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I've been trying to make up my mind to buy a laptop. Now, I had decided to buy this one:
HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC
Here are the specs:
– Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
– Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0GHz)
– 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
– FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
– 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
– 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
– Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
– Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
– FREE Upgrade to Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
– 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Price: $1,068.99 with free shipping.
Now I thought this was a pretty good deal, but then I started to read and hear things about HP laptops being of bad quality, cd roms not working properly, hard drive getting corrupted, etc.
How true are these claims? I dont want to spend over 1k on something that'll probably brake down easily. So, if this is indeed true, then what would you recommend me? Macs are not an option.
I want a laptop thats good for both work and gaming, and that's not very expensive.
Thanks.
HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC
Here are the specs:
– Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
– Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0GHz)
– 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
– FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
– 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
– 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
– Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
– Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
– FREE Upgrade to Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
– 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Price: $1,068.99 with free shipping.
Now I thought this was a pretty good deal, but then I started to read and hear things about HP laptops being of bad quality, cd roms not working properly, hard drive getting corrupted, etc.
How true are these claims? I dont want to spend over 1k on something that'll probably brake down easily. So, if this is indeed true, then what would you recommend me? Macs are not an option.
I want a laptop thats good for both work and gaming, and that's not very expensive.
Thanks.
What kind of work do you do? And is a Mac not an option just because of the price?
It's hard to truly compare Mac prices. Seriously, get a Mac. If you absolutely need to run Windows.... still get a Mac.
I do the basic college work, such as writing papers.
Reason why I dont want a Mac is because of the price and because I want to be able to play many games on my laptop.
Anyways, why should I get a Mac? Anything I'd want to do on a Mac I would be able to do on a normal laptop...
Reason why I dont want a Mac is because of the price and because I want to be able to play many games on my laptop.
Anyways, why should I get a Mac? Anything I'd want to do on a Mac I would be able to do on a normal laptop...
I've been using Dell because I get a good deal through work - no issues
I've got no particular issues with PC hardware, some is good, some is shit. Just like any other big market commodities. It's the dependence on Windows which pisses me off.
The thing about the new Intel Macs is that you can install Windows natively on them for gaming. Not just that, but they consistently benchmark better than comparable Windows only machines, and prove to a more stable platform to run Windows on (don't take my word on it though, do some research, I'm too lazy to go dig up links).
This is the reason why Macs are now becoming more and more popular. You can run any OS on them native, as long as you have the room to partition your drive(s). For instance I currently am playing CoD5, Half Life 2, Fallout 3, and will be getting GTA4 tomorrow, all on the Windows boot. Add in the fact that Parallels and the like are getting downright fast for those times you need to quickly switch over to a Windows only task...
It really is simply the fact that Apple only has to test their stuff on one group/make of hardware, so can theoretically provide a more consistent quality product (there's always going to be a bad egg out there somewhere).
That said, if all you want to do is game and word-processing, then that extra $700 or so might not be worth it.
The thing about the new Intel Macs is that you can install Windows natively on them for gaming. Not just that, but they consistently benchmark better than comparable Windows only machines, and prove to a more stable platform to run Windows on (don't take my word on it though, do some research, I'm too lazy to go dig up links).
This is the reason why Macs are now becoming more and more popular. You can run any OS on them native, as long as you have the room to partition your drive(s). For instance I currently am playing CoD5, Half Life 2, Fallout 3, and will be getting GTA4 tomorrow, all on the Windows boot. Add in the fact that Parallels and the like are getting downright fast for those times you need to quickly switch over to a Windows only task...
It really is simply the fact that Apple only has to test their stuff on one group/make of hardware, so can theoretically provide a more consistent quality product (there's always going to be a bad egg out there somewhere).
That said, if all you want to do is game and word-processing, then that extra $700 or so might not be worth it.
What Snax said.
