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Gateway and HP Notebooks any good?


JerryM

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With the Thanksgiving and Christmas sale season I see a lot of computers on sale. I still am looking at laptops. I would prefer a Toshiba, but at a good price are Gateway laptops any good as compared with Dell, Toshiba, or Sony?I think that both Dell and Sony would cost more than I want to pay for a toy. Gateway had a poor reputation for awhile. How are they now?In addition I wonder about HP laptops/notebooks.Thanks,Jerry

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HP notebooks are a solid middle of the road company with like-minded products. What does that mean? If you want stability and good support they are second to none. Part of your decision should be based on how you like their web support. It can make all the difference in getting updated drivers. From a business perspective, going with HP is a good choice. Some of their notebooks do get high ratings in notebook reviews. We use them at work and they are ergonomically proportioned.As a consumer, I can't recommend enough ASUS notebooks. They are more known for great motherboards but their notebooks are quite stylish and usually pack better specs then equivalently priced HPs, Acers, and Gateways. The only problem is that they are harder to locate retail. But I think Circuit City might sell them in the U.S. as I've seen them in Canada in their The Source by Circuit City stores (Formerly RadioShack Canada) in Canada. Otherwise, online is the best place to get them.

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Peachy,Thanks for the reply. I had never heard of ASUS. In fact I know so little about the various brands that I have not been able to settle on a notebook. Inote various Acer notebooks, but am not familiar with that brand either.My intent is just to use it when I travel a few weeks RVing per year. I also want to play with security. Since it is a play toy, I do not want to spend much, I see some on sale for $500 up, and BB even has one for less than $400 tomorrow. However, I won't get one as I have no desire to stand in a long line before they open.Thanks again,Jerry

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Look here: http://usa.asus.com/products1.aspx?l1=5I build all my own systems and I've been using ASUS boards since I built my first Pentium in 1996. It was by chance that I stayed with ASUS. I had no clue back then what was good but a friend recommended me this board. It was the ASUS Intel HX chipset that Tom's Hardware Guide did their first overclock with and I was hooked when I realised I had the same one. The company has evolved and is now considered the world's number one motherboard maker in terms of quality.

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Peachy,Thanks. I looked at the site, and others with the prices, and all that I saw were more than I want to pay.I hope to catch a good Christmas sale and get something for around $500 - $600. Maybe I am asking too much since I want at least 512 RAM, and software that included Word. Maybe there is something else like Word that is cheaper. I am not familiar with Corel.Jerry

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Perhaps surprisingly, Gateway has improved their image and their product line since merging with eMachines. I would say their laptops are on a par with Compaq, etc. They are pushing the same "media center" concept as a lot of other makers.What might be worthwhile would be to list the spec's most important to you, then check out the available laptops that come closest to meeting your needs.

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Well I have been looking for a new laptop, and found this at Best Buy this am:Gateway 15.4" widescreen,1.4g CeleronM, 512MB Ram,DL - DVD recorder , 60g HD, 4 in 1 card reader, firewire, wireless g, modem, Lan $579 According the trade magazines I have been reading, the reorganization at Gateway completed several quarters ago. They are finally back in the running posting 2 quarters of profit. :)Oops....forgot to mention that I did order one. Plus a Targus case, laptop surge, wireless mouse, 4 port usb hub, Lan / phone connector on special when ordering a laptop for $29

Edited by Rons
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Well I have been looking for a new laptop, and found this at Best Buy this am:Gateway 15.4" widescreen,1.4g CeleronM, 512MB Ram,DL - DVD recorder , 60g HD, 4 in 1 card reader, firewire, wireless g, modem, Lan $579 According the trade magazines I have been reading, the reorganization at Gateway completed several quarters ago. They are finally back in the running posting 2 quarters of profit. :)Oops....forgot to mention that I did order one. Plus a Targus case, laptop surge, wireless mouse, 4 port usb hub, Lan / phone connector on special when ordering a laptop for $29
That is about what I am looking for. I want at lease 512 MB Ram, wireless, and I like the DVD RW. I assume that it has USB ports as well as firewire.Jerry
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With the Thanksgiving and Christmas sale season I see a lot of computers on sale. I still am looking at laptops. I would prefer a Toshiba, but at a good price are Gateway laptops any good as compared with Dell, Toshiba, or Sony?I think that both Dell and Sony would cost more than I want to pay for a toy. Gateway had a poor reputation for awhile. How are they now?In addition I wonder about HP laptops/notebooks.Thanks,Jerry
You might want to take a look at this:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/se...8&sku=A180-1160
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lewmur,Thanks. That is about what I want, and it isn't expensive to increase the memory to 512. I wonder what would be the maximum memory that such a laptop could use.I liked the 10 tips on that site also.Jerry

