Hey Computer pro's :) Buying this Laptop, what do you think?

[kaniSS-81]

http://h50025.www5.hp.com/hpcom/au_en/11_29_64_2378_DV801P.html

Going to buy it next week sometime for work, and just want to know if anyone has it? or knows anything about it? any problems etc etc


I am going to upgrade the ram to 2gig because of the work I do but dont know if it will be stable ???

thanks :)


ps im really keen on it but everyone is saying theres new stuff coming out soon I might wait if anyone else can confirm this??

[tbearz]

What can I say? I bought that exact computer 1 week ago.
Cons:

No infrared or bluetooth port so u gotta buy extra usb things for them but it does have wifi albiet g not a or b

Says 512mb ram but 128 used for shared video so u really only got 384mb was a bit of a shock but she's running B E A utiful

DVD burner only takes dvd+r/rw and u can only burn at max 2.4X

Some forums links about the burner, i have only burnt at 1x takes a bloody hour to burn 4.4gb on 4x media

http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?p=125564

http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=23403 Both these are to do with the toshiba sd r-6252 burner comes with it, i am think about rining up hp and asking for the 4x sony burner. But apart from that she's fantaboulus widescreen sooo nice and she handles everything i have put her through. How much are u paying for the comp may i ask, Harvey Norman tried to sell it to me for 3899 with extended warranty. got it for 2899 with two years extra waranty from them in the end.

Yes new stuff has come out!! HP selling new laptop looks exactly same except its got like bluetooth and stuff. So yeah technology keeps on changing so no point really waiting.

[kaniSS-81]

Thanks for that mate, I was wondering where the Infarerd was on this thing and now I know its not there, which is a shame on it should be on this cause such a nice machine..

Im going to raise the ram to 2gig because I will be using this with clients to show 3d work to them and do some 3d modelling and thats ram hungry..., So I recon the 2gig will increase, the 384mb problem.. you mentioned...


Yeah, how much did Harvey norman try any rip people off with this laptop, i saw it for 3899 there aswell and laughed at the guy.... I showed him this web site where my friends company which is a large mining company can get it for me at $2300 and said if he can match it ill take it, he came back with 2500 for me... so i left the store...
Im going to possibly take it through my mates company at 2300 If they let me if not ill go to David jones and tell them I got 2500 as the best price and see if they match it and take it...
Everywhere I have gone I have seen it for 2999 3400 and 3899... its a nice one though well worth the money


SO the dvd is a bit pf pain in the ass hey? should I ask the poeple I buy off If they can change the burner to a 4x like you want ?

[markone2]

I would research the Warranty side of things with this manufacturer...just a hint ;)

[VooDoo]

HP is a marketing company not really a manufacturer these days. The HP notebooks are made by Asus. Generally a decent notebook but the lack of real DVD burning options (ie -r/rw) and an older drive to boot. There are now x4 and x8 drives in notebooks (x12 and x16 for desktops). The video on that one is basic, look for one with a ATI 9600pro graphic's. Having 2gig of ram is a waste of time. Most OS's cant use it and it will cost you as much as the notebook for 2 x 1gig laptop RAM moduals. 512-1024mb is plenty of most apps. If you need more then you should get a desktop for your work as a laptop isnt the right product. For doing displays spending 2k more for ram is a little overkill.

HP have a decent warrenty and are fast with most repairs as well. They keep parts on hand in Aust which helps too. Personally id look at an Asus brand first as its a lot cheaper, better specs and same warrenty. They are normally faster to bring out the higher spec's too but change models faster to cope with the new options. (dont expect a model to be sold for more than 3 mths before its replaced with something better)

I run 9 PC stores in QLD.

[Phido]

2GB is a bit much for a laptop, you will pay through the nose. But 1GB would certainly be a great deal more practical, it would be the minium I would get.

You can get some pretty dam impressive laptops these days, I don't think you really need a desktop. 17" screen, professional Quadro graphic cards, hi speed/capacity harddisks decent processor power. You can really 3D model on the move these days.

