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New Laptop

post #1 of 20
2/21/06 at 3:38pm
Thread Starter 
I have a question about a laptop that I would like to purchase.

Ok, a bunch of questions.

First I want to know if this is a good system for what I need it for. I like video gaming and video editing. I am new to the editing part and for the most part the game that I play (yes, I only play one game) I normally play for my PS2. This computer is going to become my home computer, so my wife and I would use it for internet, mp3's and the like as well. Ok. Here it is.

Its a HP 8000 series
3.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 with HT technology
1.0 GB DDR RAM
256 ATI RADEON X600 Graphics Card
60 GB Hard Drive 7200rpm
DVD/CD Burner

And that should be pretty much it. I know that this is a fast processor, but is it going to heat up WAY too much? I don't want to have to get a new computer in a year because it got fried from getting too hot. Is the graphics card a pretty good card? I know it isn't the best, but would it be a decent card to get? I am basically looking for a computer to last me for a while, so hopefully you folks will be able to help me out. Thanks a lot.
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post #2 of 20
2/21/06 at 3:48pm
That's a nice machine... IIRC, it has the numeric keypad, which is my one gripe about the 9300 I got.

It is a little on the large size, but it should still fit on your lap... mine does !

My one worry about it is the P4 CPU... that will run hot. I thought the 8000s had Pentium M CPUs. Although the P-M CPUs have a lower GHz speed, they generally run much faster than the P4s... basically a 3.4GHz P4 is roughly equivilent to a 2 GHz Pentium M.

If you can get a 80GB/5,400rpm Hard drive for about the same price, you may want to consider that since it should perform similarly to the 60GB/7,200rpm one... the data density is higher despite the slower spin speed.

When you can, upgrade the memory to 2GB from newegg... it will reduce disk paging when you are editing video or doing anything disk intensive. Newegg is usually significantly cheaper than the OEM for upgrades. Just sell the leftovers on e-bay.

Good luck and have fun,
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post #3 of 20
2/21/06 at 4:01pm
Check out this review... it may help you.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2681
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post #4 of 20
2/21/06 at 5:10pm
For the price you can get better...

X600.. SUCKS BIG TIME! a x700 128MB gets double 3dmark05 score..

Battery, the zd8369 has awfull battery time

get a minimum 1.73GHZ Centrino (less heat, more speed, more battery time, more portability, lesse weight) and a X700
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post #5 of 20
2/21/06 at 5:21pm
ya the x700 256 mb will play any game on meduim settings.and that proccesor will heat up alot, buy a laptop cooler thing off newegg
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post #6 of 20
2/21/06 at 9:15pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your input!

Now let me ask you this. For about the same amount of money I could get a Dell Inspiron E1705 with these specs:

Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 7800

Would I

A: Notice a difference in run time from the battery
B: Would it still run pretty fast
C: Out-perform my current PC which has a P4 2.4GHz with 532 MB RAM
D: Is it comparable to the HP in the Original Post?


Thanks a lot for all of your insight, I really would like to make the right decision concering this laptop (or my wife would kill me)

Thanks!
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post #7 of 20
2/21/06 at 9:24pm
A: The hp will get an hour battery life, maybe 2. The dell will prolly get upwards of 3+ and run cooler
B: It will be very fast, the 2ghz plus dual core will make that computer scream.
C: It will obliterate the 2.4 p4 in terms of power. This with just 1 cpu. U on the other have 2 cores so it will feel ever more powerful.
D: It is better in every aspect than the HP, not only specs, but I think build and looks and be more future proof and run much much cooler.
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post #8 of 20
2/21/06 at 10:39pm
I agree with adinu; the Dell is by far a much better choice. There's not much of a reason to get a p4 in a notebook anymore. The other thing to consider is that the Dell will also be a lot quieter, relatively speaking, since P4s tend to require rather beefy and continuously active cooling systems. Finally, the 7800 is a much more powerful video card than the x600.
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post #9 of 20
2/21/06 at 11:09pm
that dell WILL KICKASS
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post #10 of 20
2/21/06 at 11:10pm
I agree with all the post here... I actually own a ZD7000, with a P4 3.06. Just sold it on ebay because.....
1 Runs Hot
2 Heavy
3 1 hour or less run time on a battery
4 Loud fans
5 Go5700 graphics not so hot anymore

Sold it and added a little cash and ordered a custom DV4000 w/ P M 2.0 and the x700, and the 12 cell battery, Now it will be lighter, faster, quieter, and game better, all while getting 5 hours battery life! My second choice was the Dell, but.... I wanted to go down to 15.4 on the screen to lighten up more, 17" is a little to much to carry around alot.
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post #11 of 20
2/22/06 at 8:38am
Thread Starter 
Again, thank you all for your wonderful input.