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lewmur,Thanks. That is about what I want, and it isn't expensive to increase the memory to 512. I wonder what would be the maximum memory that such a laptop could use.I liked the 10 tips on that site also.Jerry
Look on this page for the SODIMM modules:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Ca...gory_memory.aspSeems you could go to 2gig if you really wanted to. But, IMHO, that would be overkill for your purposes. I doubt that you'd see much of a performance boost in going above 512mb. (Though I know that is inviting a debate.) :)
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Thanks, again. I think you are probably correct, as I do not see anything above 512 with laptops. I do not game or do things that require a lot of RAM. However, I thing that with XP one needs more than 256.Jerry

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A good place to check memory module capacity is Crucial's web site: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp...eries&submit=Go2GB is correct for this model.512MB is the minimum you should have for running XP on a notebook. I made mine 1 GB when I bought my ASUS A6Ne. Last week I maxed it to 2 GB because I run VMware on my notebook and it was definitely needed for my case. One consideration is that more memory means less swapping to the hard drive and therefore provides some savings on battery power usage.

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Thanks, Peachy. Maybe in time I will learn enough to know what I need, and it is probably going to cost more than I want to pay. Or at least intend to pay at this point in time.Jerry

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One thing to consider is - how much memory does the onboard video card take from your RAM? In most laptops that I've seen recently (I'm shopping for one in the $1,000 to $1500 range right now) - most of the video adapters take 128 mB of the RAM.With only 256 in the system you're effectively running with only 128 - not a pretty picture!

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One thing to consider is - how much memory does the onboard video card take from your RAM? In most laptops that I've seen recently (I'm shopping for one in the $1,000 to $1500 range right now) - most of the video adapters take 128 mB of the RAM.With only 256 in the system you're effectively running with only 128 - not a pretty picture!
That is true but that is mostly due to the fact that you are shopping in a more expensive range. The video in notebooks in the $500 to $700 range, don't use anywhere near 128mb. More like 8 to 16mb. And you can always add more memory later if you find the computer bogging down.
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Don't skimp on memory...Next get at least a 5400 RPM HD in your rig. 4200 RPM is 30 % slower than a 5400 RPM HD.Many folks get the smallest and slowest HD the manufacturer offers and then upgrade to a larger and faster HD later. It can turn your laptop into a desktop with a faster HD like a 7200 RPM drive.I have a Compaq (HP) Presario AMD 64 3700 (2.4GHz) . Faster than any Intel laptop I have seen!

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Thanks, again. I think you are probably correct, as I do not see anything above 512 with laptops. I do not game or do things that require a lot of RAM. However, I thing that with XP one needs more than 256.Jerry
I have two notebooks running XP nicely with 256 RAM. Probably less efficient for battery use, however I don't use batt much, battery use has been too inefficient for me. I keep 'em plugged in most of the time.Staples has an interesting deal, $399 after $50 rebate -- lowest I've seen, good until 12-3This build-your-own Compaq Presario notebook includes: Intel® Celeron® M Processor 360 (1.40GHz)• 256MB DDR RAM• 40GB hard drive• 8x max DVD-ROM drive• 14" wide-screen display• 56K (max) modem• 10/100 Ethernet LAN• Windows® XP Home Edition• $699 - $250 instant savings - $50 mail-in rebate = $399Compaq V2000
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Thanks all for the good information. I did see the Staples add this morning in the paper, and it looks like an excellent price.I admit that I have shied away from Compaq based on their prior reputation, but maybe they like some others have improved their quality.I may take a look there this afternoon or tomorrow. I have seen ACERs but I do not know anything about them. Since some here recommend them in my price range I might have a look at them. In considering the various brands, where do ACERS fall in the quality and price comparison?Jerry

