Need to buy a new laptop computer... Help please ;-)

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[quote author="Girl In the OC" date=1235736513]Best Buy has it for $1,199.99



Basically, I'm going to use it for half work/half play.



For work, I am in outside sales... so the size is both a positive and negative. Positives are: a larger screen is soooo much better when working in spreadsheets (which I do a lot) and for client presentations it will show well when a projector is not an option during presentations and power points. Negatives: size for taking it on appts and weight.



I apprciate the 10 key, and like that it has tons of storage.



I REALLY like the 6GB RAM!</blockquote>
I almost bought the chrome version @ CC the day before they went BK. That lappy is Oscar approved!
 
[quote author="Girl In the OC" date=1235736513]Best Buy has it for $1,199.99



Basically, I'm going to use it for half work/half play.



For work, I am in outside sales... so the size is both a positive and negative. Positives are: a larger screen is soooo much better when working in spreadsheets (which I do a lot) and for client presentations it will show well when a projector is not an option during presentations and power points. Negatives: size for taking it on appts and weight.



I apprciate the 10 key, and like that it has tons of storage.



I REALLY like the 6GB RAM!</blockquote>


I'd say that's a fair price for a machine of that spec. It isn't a screaming deal, but those take patience.



For play, do you care about video games? If not, then you may want to look for a cheaper machine with Intel integrated graphics. You could probably pick up the same basic machine with a low end graphics card for $800 or so. But I certainly think you will be satisfied with that machine.
 
Finally got a clear picture with a real camera:
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[quote author="Oscar" date=1235789535]Finally got a clear picture with a real camera:</blockquote>






Ok, we've all seen the house staging... (and unstaging... ie: shrimp paste and produce boxes LOL!)



But, this is the first time I've seen computer staging! Hahahaha!



Check out the carefully placed coffee cup, cell phone etc... ;-)
 
Hey Winex... I have NO interest in video games, but I haven't seen any other laptop with this size ram, screen and storage! If I could get this same system with out the gaming for $800, I'm alll over it!







[quote author="WINEX" date=1235740420][quote author="Girl In the OC" date=1235736513]Best Buy has it for $1,199.99



Basically, I'm going to use it for half work/half play.



For work, I am in outside sales... so the size is both a positive and negative. Positives are: a larger screen is soooo much better when working in spreadsheets (which I do a lot) and for client presentations it will show well when a projector is not an option during presentations and power points. Negatives: size for taking it on appts and weight.



I apprciate the 10 key, and like that it has tons of storage.



I REALLY like the 6GB RAM!</blockquote>


I'd say that's a fair price for a machine of that spec. It isn't a screaming deal, but those take patience.



For play, do you care about video games? If not, then you may want to look for a cheaper machine with Intel integrated graphics. You could probably pick up the same basic machine with a low end graphics card for $800 or so. But I certainly think you will be satisfied with that machine.</blockquote>
 
[quote author="Girl In the OC" date=1235792153][quote author="Oscar" date=1235789535]Finally got a clear picture with a real camera:</blockquote>






Ok, we've all seen the house staging... (and unstaging... ie: shrimp paste and produce boxes LOL!)



But, this is the first time I've seen computer staging! Hahahaha!



Check out the carefully placed coffee cup, cell phone etc... ;-)</blockquote>
I needed perspective... and coffee.



Side note... if you go with the pre-packaged one from BestBuy, get the extended warranty from HP, not BestBuy. If you buy it from HP directly, skip the integrated tuner, as no one who has one finds it really functional. Fingerprint reader = super awesome. I specifically skipped all the software options and they still shipped it with Office Works, trial Office 2007, and Norton Internet Security (60 days subscription).



Fair warning, you will be tempted to upgrade if you buy from HP directly... more RAM, more RAM, and I highly recommend the quadruple core processor. I have been running a mad number of apps at once and haven't had it lag once. Thanks again for the inspiration.
 
