decisions ......

[babycarlitos]

well I finally have money for a laptop so I have done some research for the past 6 hours ( I havent been in the laptop game for years ) and I was super confused with all the laptop video card models... well long story short these seem to be the top 2 imo

Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
Processor AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1 GHz)
Display 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Memory FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
Graphics card ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics
Hard drive FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive from 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive edit
Personalization HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam
Keyboard HP Color Matching Keyboard
Networking 802.11b/g WLAN
Modem Port No High speed 56K modem port
Primary CD/DVD drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

that one is $654.99
for $100 the vid can be changed to the 3450.... but I dont see a big improvement to warrant the $100
$50 for a 250 gig
and for $75 more the screen can be upgraded to 1680 x 1050....

and the second one is :


Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0GHz)
Display 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800) edit
Memory FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Graphics card Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X4500
Hard drive FREE Upgrade to 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Personalization HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam
Keyboard HP Color Matching Keyboard
Networking FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN from 802.11b/g WLAN
Modem Port No High speed 56K modem port
Primary CD/DVD drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

this is $799.99

for $200 more the 9600m gt ( which was pulled back 2 weeks ago and is back now)
and the screen again $75 more for 1650 x 1050

some more info:
1- dont really want the 8400 or the 8600 because of the new reported dye incident that I also found out today.
2- dont wanna go over $1000
3- I read somewhere the zm 80 is slightly slower than the c2d but is much better handling 3d because of the hybrid... (is it true?)
4- are the screens really that diferent? wxga vs wsxga?
5- is the 9600m gt that much better that is worth the extra $200 or would you rather spend teh $200 on a desktop video card?

so im looking to see if anyone has any input on these decisions
brand new to the site !!

 

[Brainonska511]

1) I'd definitely go for the 1680x1050 screen. 1280x800 is not that good for that size screen. I have a 14" 1280x768 screen and I always feel like I'm lacking space (1440x900 would have been great (WXGA+)). Vista should be better than XP too at scaling stuff to a larger size if you have problems reading at the higher resolution.

2) Do you play games on your laptop? The HD3200 and the Intel X4500 are both integrated chips but they can both handle HD video decoding from what I've read. IIRC, the HD3200 is the best integrated chip on the market at the moment. If you're just going to watch videos, use the web, and play old games, the integrated graphics should be fine.

3) I don't understand your question 3. I'm pretty sure "Hybrid Graphics" are only for when you're running on battery and IF you have a dedicated card. So if you had the HD3450, the laptop would use this when you're plugged in, but when you switch to being on battery, the laptop would automatically switch to the integrated HD3200 to save a lot on battery life. A pretty cool feature if you ask me (only applies when you get a dedicated card). As far as processor comparisons go, for most tasks, they will be about equal.

4) Going back to the graphics - if you have a desktop for gaming, just upgrade the card there and keep your laptop for mobile/light use.

Overall, I'd probably go with the AMD laptop - upgrading to the larger hard drive is of course at your discretion - do you need the space directly on the laptop drive? Consider an external drive (especially if the notebook has an E-SATA port (much faster data transfer to external SATA drives)) if you run out of the 160GB or just spend the $50 up front to get the extra 90GB directly on the laptop.

 

[babycarlitos]

..... i do have a desktop where I play all my games.. so I think im gonna save money and go with the amd thanks for the input !!!

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: babycarlitos
..... i do have a desktop where I play all my games.. so I think im gonna save money and go with the amd thanks for the input !!!

No problem. Enjoy your new laptop when you get it.