Yes, it'll be a better gaming machine for you as well as everything else. Even if you were only planning to word process on it, it would still be worth the extra $700 since in my experience Macs last longer than PCs. There's a six-year-old iBook in my family that participates in Warcraft III LAN parties and keeps up with my one-year-old MacBook, and the new MacBooks are equivalent to the old MacBook Pros. Think of the extra bit of cash as you buying your next computer at the same time as this one; since you can run MacOSX and Windows side-by-side it's like buying two computers now, and it'll last you an extra couple years before being obsolete. Just be sure to get the AppleCare plan, because Apple's award-winning customer service is so shitty that if their products weren't so amazing I'd have switched to Dell forever ago. If you have AppleCare and an assertive personality they'll bend over backward to make you happy.
Here's a good article for you:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/reviews/4258725.html
I should note that it's not a perfect comparison, but a perfect comparison is impossible. Also, this test uses the previous MacBook; the newer MacBooks supposedly have four times the video performance with their upgraded video chips.
Yes, it'll be a better gaming machine for you as well as everything else. Even if you were only planning to word process on it, it would still be worth the extra $700 since in my experience Macs last longer than PCs. There's a six-year-old iBook in my family that participates in Warcraft III LAN parties and keeps up with my one-year-old MacBook, and the new MacBooks are equivalent to the old MacBook Pros. Think of the extra bit of cash as you buying your next computer at the same time as this one; since you can run MacOSX and Windows side-by-side it's like buying two computers now, and it'll last you an extra couple years before being obsolete. Just be sure to get the AppleCare plan, because Apple's award-winning customer service is so shitty that if their products weren't so amazing I'd have switched to Dell forever ago. If you have AppleCare and an assertive personality they'll bend over backward to make you happy.
Here's a good article for you:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/reviews/4258725.html
I should note that it's not a perfect comparison, but a perfect comparison is impossible. Also, this test uses the previous MacBook; the newer MacBooks supposedly have four times the video performance with their upgraded video chips.
Absolutely agree. I've had my macbook pro for 3? years now, and using bootcamp/windows it still runs high end games better than a lot of my friends' "gaming PCs"
And you get the consistency/purity/greatness/longevity of an apple. It's absolutely worth the money.
And you get the consistency/purity/greatness/longevity of an apple. It's absolutely worth the money.
well that Hp notbook looks great to be honest, its got similar specs to a $2000 MBP and probably will last just as long and look almost as pretty.
Comparing specs between Mac and PC is like comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended. I would take a 2GHz MacBook a couple years old over a new, less expensive 3GHz PC Laptop any day. Plus, Windows is a major pain, but there are more games for Windows, though that's changing.
Not to forget the high resale value of a mac, especially laptops (for when you intend to upgrade to a newer incarnation).
Ok, Id buy a Mac and install windows on it, but my budget is very limited (I'm already pushing it by going over 1k), so I cant :(
It's a universal truth of business that you get what you pay for.
My current machine is about to hit the four year old mark, and it's still running just as well as it did the day I assembled it. It's so good that I'm not considering an upgrade. The reason for this is simple- I did my research (this site helped back then) and got my parts from the top-quality manufacturers. While this isn't the route for everyone, I've seen the difference firsthand. Pre-assembled units cost much less than buying individual parts (and that's not even including the labor), but the parts used by all the generic brands are from "Universal Quality Chip Manufacturers" or something similar, if you can read it at all. This will cause issues.
Apple is the exception, because they keep much higher standards. From power supply to printer, they're well above average. The downside is price. It winds down to what you value more- a cheap initial outlay, or the long-term performance.
I'd also suggest looking at the used computer market. Much like cars, computers lose a huge chunk of resale value every year. Getting the latest and greatest is fine, but a year-old with good parts can run almost as well at a fraction of the price. Be sure to have a tech-savvy friend with you if you decide to go browsing E-bay, and do a wipe & reinstall on the HD when you get one. Those little old ladies did their Sunday websurfing to places that scare me.
Just remember, it's going to be your computer, bought with your money.
My current machine is about to hit the four year old mark, and it's still running just as well as it did the day I assembled it. It's so good that I'm not considering an upgrade. The reason for this is simple- I did my research (this site helped back then) and got my parts from the top-quality manufacturers. While this isn't the route for everyone, I've seen the difference firsthand. Pre-assembled units cost much less than buying individual parts (and that's not even including the labor), but the parts used by all the generic brands are from "Universal Quality Chip Manufacturers" or something similar, if you can read it at all. This will cause issues.
