. The answer to your next question is NO im not employeed by gateway.

mc_driver · Criminal Joined: 24 Mar 2003 Posts: 84 City: SF Bay Area

Hey Joe,
Go with the Dell. I worked as a Dell Technician for a short period of time. Think of the price difference as being the cost of having peace of mind knowing your purchase is backed by Dell's World Class customer support. (Although you may be comparing apples to oranges - the Dell looks geared to Corporate and the HP to home/consumer).

Take Care,
Raleigh

Thor_717 · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 5:03 am Post subject:

I have been buying dells for both personal and business use for the past 6 years. I find them to work great and you do have a good warrenty with it. Think of it like this, when you have problems with your laptop you spend some time on the phone, if it is a hardware problem you get a tech out there to fix it next day. I have had a few HP's and Compaq's but they do not seem to last as long. If you want more of an oppion PM me.

Dutch · Addict Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 589

out of those 2 I'd pick the Dell.

Best laptop I've ever had was an IBM Thinkpad though. Hands down, a much better machine than the home user laptops (HP, Compaq, and Dell). The IBMs are business/corporate focused and I believe are better quality machines. Never had a problem with mine.

htownbdr · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 6:04 am Post subject:

I did a lot of shopping when I was picking out my laptop and finally went with the 600M. I have had no troubles with it.

I would recommend to get the additional battery though. The normal one lasts about 3 hours but you can double that with the additional battery. And, when you are using the wireless intenet, I have noticed the battery goes a bit faster so it is nice to have the extra one.

Tyler T · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 7:37 am Post subject:

what are you using it for?

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

jumalian, are you intentionally trying to get bent over on the price?

Seriously, of those two go with the Dell HANDS DOWN but work on pricing man!!! You should be under $2k for a decent laptop. You should see the Toshiba that Nor*Cal just got. He spent a hair under 2k and it's got all kinds of goodies like DVD burner, 3Ghz Pentium 4, 17" XGA TFT, 512k ram, 120gb HDD etc etc..

Here is a sidenote: Nor*Cal got his from Costco. Costco has a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee - so if the thing breaks down two years from now, you can take it back to Costco for credit....

Another sidenote: I have a Dell Inspiron 5000e at home from Y2K. Its a PIII 600 with DVD and 256k ram - the thing works error free at 4 years old.... (knock on wood)

jvanick · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 8:27 am Post subject:

Yup, the dells are awesome, we've been using them for 5 or 6 years now at the office here and they have seen their fair share of abuse...

kicked, dropped, beat to hell, and they still work.

Plus, if something does break, they come out to whereever you are at to fix it.

-J

nmballa · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 9:37 am Post subject:

ive never owned a dell laptop, owned one of their desktops. i was satified with it. Just picked up a powerbook g4 about four months ago. Im very happy with this machine. Bit pricey but i love it.

Shawn Madison · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 9:41 am Post subject:

jumalian, Dell-hands down!

I would however look into other options for these variables. You can find them cheaper/free elsewhere if that will make a big difference.

-Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 WLAN (802.11b, 11Mbps) miniPCI card Centrino Mobile Technology
- Dell TrueMobile 2300 (802.11b/g) Wireless Router
- RecordNow! and MyDVD Deluxe (burning software)
- Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch
- Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition
- 3yr at-home warranty
- McAfee Security Center w/ VirusScan, Firewall and Privacy, 90-day trial

**Also, look into getting someone who gets a corporate discount to purchase it for you.

***Check the Sunday Newspaper Ads. There is always a good Dell Flyer in there.

****Request info. from their site. It seems like they used to send a discount coupon to encourage you to buy.

jumalian · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 7625 City: san diego

Shawn, of the things you listed, the 3yr warranty and the Wireless Router are the only options...the rest come standard.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

jumalian, I think he was saying to ditch these options if at all possible - IF it will save you money.

You can buy them all elsewhere or do without them entirely.

Brandon Lee · Addict Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 532 City: Atlanta

The prcing on the dell seemed pretty high, like others have said, see if you can work a better deal.

Trip · Newbie Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 24 City: Houston, TX

Jumalian,

The problem with your question is that you are comparing a Dell business notebook with an HP consumer notebook. You should never buy any computer that is geared for consumer or home and home office use.

A better comparison to your Dell option is the HP Compaq nw8000 mobile workstation.

Jester · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 3:07 pm Post subject:

Stay away from HP. I just bought a new laptop over Christmas & started with the HP. The internet stopped working like a month later. When I called customer service the conversation went something like this:

"Okay sir, log onto the internet..."
"Hold up. My problem is that I can't log onto the internet."
"Okay. You need to log onto the internet."
"I just told you, I can't log on, that's the problem."
"Okay, find another computer & log onto the internet & download the patch from our homepage."
"What good does that do my laptop?"
"Well sir, if you'd like I can connect you to a service technician for $40."

