Would a X600 or a Go7200 now be a good idea?

A fren of mine is able to get staff rates from HP, but the gfx cards seem to be of the X600 and Go7200 variety.

WOuld it be a good idea to get laptop equipped with them? considering the price discount which makes it attractive

 

It kind of depends on the applications or games you're trying to run. If you give us more specifics, we may be able to give you a better option.

 

Yes zicky is right

By the way I never heard of a Go7200? Do you mean a Go 6200? If you are gonna play games with the Go6200 expect low resolutions and no killer frame rates. The X600 is much better, but not enough for future gaming.

Charlie-Peru

 

for example, the specs are given as such

HP Pavilion dv8201TX
Genuine Windows XP Home; Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 with Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB); 17" colour WXGA+ BrightView; 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz); 80GB (5400 rpm); Dual Layer DVD±RW/±R; NVIDIA GeForce® Go7200 (with up to 256MB discrete video memory shared with >=512MB memory)

The Go7200 non-existent? or maybe they have a type error in the listing

 

I'm looking at games like NFS, CS, BF2 variety.

when you say future gaming, how many years are you talking about roughly?

 

Hey mate,

That is a great notebook I must say! And the videocard is a Go7300, they made a type error there. Everything is top-notch of this videocard, except the videocard. The 7300Go is a slow videocard, you can play games like CS only at 1024*768, low settings...

With future gaming, I mean about 2 years. The Go7300 is definately not gonna make that 2 years.

If you are searching for a notebook with a great, big display then this HP is great. Especially if you do a lot of multi-tasking. But games... I doubt it.

Charlie-Peru

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/sg/en/un/WF05a/100011-200029-300063-300063-300063-404886.html

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/sg/en/un/WF05a/100011-200029-300063-300063-300063-404887.html

kinda surprised HP would make a typo error on all their sales specifications.

how would the X600 fit in then in terms of future gaming needs?

 

Very interesting . . HP dv8200 series. Thanks for the linkage.

We do need more information about what you want to recommend a notebook - over in our What Should I Buy forum, we have an FAQ you can fill out that helps us find a notebook for you.

By the looks of it, the Go7200 is going to be a pretty weak card. The X600 is older and outdated now, although still faster than the Go7200/7300. See the Graphics Card Chart at the top of this forum.

 

1) What is your budget? US$2k inclusive of 3 year warranty

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

Gaming, Net, DVDs

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?

not much carrying around, only occassionally

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

BF2, NFS, FIFA, SIMS, etc

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Currently looking at HP, but generally the better built ones as i need it to last 2-3 years

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
preferably 3-4, but most times on AC power

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
not really

9) What country are you buying this in?
Singapore

Screen Specifics

10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

either one of the below

b. SXGA = Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1400x1050; This resolution offers a middle ground between XGA and UXGA.

d. WXGA = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array; 1280x768 or 1280x800; This resolution offers the same as XGA except that there is more horizontal real estate; 1280 versus 1024. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

e. WXGA+ = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array+; 1440x900; This resolution is offered on 17" widescreen notebooks and is comparable to WXGA in terms of text and icon size versus available screen real estate. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

f. WSXGA+ = Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1680x1050; This resolution is comparable to SXGA in that it offers a middle ground between WXGA/WXGA+ and WUXGA. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.


11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Matte sounds good, but open to suggestions


Build Quality and Design

12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
To a certain extent


13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
as long as possible, 3 years would be good (to run with the 3 year warranty)

Notebook Components

14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?

80-100gb

15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?

DVD writer plus point, if not DVD-CD/RW would do.

 

Seems the HP configurations availble to Singapore all comes with low end gfx cards.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/sg/en/un/WF25a/100011-200028-200028-300366-300366-403961.html

i was looking at the HP Compaq nx8220 Notebook (link above) and it only comes with the X600. Nice screen though

 

I think the Go7200 is like the X200 of ATI.

It isnt the Go7300, but not much worse, so you end up to Go7300. Just like the ATI X300 and the X200m...

