600m good or bad?

[gmc8757]

I haven't seen a 600m in person. Anyone like or dislike it? i was thinking about buying one off of ebay for about 1000, some even say they come with a 4 year warranty. It would be a centrino 1.6,512, 40 or 60 gig, the specs would be pretty decent. I'm not sure about buying it from ebay, they say it's brand new. New, with the warranty, how bad can it be??

 

[phisrow]

One of the students in my dorm has one. I am not impressed, on the whole. The build quality is pretty shoddy(keyboard feels flimsy and awful, there is a spot on the edge of the LCD that is stressed, giving a "colour ripple" effect when you touch the lid at all hard). You might have better luck; but I would be a bit nervous myself. Dell's business line tends to be rather nicer, in build quality terms.

 

[gmc8757]

ok...thanks.
i'm basically looking for a decent laptop, under 6 pounds for about 1000. What do you think is my best bet?

 

[fbrdphreak]

I see that the 600M has a 14.1" screen. The HP dv1000 has a 14" widescreen and weighs around 5.2 lbs. It can be configured with a 1.6 Pentium M, 256MB, 40GB, CDRW, 12-cell battery (providing 7+ hours of battery life), and the Brightview screen for $1100. Obviously add your own RAM to that, buy some used 256MB on AT for ~$30. It is an awesome notebook for the money and in my opinion, can't be beat for that price. Do you have any other particular uses for the notebook?

 

[gmc8757]

no, not really... she wants to do homework and watch a movie once in a while. Tha'ts about it. thanks for the help

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, if your gf doesn't mind a 14" widescreen, I would definitely go with the dv1000. My gf bought one for pretty much the same purposes. She takes hers all over campus & uses it to take notes frequently in class. The BrightView screen is nice because of the added brightness & contrast, but does drain the battery more & causes some annoying reflections depending on your lighting conditions. I've not seen a dv1000 w/the regular screen unfortunately, so I can't compare the two. The only negative thing to the dv1000 (or a positive depending on how you look at it), is that the screen has a VERY limited viewing angle. Unfortunately this seems common in a lot of HP's lower end notebooks. The vertical viewing angle is satisfactory, but if you stray too far from center the limited horizontal viewing angle will cause you to see inverse colors very quickly (i.e. the display's colors appear reversed when straying only a little off center). From my experience, this isn't an issue for one individual's use, or even two individuals sitting side by side (in a car for example). Some people, like my gf, like the limited viewing angle for privacy purposes; people sitting near you can't easily see what you are doing: so load up the porn!!
Otherwise, I truly think the dv1000 is ideal for the price. You saw the configuration I mentioned above. The 12-cell battery only costs an extra $25, so that should be a no brained. It easily provides 7 hours of battery life with low brightness & wifi on, up to 8 hours depending on usage. We even popped in a DVD and watched some XVid's off of it in a car, with max volume & max brightness: we used it for 3.5 hours and at the beginning Windows counted 5.5 hours total. This battery is amazing. One note: the battery does stick out between 1/8 & 1/4 inch below the base of the laptop. However, I like that because it provides a nice grip to carry the laptop and it props the back end of the laptop up for easier typing & better ventilation.
You can save $25 and not go for the brightview screen; I would go see a dv1000 in stores to get a better idea about that. The 40GB HDD is the minumum and it spins @ 4200RPMs. While that is slow, the system is no slouch. Even with 256MB RAM, I was amazed at how responsive it was. Boot time seems VERY quick also, even compared to my Thinkpad 1.7GHz w/768MB RAM & 5400RPM HDD.
If you want to skimp on the CPU, I wouldn't bother saving $50 to go to the P-M 715A; it is the old version of the P-M and for $50 you get better performance & battery life. To skimp on the CPU, you can go with the Celeron M & save $175. The Celeron M isn't bad, but won't give you the same battery and will definitely hurt performance. As I mentioned, upgrade the RAM yourself. 256MB is actually not horrible on the dv1000, but you can pick up a used stick of 256MB in FS/FT for $30 usually. Or find a 512MB stick for $70 if you really want to be set.
I hope this helps! BTW, there will be a very detailed review on the dv1000 at the site located in my Sig; courtesy of moi Check out the site and that review should be up by the end of the weekend, assuming I can steal my gf's dv1000 long enough

 

[gmc8757]

dude, thanks a lot for taking the time out to write that up for me. I'm definately considering that set up. I brought her to see the averatec and she loved it. She also saw the compaq v2130us and liked it. The compusa by me has ithe floor model forsale, it's been out since Dec 18th 2004. He's selling it for 1299 and throwing in a 3 year complete service plan. I don't think that's worth it at all, maybe you guys do.

