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06/22/2005 06:14:40 PM · #1 |
I'm in a dilemma.....
I'm trying to decide between two laptops to purchase, the only difference being the first is an HP zd800 series ....
The second is a Compaq Presario X6000....
Both are very near in price and I was just wondering if anyone thought one was better than the other.
Thanks!
Kevin
EDIT: Thanks to all who gave advice....it seems you have saved me from a junky laptop brand. I've gone with a Dell Inspiron6000, and it ended up being the same price with a great deal they're having now; 34% off laptops, check it out!
Kevin
Message edited by author 2005-06-23 20:23:34. |
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06/22/2005 06:28:17 PM · #2 |
... and both are made by the same company, to boot.
e |
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06/22/2005 06:46:37 PM · #3 |
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06/22/2005 06:59:37 PM · #4 |
| In a prior life I used to buy about 20,000 laptops a year for my company. HP/Compaq had the worst quality record of any laptops we bought. Suggest you check out Dell and Toshiba ... who both had great quality. |
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06/22/2005 07:03:29 PM · #5 |
I use a Dell Inspiron 2200, 1.4 gig/hz, 512 meg ram. Works great, enough ram for Photoshop CS, etc.... I have added a NexStar 2 external case for an additional 40 gig hard-drive for extra space though. The Dell I have only came with a 25 gig drive.
Message edited by author 2005-06-22 19:04:12. |
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06/22/2005 07:16:25 PM · #6 |
| Thanks for that info Quixote...I'll check them out. My family has had HP desktops for a long time now and they have all done very well, but I guess their laptops are a different story. |
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06/22/2005 07:18:30 PM · #7 |
I bought a refurbished dell 600m. Works great.
I would highly recommend refurbished stuff, $100-200 off for something essentially new.
Message edited by author 2005-06-22 19:18:46. |
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06/22/2005 07:19:16 PM · #8 |
| never thought of that....are they trustworthy? |
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06/22/2005 07:23:16 PM · #9 |
| YIKES.....the Dells are like $600 more for the same specs as the toshiba |
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06/22/2005 07:25:05 PM · #10 |
| i just got my brand new Dell 600m with 80gig hard drive, 1 gig of ram and an 8x cd/dvd+-r burner...runs photoshop and other programs realll fast :) |
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06/22/2005 08:07:01 PM · #11 |
My first laptop was a Compaq. It went back to the factory 5 times during a 3 year warranty period. Since the warranty expired it has worked perfectly, mostly because pretty near every part in it has been replaced at least once, and because I don't use it much anymore.
My current laptop is a bottom-of-the-line Toshiba. It will be three years old this August and has never failed me. Even though I use it hard I have had absolutely ZERO hardware problems with it. If it ever dies I'll buy another Toshiba.
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06/22/2005 08:15:21 PM · #12 |
i got a almost top of the line (at the time) dell laptop for college and its been four years now and it still works perfectly and i've never had a single hardware problem with it. It has survived travelling to three continents, travelled in airplanes, trains, cars, busses, and ferries, lugged around in a backpack, and dropped a few times.
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06/22/2005 08:51:58 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Digital Quixote:
In a prior life I used to buy about 20,000 laptops a year for my company. HP/Compaq had the worst quality record of any laptops we bought. |
I wish I had had this piece of knowledge a few years back when I bought my Compaq laptop. My advise; buy anything but a Compaq laptop.
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06/22/2005 09:12:44 PM · #14 |
well I'm not much of a windows guy but I just saw this link for a dell for you to check out
Dell laptop $399
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06/22/2005 09:17:51 PM · #15 |
I bought a Compaq Presario in 2000...horrible, horrible service. The guy was rude! He all but called me a liar. I called several times...tried to even talk to someone other than this guy...same horrible service. I told him that day I would never buy another Compaq and would spread the news to anyone who thought about buying them that they're service is the worst I have ever received in my 37 years. I have never used one since and hoped that I would never walk into a new job where it was the only computer available because I would have refused to use it....would have brought my own from home. :)
So I say go for the other one!!!
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06/22/2005 09:33:44 PM · #16 |
| I support a company that has around 100,000 pcs and we buy only Dell Laptops. If you want the latest cutting edge then get the Inspiron line, it is geared for the student/home user wanting the latest bells and whistles. The Latitude (I have) is more money because it is intended for companies needing a consistent platform over time and it is tested and "certified" to work with certain components. I am currently using the Latitude D600 and D610 series. I have a number of older models that are still functioning from as far back as 2000, the C600, C610, C640, C800, etc. I always recommend my clients purchase the Latitude if their budget permits. If not then the Inspiron is a fine machine as well, they are just more of a moving target from a support aspect. Items to consider: Size. Do you want a small lean machine? or do you want a "2 spindle" machine that eliminates having to swap out components. I recommend as much memory as your money can buy. I have 2 GB in my D600 and run Photoshop CS2 and iTunes and most anything else on it. They have a new screen type that is viewable in daylight that looks real sweet. I sat next a guy on a flight last weekend that had a new Inspiron 700m and the screen was rockin! |
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06/23/2005 05:42:31 PM · #17 |
Thanks so much for the info....
I'm seriously considering spending the extra money on a Dell. Everyone seems to recommend them and not HP/Compaq
Kevin
Message edited by author 2005-06-23 17:42:55. |
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06/23/2005 07:06:55 PM · #18 |
yep, I got a Dell......
