[MtnBikerChk]

I just need something to throw in the car on trips for wireless and to use around the house when IAB is on our desktop. I thought it'd be fun to poke around with Vista too - if I hate it I can switch to xp.

My only concern - is the 128mb on the video card enough for Vista?

It's an HP:
Operating System Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit)
Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) dual core processor T2130 (1.86 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Display 14.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Memory 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Graphics Card 128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
Personalization HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection Hard Drive FREE Upgrade from 80GB 5400RPM to 160GB 5400RPM!!
Primary CD/DVD Drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
OS and Recovery Media System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit)
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Office Basic 2007

 

[binary visions]

Vista isn't all that hungry on the graphics cards, don't worry about it. Besides, you can shut off the effects that eat at the video card with a couple clicks.

That looks like a great system.

(weird aside: I was thinking of typing "That looks like a very nice system" but when it got typed, "very" had come out as "great." So, I guess my subconscious thinks your system is "great.")

 

[H8R]

Nice.

How much though?

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Nice.

How much though?

$1,250.99 and I have a $100 coupon that I haven't put in yet (not sure it'll apply).

THANKS

did I miss anything obvious?

 

[binary visions]

Seems a touch expensive.

Dell Home has the Inspiron E1405 Notebook for $1063 - $464 off with coupon code T3ZCK45MRWPLD3 [Exp 8/2] or 2490 uses = $599 with free shipping.

# Dual Core 1.86GHz Processor, 14.1" WXGA+ TrueLife, 1GB DDR2, 120GB Drive
# 8x DVD+-RW Drive, Intel GMA950, 10/100 + 56k + 802.11g, 1-Yr Warranty
# 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, Windows Vista Home Premium

I upgraded your battery to the premium battery and 2gb of RAM, and with the coupon code it still only totals out at $799. Crappy video card, but meh, unless you're gaming it doesn't really matter.

Link.

 

[syadasti]

Thats fine. How heavy is it - 12 cell battery sounds huge? Since you have Vista Business you can downgrade to XP with the Vista licensing free and wait for it to mature if you want.

You can save money and buy Office OEM separately from someplace like:

http://www.viosoftware.com or http://www.provantage.com

Unless HP is giving you a really good deal on Office.

Is this an HP with a 3 year warranty? HP's business laptops are great, I don't know anything about their consumer laptops. The Inspiron's are cheaper consumer laptops and Vista Business ($80 upgrade?), a three year warranty, and office would make the HP cheaper than Dell in similarly equipped.

 

[H8R]

Run through the Dell site and see what you come up with. They have a similar HDD and RAM upgrade special going on.

Also, do you need Business Vista? Or is that a free upgrade?

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Thats fine. How heavy is it - 12 cell battery sounds huge? Since you have Vista Business you can downgrade to XP with the Vista licensing free and wait for it to mature if you want.

You can save money and buy Office OEM separately from someplace like:

http://www.viosoftware.com or http://www.provantage.com

Unless HP is giving you a really good deal on Office.

Is this an HP with a 3 year warranty? HP's business laptops are great, I don't know anything about their consumer laptops. The Inspiron's are cheaper consumer laptops and Vista Business ($80 upgrade?), a three year warranty, and office would make the HP cheaper.

it's a little over 5lbs. it comes with works and it's $149 to upgrade to office.

I thought an upgraded battery would be nice because the wireless card tend to suck a lot of juice.

Seems a touch expensive.

Dell Home has the Inspiron E1405 Notebook for $1063 - $464 off with coupon code T3ZCK45MRWPLD3 [Exp 8/2] or 2490 uses = $599 with free shipping.

# Dual Core 1.86GHz Processor, 14.1" WXGA+ TrueLife, 1GB DDR2, 120GB Drive
# 8x DVD+-RW Drive, Intel GMA950, 10/100 + 56k + 802.11g, 1-Yr Warranty
# 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, Windows Vista Home Premium

I upgraded your battery to the premium battery and 2gb of RAM, and with the coupon code it still only totals out at $799. Crappy video card, but meh, unless you're gaming it doesn't really matter.

Link.

thanks - I'll check it out.

I do want Vista Business though. Vista home will not connect to a domain so if I decide to bring it to work for whatever reason - I'm screwed

 

[H8R]

Vista home will not connect to a domain

You have got to be fvcking kidding me.

