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Dell 9300 or HP ZD8000

post #1 of 18
3/16/05 at 12:58am
Thread Starter 
Just purchased a ZD8000 here in Australia after Dell withdrew the 9200 from the market. Just my luck, Dell released the 9300 after I bought the ZD. Specs of the ZD8000 are as follows:

Intel Pentium 4 processor 550 with HT Technology 3.4GHz (800MHz)
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 400Mhz memory
60GB 7200rpm (Purchased seperately)
OPTICAL DRIVE - 8x DVD+⁄-RW
17.0" WSXGA+ WVA BrightView RESOLUTION - 1680 x 1050
ATI Mobility Radeon X600 with PCI Express graphics with 256MB video memory
TV-OUT PORT - S-Video
LAN - 802.11b⁄g; Integrated 10⁄100 LAN
SPEAKERS - Harmon Kardon speakers
CARD READER - 6-in-1 integrated Digital media reader slot
USB PORT - 4 x USB 2.0
PARALLEL PORT - Not specified by Manufacturer
SERIAL PORT - Not specified by Manufacturer
PC CARD SLOT - ExpressCard⁄54 PC Card slot
IEEE1394 PORT - Yes
BLUE TOOTH - Yes

I'm thinking of buying the 9300 with the following specs:

Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor at 770 2.13 GHz, 2MB Cache, 533 MHz FSB
DIMM Memory 1024MB (2 X 512MB) 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA 7200RPM Performance Hard Drive
Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Combination Drive
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2915 Dual Band 802.11a/b/g 54Mbps MiniPCI Wireless Card
Video Card 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) Go 6800
UXGA Display with TrueLife(TM): 1920x1200

Is it worth me changing over? The thing I like is the additional battery life on the 9300 - the battery life on the zd8000 is pretty average.
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post #2 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:13am
The only thing you will be getting extra is longer battery life, way batter graphics card and 2 more USB ports. If those things are particularly important to you and its not too big of a hassle to return your HP, and you can also wait 2 to 3 weeks for your 9300 to come, then go for the Dell. Performance wise, I think the 2 are pretty equal.
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post #3 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:14am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for that. Any actual figures on how long the 9300 will run on it's battery?
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post #4 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:15am
I am trying to decide if I should order a 9300. I'm so scared I won't be happy with the screen. Already returned two 6000s. :\

The ZD8000 is a great price. Only thing iffy about it is the nasty styling and HP name (sitting next to a busted HP printer right now). Plus no nVidia 6800 or 7200RPM harddrive. But still tempting.

How's the screen on it?

I may just end up going for a disgustingly overpriced Vaio just for the screen...
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post #5 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:20am
I am not exactely sure about the battery life, but my guess is that the 6-cell will last between 2 to 3 hours and the 9-cell 3 to 4 hours, possibly just a little over 4 hours.
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post #6 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:21am
Thread Starter 
Right...I'm luck to get an hour with the ZD
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post #7 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:25am
Really? Dang. I don't really care about battery life since I'll rarely use it far from an AC jack, but that's just horrible.
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post #8 of 18
3/16/05 at 1:29am
Thread Starter 
Yep...I use it plugged in most of the time but sometimes I work in front of the TV or out in the backyard and when it dies so quick it is a but of a pain.

It is a great machine...just thought the Pentium M may be a bit better
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post #9 of 18
3/16/05 at 2:11am
I bought HP ZD8060 because I saw it in futureshop and the screen looked amazing.

things I liked - speakers were "amazing" for a laptop
- screen was amazing except in sunlight or anything that causes
glare
- FULL NUMPAD!!!!!

Why I returned it - x600 sucks
- HEAVY
- battery life is really bad <1.5 hrs
- really annoying fans they go on and off and are LOUD
- 9300 was realeased!!!!

Why I bouhgt 9300 - relatively quiet (so I've Heard)
- 256MB GF 6800 (wow)
- cheaper than HP (1900 USD after tax and shipping)
- battery is supposed to be around 3 hrs
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post #10 of 18
3/16/05 at 8:46am
Ya... the screen DOES look amazing. It's brilliant and clear. And the Harmond Karmen speakers and just wonderful. CNET gives this laptop Editor's Choice with an 8.7 out of 10. Ya, I've seen it at Future Shop and it's definatley a beautiful laptop.
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post #11 of 18
3/16/05 at 2:06pm
You forgot the I9300 is a good 2lbs lighter too IIRC......And don't discount the built in Sub Woofer! Actually have heard raves on the sound system.....
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post #12 of 18
3/16/05 at 2:06pm
hp/compaq make the biggest POS. i would never buy a product from them no matter how tempting it was. also, everyone forgot to mention WUXGA. i simply wouldn't buy a laptop without it (cuz im a resolution nazi).
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post #13 of 18
3/16/05 at 2:59pm
Having owned both.
I opt for the 9300. Only because I game alot.
9300 screen is not an issue for me. I had a 9200 with the worst
screen. This 9300 has the glossy equivalent of the Y4014. I'm staying with
my 9300.

U.N.inspector
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post #14 of 18
3/16/05 at 3:02pm
U.N., you owed the ZD8000, it may not have played Doom 3 well, but have you tried WoW and WC3 on it? If so, how was the performance.
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post #15 of 18
3/16/05 at 3:08pm
The performance was a let down. Tha X600 256MB POS could not out bench the 9200's ati 9700 128MB. I know HP has a better screen but I have opted for the higher graphics card. I have no issues with my WUXGA. Very slight sparkle (I mean slight)but nothing to make me go through motions to return it. And trust me, I had the 9200 LG previously....I definately had it swapped.

U.N.
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post #16 of 18
3/16/05 at 4:19pm
One other thing you might want to know, is that the 9300 doesnt have serial or parallel ports. This was kind of disappointing to me, as my GPS needs a serial port. I am in the process of creating a USB cable for it though, so hopefully that will work.

I had the zd8000 for a few days, I took it back to Circuit City because I found out I could get an employee discount through work. I really like it, but I wanted longer battery life, so I opted for the 9300 (and I develop games/graphics applications so the better GPU was a factor.)

However, the things I liked about the zd8000 that I don't get with the 9300 are:

Serial/Parallel ports
Screen was outstanding
Keyboard layout was the best I've ever seen on a notebook
HP's customer service was much better than Dell's
Lightscribe CD/DVD writer (I know, but it IS cool)
Remote control option (not the media center remote, though I did have that too and it was nice)
Price was cheaper, and no sales tax (I have to pay tax to Dell)
The overall look of the zd8000 is much sexier in my opinion


but in the end, the better GPU, the longer battery life, the lower heat, and less weight won out. However, I will say this; if HP releases the zv6000 (15.4" briteview with AMD Turion 64bit mobile processor) in the next month, and it comes with an X800 or NV6800 I will probably return my 9300 for it.
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post #17 of 18
3/17/05 at 10:35pm
any more rumblings about the ZV6000? will it be a thin n light or will it be big enough for a X800/6800 go?
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post #18 of 18
3/18/05 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeld100
any more rumblings about the ZV6000? will it be a thin n light or will it be big enough for a X800/6800 go?

From the pictures it looks just like the zv5xxx, so it should fit an X800/9600 ( /me prays).
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