I need a new notebook and the reviews, they do nothing...

[Slappy00]

I would like to hear what you think about choosing between these 3 products:

IBM T40
HP zt3000
Dell 600m
(www.powernotebooks.com) PowerPro 5:16 Ultra

After comparing the three and setting my limit to around $1500 (the cheaper the better) for a heavy application and light multimedia (occisional movie, and much music), maybe linux too.

I came to several conclusions:

The IBM T40 was quite expensive even with my Discovercard savings, around $1475 or so (2nd highest). It had the lowest or equalivant performing components (ATI 7500 32mb; 14.1" screen XGA; 30gig 4200RPM drive; P3M 1.3Ghz) when comapred to the other models.

The HP was the second cheapest around $1290 (rebates, special buyer program) with equal or better components when compared to the Dell and IBM models (ATI 9200 32meg; 15.4" XGA; 40Gig 4200rpm HDD; P3M 1.4Ghz).

The Dell was the cheapest at $1208 and had a mix of equalivant or worse features. (ATI 9200/7500? 32meg; 14.1" XGA;40Gig 4200rpm; P3M 1.4Ghz).

The powernotebook computer (www.powernotebooks.com) had equalivant or better than all the rest of the notebooks, and was consiquently the most expensive at $1486 (not much more than the IBM) . (ATI 9000 64meg; DVD/CD-RW; 40Gig 5400RPM; P3M 1.4Ghz; 15" SXGA.

All the notebooks had or were configured with intel 802.11b (centrino tech or something), 256mb ram and a case was tossed in as either an option or freebie.

Ok so here's my quandry since I am new to notebooks:

• Why do people pay more for IBM? Is it their service speed or quality?
• How much of an improvement is SXGA over XGA?
• How much of an improvement is 5400 over 4200rpm for Notebooks ? More heat?
• Has anyone done buisness with powernotebooks? They seem to have a strong folllowing and good customer service
  

Well it seems that unless someone can convince me that IBM is a good buy im wavering between the HP and powernotebooks... I guess I want this notebook to last for at least 3 or more years (like i said before just typing papers, watching an occasional movie on the road, and playing my music collection...

I hate to post a question like this but CNET and PCmag both seems to kiss all the mfg @sses and dont really reflect the avg user IMO. Its a bit of money to drop for a college student but thesis time is coming up and i need to be able to write/compile data wherever I am...

Thanks for your input...

 

[arsbanned]

I've heard bad things about the reliability if the IBMs. THe HP I wouldn't even consider. Get the Dell dude.

 

[Gibson486]

People seem to not complain about powernotebooks. They are ranked pretty good on customer service.

A 5400 RPM HD is worth the extra money.

SXGA is better than XGA, you can see the difference, but only if you are looking for it. If you have no experience with LCD's, XGA would do fine.

IBM's notebook build quality is really high. Their notebooks are solid and you can really see it with the construction.

 

[Slappy00]

thanks for the replys

 

[rainypickles]

i would say at least think more about the hp zt3000. i have a compaq x1000 which is basically the zt3000. you can head on over to http://www.x1000forums.com to read what people have to say about the laptop.

i would usually agree for people to stay away from hp/compaq (my sis has a mediocre hp), but this compaq x1000 is fantastic.

as for the LCD displays, check what resolutions XGA and SXGA are. i think that XGA is 1024x768. on a 14inch screen, that would work fine for me. anything higher (SXGA or above) might be too small for me. anyone out there care to say how viewable the text etc is on a SXGA?

by the way, the zt3000 15.4 inch screen is a widescreen. that may or may not be a deciding factor in your purchase.

 

[MWink]

I have used both the IBM T40 and the Compaq X1000 (like the HP). I upgraded from the IBM to the Compaq. I personally like the Compaq better than the IBM. I believe it is all around more balanced. The IBM may have great build quality but the performance was just too bad for having spent that much money. The Compaq X1000 is also very well built. So far I have not had a single problem with the Compaq. I'm very happy with it considering it cost less than I sold my T40 for.

I would stay away from the Dell. I've had 2 Dell Inspiron's before (8x00 series) and both had major problems right out of the box. They also had very poor build quality. For the time being I'm staying away from Dell.

