W3J or Z96J

please help me on this one. the only thing i'm worried about on the w3j is the screen size. what i REALLY like about it tho is the good build quality. i do more text and note taking stuff than gaming. i have no clue which one to get........ PLEASE HELP ME!!!

 

Go to BBuy, CCity, CompUSA, etc and compare the 14" and 15.4" models. The only way to get a sense for size you would be comfortable with or prefer is to look at them in person and do some typing etc. The other *huge* difference between the two models is the screen resolution, with the z96 being WSXGA+ while the w3 is WXGA; some people feel the SXGA results in text and icons being too small (this can be compensated for with settings tweaks, but only to a point) -- again, you need to go somewhere and compare them in person to see what you prefer/can live with for your intended uses. Opinions are great, but first-hand experience is best.

Personally, I find the 14" screen perfect for my needs, but different needs would dictate different sizes/resolutions that any given person will want.

 

If you don't intend to use the notebook for gaming or graphicly intesive programs, you'd be much better off with an integrated graphics card. You'll get much better battery life and much less heat! If it's all about style, pick upt the W3V. Practically identical to the J series except it has an x600 and slightly lighter coloured brushed aluminum casing.

14" is actually quite large. I play around on my buddies 12" dell and find it usefull for most applications. 15" Tends to be a beast of a computer. If you plan to take the laptop outside of your house (or even move around frequently inside your house) a 15" will become a hassle.

 

thx guys, I think I'm gonna wait for the V1J that I have just found out about.

 

15.4 is not a hassle at all. Unless your really unable to walk with a notebook, 15.4's (and some 17's) are easy to carry around and is not a beast.

 

the real issue is going to be the battery life..w3j's get around 3:30 whereas the z96j gets around 2:30...that said..neither have what i would consider really good battery life (i have a w3j)..if this is going to be your only computer i'd get the z96j because of its much larger resolution...which really helps for those papers (im assuming this will be for college)

 

I'm 6' 235lbs... I work out at the gym for 2-3 hours a day 4 days a week min. I could easily cary a CRT monitor with me everywhere I want to. That doesnt mean I would enjoy it. I've dealt with all sizes of laptops, and from personal experience, the smaller the better. 14" gives you the best of all worlds IMO. Large enough screen, compact size and weight, and now, all the power of a larger lappy.

 

the thing about the dell you mentioned earlier is that with the 8cell for it..the battery life is pretty decent at 4+ hours..its too bad the w7j struggles to get 3hrs with the 4800mah battery..i honestly don't get it..smaller screen..7400 = less battery life than 14" with x1600?? dunno where all that power is going to

anyways the w3j's resolution fits the screen size perfectly..any smaller and it'd be a bit difficult to read text without sitting really close