Dell, Toshiba or HP..need help

[wes000]

Hello all...As you can see this is my first post and it may be a long one when I am done typing this.

I need help in purchasing a laptop.

I have it narrowed down to 3- They are:

Dell Inspiron 6000
HP Pavilion Notebook PC (ZE2315US)
Toshiba M45-S169

I want to be able to do basic email, internet around the house, word processing, watch DVD's and use for ocasional travel. Possibly some photo or video encoding in the future (not real imortant at this time though). My desktop comp. can do all that fine, but I want to keep my options open. I am trying to stay around the $800 range.

Battery life is somewhat of a concern for me. The Toshiba comes with a 4 cell batery and I have read about the lousy battery life. Dell and HP have a 6 cell.

This is the Dell i configured:

Inspiron 6000 Intel® Celeron® M Processor 380 (1.60 GHz/1MB Cache/400MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Home
Display 15.4 inch WXGA LCD Panel
Memory 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms
Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Hard Drive 80GB Hard Drive
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
Combo/DVD+RW Drives 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Wireless Networking Card Dell 1370 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) No productivity suite- Corel WordPerfect word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription
Digital Music Musicmatch by Yahoo!™ Music- Entry level with 90 days of On Demand
Battery 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr)
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr Technical Support
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included
Digital Imaging Corel Photo Album™ 6 Starter Edition - Organize and Edit your photos
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service & Support
Financial Software No QuickBooks package selected - includes limited use trial
Operating System Backup & Recovery PC Restore recovery system by Symantec

TOTAL:$808.16

After coupon codes from the Dell rep. at the local mall, tax and shipping- total is $871.72

HP laptop - link here

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-Notebook-PC-ZE2315US-/sem/rpsm/oid/132902/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Has the AMD Sempron 3000+ mobile. Is this better than the celeron? I like the look and feel better than the Dell actually.

I have a $15 off $150 @ CC and a no interest for 18 months on a $499 or more purchase. This is a big factor for me as money is not free flowing as I would like.

There is $200 in rebates making this $699. However with rebates as you know, you pay the tax on the full price which is $899. So the total for me after taxes are paid and the rebate: $ 756.99

The Toshiba I believe is the most comparible to the Dell.

Link: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshiba-Satellite- Notebook-PC-M45-S169-/sem/rpsm/oid/133636/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

It has the same processor, however it's memory is also 512 but is 1 dimm. There are 2 slots. (Dell has this option too)Would be better for upgrading in the future. Beautiful screen. I wish it had the scroll feature on the mouse like the other 2 do.

This also has rebate of $200. Regular price is $999 - $200= $799.
Real price after taxes, coupon and rebate for me is: $ 863.92

I have heard that HP/Compaq are junk and that they are the Walmarts of laptops. Cheap prices, cheap hardware. I would be better off not buying anything at all if I was serious about HP. What do you think?

Please if anyone could analyze the specs for me and let me know their thoughts. Thank you in advance!

[Statica]

Welcome to PCMech.
You cant go wrong buying either Dell or Toshiba. I would stay away from Compcrap/HP. My personal experience is that the budget laptops from Toshiba aren't quite as nice as the high end ones, so Dell might be a better choice.

However what do you mean by scroll features on the mouse? Nearly every touchpad has some sort of scroll features or pressure sensitive scrolling.

[wes000]

Thanks for the quick responses!!!

As far as the scroll feature goes, on the HP and the Dell there are markings on the right side of the mouse that acts like the scroll wheel on a desktop mouse. I didnt see that on the Toshiba. Could it be there, I just didnt see it?

I just cant make up my mind. I think my brother in law will kill me if I get the HP, but my wife likes that one the best, and its a little cheaper.

[nickweb31]

I would agree with Statica, the Dell Inspiron 6000 is a good buy. Dont go for the HP, no matter what your wife says

[Statica]

The HP/Compcraps are cheaper for a reason .. most people find out why usually after they buy it. When it comes to a laptop, the looks arent going to be something you will consider in the long run.

Personally, I like the pressure sensitive pads on most Toshibas. It's almost like the way an Ipod's wheel feels.

[wes000]

ok i will steer clear of the hp.

Toshiba-

Pros- Screen- highly noted for their technology
Best rated in CR as far as servive and repair issues.
laptop reputation- so i have heard
512 - 1 dimm - extra dimm for easy upgrade to 1024
Have coupons to use at CC. i'm frugal

Cons - Battery life - Have seen a 12-cell online for $135.


Dell-


Pros- Battery is better
Excellent reputation
i like the non glare screen

Cons- none really

Sorry, typing with one hand..daughter in my arms.

Thanks for the input so far!!

[sergejru]

I like Dell notebooks, but I have notebook of Asus production.

[kram 2.0]

Welcome to PC Mech forums :)

If battery life concerns you a lot, look into the Centrino platform - the Pentium-M Processors. Yes, it is expensive, but they do pack one heck of a punch for the money. SpeedStep makes a good difference when it comes down to rate of battery drainage. Pentium-M can live for the extra hour or so while the Celeron-M bails out.

Between the two, I would choose the Dell - in my experience, it is much more sturdier than the budget-Toshiba.

kram