As for the hard drive speed, 5400RPM drives are significantly faster than 4200RPM drives and they do create more heat, but not much. IMO the brand matters quite a bit too. I saw a noticable performance increase when I went from an IBM to a Toshiba 5400RPM drive.

About Powernotebooks, I haven't done business with them myself but I know someone who has. Yes they do have excellent service, however some of the laptops they sell are not the best. The Sager that was bought from them had chronic problems and though they fixed it a number of times, eventually the warranty ran out and it barely works at all now.

 

[Pakman117]

I have a Dell D600 w/ 1.4, 14.1" SVGA+ screen, 9000 Ati 32 meg, and 40 gig 5400 RPM Hitachi drive. The quality is terrific, battery life decent (usually around 2.5 hours full brightness), and overall design pretty sleek/sturdy. I'm not sure if its in your price range though. The 5400 rpm drive does not produce anymore heat than my sister's older Dell Inspirion 4200 drive, at least not detectable amounts. The SVGA+ screen has a native res of 1400 x 1050, which is very sharp and not small at all. Very comparable to my 17" LCD running at 1280 x 1024 as far as readability. I know a kid with a T40. It seems real solid, has awesome battery life, and has a very low profile (My Dell's is pretty low too though). His laptop, however, can't run CS, though it is an International Business Machine. You have to decide if you want major portability (what the T40 offers) at the sacrifice of performance, or if you want median portability at a higher performance level, what the others offer. This should either make your decision, or eliminate the IBM. If it does the latter, I'd go for the other 3 in the following order:

Dell, if this comes with the 9200 (cheapest, offers what the HP does)

HP, cheap as well (I'd place this above the Dell if the Dell comes with the 7500)

Powernotebook, only because it is the most expensive. If price isn't as much as an issue as I think it is, I'd go for this first maybe. You have to decide if a faster hard drive and better CDROM combo (?) is worth $200 more.

On another note, if you already have a desktop at college, and are going to keep it, I'd get the most portable/cheapest laptop available. I have a desktop and a laptop at my college, and I hardly use the notebook, let alone for anything more intensive than watching a movie. Meanwhile I spent $2k on it....

Also, what is your major? If its not engineering, or something that requires special software like autocad, matlab, inventor, etc... You might want to look into getting an iBook or Powerbook. They are solid and ultra portable machines (based on size) with a great OS.

Good luck.

 

[jpeyton]

ZT3000 rules all. Manufactured by the same people who make the Dell 8500/8600 series, but it feels a lot more solid than the Dell. Less bulky too; the scroll pad is a definite plus; heat isn't an issue; keyboard is comfortable and solid; the screen is awesome (especially the WSXGA panel); awesome laptop all around.

 

[arsbanned]

The 8500 Dells are far heavier and really a different class of notebook. A better comparison would be the 600m.

 

[preslove]

MWink wrote
I have used both the IBM T40 and the Compaq X1000 (like the HP). I upgraded from the IBM to the Compaq. I personally like the Compaq better than the IBM. I believe it is all around more balanced. The IBM may have great build quality but the performance was just too bad for having spent that much money. The Compaq X1000 is also very well built. So far I have not had a single problem with the Compaq. I'm very happy with it considering it cost less than I sold my T40 for.

How does the portability contrast with the t40? Is the larger size and 2 extra pounds an issue?

 

[Bryans]

Originally posted by: arsbanned
I've heard bad things about the reliability if the IBMs. THe HP I wouldn't even consider. Get the Dell dude.

reverse what you said and I might agree. : )

IBM's reliability is legendary, dell's reliability is also legendary... but not in a positive way. The HP/CPQ x1000/zt3000 is a decent choice, they are above average for HP/CPQ.

In order of preference:

IBM: smaller, more rugged machine that will be absolutely reliable.

HP/CPQ: bigger but better specs for your dollar since they are more 'mass market' brands.

Dell: cheap, but I think you will find that dell is quickly aquiring a reputation for shoddy notebooks as they strive to undercut everyone elses prices.

Powernotebooks: I have heard that they are thick heavy and have poor battery life. BUT I have no first hand experience with them, so I take that with a grain of salt until I have a chance to see one up close.