Apple is the exception, because they keep much higher standards. From power supply to printer, they're well above average. The downside is price. It winds down to what you value more- a cheap initial outlay, or the long-term performance.
I'd also suggest looking at the used computer market. Much like cars, computers lose a huge chunk of resale value every year. Getting the latest and greatest is fine, but a year-old with good parts can run almost as well at a fraction of the price. Be sure to have a tech-savvy friend with you if you decide to go browsing E-bay, and do a wipe & reinstall on the HD when you get one. Those little old ladies did their Sunday websurfing to places that scare me.
Just remember, it's going to be your computer, bought with your money.
The resolution on that HP laptop isn't the best. My late-08 Macbook Pro has a resolution of 1440x900 at 15".
Asus is a good bet for price/quality/performance, better than HP anyways ;)
IRS has the best advice. If you can't afford the Mac, go for the PC and use it until it honestly can't keep up anymore, meanwhile saving up for a Mac, then buy a mid-to-high range Mac. When I started school here I had two Mac friends, and over two years three others have switched and been glad they did. One more is waiting until her laptop absolutely is dead, and swears her next purchase will be a Mac.
Ok, I think I'll go for the HP, and if it indeed turns out to be a big pile of crap, when it's completely useless, I'll switch to a Mac.
If you really can't justify the Mac purchase yet, that would be the best option.
I love my macs.. I also love my hand-me-down, handbuilt PC.
guess who did the hand-build of said pc? Me. for my father, about 5 years ago, for father's day..
5 years later, this sucker -STILL- runs like a champ.
athlon xp 2000+ (1667mhz)
1GB ram
80GB HD
128M GF 5200fx
My 2 macs are late '05 iBooks:
iBook G4 1.42ghz
32M ATI Mobility Radeon
60GB HD
1.5M ram
Guess what.. The Mac, with it's slower processor, and MUCH smaller video card, has damn near the -exact- same performance running VO, as the PC.. Yea..
I'll be replacing the ibooks before -this- baby.. However, if I'd gotten more than just the bottom of the barrel mac, (which I did, basically) and gotten one of the powerbooks, or even a G5 PowerMac (and it's 6 high speed fans!) I'd be sittin' pretty for a WHILE. Those G5s friggin FLY.
Hell, I'm tempted to replace the ibooks -with- a g5 tower, since we dont need the compactness of the laptops really, anymore.
But we'll likely get either a macbook pro, or an imac. possible birthday present for the wife. I gotta feel 'er out, see which she'd rather have, without giving it away. :)
break19
guess who did the hand-build of said pc? Me. for my father, about 5 years ago, for father's day..
5 years later, this sucker -STILL- runs like a champ.
athlon xp 2000+ (1667mhz)
1GB ram
80GB HD
128M GF 5200fx
My 2 macs are late '05 iBooks:
iBook G4 1.42ghz
32M ATI Mobility Radeon
60GB HD
1.5M ram
Guess what.. The Mac, with it's slower processor, and MUCH smaller video card, has damn near the -exact- same performance running VO, as the PC.. Yea..
I'll be replacing the ibooks before -this- baby.. However, if I'd gotten more than just the bottom of the barrel mac, (which I did, basically) and gotten one of the powerbooks, or even a G5 PowerMac (and it's 6 high speed fans!) I'd be sittin' pretty for a WHILE. Those G5s friggin FLY.
Hell, I'm tempted to replace the ibooks -with- a g5 tower, since we dont need the compactness of the laptops really, anymore.
But we'll likely get either a macbook pro, or an imac. possible birthday present for the wife. I gotta feel 'er out, see which she'd rather have, without giving it away. :)
break19
Hah, my wife was on the fence after her Dell died and she had to use my iBook for awhile, but then she saw a commercial for the new iMacs and was instantly a Mac convert.