They're having huge sales now that just came up today. The one I configured is 34% off, so if you're thinking about getting one, check it out.
For $1300, I got a Dell Inspiron 6000, Pentium M 1.6 GHz/2MB Cache processer, Windows XP Pro, 15.4" UltraSharp WUXGA screen, 1GB Ram, 60 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, 128 MB RAdeon X300 video.
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06/23/2005 07:08:24 PM · #19 |
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06/23/2005 07:20:35 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Hempster:
I support a company that has around 100,000 pcs and we buy only Dell Laptops. If you want the latest cutting edge then get the Inspiron line, it is geared for the student/home user wanting the latest bells and whistles. The Latitude (I have) is more money because it is intended for companies needing a consistent platform over time and it is tested and "certified" to work with certain components. I am currently using the Latitude D600 and D610 series. I have a number of older models that are still functioning from as far back as 2000, the C600, C610, C640, C800, etc. I always recommend my clients purchase the Latitude if their budget permits. If not then the Inspiron is a fine machine as well, they are just more of a moving target from a support aspect. Items to consider: Size. Do you want a small lean machine? or do you want a "2 spindle" machine that eliminates having to swap out components. I recommend as much memory as your money can buy. I have 2 GB in my D600 and run Photoshop CS2 and iTunes and most anything else on it. They have a new screen type that is viewable in daylight that looks real sweet. I sat next a guy on a flight last weekend that had a new Inspiron 700m and the screen was rockin! |
Also, the Latitude seems better built than the Inspiron, and generally does better in the "torture and abuse" tests that some PC mags do. |
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06/23/2005 07:28:35 PM · #21 |
| If I only knew to look for reviews five years ago, I would have never bought a compaq. Never the less, I did, and it was a nightmare. I returned it the day I recieved it because the screen was broken, it took five weeks for them to give it back, and they charged me for shipping and handeling, even though it was their fault. After I got it back, i was in constant battle with them over broken parts. I will never do business with them again. And by what I have read, it looks that most people are in the same boat as I am. |
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06/23/2005 07:40:34 PM · #22 |
I've been in the computer biz for nearly 17 years. My company buys Dell exclusively for Windows applications (other vendors for Unix). That said, I have a Compaq Presario laptop at home and it has served me fine for 3 years. I have a Compaq iPaq as well, and it has traveled the world with me, been dropped several times in an industrial environment, and it still works. I've sent it back once to fix a speaker problem, and Compaq tech support was decent. Having purchased so many Dells in bulk for work, I've noted that they're quality is not as perfect as everyone likes to give them credit for. Nothing amazingly bad, and nothing I wasn't able to fix myself.
All in all, I think Dell is slightly over-rated and Compaq is slightly under-rated. I personally think Sony and Apple make the best machines, but you pay for them. If you're going strictly for price, Dell is the safe bet. I'll note you never did mention what you were going to use it for, but I'm assuming graphic arts/photo manipulation. Keep in mind a budget laptop is going to have sub-standard performance in these arenas. |
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06/23/2005 09:08:16 PM · #23 |
All this experience in one place wow... I've been in Comm/Elec/IT Support Services for a couple years myself nearing 28 actually...
I am certified to service the entire Dell line as my company buys Dell desktops (the desktops they sell to corps are trash BTW), I've worked Dell, Compaq, Sony, Gateway, acers, and my sister companys Fujitsu laptops.
Dell and Sony are both way over rated IMO...Compaq, HP and Acer...well they do what they are supposed to.
If you asked me two years ago about Fujitsu laptops I would have steered you in a complete opposite direction as I had to fix those daily, just plain ol stupid design issues... A couple years back they changed CEOs over there and over night something happened to the quality and engineering of those units. Today I would take the Fujitsu (employee discount helps) over any of the Recognized Brands. I am actually picking up one of the new N series for my in-laws here very soon.
Does anyone remember when HP used to produce quality printers? I think they are living by name alone these days... Once you got a name I guess you can feed the public almost anything and they will like it. They can do this because so many people become branded to a certain make. No questions asked and no test drive, just give me one of those.
The other thing that no one ever wants to admit when it comes to poor performance of a laptop is maintainence and care by the user. Some people believe they are indestructable and clean themselves. I have seen far too many times "This laptop sucks I need a new one" ask them what they do to maintain (OS wise) and how do they handle it when traveling and you get a blank dumb stare.
Take care of your gear and you could be happy with any one of the above laptops as it's 70% user and 30% brand.
Sorry, I got wordy...
Hey Aboutimage I see you do printing...are you in the Sorrento Mesa area by chance?
ED: Omitted word...don't worry there will be other mistakes...
Message edited by author 2005-06-23 21:10:51.
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06/23/2005 10:03:09 PM · #24 |
Hey Aboutimage I see you do printing...are you in the Sorrento Mesa area by chance?
Actually, I outsource all my printing. What kind of printing are you looking for? If I know a good one, I'll point you in their direction.
Message edited by author 2005-06-23 22:04:22. |
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06/24/2005 02:14:03 AM · #25 |
I was also in IT Management in a prior life and purchased thousands of laptops and desktops. Put me in the category of "Stay away from Compaq" - Dell is ok, Toshiba is excellent, Sony is pretty good as well. Service and Support should be a primary consideration as well though. Good luck.
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