Looks like I'm going to go with the Dell. Everyone seems to agree that it is a better system, and I'm psyched that the graphics card is better too. I just have one question about the Duo Core processor. Its a 2GHz processor, so does that mean that there are two-1GHz processors, or two-2GHz processors? Also, do they ever work together or are they always parallel with each other? I also decided on getting a 9 cell Li-Ion battery to extend the battery life. Oh, and can anyone explain what is the difference between a 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz and a 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz? Is there a significant enough difference that would warrant a $140.00 increase in price? Thanks again for all of your input!
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post #12 of 20
2/22/06 at 11:15am
The core duo means theres 2 cpus each running at 2ghz. And yes, they work together, so when ur multitasking u have 2 cpus to do stuff, not just 1. Soon, tehre will be individual software that will take advantage of dual cores.

As for the memory, the second one is just faster than the other one, not much else there.
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post #13 of 20
2/23/06 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, now I'm back in a pickle, because now I noticed that another computer has gone on special through this website, and now they are about the same price. Both are Dells. The first one I posted just a little bit ago, this next one's specs are as follows:

XPS M170
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 760 (2 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
Featured Upgd-8xCD/DVD burner(DVD+/-RW)w/dble-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6800 Ultra
60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive

Would that be better than the other one I asked about, which is:

Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 7800

Is there going to be a huge difference in dropping down from the GeForce 7800 to the 6800 ultra? I looked up the Specs and they were pretty close, so hopefully not. Oh, and Adinu you're awesome because you're a Sabres fan too!! Thanks again everyone.
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post #14 of 20
2/23/06 at 3:27pm
The 6800 Ultra and the 7800 (non-GTX) have similar performance. Still, if those are the same price, I'd go for the E1705 over the M170. The 1705 weighs less, has a better processor and will be noticeably faster in multitasking, and will have longer battery life because of the Core Duo processor as well as because the 7800 consumes less power than the 6800 Ultra, which was notoriously power-hungry.
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post #15 of 20
2/23/06 at 4:55pm
Thread Starter 
well battery life isn't incredibly important to me, nor is multi tasking really. I'm looking for better overall performance for gaming and then just basic computing like internet, word processing, and limited video editing (newbie to the whole process) Assuming that, would you still choose the e1705?
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post #16 of 20
2/23/06 at 5:44pm
Yeah, I'd still go with the E1705. If you stick with the video editing, eventually software supporting multiple threads will be released, and dual-core will be better for that. Plus overall, if you're running more than one app at the same time, even if you don't multitask heavily, the E1705 will be a tad more responsive. Especially if you are, say, encoding a video in the background while browsing the internet, because the workload can be better distributed between the two cores.

Personally, I also find the M170's design and extravagant lighting (which I know you can turn off) to be a little over-the-top.
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post #17 of 20
2/25/06 at 10:21am
Thread Starter 
Well I finally ordered my laptop last night. I decided to go with the:

Dell E1705
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 7800

I think I'll be really happy with this machine, and hopefully it will last for a long time. Thank you everyone for all of your help, I could have picked a really bad notebook if it wasn't for you guys. Kudos!
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post #18 of 20
2/25/06 at 12:04pm
I hate these guys that come here and get it all over with in 5mins..

I can't eat, sleep or shit for two weeks now, and the only conclusion I made is I need core duo with 7800 gtx.

BUT THERE IS NO SUCH THING

I want to die in pleasure spiked with pain


Well... at least I can and as much as I want to till it comes

stop
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post #19 of 20
2/25/06 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by putty31
Well I finally ordered my laptop last night. I decided to go with the:

Dell E1705
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 7800

I think I'll be really happy with this machine, and hopefully it will last for a long time. Thank you everyone for all of your help, I could have picked a really bad notebook if it wasn't for you guys. Kudos!
Nice laptop choice!
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post #20 of 20
2/25/06 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck232
Nice laptop choice!
Ditto. That should be a great laptop for your applications. The M170 is a good choice if gaming is your primary use, but sounds like you will be doing more on your notebook and the core duo will be an advantage.
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