But thanks again for the help, i need it right now. I've been going nuts trying to find the best for the money. I want to figure this out soon and get her set up.

 

[randumb]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Well, if your gf doesn't mind a 14" widescreen, I would definitely go with the dv1000. My gf bought one for pretty much the same purposes. She takes hers all over campus & uses it to take notes frequently in class. The BrightView screen is nice because of the added brightness & contrast, but does drain the battery more & causes some annoying reflections depending on your lighting conditions. I've not seen a dv1000 w/the regular screen unfortunately, so I can't compare the two. The only negative thing to the dv1000 (or a positive depending on how you look at it), is that the screen has a VERY limited viewing angle. Unfortunately this seems common in a lot of HP's lower end notebooks. The vertical viewing angle is satisfactory, but if you stray too far from center the limited horizontal viewing angle will cause you to see inverse colors very quickly (i.e. the display's colors appear reversed when straying only a little off center). From my experience, this isn't an issue for one individual's use, or even two individuals sitting side by side (in a car for example). Some people, like my gf, like the limited viewing angle for privacy purposes; people sitting near you can't easily see what you are doing: so load up the porn!!
Otherwise, I truly think the dv1000 is ideal for the price. You saw the configuration I mentioned above. The 12-cell battery only costs an extra $25, so that should be a no brained. It easily provides 7 hours of battery life with low brightness & wifi on, up to 8 hours depending on usage. We even popped in a DVD and watched some XVid's off of it in a car, with max volume & max brightness: we used it for 3.5 hours and at the beginning Windows counted 5.5 hours total. This battery is amazing. One note: the battery does stick out between 1/8 & 1/4 inch below the base of the laptop. However, I like that because it provides a nice grip to carry the laptop and it props the back end of the laptop up for easier typing & better ventilation.
You can save $25 and not go for the brightview screen; I would go see a dv1000 in stores to get a better idea about that. The 40GB HDD is the minumum and it spins @ 4200RPMs. While that is slow, the system is no slouch. Even with 256MB RAM, I was amazed at how responsive it was. Boot time seems VERY quick also, even compared to my Thinkpad 1.7GHz w/768MB RAM & 5400RPM HDD.
If you want to skimp on the CPU, I wouldn't bother saving $50 to go to the P-M 715A; it is the old version of the P-M and for $50 you get better performance & battery life. To skimp on the CPU, you can go with the Celeron M & save $175. The Celeron M isn't bad, but won't give you the same battery and will definitely hurt performance. As I mentioned, upgrade the RAM yourself. 256MB is actually not horrible on the dv1000, but you can pick up a used stick of 256MB in FS/FT for $30 usually. Or find a 512MB stick for $70 if you really want to be set.
I hope this helps! BTW, there will be a very detailed review on the dv1000 at the site located in my Sig; courtesy of moi Check out the site and that review should be up by the end of the weekend, assuming I can steal my gf's dv1000 long enough

all valid points, but i must say the 12 cell battery is ugly as hell

 

[fbrdphreak]

Ugly is all in your perspective The 12-cell is about the most practical part of the laptop I swear; between the super battery life, makeshit hand-grip, and better ventilation

gmc8757, write back with the specs on the Compaq v2130 & its price as well as the Averatec w/price. Then we can break it down and pick out exactly what you need.
And you're welcome

 

[gmc8757]

ok...so i think the compaq is out of the question.

i think it's between averatec, hp, and 700m.

Averatec at Sams for 899:
Model: AV3250HS60

AMD Athlon mobile XP-M 2200+
512MB DDR
60GB
Built-in DVD+/-RW drive
Built-in 54g wireless LAN (802.11g)
Brilliant 12.1? XGA TFT LCD
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
High Speed USB 2.0 Ports and PCMCIA/CardBus Slot
1" thin
Only 4.5 lbs.


going on ebay for around 1100.
Inspiron 700m:
Intel Pentium M 725 Processor (1.60GHz/400MHz FSB)
Microsoft Windows XP Home
Inspiron 700:
Intel® Pentium® M 725 Processor (1.60GHz/400MHz FSB)
Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
LCD Panel:
12.1-inch Wide Screen crystal clear TFT WXGA
Memory:
512MB DDR SDRAM at 333MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard Drive:
40GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
Video Card:
Intel® Extreme Graphics up to 64 MB shared memory
Wireless:
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 mini PCI Card (802.11 b/g)
Primary Battery:
4-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Productivity Software:
Productivity Pack including WordPerfect®, Adobe Acrobat Reader, AOL 9.0, Music Match, McAfee Virus Scan (90 day trial), RecordNow! Software, Paint Shop Pro Studio Trial, Photo Album 5.1 Standard, ALL Recovery/Driver CDs, MORE!
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options:
1 Year Basic Warranty (Until 2/2006)


which do you guys say?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, I found a much better deal on a 700M for you; direct from Dell

