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HP nc8000 versus the Dell i8600 ?!? Opinions needed!

post #1 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:28am
Thread Starter 
It looks like it is down to these 2 laptops for me as no one else seems to build a better unit for the same price/specs! I have spec'd them both out almost exactly the same. The Dell is $336 cheaper. I am going to list each units specs/prices and my concerns for each.

i8600:
PM1.7 centrino
15.4" (16:10) wsxga+ lcd
windows XP professional + small business
free turbo tax (wow)
512 MB ram - 1 stick
DVD+RW/R 4X
60 GB 7200rpm HD
72WHr primary battery
48WHR secondary battery in mod bay
integrated 10/100 network card/modem
dell truemoblie 802.11 a/b/g miniPCI card
bluetooth
3 year warranty
$2826 after $250 mail in rebate


nc8000:
PM1.7 centrino
15" TFT sxga+WVA lcd
windows xp professional + small business
512MB ram - 1 stick
DVD+RW optical (?X write speed)
60 GB SMART 5400 rpm HD
8 cell primary battery
multibay battery @ 3.6 AHr
10/100/1000 gigabit NIC
802.11 a/b/g miniPCI card
bluetooth
3 year warranty
$3162 after 8% repeat customer discount

i8600 pros/cons vvvvv

cons:
15.4" widescreen wsxga+ has questionable build quality issues
widescreen not my top choice (prefer 4:3)
LCD not WVA (wide viewing angle)
only 10/100 NIC
shorter battery run time (correct?)
heavier and bigger (weight/width) than nc8000
questionable overall build quality
questionable touchpad/pointstick
inferior sound/speakers to nc8000

Pros:
faster HD rpm over nc8000 (7200 vs 5400)
$336 cheaper than nc8000
*possible* faster DVD+RW speed than nc8000 (anyone know for sure?)

O.k., long post - but I really need some good opinions about which way I should go here as I am going to pull the trigger soon. Take into consideration that I would prefer the 15" 4:3 LCD over a widescreen LCD at this point in time. Am I making any improper assumptions concerning my pros/cons list? I am leaning towards the nc8000 as it seems to have fewer problems and a higher build quality plus the 4:3 LCD setup and superior sound. Also, I have used HP's service before and was happy with it. But I am looking for everyones opinions and input into this $hefty$ decision I am about to make! As always, thanx in advance!
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post #2 of 29
2/18/04 at 11:21am
I originally ordered a Dell i8600, but returned it because the touchpad performance was terrible. Turned out Dell switched to a cheaper supplier for their touchpads (Alps), and it shows. My guess is the rest of the laptop is cutting corners on other parts (like hinges, whatever), but this is only a guess.

In any event, I couldn't stand the way the input devices work, so I returned the Dell and ordered the HP nc8000. Actually, I'm expecting the system to be delivered today!!
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post #3 of 29
2/18/04 at 11:56am
The HP nc8000 (I don't know about other HP models) is supposedly known for its build quality where the i8600 is infamous for its build quality. The dell is supposedly very poor quality wise and my old top of the line Dell i8100 attests to their habit of cuting corners (its falling apart, literaly. The motherboard blew after only 2 years on a good surge protector). The nc8000 was reviewed by cnet and one of their comments was how well built it is, it also runs extremely cool (unlike the dell), and is probably quiter. I have a nc6000 (nc8000 smaller sibling) on order and when I get it I'll report on the quality and such. Please don't get a dell, from my experience its a big mistake.
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post #4 of 29
2/18/04 at 1:38pm
Hey Teegunn...

Just to let you know, the DVD+R on the HP is 2x. I know, that sucks! If it was a 4x - it'd be perfect.

I'm in the same dilema ... i8600 or nw8000. The i8600 is the lowest price, has the rebate + I have a whopping 15% coupon!! But I can't bring myself to order it. It's big, heavy, plastic hinges and creaky. I type 130 and I know I would hate the keyboard, and I don't want a 15.4 lcd. And due to its poor build quality and heat issues, I would most definitely not EVER want to encounter having to deal with their sub-standard tech support. That aggravation is not worth any price. I think you mentioned you run a small business. If you're dependent on your pc for that - I would think that a reliable stable system is of the utmost importance. That would be the nc8000

