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Looking to spend $1500ish on a laptop

J

JBelanger

Junior Member
Programs I'll use:

The web
MS Office
Recording software (probably Q-Base, maybe Pro Tools)
- I won't be doing anything too taxing, but will be doing some recording - basic audio recording
Second Life
Financial Modeling Software

The computer I've had my eye on is an HP dv6000t, C2D T7200 2.0/4MB L2, 2GB, 15.4" - the one drawback is that it runs a 5400 RPM HDD... I'm not sure how this will affect my performance.

I could be convinced to spend more, but I am wanting to keep the laptop for maybe three years, and I think I can get away with $1500 now that we're not really doubling technology every 18 months...

What are your thoughts? Should I wait for the next set of AMD processors? Is the C2D that good?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Jonathan
 
I would recommend a Thinkpad. They are very well built, reliable computers that could be specced to suit your needs well.

As far as laptop processors are concerned, Intel has always had the upper hand on AMD, especially recently. If you were wanting to go AMD for your next desktop, then I would recommend waiting, but for a laptop, C2D really is that good, and it is doubtful that AMD is going to have something better anytime soon.

And about the hard drive: If you are going to be doing serious recording, then you need to get a 7200rpm drive. Recording is one thing that seriously benefits from a faster hdd, and if you were not using a laptop then I would recommend a RAID setup. A 7200rpm hdd will decrease your battery life pretty significantly though, when compared to a 5400rpm one, so that is something that you may want to take into consideration.
 
I'm noticing that when I pick out a similar 3000 Family or Thinkpad notebook from IBM that my price is closer to $1700 or $1800. The fingerprint reader is great, but can I really use it?

What am I paying for with these extra $200-300 dollars? I realize I get the 7200 RPM drive, which is nice, but it's not worth $200. And the graphics card is inferior to HP's (GeForce 7200 Go, I think it was).
 
you are getting a much better built machine than the hp, IBM rocks the laptop world for build quality and reliabilty, 7200 laptop drives aint cheap is sometihgn to keep in mind when pricing things. C2D rocks but if you find an amd that will meet ur needs than get it..



Will g.
 
I also recommend a thinkpad, even at a premium. What you're paying for is the best support in the PC world, the highest physical quality, and a damn nice screen. If you can get ahold of any sort of discount, student or better, then it's much more affordable. Employee discounts are the best, if you can find a friend of a friend of a friend employee of IBM 😛
 
Thanks, Will.

I gave a list to one of our IT guys - I think he's going to put something together for me. He also says that IBMs make great laptops (and they can fix it if something goes wrong, so no need for a warranty!).

But seriously, who actually uses that eraser-mouse anyway?

Gosh, I'm glad I found this site - a plethora of information - and it spans the gamut of the PC-world. A great resource. Keep posting!
 
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