Bracholi:
The following isn’t meant to be argumentative or an attack on you as a person or on your new dv6000. I am just writing this as a response to your post, maybe get a few of my questions answered, and point out some of my opinions to those who may be shopping for a new notebook. I whish you luck with your new dv6000. I am in no way trying to start a flame warm with dv6000 owners, I am just stating conclusions I have come to on my own, and I want everyone to know that I am in no way an expert, so I am not trying to pass the following of as the way it is, once again it’s just my opinion.
I was comparing the dv6000 to the dv5000t not the dv5000z. Like I said before, from what I have read I have come to the conclusion that the current Core Duo processor outperforms the Turion 64 X2 Mobile processor by a noticeable amount, and I agree with you that the Turion X2 Mobile is better than the Turion processor offered in the dv5000z. In my opinion there’s no reason to buy a notebook with an AMD processor unless you run 64 bit programs, other than Windows XP 64. A 64 bit processor isn’t going to run a 32 bit application better than a 32 bit processor, unless you can load it up with ram. A 32 bit processor can address 4GB of ram, while a 64 bit processor can address 16 exabytes, so if you could add memory over the 4GB limit of a 32 bit processor you would get a real advantage from the 64 bit processor even on 32 bit applications. There aren’t many notebooks with 4 memory slots, and those are the only ones capable of being upgraded with more than 4GB of memory, and to buy three 2GB memory sticks in a notebook is going to cost over $2300. On top of that I have read that XP only allows utilization of 3GB of ram because of security issues. Evidently XP doesn’t like a 1GB slot of unallocated memory; however this may not be the case with Windows XP 64. But that’s just my opinion of the Turion X2 Mobile, and I am not stuck to it and I could be wrong. I am looking to buy a new laptop in the next 3 weeks so if you could give me a reason or supply me with information on why I should buy and AMD Turion laptop over a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo version, I want to hear it so I don’t but the wrong thing.
Keep in mind that the dv6000 is a windows vista premium capable notebook and is not stamped with Microsoft’s Vista Premium Ready designation, but I don’t own the system so I may be incorrect. That windows vista premium designation doesn’t set my mind at ease about a systems ability to run vista at a high level. In order to get the vista premium designation a system has to meet these not to rigorous standards:
1 GHz processor
1 GB of system memory
128MB of graphics memory
40GB of hard drive capacity with 15GB of free space
DVD-Rom drive
DirectX9 capable
A graphics processor that runs Window Aero (Who knows what this means?)
Internet access capability
The GeForce Go 7200 only has 64mb of dedicated memory with the remaining 192mb coming being allocated from system memory. I don’t know if this will have any affect on the performance of Vista Aero, especially in the next few years as programs are coded to take greater advantage of Aero. Of course this could all be a mute point because I have seen several articles stating that DirectX 10 is going to be needed to run Vista at a high level, but there are other articles refuting this.
Um, I think people were bashing the AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile as soon as the core duo came out, I was seeing plenty of AMD bashing before the 64 bit core 2 duo was announced last week. I really like AMD but unfortunately they are playing cathup to Intel again, before the dv6000z came out there were only a handful of notebooks out there running the Turion X2 mobile, and as I previously stated I don’t think the AMD 64 bit chip is better than the 32 bit Core Duo, just my opinion. Yes there will always be better hardware coming out but I am comparing the currently available dv5000t to the currently available dv6000 so I think it’s a fair comparison.
I would take your assertion about the uselessness of HDMI even further. With the battle content creators are waging on consumers right now, soon you won’t be able to display much without having to purchase it separately, this includes television programs you record on your XP Media Center PC. There is an authentication/ encryption method developed by Microsoft called DRM and if you haven’t heard of it you should definitely check it out and see what the long term implications of this are. I have a Sony Digital Living System, and while it’s pretty slick, the only think that saves it from being a total waste is the 200 disc DVD/CD changer. It downloads cover art for most DVDs and CDs, so when I want to watch a movie I don’t have to walk 5 feet to a rack of DVD’s and physical put the disc in a DVD player, not a huge upside. Another plus is it’s really convenient to show horrific videos I find on the internet when my friends visit, we don’t have to huddle around a monitor on a desk. Maybe if I was a gamer it would prove more useful, as would a HDMI out.
I don’t think you’ll find too many people on this section of the board touting the greatness of Dell notebooks. I agree with you that they look and feel cheap, but recently Dell gave me some great customer service, so that’s a plus for Dell. I considered an E1705, but like you the aesthetics gave me the chills and I think a 17” notebook should come with a number pad, and their new pricing structure makes their machines even less attractive to me, no more coupons. You are 100% correct, the dv6000 looks amazing. My problem isn’t that it’s not attractive; it’s that there is no marked upgrade from the dv5000. Yes it comes with the GeForce Go 7200 but that’s only a half a step up from Xpress 200m offered in the 5000z and it’s a half step down from the GeForce Go7400 offered in the 5000t. Thankfully HP has lowered the price in the last few days, so a dv6000z that was $1600 is now closer to $1200 so the value is in line with what I think it should be. But I still think they should have done something to make this model more next generation. To me it just seems like HP dropped the dv5000z into a new case, added AMD’s newest processor, put in a slightly better GPU and made a webcam and microphone available. I can’t justify to myself or anyone else why it makes sense to buy an AMD notebook right now, but that’s just my opinion. Maybe you’ll be able to tell me why the AMD Turion X2 Mobile is better than the Intel Core Duo and I’ll order a machine with an AMD processor.
They have also raised the price for the hp finish, mic & webcam feature from 30 bucks to 59 bucks, including the DV6000Z model as well. I just ordered mine the other day and I only paid 30 bucks for the upgrade. The machine is pretty pricey without the HDMI option, a good 1800 bucks and thats with 1 gb of ram, 1.8 processor, 80 gig drive, a/b/g & bluetooth, 8 cell battery, dvdr/rw (no lightscribe), back up os cd, etc so for those wanting to add HDMI (once it hits the site) your going to pay well over 2 grand for this thing not including tax