Personally I think the Pentium M processor is the best based laptop, as quick if not quicker than a Pentium IV, better battery life. Usually M powered laptops are lighter and smaller.

[Bandit]

i have the same series laptop

bbut model R3007AP...

i only bought HP/Compaq b/c i got a special deal thru a friend of mine...

personally though I would buy Dell Laptops very good service and good quality...

howeve, all these laptops use similar parts so it shouldn't matter too much

bottom line is how much usage will you be planning on it

at the office I use dell which is good, and at the home office i have HP/Compaq...

the widescreen is quite handy as well...on Compaq...

but check out the specs on Dell they are constantly giving deals...

[Swordie]

I would recommend a 3 year warranty, 2 GB of memory is not really necessary unless you are an advanced computer user / professional who needs to do high end things.

I have a P4 3.2 in my desktop and it runs quite hot, in a notebok l'm not sure how well suited this processoer is. Check with others how they find the heat.

[cheffy]

Hp fast on warranty?

I bought mine in december (pavillion zt3000) and its been in for various porblems for a total of 5.5 weeks....

[tbearz]

Yeah i'd definatley go the 4x dvd burner, but after buying the machine my main qualm is the fact its + only dvd burner, and the cheapest i can get them is at 4 dollars a pop. I dunno about you guys on the mainland though but down south here in Guatemala (well if melbourne is mexico then i guess tassie is this). If you really wanted the best laptop availabe i would go for the Toshiba 3.2ghz HT, 80gb, 1gbram 17inch Widescreen :eek: and Super DVD drive (burns both + and -) sure it costs bit more but hey atleast u know everything in it is made by toshiba well the burner anyways and i dunno after my hp scanner and printer both blew up and now the dodgy ass burner :box: and ripoff specs in hindsight i would have gone the toshiba albiet for price it was around 4300 at officeworks and more at HN :bash: . But u seem to get it cheap through ur mates company so i'd go with that, but if ur on a budget, the R3003ap aint bad and will be able to handle pretty much anything its great for what i need, i would go into hv and ask them to burn a dvd at 4x for u on one of the computers, say u'll pay for it and stuff then watch as it doesnt work... unless it comes with the sony burner which i didnt get :mad:

p.s u can buy usb infared port thingy but i was told it was like 150bucks and i aint spending that much on something so useless. I'll just have to wait for wifi mobiles :rolleyes:

[VooDoo]

Man you are getting ripped on Media. I sell over 500'000 discs a month :)

DGM 50 Spindle 4x +R General Purpose Media
$39.00
Omni 4x DVD+R 4.7Gb 25 Spindle
$25.00
Omni 4x DVD-R 4.7Gb 25 Spindle
$18.00
PRINCO White Label DVD-R 50 Spindle 4 SPEED 4.7Gb (-R Media)
$34.00
Smart Disc DVD+RW 4.7Gb 10 Spindle
$25.00
Smart Disc DVD-R 25 Spindle Tub 4 x AZO DYE High Quality Media
$18.00
SmartDisc DVD+R A+ 25 Tub High Quality Media
$39.00
SmartDisc Xtra DVD-R 4x Printable A+ High Quality Media
$18.00
Taiyo Yuden DVD-R 50 Pack 1-4x Speed 4.7Gb (-R Media)
$68.00
UL-TRAN 25 Tub DVD-R 4x Branded 4.7gb 120min Media
$18.00
UL-TRAN 50 Tub DVD-R 4x White Label 4.7gb 120min Media
$34.00
UL-TRAN DVD-R 4x 4.7Gb DVD Media in 10 Pack Spindle
$8.00
Verbatim DVD-R 3pk Movie Reel 4.7gb
$11.90
Verbatim SOLD LOOSE DVD+R - 4.7Gig 120 Min (+R Media)
$8.00
Vertex Quality DVD-R 4x Media 25 Spindle
$18.00
White Label 4.7GB DVD-R Made by Princo
$34.00

[tbearz]

:bow: omg your prices for blank dvd's are cheaper than some cd-r's over here, i guess if i want to buy some later i should pm you?

