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Looking to get Compal CL56, need advice.

post #1 of 8
11/16/04 at 3:07am
Thread Starter 
So I was thinking about getting the Acer TravelMate 3201XCi but then discovered the Compal cl56 and it seems to be alot better but I have a few concerns.

Where is the best place to buy one. Mwave seems to be the cheapest but I don't think it comes with any type of warranty. Discountlaptops.com is second cheapest and comes with a 2 year warranty. Do I need a longer warranty or any extra protection or are most things that might break (except LCD) something I should be able to fix.

Lastly, how much of an improvement will I see from a 5400 HD over a 4200?

Thank you so much for your help.
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post #2 of 8
11/16/04 at 2:42pm
I bought my CL56 from MWave, and it comes with a 1 year warranty. You really cannot beat the price, but you do not have the option of returning it if you don't like it. Mine came with no dead pixels. The only real bummer with MWave is they use PC2100 memory, so I bought mine with only 128 MB, and removed it. I bought my own 2700 memory (512 + 256).

You also do not have the option to get a 7200 RPM drive, which I would have preferred. I got the 60GB 5400 RPM, which is pretty good (and well worth the price difference over the 4200 RPM).

Whether its worth it to get the 2 year warranty is up to you.
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post #3 of 8
11/16/04 at 11:20pm
I will echo the last post. Go for it.
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post #4 of 8
11/16/04 at 11:26pm
I would definately get the 5400 rpm drive over the 4200, its actually an noticable difference. Second, unless you know someone in the industry, out-of-warranty parts are vendor specific and can get very expensive. For example, if an LCD inverter goes out it would cost from $50-90...
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post #5 of 8
11/16/04 at 11:37pm
The CL56 is my choice as well.

Depends on what you'll be using your lappy for and how long you plan to have it.

Personally, I feel the warranty is important because in my situation, I want a lappy that'll last me the whole four years of college. Being a college student, I probably won't be able to afford a replacement lappy in that time, should something go wrong with it.

I had my previous lappy for 3 1/2-4 years. By the second year, my warranty was up and my keyboard was showing signs of significant wear. Fan was dying, hard drive wasn't living up to its name, screen was growing weak, etc. Besides some other factors and all in all, I had a crappy lappy for the remaining 1 1/2 years of its life, actually using duck tape in most situations. Ever see that Dell commercial? - worker rips open some duck tape, "Don't worry, with my little upgrades, you won't even notice a difference."

Im spending the extra money for that added insurance. Two years of accidental LCD/Overall accidental damage and a four year warranty.
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post #6 of 8
11/17/04 at 11:20am
This is hard, I didn't realize MWave comes with a 1 year warrenty, I didn't think they came with any warrenty.

Is there going to be much difference between 2100 and 2700 ram?

How hard is it to install yourself?
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post #7 of 8
11/17/04 at 10:01pm
Thread Starter 
I decided to go with discountlaptops. For the configuration I selected at discountlaptops it is $80 more but I get pc2700 RAM, 2 year warranty on parts and third year of service.

15" SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) Active Matrix Display
1.7 GHz Intel Pentium M (735) Processor (Dothan - 2048 L2 Cache)
128 MB Dedicated Video Ram, Ati Radeon 9700 Pro w/ 4X AGP 3D Graphics Accelerator
40 GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
512 MB DDR333 (PC2700) SDRAM (512 MB x 1)
8X DVD / 24X CD-RW Combo Drive w/ Softwares
Internal 56k Modem
Internal 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Internal IntelPRO Wireless Ethernet/Lan (802.11 b+g)
Smart Lithium Ion Battery (4.0+ hours battery life)
S-Video, VGA, 1 IEEE Firewire Port, 3 USB 2.0 Ports
Panasonic Secure Digital (SD) Memory Slot
AC Adapter w/ power cord
Free Deluxe Carry Case
No Operating System Installed, drivers included on CD-ROM
2 yr ChemUSA warranty w/ lifetime tech support

$1420

Not to shabby, just wish it had gigabit lan even though I'd probably never use it.
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post #8 of 8
11/18/04 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldie
This is hard, I didn't realize MWave comes with a 1 year warrenty, I didn't think they came with any warrenty.

Is there going to be much difference between 2100 and 2700 ram?

How hard is it to install yourself?
For me, PC2100 was too much of a performance limitation. By selecting 128 MB and buying my own, I probably wasted around 15$.

Adding your own memory could not be simpler on the CL56, two (or three) screws, pop the door off, and plug 'em in.
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