:huh:

 

[H8R]

BTW - I'm on a new-ish Dell laptop at work - the 6 cell battery gives me about 1.5 to 2 hours of work with the wireless connected to an AP about 1000 feet away.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

You have got to be fvcking kidding me.

:huh:

that's what I read - sorry

 

[syadasti]

You have got to be fvcking kidding me.

:huh:

Thats one of the differences between XP Home and XP Pro but there are workarounds for some things - check Google. I have no experience with using XP Home or Vista on a domain, so I can't say firsthand how bad.

 

[binary visions]

You have got to be fvcking kidding me.

:huh:

The Home versions of Microsoft operating systems have never connected to domains.

 

[H8R]

The Home versions of Microsoft operating systems have never connected to domains.

I know that XP home is generally worthless but I though it could at least do that. And Vista? You'd think they would throw that in there no matter what the version.


Ah Ubuntu...how I grow more fond of you buy the hour...

 

[MtnBikerChk]

the dell: ($1,168 with the bag )

Inspiron E1405:
Intel® Core™ DUO T2350 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)

Operating System (Office software not included):
Genuine Windows Vista® Business

LCD Panel:
14.1 inch Wide Screen XGA TFT Display with TrueLife™(glossy)

Memory:
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM 2G2D

Hard Drive:
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Combo/DVD+RW Drives:
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability

Video Card:
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 INTVID [320-4698] 6


Sound Options:
Integrated Audio


Primary Battery:
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery


Wireless Networking Cards:
Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)


Bluetooth Options:
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)

Mobile Broadband:
No Broadband Expresscard technology is available in the market

Network Card and Modem:
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem


Adobe Software:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0 (ooh boy - thanks for throwing this in Dell )



Office Software:
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 - Word, Excel + PowerPoint


Dell Digital Entertainment:
No Entertainment software pre-installed


Carrying Cases:
Swiss Gear Maxxum Notebook Backpack

 

[syadasti]

Ah Ubuntu...how I grow more fond of you buy the hour...

I boot into Ubuntu once every month or so to check for updates or if I forget to switch the boot selection

I have everything working decent now but the wireless driver still sucks and power management drivers don't work well either. I'm forced to use my Intel HDA instead of the X-Fi sound card. Fonts don't looks as good and performance isn't any better (especially since I have to use an NTFS wrapper to access most of the main data storage), so its a why bother for me. OSX is the only other OS I'd use right now other than XP.

 

[binary visions]

I don't know if it's Dell Home or Dell Business but you could try this coupon code if it's Dell Home:

T3ZCK45MRWPLD3

 

[syadasti]

Wireless Networking Cards:
Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)

Upgrade to the Intel Chipset Wifi - you don't want Broadcom POS Wifi chipsets. I've had compatibility issues with Broadcom wifi in both Dell and Apple hardware - its not close enough to the standard to play well well with others in some cases

Don't forget a 3 year warranty on laptops - its one of the few items that needs an extended warranty.

 

[binary visions]

I know that XP home is generally worthless but I though it could at least do that. And Vista? You'd think they would throw that in there no matter what the version.

What kind of home users do you think are logging onto a domain?

I mean, I understand the frustration from a power user's perspective, but you have to admit, the number of home users who would never get near a domain is probably in the 90%+ range.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Upgrade to the Intel Chipset Wifi - you don't want Broadcom POS Wifi chipsets. I've had compatibility issues with Broadcom wifi in both Dell and Apple hardware - its not close enough to the standard to play well well with others in some cases

Don't forget a 3 year warranty on laptops - its one of the few items that needs an extended warranty.

Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g

or

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N

don't jinx me - I don't want no warranty!

 

[binary visions]

Don't get the Wireless N. It may not be compatible with the N spec when it actually gets approved. Just go with the 3945a/g... and try that coupon

 

[syadasti]

What kind of home users do you think are logging onto a domain?

I mean, I understand the frustration from a power user's perspective, but you have to admit, the number of home users who would never get near a domain is probably in the 90%+ range.

And you can still connect to a VPN and browse domain file shares, connect outlook to an exchange server, etc, you just have to enter your crendentials...its not really a big deal for most users that need to access stuff at work from their home PC.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Don't get the Wireless N. It may not be compatible with the N spec when it actually gets approved. Just go with the 3945a/g... and try that coupon

$1,197 with coupon!

 

[syadasti]

Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g

or

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N

don't jinx me - I don't want no warranty!

About 20% of all laptops break after the standard 1 year. If you are really careful go head but the build quality on Inspirons is not the best.

