Manic_Skafe

I've been shopping around for a while and this seems like the best configuration I could find for my $1300 cap. Seems like a great deal from what I've seen but besides my assumptions and HP's calculations I'm not sure if I could do better.

Model: HP Dv100t
Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2050 (1.60 GHz)
14.0" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x768)
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 - Core
Memory 1.0GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x512MB)
FREE Upgrade from 60 GB 5400 RPM to 80 GB 5400 RPM HDD
Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Works/Money
HP Mobile Remote Control

price $1,157.98
instant savings − $100.00
mail-in rebate − $50.00
price after rebate $1,007.98

I'm not looking to do anything too intense other than reformating some videos to play on a few portable video players.....

Seem like a good deal?

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sashime76

What's the purpose for getting one? Gaming - not beefy enough. Casual net surfing, emailing, MP3, etc. - don't need dual core, a $600 notebook will sever you just fine.

Jinn

Configure a Dell with that same setup -- I just got one almost identical - except the 1.83 Duo with a X1400 video card -- for 1k with shipping.

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Manic_Skafe

Thanks for the input.

I'm not looking for a laptop capable of gaming (I'll be building a desktop for that in a few months) - for the most part I just want to put a decent amount of cash into a computer that won't be completely worthless a few years from now. I want it to be very multimedia friendly and capable of handling multiple tasks like burning a few cds and surfing at the same time or downloading a few albums while watching a movie (thus the dual core)...the weight is only about 5.4 lbs and the 12 cell battery promises pretty impressive untethered operation time.

I checked out a few Dell laptops and couldn't find a model with impressive enough sounding speakers at no extra cost and a nice looking design - - other than the XPS series which is more expensive than my budget allows.

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portwineboy

Well, I think you would want to confirm with HP it's "Vista ready" if you want to keep it for a few years. Honestly though you won't be getting the bennies of a dual core chip on XP Home. It will work but you would want the 64 bit version of Windows to get the full range of performance. Unfortunately Win XP 64 bit isn't ready for prime time...some applications hate it, some drivers hate it, etc. XP Home should (XP Pro does, I never really used Home) see the diff. cores are seperate processors but it won't automatically say, burn a CD on one proc while running iTunes on the other.

I think any modern chip should be able to multi-task on the items you want, I burn CDs and run 5-6 different apps on my Dell w/a 3.0 Intel single core chip all the time.

I wouldn't call any laptop with Intel integrated graphics very media friendly either...

As far as speakers, I wouldn't make that the defining issue. All laptop speakers suck, some just suck more. If you travel with it I'd imagine you'll be using headphones to watch movies/listen to music.

Here are my laptop buying rules...unless you are playing games or doing video editing...Price, customer support, weight. Because it will be out of date in a few years no matter what you do. Save the $$ here and invest it in your desktop down the road.

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SiNai

As a small side note, I'm very impressed with HP's dv xxxx lines. They are sharp looking, hefty, well built laptops. And that's important.

The CPU and RAM is great, but the videocard isn't going to get you very far. Intel onboard solutions are typically for people that want little to no games/editing/multimedia (playing videos might be okay......, but I wouldn't trust it )

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ratbastid

I've always liked HP laptops. I think a core duo laptop for less than $1100 is a pretty decent deal. Especially with a gig of ram. You might do better, but that's not a bad price.