[Ghia351]

:bow: omg your prices for blank dvd's are cheaper than some cd-r's over here, i guess if i want to buy some later i should pm you?
I don't understand why more Tasmanians don't shop direct from the mainland as to many businesses selling down there always uses the excuse of having to pay freight to get things over Bass Straight and charge a far greater mark-up then a mainland distributor. I know because I wholesale to a Tassy buyer and I PAY the freight.

[VooDoo]

www.thediscshop.com.au

contact springwood store.

(Mods, remove this if you feel its spam, i only work there not own the place so dont get anything for refering ppl.)

[kaniSS-81]

I would recommend a 3 year warranty, 2 GB of memory is not really necessary unless you are an advanced computer user / professional who needs to do high end things.

I have a P4 3.2 in my desktop and it runs quite hot, in a notebok l'm not sure how well suited this processoer is. Check with others how they find the heat.


Yeah I was thinking about the Heat issue, because when I use my workstation for 3d work its runs the processors for hours and hours at full 100% when rendering...and that gets pretty damn hot... I could possibly melt this laptop I recon lol........

With the 2gig ram issue, I know some of your guys think its a waste but belive me with the programs I use which arent on the road quickie 3d programs 2gig is minimum of what you need...

If It was up to me I would be running 4gig on this laptop heheheh we have a system at work Dual processor and 4gig ram and that even struggles on occasions with huge heavy scenes for clients...


I dont think Harvey Norman will give me a 4X burner if I ask them what could i do ?? buy direct from HP head quarters???

[MAGS]

I would recommend a 3 year warranty, 2 GB of memory is not really necessary unless you are an advanced computer user / professional who needs to do high end things.

I have a P4 3.2 in my desktop and it runs quite hot, in a notebok l'm not sure how well suited this processoer is. Check with others how they find the heat.

As long as you get the Mobile chipsets, as in P4-M, heating :mad: shouldn't be an issue, all the decent laptop manufacturers will only use the proper ones... There are some builders that use the dodgy (desktop) versions and hence can have over-heating issues...

[team illucid]

Im going to raise the ram to 2gig because I will be using this with clients to show 3d work to them and do some 3d modelling and thats ram hungry..., So I recon the 2gig will increase, the 384mb problem.. you mentioned...


Your CPU cycles are still going to be interrupted by calls to the video system - shared video memory is OK for amatuers or word processors but crap for anything which requires video muscle ...

I believe that this system is what you would need .. it is available from www.p4laptops.com.au

MILLENNIA 7200 - 17" Display + 256MB Radeon 9700

Pentium 4 2.8 - 3.4 Ghz Processor 800Mhz FSB HT
NEW ! Option for P4 3.2 Ghz Extreme 2MB L2 Cache
HUGE 17" WXGA+ Display, option for WSXGA+
ATI 256MB DDR RADEON 9700 Video
Intel 865PE Chipset
512MB - 2GB PC2700/3200 333/400 Mhz DC
40 - 80 GB Hard Disk (Twin HD capable + RAID 0,1)
24x16x12 CD R/W + 8xDVD ROM
Optional DVD Burner (2x1 DVD-RW)
Built in Web Cam
Option for TV TUNER
3D Enhanced Stereo sound with 4 speakers
Microsoft Windows XP Home
7 in 1 Card Reader
3x USB 2.0
1x Firewire 1394
Serial, Infra Red, Parrallel Ports
Built-in 56k v.90 Modem Adapter
Li-Ion Battery
Built-in GIGABIT Ethernet Lan Adapter
12 Months PLATINUM Service Warranty and support
FREE custom 17" Widescreen Carry Bag
FREE and fully insured courier delivery to your door

If you are buying for work (salary sacrificing it will cost you around half the quoted price i.e. I paid 5800.00 for my laptop, but after it comes out of pre tax dollars, it cost 2475.00 of "take home" pay dollars.)

cheers

[kaniSS-81]

Shit man, those laptops on that site are absolutely crazy... and the prices are amazing... why are they so cheap for ????