Anyhow, now that you're getting down to the wire -- good luck!
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post #5 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:31pm
Thread Starter 
Hey~88! You also have a 15% coupon for the Dell?!? Wow, I don't know how you got it, but that would save another $424 off the i8600 bringing the total price down to $2402! Dang, that is $760 less than the nc8000! Heck, if the i8600 was a regular 15" 4:3 lcd and I could get the same 15% coupon and the $250 rebate I think I would give the Dell a shot. Jeez, nothing like making a decision even harder! I guess I could order both and send back the one i like the least!! But with my luck there would be some reason I couldn't return it (don't know what that would be though). So there are no other discounts available thru HP? Something like AAA or the like? I am assuming that I could at least get the 8% repeat customer discount, but that doesn't sound like much compared to what Dell is offering. I do have that 10% coupon for HPshopping.com. I wonder if there is any chance I can get them to accept that coupon for the nc8000? Guess I should call them and give it a try! I was possibly thinking about forgoing the internal DVD+RW drive on the nc8000 and purchasing an external DVD+/-RW drive that had a faster write speed. Anyone know if this is a viable option (price wise) and where a person could buy one? So I guess it still comes down to 4 main decision points:

1) Price vs build quality
2) HD speed (7200 vs 5400)
3) DVD+RW speed (4x vs 2x)
4) widescreen non-WVA vs 4:3 WVA

I know which rig I want! The nc8000.... but I want it for $250 less. Does anyone know if the WVA lcd is a major upgrade versus the non-WVA screen on the i8600? Being able to view at decent angles is also fairly important to me. Well. More questions it seems! I appreciate the responses so far - keep 'em coming!
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post #6 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer
I originally ordered a Dell i8600, but returned it because the touchpad performance was terrible. Turned out Dell switched to a cheaper supplier for their touchpads (Alps), and it shows. My guess is the rest of the laptop is cutting corners on other parts (like hinges, whatever), but this is only a guess.

In any event, I couldn't stand the way the input devices work, so I returned the Dell and ordered the HP nc8000. Actually, I'm expecting the system to be delivered today!!
flyer.... I would be very interested in knowing your "hands on" comparison of the 2 machines. I think I pretty much know what the prevailing opinions are, but there are some folks here (jswriter, etc) who say they love their i8600! When you get the nc8000 please tell us how it compares!
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post #7 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:42pm
Thread Starter 
I just thought of another couple of questions to pick your brains with.....

1) Do either the nc8000 or the i8600 have uprgadeable video card or....

2) upgradeable processor options? Specifically for the ATI M11/M12 or the new PM Dothans. Just wondering if a person could upgrade down the line if they wanted or if these rigs are soldered/etc.!
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post #8 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:47pm
both the i8600 and nc8000 should have upgradable processors (just don;t expect to have a warranty after they find out you upgraded ). As for video cards, theoreticaly you could (with a ton of difficulty) by swapping out the motherboard with a newer one (or if the GPU is on a daughterboard, swapping that out) but the availability of a newer compatible mother or daughter board is questionable.
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post #9 of 29
2/18/04 at 4:50pm
Thread Starter 
^^^Thanks jmanjohns. That's kind of what I expected. Probably not worth messing with anyway, but it is always nice to know the option to do so is available!
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post #10 of 29
2/19/04 at 3:17am
Thread Starter 
I was thinking of foregoing the DVD+RW internal drive and maybe looking for a good aftermarket USB external DVD+/-RW drive that I could use on my desktop and other laptop. Anyone know where I can buy one of these and about how much a decent one will cost? Thanx.
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post #11 of 29
2/19/04 at 9:59am
You can buy an external DVD+-RW at many of the online stores. You might want to try searching for a DVD burner on CNET and then comparing the prices at different stores. I'm planning on doing the same thing you are (getting an external drive).
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post #12 of 29
2/19/04 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
The Plextor external looks pretty nice. $279.00 doesn't seem too bad either. Anyone know if this thing needs to be plugged into an outlet separately or will the USB power it? I think this may be the way to go and just stick with the DVD/CD RW as the main optical drive along with the multi-bay battery pack in the nc8000. Has anyone ever used (or own) the Plextor?
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post #13 of 29
2/19/04 at 6:02pm
Teegunn, your idea of buying an external DVD burner is a good one. You will pay the same amount of $ or less and get a better product. The DVD+R that can be spec'd for the nc8000 will only write 1 time to the disk ... it will not re-write, which means more disks to purchase. I think I will go this route also. That way I can get a 4x, possibly an 8x and be able to re-write to the same disk multiple times. Good one!
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post #14 of 29
2/19/04 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~88
Teegunn, your idea of buying an external DVD burner is a good one. You will pay the same amount of $ or less and get a better product. The DVD+R that can be spec'd for the nc8000 will only write 1 time to the disk ... it will not re-write, which means more disks to purchase. I think I will go this route also. That way I can get a 4x, possibly an 8x and be able to re-write to the same disk multiple times. Good one!
The problem with DVD-RW (or +RW or CD-RW) is that the cost of the media makes the technolgy quite pointless.
When the -RW costs so much more, why not just make disposable -R?
Also, DVD+R/RW is less compatible then -R/RW. I read up on dvd compatibility quite a bit before I bought one for my desktop. Works like a charm.

