vpr Matrix 175B4 - P4-1.7GHz, 256M, 30GB, Radeon7500, DVD/CD-RW, 10/100 - $900 AR

LinxNerd

Member
Oct 29, 2001
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vpr Matrix? Notebook with Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 1.7GHz - M
Model: 175B4 at BestBuy
Text
Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 1.7GHz - M, featuring Intel SpeedStep® technology for optimized battery life; 256MB DDR SDRAM for multitasking power, expandable to 1.0GB

14.1" XGA TFT-LCD display with 1024 x 768 resolution

30.0GB (4200 rpm) hard drive

DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive (8x max. DVD-ROM, 8x8x24 CD-RW)

ATI RADEON 7500 graphics with 16MB SDRAM video memory; S-video and VGA output;
built-in stereo speakers

IEEE 1394 and USB ports for high-speed digital data transfer and mobile digital imaging capabilities

Integrated 10/100 Ethernet card; V.92 high-speed modem

Weighs 5.4 lbs./about 1.2" thin for lightweight portability; built-in LiIon battery

Windows XP Home Edition operating system preinstalled

LINUX COMPATIBLE?
Any input on the performance and value of these laptops?

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Title edited for easier reading by AnandTech Moderator
 

m1ke101

Platinum Member
Mar 30, 2001
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component wise this seems like a pretty good deal, especially since it weighs around 5 pounds
 

dpham00

Senior member
Aug 9, 2001
654
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vprmatrix website

original vprmatrix thread

i got the 180b5 for the same price, and it's a pretty solid machine. it's basically a Samsung P10. most of the parts are samsung or intel. not a bad laptop, but you could probably find it in stores for less. i saw one locked in the cabinet at the Best Buy in Woodland Hills, CA, along with a widescreen vprmatrix laptop. i think the 170xx was something like $750, and open box.
 

arqueue

Junior Member
Oct 6, 2000
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Might also want to consider vpr matrix 185a5, $1150 AR
differences between 185a5 and 175b4:
P4 1.8 ~ P4 1.7
15in wide screen 1280x854 ~ 14in 1024x768
512M DDR ~ 256M DDR
Buildin 802.11b ~ no wireless
32MB nVidia GeForce4 420 Go Graphics ~ 16M ATI Radeon 7500
2 USB 2.0 ~ 2 USB 1.1
2 IEEE1394 ~ 1 IEEE 1394
1 SPDIF Port ~ No SPDIF
No Serial Port ~ 1 Serial port
6.4 Lbs ~ 5.4 Lbs

I do believe the extra $250 is well justified.
 

TheTechnique

Senior member
Apr 18, 2000
320
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Originally posted by: arqueue
Might also want to consider vpr matrix 185a5, $1150 AR
differences between 185a5 and 175b4:
P4 1.8 ~ P4 1.7
15in wide screen 1280x854 ~ 14in 1024x768
512M DDR ~ 256M DDR
Buildin 802.11b ~ no wireless
32MB nVidia GeForce4 420 Go Graphics ~ 16M ATI Radeon 7500
2 USB 2.0 ~ 2 USB 1.1
2 IEEE1394 ~ 1 IEEE 1394
1 SPDIF Port ~ No SPDIF
No Serial Port ~ 1 Serial port
6.4 Lbs ~ 5.4 Lbs

I do believe the extra $250 is well justified.

The VPR Matrix 170, 175, and 180 are MUCH higher quality than the widescreen models (185, 200). The 170/175/180 are made by Samsung and are basically a rebadged Samsung P10. All the components are VERY high quality compared to the 185/200. This is not to say that the 185/200 aren't good, they are, but they feel much cheaper and are noticeably of lesser quality.

Read more opinons on the infoarena.com forums...
 

dpham00

Senior member
Aug 9, 2001
654
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Originally posted by: TheTechnique
Originally posted by: arqueue
Might also want to consider vpr matrix 185a5, $1150 AR
differences between 185a5 and 175b4:
P4 1.8 ~ P4 1.7
15in wide screen 1280x854 ~ 14in 1024x768
512M DDR ~ 256M DDR
Buildin 802.11b ~ no wireless
32MB nVidia GeForce4 420 Go Graphics ~ 16M ATI Radeon 7500
2 USB 2.0 ~ 2 USB 1.1
2 IEEE1394 ~ 1 IEEE 1394
1 SPDIF Port ~ No SPDIF
No Serial Port ~ 1 Serial port
6.4 Lbs ~ 5.4 Lbs

I do believe the extra $250 is well justified.

The VPR Matrix 170, 175, and 180 are MUCH higher quality than the widescreen models (185, 200). The 170/175/180 are made by Samsung and are basically a rebadged Samsung P10. All the components are VERY high quality compared to the 185/200. This is not to say that the 185/200 aren't good, they are, but they feel much cheaper and are noticeably of lesser quality.

Read more opinons on the infoarena.com forums...

i saw one at BB...didn't like the look.

and i didn't like the keyboard layout either. if you want to get one, take a look at a floor display first.
 

jamesd1343

Senior member
Jun 27, 2001
366
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i have one and i disagree with the nonbelievers. Although I do agree the older models seem to be much more sturdy than the newer ones.

Ive played with many diff makes and models of laptop (IBM,HP,Toshiba,Compaq,Dell etc.) and these are one of my favorites...the 1704b and 1804b are actually Samsung P10 rebranded by VPR for US Sales. Some have actually flashed the BIOS with a newer Samsung BIOS successfully.

As Technique mentioned above, check his forum for more info: INFOARENA
 

MrDudeMan

Lifer
Jan 15, 2001
15,069
94
91
can you edit the title of this thread please? learn how to use spaces...its clogging up my today screen because the title wont shrink
 

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
can you edit the title of this thread please? learn how to use spaces...its clogging up my today screen because the title wont shrink

lol