Yet another laptop advice thread

[imported_Zeke]

Alight I am about ready to take the plunge and get a new laptop, my last one was a celery 600mhz dell I bought about 5 years ago...it died a horrible death a year into using it (I try not to think about it). Typical requirements I suppose, I'm a student that needs a notebook for class and some web browsing, so having somthing light with good battery life is important. I do play games, but I don't want to be toting around a huge desktop replacement (I'm a big guy but even I have my limits) and besides it is probably a good thing if I can't play half-life 2 in class....As far as price range..I am thinking 1500 or below, and I really Hate not getting the best value for my money possible, so I can be very picky about pirce to performance ratio. Ideally I would get somthing new (warranties are my friend now) direct from the manufacturer, just less hassle that way. So far I have looked at the dv1000 and the 700m, looking for more ideas

 

[pkme2]

We have used Dell Inspiron 600M notebooks for our students for the past 2 years.
The Centrino 2.0 and the 64MB video w/ 1GB RAM are recommended. The video card is not upgradeable, but quite suitable with our Vegas Video 6.0.
We recommend the 7k60 HDD for maindrive and use the media bay with another 7k60, for digital video work.
We use the original HDD as a USB external for transferring files.
We have good luck using the 600Ms and if you're looking for a well-built practical laptop, we recommend the Inspiron. (The Dell Latitude D600 is the same unit)

 

[imported_Zeke]

Originally posted by: pkme2
We have used Dell Inspiron 600M notebooks for our students for the past 2 years.
The Centrino 2.0 and the 64MB video w/ 1GB RAM are recommended. The video card is not upgradeable, but quite suitable with our Vegas Video 6.0.
We recommend the 7k60 HDD for maindrive and use the media bay with another 7k60, for digital video work.
We use the original HDD as a USB external for transferring files.
We have good luck using the 600Ms and if you're looking for a well-built practical laptop, we recommend the Inspiron. (The Dell Latitude D600 is the same unit)

Super helpfull and informative post, just one quick questions -does the upgrade to a 7200 rpm HDD increase battery consumption significantly?

 

[pkme2]

We have'nt noticed a significant drain on our battery, but since we carry around extra batteries, that situation is moot. We run approximately 2.5hrs on our old batteries and that's sufficient for our needs.

 

[imported_Zeke]

So I was thinking about the dv1000, how does this config sound?

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional with SP2
Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 750 (1.86 GHz)
Display FREE Upgrade to 14.0" WXGA BrightView Widescreen!
Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM (1x512MB)
Hard Drive 80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive LightScribe 8x DVD+/-RW&CD-RW Combo w/Double Layer
Graphics Card Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 900 - Pentium
Networking FREE Upgrade to 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM!!
Primary Battery FREE Second 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery!!
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
HP extended service plans 1-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with Express Repair extended service plan
Accessories HP Mobile Remote Control

Comes to $1350 with the student discount. (about 9 percent)