Merry Xmas! - Need advice....Which Laptop? Help me chose!

[morkys]

Merry Xmas everyone!

Ok. I received a notebook laptop for xmas from my father. I already have a good desktop I upgraded last year, but I have always thought I would prefer a laptop so I didn't HAVE to sit at my desk to use my PC, can use it in the bedroom, kitchen, livingroom, on the road etc etc. Its a very nice laptop, pretty close to what I would have chosen myself, but not exactly what I would prefer...so...here are the details of the laptop first:

The laptop is this one from Best Buy:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10066843&catid=20354

MX6124
Processor Type Intel Celeron M Processor 370
Screen Size 15.4"
RAM (Preloaded / Maximum) 512MB (Exp. To 2GB)
Hard Drive 60GB HDD (4200RPM)
Optical Drives DVD+/-RW Multi-Format Drive
Graphics See The Features Section
Average Battery Life 3 Hours
Product Weight 6.27 lbs
Audio Type AC '97 2.3 Compliant Audio
Battery Type 6-Cell Lithium-Ion
Cache 1MB L2
Fax/Modem 56K ITU V.92
I/O Ports Info Not Available
Included In Box Power Supply, Battery, Manual
Network Card See The Features Section
Other Software See The Features Section
PC Card Slots See The Features Section
Pointing Device Touchpad With Vertical Scroll Zone
Preloaded Operating System MS Windows XP Home Edition SP2
Processor Speed 1.5GHz
Product Dimensions 35.78(W) x 3.55(H) x 26.39(D) cm
Removable Storage Info Not Available
Screen Type Widescreen Ultrabright WXGA TFT
Speakers AC '97 2.3 Compliant Audio Built-In
System Bus 400MHz
Warranty 1 Year Parts & Labour


An ok laptop, and if there was no way I could exchange it, I would appreciate it. $999 plus taxes and the HP PSC 1510 all-in-one scanner printer too (is that any good?). I would prefer something with a slightly larger HD, really prefer an AMD CPU and non-shared video (not essential but what the heck).

So my question is this, without spending more, or not much more, what laptop should I exchange/upgrade/trade this for? (I know I cannot refund this for a few days). It must be from Best Buy. I would prefer something similar in performance to my desktop:

MSI Neo2 Plat
AMD64 3000+ 1.8 ghz CPU
1 GB OCZ PC400 ram
Nvidia Geforce2 GTS 32 MB AGP
200 GB seagate SATA
LG 4162 dvd ram burner
USB 2.0

...so I figured a 1.8 ghz AMD cpu laptop would be good. 15.4" widescreen is ok. I don't need non-shared video because I won't play many games. To get more on what my desktop is like, check my price check thread. I know I will lose a few things (video capture, but I can get an outboard one, and I will lose some speed). Does anybody know if the dual-layer dvd drive in the below turion laptop is as good as my LG 4163B?

I was thinking of this one if I can swing it:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10069888&catid=20354&logon=&langid=EN

AMD Turion 64 Mobile Technology ML-32 With 1.80GHz Processor Speed
80GB HDD (4200RPM)
512MB memory for multitasking power, expandable up to 2GB.
DVD +/- RW Multi-Format Double Layer
802.11g Integrated Wireless (Up To 54Mbps)
Weighs only 2.8 kg and measures just 1.4cm thin for easy portability.
I/O Ports: 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x VGA External Connector, 1 x IEEE 1394, 1 x RJ11, 1 x RJ45, Microphone In, Headphone
PC Card Slots: 1 x Type I or Type II; Card Bus, 4-in-1 Digital Media Manager Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick-Pro, and MultimediaCard
Network Card: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet; Integrated 802.11g Wireless (Up to 54Mbps)

Included Software: Microsoft Works 8, Money 2005, Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006 with Trial, Nero 6 Suite, PowerDVD, Microsoft Office 2003 Student Teacher Ed. Trial (60-day complimentary trial period), AOL (6-month membership included), McAfee Internet Security Suite (90-day complimentary subscription)
Please Note: This product only contains English operating instructions and system software.

Product Details

Web Code: 10069888
Mfr. Part Number: MX6420
Processor Type AMD Turion 64 Mobile Technology ML-32
Screen Size 15.4"
RAM (Preloaded / Maximum) 512MB (Exp. To 2GB)
Hard Drive 80GB HDD (4200RPM)
Optical Drives DVD +/- RW Multi-Format Double Layer
Graphics ATI Radeon Xpress 200M Graphics
Average Battery Life Over 3 Hours
Product Weight 2.8 kg
Audio Type AC '97 2.3 Compliant
Battery Type 6-Cell Lithium-Ion
Cache 512KB L2
Fax/Modem 56K ITU V.92
I/O Ports Info Not Available
Included In Box Power Supply, Battery, Manual
Network Card See The Features Section
Other Software See The Features Section
PC Card Slots See The Features Section
Pointing Device Touchpad With Vertical Scroll Zone
Preloaded Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home
Processor Speed 1.80GHz
Product Dimensions 14.09(W) x 1.40(H) x 10.39(D) cm
Removable Storage Info Not Available
Screen Type Widescreen Ultrbright WXGA TFT
Speakers Built-In Stereo Speakers
System Bus Info Not Available

Anybody have any advice? Is the above Turion a decent choice?

P.S. As per above, I don't need anything huge, my minimum requirements are AMD CPU, 80 GB HDD, 512 to 1 GB ram, 15.4" widescreen, dual layer dvd burner. Also, is the above burner as good as the LG 4163B?

P.P.S. My father knows me well, and bought the laptop knowing he wasn't sure what I would like, a different laptop, or even a digital SLR. My father is spoiling me! I must take him on a guided fishing trip this year!

thanx in advance for any helpful advice.