CENTRIS 1400N looks perfect for me so does the Millenia 7200 like you sugested....


What brand are they though ? Ive never heard of these brands???


they should be perfect for the rendering I can do infront of the clients with my boss hey? but there set up for gaming

[VooDoo]

Generic brand. They are from a chinese company and get branded by the importer. They generally get imported without CPU, MEM, HDD as a barebones and those items fitted here. Some are using desktop CPU's so pick carefully. Personally i dont mind a desktop CPU as its cheaper but a lot hotter, Plus battery life sux. but im my case i use it on a desk at home, or a desk at work. Either way its plugged in and has ventilation.

Only issue with generic brands is parts availability in the future and warrenty if they stop the imports.

[team illucid]

Pricing is simple ... DELL, HP, TOSHIBA all buy blank laptops (the ones that you see on the p4laptops website) and then put in their own parts (cheap as possible) rebadge it with their own design and name, wack an extra 1500-2000 bucks on it and market it ... I will buy my next laptop from there around November, as well as one for the wife, because frankly, the prices are brilliant and guys that have bought them rave about them ... its a bit like buying a standard SS, having the edit done, and getting the same grunt as an HSV (without the overly inflated price tags) :-)

[team illucid]

Only issue with generic brands is parts availability in the future and warrenty if they stop the imports.

Umm ... this applies to all manufacturers regardless of Tier 1, Tier 2 or local PC shop ... I have been building barebones systems for years for the flexible upgrade options that it offers ...

All the "BRAND NAMES" buy the same parts as the barebones system builders and add stupid profit margins to sell to unknowing consumers ...

It is no different than any other area of consumerism ...

cheers

[VooDoo]

Sorry mate but now your talking out of your arse. Dell are a manufacturer. they make there own. So do Toshiba (one of the biggest manufacturers in the world right down to there own HDD's). HP contract it out and currently get em made by Asus in Tiawan but have used Dell and Toshiba in the past. Acer are also a tier 1 manufacturer. The parts from tier one manufacturers are far better than tier 2-3. (otherwise they wouldnt be different tiers in manufacturing)

Generic notebooks are cheaper "crap" from china. Generally tier 2-3. They are in NO WAY linked to a major brand. You will see them branded LEO, Millenium, TPG, and various other brands you have never seen before. The quality is not the same as a tier 1 manufacturer and failure rates are a lot higher.

You DO get what you pay for. There are 100's of sweatshops producing parts. They do not come from the same place at all.

You might be in barebone for years but you clearly have the information screwed up.

[kaniSS-81]

they look alright actually, Im going to email them and ask them if they can make a laptop for me based on what I need............

I want them to get say a HP notebook and take the crap I dont need out of it and beef it up a little bit.....If they do this type of work I shouldnt see why they would do it If I pay a little extra hey ?

this is what i really want

P4 3.4 extreme edition
2gig ram fastest possible
7200 speed hard drive 40-60 gig
and a NVIDIA based graphics card not ATI
oh and a BIg wide screen in high detail.
IR port
CD BURNER

Im not interested that much, etc etc or looks and shape of the thing I just need what I mentioned above...with a good quality build that will last for a long time....



relax guys where all mates here lol :D

[team illucid]

Sorry mate but now your talking out of your arse. Dell are a manufacturer. they make there own.
OK ... when I say Tier 1, I mean the ability to supply x amount of systems at a time, not quality (e.g. when we purchase 2600 laptops, 1500 desktops and want them at the end of the week, we go to Tier 1 because they can supply them that fast).

Dell buy in bulk and assemble (not manufacture)
HDD - IBM
RAM - Samsung
Video - ATI or Nvidia
Optical - Liteon

I am not interested in arguing this, these are facts ... the laptop website that I suggested buys the same blanks that others do, put in the same quality peripherals, and just sell it for a fairer price - simple ...

Personally, I dont think you get what you paid for always - I paid 5600.oo for my VAIO and I only believe it to be worth about 3700.00 - but it costs me half price everytime I buy one so I dont mind

cheers

[VooDoo]

hehe..why do i think thats your company your defending so hard.....

if you take out the HDD, RAM and optical drive it becomes a... "barebone".

