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Dell latitude D810 vs. HP nc8230

post #1 of 11
9/6/05 at 2:58am
Thread Starter 
I'm having a little trouble deciding between the two...keep flipping back and forth a bit. They both have a 15 inch widescreen and trackpoint (necessities). The HP is nice and light, with exposed speakers, but I've heard the speakers are a little dim. They're not exactly the most flexible with the custom configurations on their website either. And I've heard soem REALLY horrific stories about trying to actually get one...

The Dell is a bit thicker, but can be had with SXGA+ a little cheaper (also is available with faster RAM..dual channel too). However, it's short by 1 "mouse" button and supposed to be a pound heavier. Also, while the speakers are supposed to be better quality, it looks like they're stuck in the front of the thing (not the best position when holding the machine on one's lap) even though there's some wierd looking grills on the sides of the keyboard. And it doesn't appear that Dell is running any super-great deals on Latitudes, so I'd probably end up waiting.

Anyone had experience with both machines? The worst part is there's no way I can try either one for "feel" first, since no one around here carries either one. I'm currently using a Thinkpad T42p, which is nice enough, but it's only a 14 inch XGA (keyboard feels GREAT though) which is kinda cramped. I miss having a widescreen..before the IBM I had an HP zd7000. The screen was droolworthy, but I couldn't stand the touchpad, and when I started needing to actually CARRY my laptop places and run on battery....well, just wasn't gonna happen on that thing.
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post #2 of 11
9/6/05 at 4:07am
I tought T42p comes only with high resolution screens, SXGA+ on 14.1" and UXGA on 15".

Anyway, let me tell you that I feel exactly like you right now. I recently purchased the T41p but have mixed feelings about it.

First, oh, I love that keyboard and the trackpoint is fantastic too. Seem like small details but, hey, on a laptop the input devices are important because you can't simply go and change them.

The idea is that, after purchasing the T41p, the M60s should go (because I am also building a desktop). However, I don't think I like the T41p so much to get rid on the M60.

Yes, the keyboard is spongy and yes, the mouse trackstick buttons fade with time but.... WSXGA+ is simply gorgeous and the 9600 Pro Turbo is still adecuate for today games and such. I have the full kit, with docking station, secondary hard drive module, external bay, modular bay battery and so on and I am starting to think that there is no laptop that even comes close to such big functionality. Even the new M70 doesn't have the D/Bay connector plus the M60 has firewire and serial ports built in.

The screen on the Dell is simply much better. The colors seem to be a little washed out in the T41p and the view angles very restricted. That might improve battery life but hey, I am not going to give up on a good screen to gain 10m of usage.

I recently ran out of space (even with 140GB) and guess what? I am thinking about adding a Serial ATA PCI card to the docking station to get desktop capacity (and performance, because USB drives are usually available instead). With two external ports I can add like 600GB of space wich "should be enough", at least until they sell cheap RAID 5 racks

The point? Stay with your IBM. Yes, the IBM. You already have pretty much the best of the market and you are going to be sorry if you trade that input devices. That laptop has wonderful battery life, wonderful input devices and very good system performance already. Remember that I have both and my dilemma is not to get rid on the IBM but if to keep or not one of the Dells.

If you insist to upgrade, let me consult my oracle:

"Hmmm, the oracle says, Z60M".

Z60M? Yes, the new IBM with 15.4" WSXGA+ screen, ATI X600 and all of what you have learned to love from IBM. Extreme drooling indeed.

It is scheduled to come out this month or so. Since IBM's PC division is now part of Lenovo expect lower than premium prices usual for IBM.
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post #3 of 11
9/6/05 at 7:33am
Thread Starter 
Probably not cheap enough...I bought the T42 when I was an IBM contractor, and got a $900 discount on the sucker. basically, i could sell it now after a year and still make a profit. Besides, yes, the screen is XGA and it is most DEFINITELY getting on my nerves.

But the part that gets on my nerves worse? you can't buy track-point laptops in stores anymore...they're limited to Dell and HP buisness lines mostly, and stores here only carry HP/Compaq consumer-level boxes. Which sucks.

Incidentally, it's basically a desktop replacement...if I need to do heavy duty processing I have a fileserver/PVR box that I termserv into. Most of the "desktop" stuff I do doesn't require a super video chip or massive amounts of processing power. But I DO need more than 1024x768 of screen space, especially when I boot to Linux.

But yeah, maybe I'll see how this z60m looks..not that I'll be able to try THAT one for feel either. But we'll see how the specs/pricing work out versus the Lat D810 and the HP nc8230. When it comes out I'll get someone to edit the topic title
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post #4 of 11
9/6/05 at 5:08pm
Then yours is T42, not 'p'. However, it is perfectly possible to swap the screen for an SXGA+. The jump from XGA to SXGA+ is much more worthy than the jump from SXGA+ to WSXGA+.
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post #5 of 11
9/6/05 at 5:33pm
I've worked on an xw8240 which is a more powerful system but based on the same chassis. I was extremely impressed with the features they packed into such a lightweight (relatively) and slim system. The build quality was also quite good, much better than any Latitude I've seen recently. I have not, however, worked with the particular Latitude you referenced so I can't speak to it directly.
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post #6 of 11
9/7/05 at 5:49am
I can't recommend Dell D810 to anyone, since it's lacking an internal microphone. Using the computer as a mobile phone is too important today. Sure you can add a microphone to an USB port or to the mic-in port, but it adds more hassle.

So: nc8230 all the way just because of this one issue.
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post #7 of 11
9/7/05 at 5:56am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommi
I can't recommend Dell D810 to anyone, since it's lacking an internal microphone. Using the computer as a mobile phone is too important today. Sure you can add a microphone to an USB port or to the mic-in port, but it adds more hassle.

So: nc8230 all the way just because of this one issue.
Why would I need to use my laptop as a phone? I have a Treo600 for that
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post #8 of 11
9/7/05 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by npaladin2000
Why would I need to use my laptop as a phone? I have a Treo600 for that
Because I and my friends call relatives around the world all the time, and Internet telephone is free. Of course, if you don't use your computer as a phone for international calls, you don't have much to lose then.
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post #9 of 11
9/8/05 at 5:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommi
Because I and my friends call relatives around the world all the time, and Internet telephone is free. Of course, if you don't use your computer as a phone for international calls, you don't have much to lose then.
Ok, I see....Internet calling isn't free here, because the phone companies are trying to have Voice over IP declared illegal or something. Anyway, it's not something I'd use much outside of Yahoo messenger..my cellphone gives me free calling across the US, which is a lot of territory. And I chat more with Asia than Europe, and they're all at work so no VOIP.
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post #10 of 11
9/8/05 at 7:09am
Can't you use Skype for free Internet phone calls?
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post #11 of 11
9/8/05 at 7:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommi
Can't you use Skype for free Internet phone calls?
I could except that I don't know anyone who uses it. All of my friends out in Asia/Pacific only get online from work and would get fired if they used Skype. Everyone else I talk to is in the US. So who would I use it with? Why would I use it?

Besides, I have a headset/mic anyway, which I'd always use with anything resembling a "phone call." That sort of setup offers better sound quality anyway.
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