:)

[morkys]

As an aside....I would actually like the other one at Best Buy with 1 GB DDR and a 100 GB HD and explicitly states that it has 128 MB of DDR video ram...but its another $300:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10067701&catid=20354&logon=&langid=EN


Anyhow...Back to the Turion MX6420. The only semi-concern I have is that it does not explicitly say that the video is shared or not. I suspect that it may be. Again, I will not be playing major 3D games, and even if I started and they couldn't be played to the max, I would live with it.

Questions I am trying to figure out:

1) Does anybody know if the MX6420 AMD64 Turion laptop uses shared memory? Another pain in the arse is the fact that the Best Buy model numbers cannot be cross-checked with gateway! What a pain. I was able to find my laptop because I have the serial number, but not the prospective MX6420.

2) Is the dual layer dvd drive any good? Does it do CDRW too?

less important:

3) Are the 4200 rpm HD much slower than the 7200 rpm desktop units? Meaning, does the 4200 rpm hd slow down the laptop? I cannot see any laptops with faster drives.

thanx again for feedback

:)

[morkys]

Crap. Video is shared and memory is 333 mhz.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Q106/Blade/5955sp2.shtml

Come to think of it...the Compaq is also 333 mhz. Hmmmm. Thats kinda lame.

[lazybum131]

Between the MX6124 and MX6420 then Turion system is better in everyway. Faster CPU, larger hard drive and better integrated graphics (X200). The X200 is an integrated version of the X300. Some systems with the X200 has some dedicated memory (I believe the R4225 is one such laptop) but I don't think the MX6420 does. I wouldn't recommend the R4225 though, even though the screen size is the same, it's big and heavy for a 15.4" system and uses a more power hungry Athlon mobile instead of a Turion.

The lower memory speed on the Turion system isn't a big deal, the on-die memory controller cuts down on latency and makes up for less raw bandwidth.

DVD burners have no problem burning CD and CD-RW.

Even the newest 7200rpm 2.5" laptop drives are a fair bit slower than desktop drives on drive intensive tasks. A 4200rpm laptop drive will be slower, opening programs won't be as snappy and load times will be longer. I'm using a 80GB 5400rpm laptop drive and I can tell the difference in everyday usage compared to my desktop's 200GB 7200rpm drive, but the difference isn't big enough opening Word and accessing files to find it annoying.

[morkys]

Thanx for the feedback. I was thinking that for speed intensive tasks, I could run off of a hard disc in a USB 2.0 enclosure, for video editing etc.

I am not sure about the power hungry athlon64. I do want the laptop to be efficient and last a few hours, but I was not planning to use it away from ac for long periods. More likely just room to room in a house.

I have heard at least one person say that the Gateway Turion 6420 has issues. I may just sit on it and wait until later. The "sales" do not seem all that spectacular.

Pentium M? To me, the pentium M 1.86 would be slower than the Turion 64 1.8, not to mention the athlon64 2.2 ghz, and those laptops seem to have a 14" screen. Chosing a laptop/notebook is harder than I thought.

Anybody else have any suggestions for a laptop with a 15.4" screen? I am mostly trying to see if there are any "boxing day" deals I should jump on. Otherwise, as I said, I may wait until I find something later.

Need help finding a laptop during the boxing day - holiday sales!

thanx for the feedback,

:)

[coriolis]

7200rpm just isn't needed for regular tasks, 5400 will do fine, lazybum mentioned.

I'd check out the Compaq V2000 series as well

[Silverbullet]

I am also interested in this computer. You cannot find a Pentium M with anything other than Intel GMA900 graphics for anywhere near this price. In this price range it is Athlon, Turion, or Celeron if you want x200 graphics. MY concern with this laptop is that it does not have a S-video out. This seems to be standard on almost all laptops these days, and I would like to have it to output DIVX to TV without having to burn to disc and play in my DVD player.

Long intro, but my question is, can the VGA out be converted to a S-video signal, through a cable or some such thing? If this is simple and inexpensive, then I can live with it, as the TV out would only be an occasional use.

[morkys]

I do not think you can convert VGA to S-video easily. It takes some back conversion, not just an adapter. You could use a transcoder to convert VGA to component, but you would still need a TV that accepts progressive. (You could try 480i output if the video card would do it, but a hassle any way you look at it).

[charliebrown]

Anybody else have any suggestions for a laptop with a 15.4" screen? I am mostly trying to see if there are any "boxing day" deals I should jump on. Otherwise, as I said, I may wait until I find something later.

Need help finding a laptop during the boxing day - holiday sales!

thanx for the feedback,

:)

There's the HP on sale for 1099 @ BB
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10066861&catid=20354

Pentium M 740 @ 1.73
80 GB HD & 15.4 LCD

personally, only drawback is the video card (intel integrated 900)...i remember reading somewhere that the ati integrated IM200 is a bit better than the intel...so, if you're not going to do intense gaming, the intel 900 should good enough

happy shopping

[morkys]

I guess that is it? Boxing day sales are over so I have to wait anyways....can't decide if its worth it to migrate to laptop or stick with desktop.

[morkys]

Does anybody know if I could replace the CPU in the:


Compaq R4225CA (2.2 ghz AMD64 mobile Athlon)

or of a lesser interest, could I swap the CPU in this:
Gateway MX 6420 (1.8 ghz Turion64 ML-32)

with a Turion 2.2 ghz MT-40 (lower power Turion)

Could I swap the CPU's on these laptops? More interested in knowing if I can swap into the Compaq as it is a better overall system.

[Starr_Myra]

What about Assus?

[coriolis]

ASUS is awesome but its usually more expensive, because of the build + quality.

Not to mention the looks and performance :)