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Debating laptop choices... need input!!!

post #1 of 110
7/26/03 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
Well I need a laptop very soon and have been debating what to do in the mean time. Originally I included laptops from all manufacturers, including:

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Sager 8890
Sager 4760
Sony PCG-GRT190G
Dell D800
Toshiba 5204
Compaq x1000

Dell M60
Toshiba P25-S607
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I have remoed the others from the list for various reasons (ask and I'll post why) so I left with the Toshiba P25-S607 and Dell M60. Between the two, I can't decide.

The P25-S607 uses an 800Mhz FSB processor, has a dvd writer (dvd-rw), tv tuner, 17" widescreen, decent video card (not an FX 5600 though, only 5200), drive is only 5400 rpm. Only 1.5 hours realistically on a battery. Has only 802.11a/b and not g. Not too much customization can happen here since one of the ram slots is hidden from the user.

The M60 has the Quadro4 card, dvd writer (dvd+rw), and comes with a faster hard drive (7200 rpm). It is Centrino based so I can get better battery life which I need for classes (since I can't plug in and rechard during the day). It also has choices for 802.11a/b/g which is a huge plus. Huge resolution on the screen is what I crave. No tv tuner.

Here is where it gets interesting. Similarly equipped (that means similar warrenty packages too), the Toshiba comes in about $200-$250 cheaper but it has a tv tuner which the dell doesn't. The Dell has a higher-res but smaller screen. It also has much better battery life. Does anyone have their own opinion they'd like to throw in to help me see something that I may have missed?
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post #2 of 110
7/26/03 at 2:24pm

Get the Dell

Hello. I would definitely go with the Dell. This is for school. The Dell is centrino-based therefore great battery life. Second, being able to have wireless a+b+g,... 3rd... faster hard-drive 4th.. dvd burner 5th.. the video card is quite good... toshiba has too many complaints from their customers and are very difficult to deal with. Go with the Dell....



Steve

PS: did I mention that Toshiba has pathetic customer service? go look at their forums.. non-stop complaints....
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post #3 of 110
7/26/03 at 8:38pm
If you can really get an M60 at just $200 over a "comparably equipped" Toshiba P25-S607, definitely go for the M60...it should be faster in most areas and last longer on its batteries.

If the P25-S607's TV Tuner card is the same as the 5205-S705's, I've heard this first generation version has at best mediocre image quality (though I'm still in love with the S705's CASV display).
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post #4 of 110
7/27/03 at 3:09am
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys, I'll place my order in the morning.

I have 30 days to send it back so if Sager comes out in time, then I can always send the Dell back.

I hope I can still "troll" the forums being a Dell owner and all. =)
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post #5 of 110
7/27/03 at 2:43pm
I'm in the same boat, sort of. Although I would benefit from a full fledged P4 (for 3d rendering work), the battery life would suck, and most importantly, the laptop would be bulky and heavy. Not that there's a big problem with that, but if I can get something that's thinner and lighter without sacraficing much performance, I'll get that.

I too can buy the Dell M60 through the higher ed. store for just about $200 more than the Toshiba, definatly a deal there.

P.S. the M60 has the 128MB QuadroFX card, not the previous gen quadro4 card. Doind serious design and rendering work, the quadroFX (5600-based) is definatly worth it for me.
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post #6 of 110
7/27/03 at 2:59pm
Go with the Dell M60. I am in the same boat is you and made the decision to go with the M60 because of the 7+ hours of battery life (with two batteries), 128MB Go5600 equivalent video card, 7200 RPM drive, 802.11g, and high res screen - the perfect combination for use at my graduate program. Originally my plan was to buy this as an "insurance policy" so that I had a laptop in hand in case the new sager/alienware machines were delayed. Now that I have had the system to play on for 2 weeks it is not going back, I absolutely love the performance!!

BTW, if you look around you can get a 10% small business coupon which will stack with all the other coupons Dell is offering on the M60, so you can save about $700.
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post #7 of 110
7/27/03 at 4:26pm
well my compaq x1000 kicks ass so it gets my vote, any questions about it you want just ask
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post #8 of 110
7/27/03 at 7:25pm
hrana, i was reading your post but sorta read over this whole thing with a grain of salt because i was gonna get the sager, but than my parents called and said they could lend me another grand so it looks like im also going to get the M60, does anyone have some pictures of this bad boy? And perforamce? And what about the video card? How will this compare to what the new Sagers will be like?