I wouldnot worry so much about which has slightly better specs, as long as they are powerful enough to do what you need them to do. The main thing I would look for is battery life, size and durability. After all, this is going to be a mobile machine.

The IBM is better in these respects, it also has a much better keyboard than the others. This will be a big plus during prolonged use. You may be able to do better on the price. If you phone in your order IBM will occasionally do first time buyer discounts or if you are a stock holder you may be able to get a lower price.

 

[Slappy00]

WEll i got a decient deal on the compaq x1000 so i bit it for around $1100 (not the $800 killings ppl were getting at BB a month ago) I think in the end Im too poor for the powernotebooks and IBM. I think that in terms of "bank for your buck" the compaq is the best deal. THe only downside is you have to pray that it doesnt come DOA or with problems, becuase then you ahve to talk to their lovely "techs", that are....well...dumb-asses...

I didnt want to start a fire on this thread but when you have no money to buy quality you go with what you can afford.

Thanks for all your help...

 

[Slappy00]

Oh and thanks for your extensive post Pakman...

Im in the Master's program working on molecular biology, but I was a CS minor (in those drunken blurry undergrad years...ahh memories), so I would like to put the penguin on the x1000 and give it a ride when writing my thesis. My primary desktop is what i game, edit, compile, or what not on. I was considering getting the cheapest notebook available, but the cheap ones are usually heavy and lacking features/performance. I was also going to give this to my g/f when I finished my work here and got a job to pay for a new one, so she could have her own computer (make her learn linux linux to boot > ).

 

[rainypickles]

i was planning to get a laptop as a secondary mobile computer also. but once i started using the x1000 more, i use it all the time and my desktop virtually nil. (i do remotely connect to my desktop to setup DLs though). this laptop does everything i want/need, really. its could be a tad quicker, but definitely good enough for productivity.

and it looks so sleek!

remember, hit up http://www.x1000forums.com if you require assistance. enjoy!

as an aside, i actually got mines in the BB deal last month =)

i was in class the other day in the back with my x1000. i was bored and the prof was on a tangent, so i started up a game of battlefield and flew around shooting at landing craft. fun!

 

[bolido2000]

You can look at Mwave and zipzoomfly "branded" laptops. They are not too expensive.

 

[Slappy00]

"as an aside, i actually got mines in the BB deal last month =)"

/grumble

 

[arsbanned]

reverse what you said and I might agree. : )

A good friend of mine works on IT staff at a huge hospital in Nashville (actually they own multiple hospitals) and he said their IBMs broke down constantly so they switched the contract to Dell (mostly 600m) and they've had smooth sailing ever since.
Also, I think cheaper is better -unless your company is springing for you; laptops are just a commodity, to be used for a year or 2 and disposed of and replaced with another cheap machine. Spending <1,000.00 is always wise. Most of them are made in the same damned factory anyway and rebadged -the components are all made by the same companies- so you won't see a huge difference in quality between them. IMO, of course.

 

[Bryans]

Originally posted by: arsbanned

reverse what you said and I might agree. : )

A good friend of mine works on IT staff at a huge hospital in Nashville (actually they own multiple hospitals) and he said their IBMs broke down constantly so they switched the contract to Dell (mostly 600m) and they've had smooth sailing ever since.
Also, I think cheaper is better -unless your company is springing for you; laptops are just a commodity, to be used for a year or 2 and disposed of and replaced with another cheap machine. Spending <1,000.00 is always wise. Most of them are made in the same damned factory anyway and rebadged -the components are all made by the same companies- so you won't see a huge difference in quality between them. IMO, of course.

Cheap might be better if you are prepared to treat a laptop as a disposable comodity, but few people (in the non business world ) are. Just as it is usually unwise to buy the highest priced item it is similarly unwise to always buy the lowest cost item available. Consider this: you buy a <$1000 laptop that, as you said, might last 1-2 years. Or you spend $1500-1600 and get a good quality one that will last 3+ years. If you go the cheap route by the end of the 3 years you will have spent about the same (2 $750 laptops lasting for 1.5 years each) and had to put up with a cheaply built laptop that might fail at any time. Wouldnt you rather have a more reliable, more robust machine for the 3 years? even if the TCO was slightly higher (in this example it isnt) I think many people would be willing to pay that to avoid the hassly of using a cheaply built machine for the 3 years.