Yes the video is from ATI or Nvidia, but could also come from VIA, SIS, Intel. Those laptops you mentioned might have a CPU (desktop), HDD and ram in common but i'd doubt it unless its bought from an Aust disrto. NONE of the other componants would be found in a tier1 product. Ive been to quite a few factories in Tiawan and watched the actual PCB's get made. You cannot compare a cheap chinese clone to a tier1 system however you try and justify it. The componants are different, the HDD and Optical drives are better quailty and not the cheap ex-returned parts from IBM etc (yes some clones use second hand parts to keep costs down)

Kannis81, Laptops are generally not like desktop systems and aren't upgradable. you dont have the option in many to remove the bits you dont want and upgrade others. To get what your after you pick a different model. Other than ram and maybe the HDD, what you order is what your stuck with. If a clone dies in the first 6 mths generally they can swap out the bad part. After 12mths your on your own. Companies like Dell, HP, Asus, Acer have international warrenties with the resorces to backup the products. Ive personally sold 1000's of systems over the years. I'm currently doing over $40million worth of IT gear a yr. NONE of that would be a whitebox laptop as ive been burnt on them before (try finding parts for a ECO, Excel, LEO, FIC etc) .

Find a brand that will still be around in 6 mths. This argument is like saying a Kia or daewoo is the same as Holden. (or Ford the same as BMW)

[Ricko]

I think its a bit different with laptops, but with Desktops resellers like Dell dont make squat that goes in em. They actually contract fairly ordinary OEMs like FIC (eek) for making motherboards (to their own specs).

Before LITEON started selling retail they where still the worlds largest manufacturer of optical drives yet when they first came out no bugger had heard of em but more tham likely had one of their drives in their system.

I dont know why anyone would buy a brand name desktop PC as their is NO quality increase when compared to a local PC shop PC if done properly.

Laptops are a little different though, and i reckon you should fork out a bit more cash for a good warranted product with an established rep, laptops have better resale value than desktops so you dont lose out so much there if you like to upgrade all the time.

[Swordie]

There was good point a made about having a sperate video card. If you are doing graphic intensive things it's best to go for dedicated card, not a shared setup.

[team illucid]

hehe..why do i think thats your company your defending so hard.....

I am not the owner .. check the ABN, also I live in Canberra. I haven't sold custom PC's for 2 years and do not intend to - make more money telling others how to do it!!! :D



if you take out the HDD, RAM and optical drive it becomes a... "barebone".

Yes

You cannot compare a cheap chinese clone to a tier1 system however you try and justify it.

Agreed in principle, but I have never had to "play" with chinese systems, I am a bit more selective, therefore I cannot comment accurately.

After 12mths your on your own.
Try and get anything fixed after 12 months, and unless you have an extended warranty you are stuffed.

Companies like Dell, HP, Asus, Acer have international warrenties with the resorces to backup the products.
Having had to have a part in an ACER replaced overseas, don't hold your breath

I'm currently doing over $40million worth of IT gear a yr.
You sell for yourself, or you own your own store??

You have raised valid points Voodoo, so hopefully KANNIS81 can make a more informed purchase ..

cheers

[bradass]

SLI Quadro FX.....

[VooDoo]

Nice thread mining.

Your point????

[Gareth@Willall]

Nice thread mining.

Your point????

Was going to say surley that laptop would be outa date by now!

[PeterS]

I dont know why anyone would buy a brand name desktop PC as their is NO quality increase when compared to a local PC shop PC if done properly.

My comment, purely as a user in a office environment is that I am sick of the poor support from the local computer store.
If you buy a Dell, then you know that it works, all the manuals & software will be there & they do have backup & support. It's reliable & works, that is the MOST important thing to the majority of users.
To gamers & enthusiasts, well they want something differant :)

cheers

[team illucid]

Is this thread still going ??????

[XLR8 V8]

This one really got pulled out of the basement didn't it