How long does it usually take to get a dell? I got my girlfriends sager in litterally two days (excluding non-buisness days).

What do you guys think? M60 or the new sagers with the 800FSB?
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post #9 of 110
7/27/03 at 7:50pm
Does anyone know where I can find the discounts for the m60?
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post #10 of 110
7/27/03 at 8:31pm
If you go to college (high school maybe) you can get the M60 at quite a discount. I'm getting my M60 with some good specs (1.6ghz, 7200rpm hardrive, dvd-rom/cd-rw) for around $2,800.

Just don't buy your RAM through Dell, buy that later from somewhere else.

Also, keep an eye on http://www.dealcatcher.com/ for the Dell coupons. They change every wednesday night. I'm not sure if they work at the Higher Education store at Dell though.
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post #11 of 110
7/27/03 at 8:40pm
Loki,

The video card is basically a 5600fx that has been optimized for accuracy, not performance. It's just a tad bit slower than the 5600fx, unless you're game will benefit from 128MB over 64MB. The Quadro is no a "5600fx Ultra", not in the slightest. The 9600pro could be faster, but the chip has seen so many delays, it's looking less and less likely that we will see it before october.

For gaming, I dare say the Dell is better than the CURRENT sager lineup. The tiny gains between a desktop P4 and the Pentium-M aren't worth the sacrafice in battery life and increase in heat. Sure, you might see a few more FPS with a Sager, but is it worth lugging around 6 more lbs. of laptop? Is it worth not having much of a battery-life? That is a question to ask yourself.

The new 800MHz Sagers due out -soon- will be faster, but don't expect a drop in weight or an increase in batterylife. For games, the most important factor is the graphics card. A 5600fx (or QuadroFX) will be almost as good as a 9600pro, but the difference is the M60 is available right now and the new Sagers (and the new Alienware) aren't, and most likely won't be here until the fall.
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post #12 of 110
7/27/03 at 9:04pm
Hey, how do we get these discounts for college? Cause that would be the best thing from my school ever! TIA
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post #13 of 110
7/27/03 at 9:19pm
I was looking seriously at the Sony VAIO GRT190G. What reason(s) did you decide not to go with this particular mfg/model?
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post #14 of 110
7/27/03 at 9:55pm
My friend had a Sony, but after a while the Sony just fell to crap.. Things fell off of it right and left, and after a few months everything just fell apart.
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post #15 of 110
7/27/03 at 10:11pm
The extra battery for the M60 slides into the port where the optical drive resides, right? And that could always be ordered later right? How much time does it add on?

I love this forum!
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post #16 of 110
7/27/03 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 
The biggest problem with the PCG-GRT190G is that it is not here yet. Every manufacturer is having problems integrating and using the new video chipsets coming out for the next generation of DX9 in laptops. Also, Sony is supposedly having problems with their TV viewing software. Lastly, I need battery life but don't want to give up too much on the performance. So at this time, the only laptop that is out which will work for me is the Dell M60. Hope that helps.
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post #17 of 110
7/27/03 at 11:59pm
Fusion,
I have looked at the Dell for Higher Education website and cannot seem to find the m60 listed.
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post #18 of 110
7/28/03 at 12:14am
Its under the precision line of notebooks, but my question is, how did u make it 2800? Cause im getting between 3 and 3200
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post #19 of 110
7/28/03 at 12:16am

m60

http://www.dell.com/us/en/hied/produ...rkstations.htm

there it is.... a really nice notebook indeed...
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post #20 of 110
7/28/03 at 1:25am
Here is what I did to get it at $2847.60:

Customize the M60 (from the link above):

1.4GHz -> 1.6GHz Pentium-M :: -$119.70*
40GB -> 60GB 7200rpm :: +$179.10
256MB DDR RAM (will upgrade later)
24x CDROM -> 8-24-10-24X DVD/CDRW :: +$116.10
Gold Tech Support -> None :: -$98.10

That should come to $2847, at least it has for me in the last few weeks.

*I find this odd that the 1.6GHz is cheaper than the 1.4GHz. I figure this is probably due to a supply/demand thing or a special arrangement with Intel/Dell... you're guess is as good as mine... hey, I'm not complaining.
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