You are correct that there are 3 (or 4?) large ODM/OEM manufacturers that actually produce most laptops, but there is a noticable difference in the quality of the product lines they turn out. For example, an IBM X33 isnt going to be made on the same line as a Dell inspiron 1100.


Slappy: enjoy the x1000, hopefully it will work out well for you. As another poster already suggested be sure to peruse X1000 forums

 

[Slappy00]

"Slappy: enjoy the x1000, hopefully it will work out well for you. As another poster already suggested be sure to peruse X1000 forums "

thanks I was already looking through there.... Like i said before I got what I could afford, IBM was my first pick but SAdly $1500+ was too much for me

 

[arsbanned]

Wouldnt you rather have a more reliable, more robust machine for the 3 years?

But that's just it, there is no evidence spending more gets you more, in terms of reliability. None. I see just as many instances of people crying about problems with their $2,000 notebooks as people with cheap laptops.

Hence my philosophy.

As I said previously though, hey, if the company is buying, sky's the limit.

 

[Flats]

I just returned a ibm t41. i had it for a week. i thought it was slow. there is hardly any customer support. i gave up and returned it. i still use my ibm a21m that is about 3 years old. it ran circles around the new t41. i am also looking for another notebook.
flats

 

[Slappy00]

Flats you should give teh x1000 (compaq)/ zt3000(HP) (same thing really) a chance If you are willing to deal with HP's lousy customer service its a really good buy for the money...

 

[coolred]

Dang why did I have to come into this thread? I have wanted a laptop for a long time, mainly for browsing the web from a nice recliner then a desk chair, but also for taking on long trips as a DVD player or whatever as well as mobile computing while I am away from my desktop. But I am sure my fiance would not like me spending a bunch of money on something that does basically what the desktop does. SHe has no understanding since all she uses the computer for is checking email and occasional net browsing.

But since I am planning to go get off my lazy but and get a dang degree I kinda think that would be another better reason to get a notebook, so that got me looking. I already knew I got a discount through HP/compaq. So I browsed over to thier site as well as some deal sites. And I noticed there is a 100.00 MIR, free shipping, 10% off and 12 months no intrest financing for this laptop. So I configured one let me know what you think of it. I went with the HP zt3000 since it has available 54g wireless.

Processor Pentium(R) M 1.5GHz
Operating System Microsoft(R)Windows(R) XP Home
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM(1X256MB)
Hard Drive 60 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
Communication 54G wireless LAN
Display 15.4" WVA WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
Graphics Card 64MB Mobility Radeon(TM) 9200
Primary Battery Extra 8 Cell Lithion Ion Battery

All that comes to 1827.00 for me I thinkt hats a 5.5% savings over their normal price. 1827.00-10%=1644.30-100MIR=1544.30



Is that a good deal? Anything you would change or add to the configuration. I basically went for the best bang for your buck options. With the exception of the hard drive. I wanted to splurge for the 5400RPM model. I will likely upgrade the memory to at least 512 total from crucial.

 

[Slappy00]

heh I dont think "bang for your buck" includes WSXGA

so i would get the WXGA unless you *know* you like the higher resolutions
If you are not playing games you dont need the 64mb radeon either... get the 32mb
I probably would just get a DVD drive also and put my info on a USB key or transmit it wirelessly (you have the G card after all) dont need a burner.

thats about it... Memory will run you around $50 for 256 pc2100, although (this is what i heard at the x1000 forums) that the newer zt3000s can utilize pc2700 memory, but i have not really confirmend it yet.

THe HDD will give you a huge performance boost, not too much extra power used either.

 

[coolred]

Well I will be doing some gaming on this, plus i would like it to last at least a few years and still be able to handle everything, so i think for 50 bucks the extra memory for the video is worth it.


The screen resolution I would actually have to look into further. I don't know much about the widescreens, nor am i used to that size screen. I am currently using a Dell 1800FP, 18.1 inch LCD with a native resolution of 1280x1024. So which one of those resolutions would most closely compare to what i am currently using, taking into the effect the screen size differance. Also I do occasional cad work, game and DVD viewing, so a higher resolution may be worth the extra 50.00. I think i would actually have to see the differant screen resolutions to see which I like best.