Inspiron 700m Intel® Pentium® M Processor 725 (1.60GHz/400MHz FSB) 12.1-in WXGA Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory Free Upgrade! 512MB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms
Hard Drive Free Upgrade!! 60 GB Hard Drive 60GBP
Network Adapters Integrated Network Card
Modem Internal 56K Modem 56MPC [313-1917] 14
CD ROM/DVD ROM 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive with Sonic RecordNow
Wireless Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
Primary Battery 65 WHr 8-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1 Year Basic Mail-In Plan

Total: $1146 before tax, free shipping

Here's the comparable dv1000:

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 725 (1.6 GHz)
Display 14.0" WXGA Widescreen (1280x768)
Graphics Card Intel(R) Extreme Graphics 2 w/productivity ports
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM (1x256MB)
Hard Drive 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking Intel(R) Pro/Wireless 2200 802.11BG WLAN
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Total: $1099 after $50 MIR, before tax, free shipping

So basically the 700M comes out to be the better deal. Also, you can probably find some useful Dell discounts through the Hot Deals forum and bring the price down even further. Websites like Fatwallet.com and TechBargains will have the specific coupon codes.

The 700M won't get the battery life that the dv1000 does, but I would say a 65WHr 8-cell will do. For comparison, my 1.7GHz Thinkpad with a larger screen & a 44WHr 6-cell battery gets ~3 hours using wifi. The Dell should be more than that, since it has a bigger battery & smaller screen.
My only concern about the 700M would be the warranty. I trust HP more than I do Dell with the basic 1-year warranty. I would get some feedback from 700M users in this forum, maybe start a new thread.
Hope this helps!

edit Forgot about the Averatec. It will do, but that's about it. My buddy has almost the exact same laptop, except w/out DVDRW, and it is adequate. He only gets about 2 hours of battery life and it runs very hot and loud. If you are more concerned about money and just want an adequate laptop, then the Averatec is the way to go. But as a super-geek and technology-phreak, I can't say I would choose it

 

[gmc8757]

that's good enough reason not to get the averatec.

as for the 700m, how did u configure it so cheap? Did you do it under "home" or "small busines"?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Oops, forgot to tell you: it is small business.
editJust make sure that you recently started your own business

 

[gmc8757]

haha....that's funny....i will be able to just put my dad's compay down right?

 

[fbrdphreak]

If you want to. A friend of mine started his own business the day he ordered his Dell laptop: Chris-soft

 

[gmc8757]

That price is better than ebay.
They're a lil cheaper on ebay but not as good specs.
Looks like i'll be going through dell.
Anyone else have a coupon or anything to help out a lil more??

fbrdphreak...you are the man....i owe you a lunch or something....you're not in Rochester NY by anychance are you?? ha

 

[fbrdphreak]

I'm lookin' for deals for ya

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, I checked out most of the hot deals sites and the forum here, didn't see anything that would make the 700M better. There was a coupon for the home divison if you bought a 700M, $500 off $1500 or more. That would've been good, 'cuz you could've gotten almost the same notebook but with a better warranty for the same money.
I think that 700M from Small Business is your best deal. I don't know if the Small Business discount expires at all tho, so I don't know if its worth it to wait & see if a better deal comes up.
Not quite Rochester, try Raleigh, NC But if you ever make your way down South I'm sure we can go get a :beer:

 

[gmc8757]

Ok cool....do these deals on the home site come out first of the week or something??

 

[fbrdphreak]

Good question, I honestly couldn't tell you. I normally don't follow Dell, but that is one helluva deal

 

[gmc8757]

that's what i figured, i may just order it tomorrow....it's nice cuz i don't have to mess with rebates or anything like that.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Definitely Rebates suck
One thing u might want to check: return policy. After all, if you find a better deal u might be able to return it & take the better deal I know HP has a 30-day no questions return policy on custom orders

 

[gmc8757]

good call

so after all that...you would still get the hp machine if you were me?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, I do like the dv1000's battery life better and I personally like the bigger screen. But I've never handled a 700M, so I can't speak to the build quality. I've handled lots of HP's and the dv1000 (which my gf has) is built exceptionally well for its price. BTW, I don't know if I told you but there will be a detailed review of the dv1000 on the site listed in my sig after this weekend, courtesy of moi & my gf's dv1000
If I had to choose right now and the smaller screen was better for my uses (i.e. your uses), then I would probably go with the Dell. But I would feel REALLY uneasy about not having a better warranty

 

[gmc8757]

ok...more for me to thing about. Hopefully tomorrow i have it all squared away with what i'm getting. again, thanks for the help, you couldn't have helped me more