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Dell Inspiron 6000 vs HP dv4000

post #1 of 26
6/20/05 at 5:00pm
Thread Starter 
I am going to be a college freshman, and need a good notebook. Price not a huge deal, but I dont want to spend too much over 2000. I want portability, but also ability to play decent games and a nice sized screen. I think the 15.4 is perfect, and I have arrived at two options (as mentioned in post title ). Configurations...

dv4000 - $1947

XP Pro
1.86 pent 750 M
Integrated 900M graphics (128)
256 ram
1 GB ram
80 gb 5200 rpm HD
x8Lightscribe DVDRW
2 year warranty w/ accidental care (doubled to 4 years with card)
two 12 cell batts
integrated wireless w/bluetooth
All in one printer
Quickplay
15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)

Dell Inspiron 6000 - $1810 (w/ 750 coupon)

Xp home
1.6 pent 730 m
2 GB ram (upgraded via crucial.com so not dell original)
128 x300 ati graphics card
60 gb 7200 rpm HD
integrated Wireless + bluetooth
x8 dvd burner (not lightscribe)
2 year accidental care (again, upgraded to 4)
all in one printer
6 cell + 9 cell
15.4 inch UltraSharp WUXGA LCD Panel (1920x1200)


Overall, had a few questions, and would really appreciate any answers.

1) How much better is the Dell's graphics card?
2) Would paying $250 be worth it to upgrade to 1.86 on dell, or even $350 to upgrade to 2.0
3) How much is the 2gb vs 1 gb ram
4) Does upgrading outside ram hurt warranty or comp?
5) Which computer should I get, and when should I buy it ? Games arent a huge deal, but Id like to do some. Also, is 64 bit gonna kill me in 2 years. Is XP pro a big deal?

Thanks, REALLY appreciate it
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post #2 of 26
6/20/05 at 5:38pm
1. those hp laptops use share ram. I think. meaning if you have 1024 mb ram, the graphic takes 128 mb off your ram so your lappy is functioning at 896 mb ram.

2. there is about a 20% increase between 1.6 and 1.86. however check to see if it's 400Mhz or 533Mhz.

3. If surfing and doing normal stuff, there isn't much of a diff. btw 1 gig and 2 gig. if gaming, i think there's a big diff.

4. i read somewhere that warranty does NOT cover if upgrade outside of dell.

5. i suggest upgrade to 2.0 ghz, however with that cost, you might as well go with the i9300 which is about $400 more than i6000. Don't go with HP lappy cuz their parts are very expensive [my previous lap was a hp].

best suggestion is buy an i9300 which will last you about 4-6 years.
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post #3 of 26
6/20/05 at 5:56pm
My decision came down to those two laptops. I went with the Dell 6000. I really like it and don't regret it. Its portable, good for light gaming, and battery life is pretty good. I went with XP Pro b/c the Law School I'm starting in the Fall made the suggestion because they said that they prefer you to have XP Pro because it connects to their network better and some other reasons I dont remember, so I sprang for it. As soon as I got my 6000, I took out the standard RAM and put in a 1GB stick that I purchased seperately. That's one of the upgrades that's not supposed to void the warranty. You should watch the prices and coupons and purchase when you feel like you get the best deal. Just make sure you give it enough time to be here for a few weeks before school starts to play with it and make sure everything works. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 6000.
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post #4 of 26
6/20/05 at 7:51pm
Thread Starter 
yah thanks, i think im leaning that way. problem with 9300 is i dont want that big of a laptop
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post #5 of 26
6/20/05 at 8:46pm
My decision came down between the XPS Gen 2 and the 6000d, but the size of the laptop and the fact that I will be always lugging it around between classes drove me toward the 6000d...
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post #6 of 26
6/20/05 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 
agreed, 6000 has nice size. also looking at acer ferrari 4000, just a great computer for looks + has 64 bit
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post #7 of 26
6/20/05 at 9:30pm
I just laid down for a 6000 with almost identical specs, and I dont regret it. It was either a fully loaded 6000 or a halfass 9300. I think you'll be happy on all fronts with that lappy. Enjoy.
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post #8 of 26
6/20/05 at 10:26pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, that is where I am leaning hard. I love the dv4000 quickplay and super battery, but limited ram and graphics is killing me. Plus, the dell is uber cheap
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post #9 of 26
6/20/05 at 10:31pm
Quote:
3. If surfing and doing normal stuff, there isn't much of a diff. btw 1 gig and 2 gig. if gaming, i think there's a big diff.
I have 1Gb and haven't found any need for more. Its fine for video editing, having heaps of Firefox windows open and a Virtual PC running, and for games.
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post #10 of 26
6/20/05 at 10:44pm
Thread Starter 
hmm, still think i mean 1 gig stick for 130 isnt bad, might as well bump it
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post #11 of 26
6/20/05 at 10:48pm
Upgrade the CPU in the 6000 and get the 6000.
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post #12 of 26
6/20/05 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
huh?
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post #13 of 26
6/21/05 at 10:08am
Thread Starter 
bump, if anyone has more advice id appreciate it thanks
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post #14 of 26
6/21/05 at 10:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdashep
huh?
Hes saying go a faster processor. Thats the best way to bump up performance. I opted for the 1.73 instead of the 1.6.....15% jump in performance for a few bucks extra. If youve already ordered, dont even worry about it.

As far as the diffrence in memory (1Gb vs 2Gb) Id do one 1Gb stick for now unless you have DDR2 memory at which point you need to have 2 identical sticks to take advantage of the DDR portion. That said, I have 768 in all my lappy's and its fine. I have 2Gb in my desktop, as I run lots of big programs such as CAD and Photoshop. That said as well, 2Gb is more than enough for that and gaming, so dont sweat it. 1Gb is more than most people have, or even think about having.

Im just freakin obsessive
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post #15 of 26
6/21/05 at 11:09am
Thread Starter 
its ddr2, and yah id probably get 2 gigs with dell
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post #16 of 26
6/21/05 at 3:52pm
Definately get the 6000. The video card and the RAM will make it absolutely better than the HP one.
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post #17 of 26
6/21/05 at 5:25pm
I have a HP work laptop - 6320 or something! and i have to say i prefer the build quality of HP's. However my dell 6000 is great value for money and i get better performance from it than my HP and the specs are virtually identical. The X300 is not a bad GPU for light gaming, much better than the integrated stuff from HP.

I personally think 1GB ram is more than enough. I have 2x 512mb, which although limits upgradability (both slots used) its suppose to be quicker, and is cheaper than a single 1GB chip.
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post #18 of 26
6/21/05 at 7:59pm
Thread Starter 
well i would get 2 1 gb chips it hink. might as well get um
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post #19 of 26
6/21/05 at 10:35pm
thats gonna be smoking!!! if you rn into an app that takes full advantage, lemmie know, as i wanna try it!!!
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post #20 of 26
6/22/05 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
yah, just debating whether to go dell or ferrari
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