Edited by JerryM
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Thanks all for the good information. I did see the Staples add this morning in the paper, and it looks like an excellent price.I admit that I have shied away from Compaq based on their prior reputation, but maybe they like some others have improved their quality.I may take a look there this afternoon or tomorrow. I have seen ACERs but I do not know anything about them. Since some here recommend them in my price range I might have a look at them. In considering the various brands, where do ACERS fall in the quality and price comparison?Jerry
I'll put it this way, since HP bought out Compaq, they put that name on products that don't live up to the HP "name." ACER, otoh, has always been a name trusted by most of the DIY crowd. I'd take an ACER over a Compaq anytime. (My apologies to Compaq afficeinados but that *my* opinion.)And if you compare the $400 Compaq with the $500 dollar ACER, look closely at the "features."
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Don't skimp on memory...Next get at least a 5400 RPM HD in your rig. 4200 RPM is 30 % slower than a 5400 RPM HD.Many folks get the smallest and slowest HD the manufacturer offers and then upgrade to a larger and faster HD later. It can turn your laptop into a desktop with a faster HD like a 7200 RPM drive.I have a Compaq (HP) Presario AMD 64 3700 (2.4GHz) . Faster than any Intel laptop I have seen!
Thanks. How do I determine the speed of the HD. In the specs of the Compaq I don't see anything that I cabn identify as the HD speed.Jerry
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Thanks. How do I determine the speed of the HD. In the specs of the Compaq I don't see anything that I cabn identify as the HD speed.Jerry
If they don't tell you the spec, it's probably because they don't want you to know. But you might try going to www.hp.com and searching for the model number. You might get more detail there.
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If they don't tell you it is definitely a 4200 rpm hard drive. It's the only way to keep the price below $800. The 5400 rpm drives go into performance notebooks and the 7200 rpm in desktop replacement notebooks.

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If they don't tell you the spec, it's probably because they don't want you to know. But you might try going to www.hp.com and searching for the model number. You might get more detail there.
I see several processors that are used in notebooks. Among them are sempron, centrino, athlon, etc.Which are best, and are the worst not worth considering?Thanks,Jerry
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If they don't tell you it is definitely a 4200 rpm hard drive. It's the only way to keep the price below $800. The 5400 rpm drives go into performance notebooks and the 7200 rpm in desktop replacement notebooks.
I have a support request in at ACER to find out the rpm on the model TD has on sale. But in checking on the price difference on 40gb 2.5" drives, the 4200 rpm was $68 and the 5400 $70. I doubt any maker would still use the 4200 to save $2. At any rate, it's decision time. The sale on the ACER ends at noon Monday.
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Centrino is a chip-set not a CPU. It generally supports the Pentium 4 (M) Mobile CPUs.AMD has the only 64-bit CPUs in laptops at the moment. Those would be the Athlon 64 and the Turion 64 line which are really Athlon 64 CPUs that have been "binned" for running on lower voltages and thus less power which is perfect for laptops.My Compaq Presario has the Athlon 64 3700 (2.4GHz) and runs very hot at 2.4GHz. The equivalent in a Turion 64 would be 2/3 less heat at the same clock speed. I get around 1 1/2 hours on a 12 cell battery running at 2.4GHz. The Turion 64 would probably go for 3+ hours at the same speed. If I throttle the 3700 back I can get the usual 3+ hours on the 12 cell.You have more choices for operating systems running a 64-bit CPU than you do with a 32-but processor. If you purchase a 32-bit machine you have no upgrade path but to purchase a new machine. With 64-bit you can run any 32-bit OS now and an upgrade path to 64-bit either now or in the future...

Edited by Marsden11
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Centrino is a chip-set not a CPU. It generally supports the Pentium 4 (M) Mobile CPUs.
Actually Centrino is not a "chipset" but a marketing brand. For a notebook to qualify as a Centrino notebook it must be running a Pentium M processor (and not a Pentium 4-M, since this is a desktop Pentium 4 stuck in a mobile package). The Pentium M can be either the Banias or Dothan cores, both which are completely new designs that are based on the Pentium III core and does not contain any hint of the NetBurst architecture. Additionally it must also use either the 855GM/PM/GME (Odem) or 915GM/GMS/PM (Alviso) chipsets. The final piece is that it MUST also use an Intel PRO/Wireless solution, of which there are three flavours: 2100 or 2200bg (Calexico) and 2915abg (Calexico2). Centrino was codenamed "Carmel" and Centrino2 is "Sonoma"There were two iterations of the Centrino using either the Banias or Dothan Pentium M combined with the 855 chipset with two variants of the wireless Calexico chipseet. The third iteration is called Centrino2 and consists of a Dothan Pentium M, Alviso 915 chipset and Calexico2 wireless connection.All three components makeup a Centrino platform. If a notebook manufacturer decides to use a different wireless chipset it cannot call their product a Centrino notebook. Also, there is no such thing as a Celeron Centrino notebook because by definition it must contain the Pentium M. Another example of a non-Centrino notebook would be one that contained a Pentium M and Intel PRO/Wireless card but use a SiS760 chipset.
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