Oscar -



Did you buy yours from HP directly?



As for the inspiration... I believe most on the IHB are tech addicts! I remember when I was buying my LCD TV's... lurkers came on board just to get in on the LCD vs. Plasma debate ;-) That was a lot of fun!
 
[quote author="usctrojanman29" date=1235792490]Come on GITOC, stop procrastinating and pull the trigger already. ;)</blockquote>


LOL! Hey, procrastination is too much a part of me! Always has been! Hahahaha!
 
I think the 17" 7.6lb is too big for GITOC.



That 7.6 is really 10-12lb once you add the bag, the power cord and any other junk.



I like the fact that HP now has 15.6" laptop with the full 10-key keyboard. I'm not too keen on the resolution (1366x768) but that's a little better than the 1280x800 I see on 15.4s.... although the 1440x900 is preferable.



Personally... I haven't had a work laptop below 1920x1200 since they started making them (my first was a 14.1" 1920x1200 if you can believe that). The problem with most consumer notebooks is they don't make higher resolutions... you have to buy a biz laptop or a huge 18" one like Oscar got.



BB has had sales on the 15.6" HP/Compaqs for less than $400... but they always sell out. I think that's a great price point for a widescreen notebook with a full 10-key keyboard.
 
Would Best Buy or Frys be a better place to test them out??? Who has more selection?



How about customizing and buying through HP on the Costco website... any big savings there? I thought buying pre packaged would get me more perks already added for less $$$
 
Costco adds more warranty I believe as well... So, no need to buy additional.





edit:



<em>"For COMPUTERS, TELEVISIONS and PROJECTORS, Costco extends the MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY to two years from date of purchase. Please call Costco Concierge? Technical Support @ 1-866-861-0450 for warranty assistance. "</em>



Yep!
 
[quote author="Girl In the OC" date=1235793084]Oscar -



Did you buy yours from HP directly?



As for the inspiration... I believe most on the IHB are tech addicts! I remember when I was buying my LCD TV's... lurkers came on board just to get in on the LCD vs. Plasma debate ;-) That was a lot of fun!</blockquote>


I did buy directly from HP. They initially said it would be built by the 26th and with free 5-7 day shipping... I got it yesterday, the 26th. I have no problem with pre-packaged stuff in general, but I got seduced by the upgrade options so I went the direct ordering route and chose the Home/Home Office section. There is a price difference, due to the volume pricing in the pre-packaged units, so you want to keep that in mind. That being said, I'm really glad I did it. I spent $1000 more over what I would have got from Best Buy, but I also squared the processing speed, doubled the RAM and upped it from DDR2 to DDR3, doubled the video RAM, got a faster hard drive, and added a blu-ray recordable drive (at the last second).



You mentioned that you don't play games, but if you watch movies you will appreciate the video card upgrade and the increase in RAM. If you use video in your presentations, you will want to go as high end as possible to avoid jittering and lag during playback. Mine has an HDMI-out and I was playing WoW last night...



...on my 52" Plasma! :cheese:
 
<span style="font-size: 13px;"><strong>What do you guys think of this one???</strong></span>



$999.99 (Price ends March 1st)



HP dv7-1273cl 17"W

T6400 2.0 GHz 4GB DDR2

500GB HDD

Blu-Ray ROM Drive

NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

Intel? WiFi Link 5100AGN & Bluetooth

Item # 370294





Processor & Memory:



Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)

2MB L2 cache

800MHz front side bus

4GB DDR2 SDRAM (both slots occupied)

Drives:



500GB (5,400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

Blu-Ray? ROM with SuperMulti DVD?RW Double Layer (in one optical drive)

Graphics & Video:



17.0" diagonal WXGA+ BrightView Infinity widescreen display; 1440 x 900 native resolution

512MB NVIDIA? GeForce? 9600M GT graphics

Communications:



Intel? WiFi Link 5100AGN

Bluetooth?

Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN

56K modem



Audio:



SRS Premium Sound with Subwoofer

Keyboard:



101-key compatible notebook keyboard with scroll bar and integrated numeric keypad

Touchpad with on/off and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad

Personalization:



HP IMPRINT finish offers a smooth, high-gloss coating with a unique, inlaid design which provides greater durability than a traditional paint process

Integrated microphone and webcam

HP mobile remote control

Expandability:



ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)

5-in-1 integrated digital media card reader accepts Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard and xD-Picture card

Ports:



Four USB 2.0 ports (one shared with eSATA port)

HDMI

VGA (15-pin)

One IEEE1394 (Firewire) 4-pin

RJ-45 (LAN)

RJ-11 (modem)

Two headphone outs

Microphone in

Notebook Expansion Port 3

Consumer IR

Operating System:



Microsoft? Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 (64-bit)



Additional Software:



Microsoft Works

Symantec? Norton Internet Security? 2008 (60 days complimentary live updates)

Power Supply:



8-cell Lithium Ion Battery

90W AC adapter

Additional Information:



HP Intersect Imprint finish in bronze

Approximate Weight: 7.6 lbs.

Dimensions: 15.59? W x 11.22" D x 1.31"~1.66" H
 
You should really go to BB/Frys to look at the notebooks so you can see how big and heavy they really are.



The specs are good on the one above (BluRay player is L33T*) but I still worry about the size (are you the one who is into MMA?).









*I don't really use that lingo... I just always wanted to try it... I feel dirty.
 
<blockquote>Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)

2MB L2 cache

800MHz front side bus

4GB DDR2 SDRAM (both slots occupied)

</blockquote>


This is why this computer is such a deal. With only 2MB of "L2 Cache" you are going to hit a lot of snags processing large chunks of data.



See if you can get a T9300 or higher, or you might be disappointed with the performance once you begin really using it daily.
 
[quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1235802698]You should really go to BB/Frys to look at the notebooks so you can see how big and heavy they really are.



The specs are good on the one above (BluRay player is L33T*) but I still worry about the size (are you the one who is into MMA?).









*I don't really use that lingo... I just always wanted to try it... I feel dirty.</blockquote>
Psst... 1337, not L33T
 
[quote author="Oscar" date=1235804994][quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1235802698]You should really go to BB/Frys to look at the notebooks so you can see how big and heavy they really are.



The specs are good on the one above (BluRay player is L33T*) but I still worry about the size (are you the one who is into MMA?).









*I don't really use that lingo... I just always wanted to try it... I feel dirty.</blockquote>
Psst... 1337, not L33T</blockquote>
See... I can't even get that right.



What's that called? Epic fail?
 
[quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1235805344][quote author="Oscar" date=1235804994][quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1235802698]You should really go to BB/Frys to look at the notebooks so you can see how big and heavy they really are.



The specs are good on the one above (BluRay player is L33T*) but I still worry about the size (are you the one who is into MMA?).









*I don't really use that lingo... I just always wanted to try it... I feel dirty.</blockquote>
Psst... 1337, not L33T</blockquote>
See... I can't even get that right.



What's that called? Epic fail?</blockquote>
Yes, noob :-P
 
[quote author="Oscar" date=1235804945]<blockquote>Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)

2MB L2 cache

800MHz front side bus

4GB DDR2 SDRAM (both slots occupied)

</blockquote>


This is why this computer is such a deal. With only 2MB of "L2 Cache" you are going to hit a lot of snags processing large chunks of data.



See if you can get a T9300 or higher, or you might be disappointed with the performance once you begin really using it daily.</blockquote>


If you are not going to overload the CPU most of the time your money is better used for more RAM than L2 cache. My guess is that you are more likely to open a whole bunch of applications and not spend so much time on 100% CPU loading (like video compression, data crunching, etc). More than 4GB will suit you better for that - instead of upgrading to a CPU with more L2 cache.
 
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