Trying to Pick a New Laptop. Please help me decide.

[dustineck]

I am looking to purchase a new laptop for medical school. I want something light, moblie, with good battery life because there is nowhere to plug in to in class. Monitor under 14 inches. So far i am looking at these three. I am open to comments, opinions, pros & cons, and suggestions. Thanks. All are about the same price. Just can't decide.

#1 HP dv1000t
Operating System ----- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor ----- Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2500 (2.0 GHz)
Display ----- 14.0" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x768)
Graphics Card ----- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 w/WebCam
Memory ----- 1.0GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x512MB)
Hard Drive ----- 80 GB 5400 RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive ----- LightScribe 8x DVD+/-RW&CD-RW Combo w/Double Layer
Networking ----- FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG!!
Primary Battery ----- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
**Plus Free Printer/Copy/Scanner

#2 Sony VGN-FJ290
Operating System ----- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor ----- Intel Pentium M Processor 760 (2.0 GHz)
Display ----- 14.1" WXGA & Camera
Graphics Card ----- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 w/WebCam
Memory ----- 1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 512 MBx2)
Hard Drive ----- 80 GB Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive ----- DVD+R Double Layer / DVD+-RW Drive
Networking ----- Wireless LAN (802.11b\g)
Primary Battery ----- Li-ion 11.1v 4800mAh

#3 Dell XPS M140
Operating System ----- Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
Processor ----- Intel® Pentium® M Processor 770 (2.13GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Display ----- 14.1 inch WXGA TrueLife? LCD Panel
Graphics Card ----- Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Memory ----- 1GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms
Hard Drive ----- 80 GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive ----- 8xCD/DVD burner(DVD+/-RW)w/dble-layer DVD+R write capability
Networking ----- Intel® PRO 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps)
Primary Battery ----- 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[Mday]

looks like you got mobile. These systems are not the lightest.

I recommend looking at the latitude D620. It's about the same weight as the ones above. And the Optical drive is modular, and you can swap it out for a 2nd battery (as in having 2 in at once). Just being able to remove the optical drive saves on battery life, btw.

You order it through small business, but you can just use your name as the company. Right now, it's $400 off if you configure it above $1499. You would also have the option of increasing your HDD size, putting in Winxp Pro, and increasing the resolution if you wanted to.

I'll assume you're in the US.

 

[SparkyJJO]

go dell

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Dell Latitude D510 for $699

 

[dustineck]

Not a bad price, but once you upgrade it to the level of the D620, why not just pay the extra couple hundred bucks to get the Core Duo, a wide screen, and a larger battery?

 

[pkme2]

Pass on the Sony,
Consider the HP,
Buy the Dell.

Upgrade to Win XP Pro. The programs needed for college will need XP Pro. Cost more, but using the $750 discount coupon will take a $1996 laptop down to $1246.00.
Up your harddrive to a 7200RPM 8MB at least.
Dual core processor is highly recommended.
128MB Video card is minimum/256MB is better.

Dell Coupons
You can surf these sites to find your discount, which renews after expiration date often.

A lot of the extras are available aftermarket and get what you need first and if you're unsure about the specs, you can always come back to AT, later under the Notebooks Forum.

 

[Bozo Galora]

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