Some of the newer "n" products will be certainly compatible with the eventual official standard, but I haven't looked into Intel's. Since its Intel, its probably OK if the price difference isn't significant.

 

[H8R]

I boot into Ubuntu once every month or so to check for updates or if I forget to switch the boot selection

I have everything working decent now but the wireless driver still sucks and power management drivers don't work well either. I'm forced to use my Intel HDA instead of the X-Fi sound card. Fonts don't looks as good and performance isn't any better (especially since I have to use an NTFS wrapper to access most of the main data storage), so its a why bother for me. OSX is the only other OS I'd use right now other than XP.

The only problem I had on install is my old D-Link wifi card has no Linux drivers to speak of. (no Vista drivers either though)

Some issues with install of the nVidia video driver, but that was pilot error (I didn't read the fine print)/


Most everything else I use it for is flawless. I'm happy w/ it.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

About 20% of all laptops break after the standard 1 year. If you are really careful go head but the build quality on Inspirons is not the best.

as long as I keep IAB away from it, I should be good!

 

[H8R]

What kind of home users do you think are logging onto a domain?

I dunno. People who bring a laptop to work from home?

 

[MtnBikerChk]

so you guys would go dell over hp?

I've had both for work and no complaints.

adding 1 year complete service and the other changes just put me at $1,469 out the door. Now I'm right back where I started with HP

 

[H8R]

so you guys would go dell over hp?

I've had both for work and no complaints.

I'd go Panasonic Toughbook over Dell, but Dell over HP.

 

[binary visions]

I'd go Thinkpad over any of those

 

[MtnBikerChk]

I'd go Thinkpad over any of those

that was on my list but it outpriced them all too!

 

[binary visions]

Yep, they tend to do that. Nice pieces of hardware, though - well made, great feature spec, and IBM/Lenovo has always been great with customer service.

You pay more, though. I'm a bit spoiled by my Thinkpad X40. Lightweight, compact, well made and a 4+ hour battery life.

HP is turning out some quality goods these days, I really wouldn't stress about the HP or Dell decision. The 12 cell battery is pretty large (I've seen it), I'm not sure I'd want to haul that around, but they're both middle of the road companies who produce a decent product.

 

[syadasti]

I'd go Panasonic Toughbook over Dell, but Dell over HP.

Failure rates for laptops are all pretty high, regardless of brand. In general the consumer lines aren't made as well as the business lines but you get more bells and whistles (which probably don't work so well anyways).

You could get a very nice Dell Latitude refurb for about the same and it would include the 3 year warranty with US based support and better build quality than the Inspiron:

http://www.delloutlet.com

Yeah Thinkpads are decent too...

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Yep, they tend to do that. Nice pieces of hardware, though - well made, great feature spec, and IBM/Lenovo has always been great with customer service.

got a coupon for that?

ThinkPad T61 with nVIDIA Graphics - 1 Year Depot Warranty
$1,473.00 1 $1,473.00

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz 800MHz 2MBL2)
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Business 1
Display type: 14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/o Camera 1
System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB) 1
Total memory: 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (2 DIMM)
Keyboard: Keyboard US English 1
Pointing device: UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) 1
Hard drive: 160GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device: DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
System expansion slots: PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot 1
Wireless card: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN 1
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN 1
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery 1
Power cord: Country Pack North America 1
Modem cable (RJ-11): PSTN cable 1
Language Pack: Language Pack US English 1
Microsoft productivity software preload: Microsoft Office Basic 2007 - English 1
Accessories and options:
1 Year ThinkPad Protection 40Y9213 $89.00 1 $89.00

 

[binary visions]

This one is 10% off and it expires tomorrow;

USPTR61721

 

[MtnBikerChk]

This one is 10% off and it expires tomorrow;

USPTR61721

...and what would you change..... LOL

 

[binary visions]

Looks like a good spec to me. I don't put laptop drives that big in my laptops because they're fragile, so I keep most of my data at home on my desktop and only copy it over as needed - thus, a 20-40gb drive is fine and cheaper.

Other than that, it all looks good. Didn't get the DH bike so you've decided to blow that money on a laptop, eh?

 

[Quo Fan]

I have an older HP that I'm super happy with, and (knock wood) haven't had any problems with so far.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Other than that, it all looks good. Didn't get the DH bike so you've decided to blow that money on a laptop, eh?

somethin like that!

THANKS ALL!