I agree that an external is a very interesting solution. It does add the amount to lug-about though. So ONLY do this if you plan on leaving the burner behind when you travel. Otherwise it seems to defeat the idea of light-mobile and high power computers.... since it would be far less of these if it had a bunch of more stuff hanging off of it.

What I am looking for is a DVD/CD-R combo player in a laptop. This will allow me to make copies of important files, play movies, etc but I can leave the larger backups until I get home and network to the system with the DVD-R in it.
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post #15 of 29
2/19/04 at 9:39pm
Come on guys, DVD-RWs are not that expensive. They are MORE expensive than CD-RWs but (at least for me) much more useful.
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post #16 of 29
2/19/04 at 10:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bjorn
The problem with DVD-RW (or +RW or CD-RW) is that the cost of the media makes the technolgy quite pointless.
When the -RW costs so much more, why not just make disposable -R?
Also, DVD+R/RW is less compatible then -R/RW. I read up on dvd compatibility quite a bit before I bought one for my desktop. Works like a charm.

I agree that an external is a very interesting solution. It does add the amount to lug-about though. So ONLY do this if you plan on leaving the burner behind when you travel. Otherwise it seems to defeat the idea of light-mobile and high power computers.... since it would be far less of these if it had a bunch of more stuff hanging off of it.

What I am looking for is a DVD/CD-R combo player in a laptop. This will allow me to make copies of important files, play movies, etc but I can leave the larger backups until I get home and network to the system with the DVD-R in it.
I don't think that I would necessarily need to have the DVD+R with me when I travel. If HP was offering what we all want (DVD+/-R/RW) then I would of course get it. But since I can get a much better component by going with the external burner for about the same price this seems to be a much better option at this point. I guess I would have to lug it around if I found it absolutely necessary though. I would still like some feed back on these external DVD burners though: Has anyone used one of these and do they need to be plugged into an outlet separately or does the USB power it? Thanks for the feedback guys!
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post #17 of 29
2/19/04 at 10:44pm
What video card is in the nc8000? You can get an ATI 128MB card in the dell.
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post #18 of 29
2/19/04 at 10:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teegunn
I don't think that I would necessarily need to have the DVD+R with me when I travel. If HP was offering what we all want (DVD+/-R/RW) then I would of course get it. But since I can get a much better component by going with the external burner for about the same price this seems to be a much better option at this point. I guess I would have to lug it around if I found it absolutely necessary though. I would still like some feed back on these external DVD burners though: Has anyone used one of these and do they need to be plugged into an outlet separately or does the USB power it? Thanks for the feedback guys!
I have seen a couple of them (2 is a couple, right?) and both of them needed to be powered by a wall-wart/powerbrick.
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post #19 of 29
2/19/04 at 10:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruin
What video card is in the nc8000? You can get an ATI 128MB card in the dell.
The DELL 8600 is a nice laptop. The NC8000 is nicer.
Higher build quality, longer battery life, etc.

But the NC8000 only comes with 64mb of ram on it's 9600. My only knock on the NC8000 is cost. I don't think it's worth the 3 grand it costs.

I am currently hemming and hawing between the HP NC6000 and the Dell 8600. The Dell might be slightly better at games due to its 1.1 inch larger screen, faster HD(7200rpm optional) and 64mb of more video ram... but the HP lasts nearly twice as long on batteries... more then twice as long if both are using their wireless.
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post #20 of 29
2/19/04 at 10:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bjorn
The DELL 8600 is a nice laptop. The NC8000 is nicer.
Higher build quality, longer battery life, etc.

But the NC8000 only comes with 64mb of ram on it's 9600. My only knock on the NC8000 is cost. I don't think it's worth the 3 grand it costs.

I am currently hemming and hawing between the HP NC6000 and the Dell 8600. The Dell might be slightly better at games due to its 1.1 inch larger screen, faster HD(7200rpm optional) and 64mb of more video ram... but the HP lasts nearly twice as long on batteries... more then twice as long if both are using their wireless.
^^^^^I assume you are talking about the nc6000 right? Cuz the nc8000 comes with the ati 9600 pro 128 vid card. Also, in all actuality, the 15" 4:3 lcd on the nc8000 will give you more screen real estate for most games out there right now. Otherwise the screen real estate would be almost exactly the same IF the game supported the 16:10 widescreen set up. Personally I still prefer the 4:3 setup over the widescreen LCD. You are correct in that the nc8000 is one very pricey rig though!
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