Compare these 3 Laptops...

[kwikwa]

What's up all? I'm looking for some advice. Which of these laptops should my friend buy? She's not a power user and not too computer savy. She'll mostly use it for small business management, email and web surfing. She will be traveling the world with it and plugging in at internet cafes everyhere. I really appreciate and trust the opinions expressed on this message board. Here are our candidates:

Compaq Presario (1720US)
Pentium III, 1GHz.
20GB drive, 256MB ram
CD-RW/DVD, 14.1" screen, 5.2 lbs.
$1826

Hewlitt Packard Pavilion (N5425)
AMD Athlon, 900MHz.
20GB drive, 256MB ram
CD/DVD, 14.1" screen, 7.1 lbs.
$1719

Dell Inspiron 4000
Pentium III, 900 MHz.
10GB drive, 256MB ram
CD-RW, 14.1" screen, 5.2 lbs.
FREE printer, scanner or palm (undecided)
$1611

[Apex]

I've used the Compaq 1700T (1710TW and 1720US to be exact) and the Inspiron 4000. The Compaq is WAY better. It's lighter, thinner, better built, has MUCH better sound, and has better battery life.

I don't know too much about the HP. I've never used their consumer models, only their business ones. That is a much heavier laptop though, and that's something she needs to consider.

[jkusar]

Well, if she's gonna be traveling the world with it; she's gonna want something light, which means the HP is out. And with long plane flights, DVD is something worth considering. As far as processor needs, if she is not a power user any of those will work just fine. But probably the biggest thing is going to be which one gets the best battery life.

If you want my real opinion, go find a Sony VAIO. They're light, have good battery life and a whole host of options. I love mine.

-Jason

[JPR]

But did you know that most Dells use Sony batteries.

[jkusar]

There's more to battery life than just the batteries. The components that go into the laptop make all the difference in the world.

[Jeffbx]

IMHO, scrap all of the above choices & get a Dell Latitude refurb.

You have to check pretty early in the morning 'cuz they sell out very quickly. Here are a couple examples in your price range:

Dell Latitude C800 Notebook:
Pentium® III processor, 850MHz
15.0in SXGA+ TFT Display
System Price $2,133.00
Promotion Discount ($350.00)
Discounted Price $1,783.00
Promotion End Date Oct 18, 2001
Memory: 512MB SDRAM (2 DIMMs)
Hard Disk Drive: 30 GB EIDE Hard Drive (4200 RPM)
Video: 32MB ATI Mobility M4™ 3D Video, 4X AGP
NoteBook Screen: 15 in SXGA+ Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal 3COM Mini-PCI NIC/Modem Combo
CD ROM Drive: 24X Max Variable CD-ROM Drive
Software: Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Latitude C600:
Pentium® III processor, 1GHz
14.1 SXGA+ Display
System Price $1,927.00
Promotion Discount ($350.00)
Discounted Price $1,577.00
Promotion End Date Oct 18, 2001
Memory: 256MB SDRAM (1 DIMM)
Hard Disk Drive: 20 GB EIDE Hard Drive (4200 RPM)
NoteBook Screen: 14 inch SXGA+ Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal 3COM Mini-PCI NIC/Modem Combo
CD ROM Drive: 24X Max Variable CD-ROM
Software: Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional
Misc: 8 Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
Leather Carrying Case


Here's the link to the refurb store:

http://wwwb.us.dell.com/us/en/dfh/products/line_notebooks.htm

[giambona]

I've heard a lot of great things about Dell's and IBMs. However, several people have had a lot of problems with many of the Inspirons. Tell her to get a Latitude, it is a much more rugged machine. Also, check the refurbs at dell and dell also has a section somewhere on their site with machines that are just off of lease.