I returned that piece of crap 10 minutes later & picked up a VAIO. NO WAY I'm payin' $40 just to talk to someone about something still under warranty!

I've never heard anything bad about Dell.

Dees · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 4:03 pm Post subject:

you should take a look at www.buympc.com laptops

MPC Transport T2100
$2149

Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Pro SP1 (T2100)
Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz Processor
512MB 266MHz DDR 2 SO-DIMM
60GB 9.5mm Hard Drive (5400RPM)
DVD/CD-RW COMBO DRIVE.TRANSPORT T2100
Integrated 56K v.90 Modem
Integrated 10/100 LAN
Integrated Biometric Fingerprint Scanner
NBK Optical USB Mini-Mouse 2 Button Scroll
Microsoft Office XP Small Business
Nylon Carrying Case
NB 1ST-3RD YR Depot Repair Parts & TS (T2)

or

MPC Transport X1000
$2249

Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional SP1
2.20GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor -M
512MB 266MHz DDR 2 SO-DIMM
40GB 9.5mm Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive for TransPort X1000
Floppy Drive for TransPort X1000
ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB Video Graphics 4x AGP
Integrated 56K v.92 modem
Integrated 10/100 LAN
Integrated Biometric Fingerprint Scanner
NBK Optical USB Mini-Mouse 2 Button Scroll
Microsoft Office XP Small Business
Nylon Carrying Case
NB 1st-3rd yr Depot Repair, Parts & TS (X)

I might even be able to get you a 15% discount

nick e[V]ans · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 4:04 pm Post subject:

Jester, thats just stooopid, how people expect customer loyalty when they treat them like crap is beyond me

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Uhm, I just looked a www.costco.com - seriously man, this is where I would start...

Check out this Toshiba: http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=subcat%2Easp&catid=84&subid=1674&hierid=1675&log=&NavTop=

BurkeViper · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 4:11 pm Post subject:

chavez-y-chavez, is Costco nation wide or is it just located in CA and AZ?

Dragonlady8 · Guest

chavez-y-chavez, Costco can get you a better price because they are about 6mos-1yr behind the current electronic products.
How do i know that?? The Friendly 1hr Costco photoguy told me Mr. Green

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Dragonlady8, P4 3.06ghz is right with the times. Cool

BTW: My wife works there Wink

BurkeViper, nationwide.

jumalian · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 7625 City: san diego

By the way, I should point out that I want Centrino.

Dragonlady8 · Guest

chavez-y-chavez, You win....but that's cheating. Sleeping with someone to get insider information.
Wait a sec Shocked

How did your wife get a job with Costco in CA. Colorful

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

jumalian, why Centrino? What are you going to use it with/for?

BTW: She just told me that the no-questions asked policy for computer equipment is only 6 months. Embarassed

Dragonlady8 · Guest

chavez-y-chavez, That was also told to me by the Friendly 1hr PhotoGuy.
I knew that 2 yrs ago.......
Maybe you don't the advantage Laughing

salmon_tacos · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 4:54 pm Post subject:

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

My laptop has a bigger screen than yours haha...

jumalian · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 7625 City: san diego

chavez, Centrino 'cause I want to be able to do work wherever I want to...home, work, gf's, family's, etc.

salmon tacos, yes, Centrino has the Pentium M. As for wireless cars, it's integrated..built in.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

My wireless card is integrated. But I don't have centrino. What does centrino do that is so special?

I can use my laptop anywhere there is a wireless network that gives me access.

jumalian · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 7625 City: san diego

More efficient, longer battery life...

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

BFD... haha

I have about 3 hours of battery with my 17" widescreen and Pentium HT. Not the best but it's more of a desktop replacement. Plus I have an inverter that fits the 12V in the car if I need to charge it on the road.

Go with the Pent-M then.

Sportster4Tec · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 5:38 pm Post subject:

Jumalian i just went on www.dell.com and configured your exact notebook without the record now and dvd software and XP Home instead of Pro for only $1,990. Where did you get the price of $2,700?

Centrino like jumalian said is a much more efficient notebook processor. It uses a lot less power since they are only 1.4-1.8 ghz, but give you pretty much the same performance as the p4's. They are also much more wireless internet ready.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

salmon_tacos · Posted: Mar 16, 2004 5:44 pm Post subject:

Centrino includes the Pentium-M processor, a specific chipset, and an Intel wireless adapter. The main thing that matters is the processor. It uses a whole lot less power than a normal Pentium 4. The chipset is of marginal importance and the wireless card is pointless. By grouping these things together under the "Centrino" brand, Intel hopes to grab extra market share in the wireless networking arena. Don't buy into the B.S.

The whole thing is really pretty annoying because even some companies that sort of ignored the whole Centrino thing at first, in favor of better or cheaper wireless hardware, are giving in, probably because consumers are buying the B.S. and looking for the Centrino brand.