Charlie-Peru

 

So HP decided to downgrade their laptops with Go 7200s (their 15.4" and 17" lineup currently uses Go 7400 graphics). *claps hands* good going HP.

 

seems the 7200 is not such a good idea, no matter how good the rest of the specs may be

i'm a little confused now. Is Go7200 a typo error or is there such a model?

 

Actually, the X200M would be equivalent to the Go6150, Nvidia's integrated card.

I hope that the dv8000 doesn't get the Go7200; the Go7400 is mentioned on the page somewhere, so there is hope that it's a typo. A 17" notebook with a Go7200 would be pathetic.

 

I totally agree Chaz,

Maybe you want to call them and ask them about it Undecided.. And why not go for a Dell or a Fujitsu Siemens. The Amilo Xi1546 rocks! The same specs as the HP, but it has the X1800 mobility 256 MB.

Charlie-Peru

 

I will check with HP then.

As for the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo, looks good i should say. BUt sad to say, i haven't seen this brand in Singapore before. Only seen the lights of fujitsu.

Dell is another option, either the 6400 or the 9400 with X1400 or Go7800. But i have concerns about the built quality and warranty support in my region

 

Good news! Seems to me it's a typo afterall.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10073495&catid=

edit: Do you consider yourself a gamer? If the answer to the question is yes, forget the Go 7400. It'll be great for adventure games and such, but would perform horribly with FPS titles to come. I'd recommend something faster like a Go 7600 or Mobility X1600.

 

I understand that the X600 is pretty dated, but both are in the same Mainstream/Mid-range Graphics Cards category.

Would an X600 be a better choice or the Go7400?

 

http://www.nvidia.com/page/go_7300.html

go 7200 definately exists as "Available models: GeForce Go 7400, GeForce Go 7300, and GeForce Go 7200" is from that page.

 

$2000 is nice budget for a decent laptop with good 3D graphics. Check out the Asus s96j which has an ATI x1600 graphics that will last you a few years although settings may have to be lowered in the future. Anyway the x1600 is a heck a lot faster than the x600, Geforce 7200, 7300, 7400.

Here is a review.
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=150573&highlight=S96J

Update: Its best to go for a graphics card that has the x1600/Geforce 7600 or higher(Geforce 7800, 7900, ATi X1800).

This x1600/7600 will last for the future too but you may have to lower your settings. Don't go for the x600 or 7200, 7300 or even the 7400. They are OK for now but it won't be able to handle future games unless at low/lowest settings. If you want it to last 3 years I would go for at least those graphics cards I mentioned or higher. They can be found on many laptops...

 

thanks, ez2remember for your recommendation. Will keep it in mind when i drop by the stores.

Any more suggestions?

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2923&review=Dell+Inspiron+e1705

Dell Inspiron e1705 with upgraded graphics to 7800Go/7900Go. You need to look out for discount coupons to get lower prices. Check the appropriate section.

Also check out the threads in what should I buy because many people post about what gaming laptop to buy.

 

Do NOT buy a HP Pavilion zd8000 series laptop. I have an Australian delivered zd8001ap with 128Mb X600.

I play BF2 heaps and get about an hour of game play before it crashes due to GPU issues. This has been from Day 1. I thought it may be a set-up issue so I did an identical install on a desktop - no problems.

I do not have this problem with standard work use - CPU intensive engineering calculations.

Support for Mobility X600 is pathetic.

I am on the second motherboard/graphics board (serviced as one unit). The first failed after 9 months.

I started getting serious issues again - right at the end of my warranty period.

Sure enough, four days out of warranty my super wide 17 inch panel has a vertical line of bright pixels. One week later there are now two vertical lines - sweet! Refer to photo. So this laptop is destined for the garage where it will serve as a spare parts catalogue viewer...

HP customer service during the first failure was great. Directed to India but had my computer repaired and back to me between Christmas and New Year! This time around it is hopeless. Of course if you call HP in Australia and you are out of warranty, your call MAY attract a service charge!

I got four years of hard, dusty, hot environment field use (mining) from my Toshiba Tecra. The HP did not even manage 9 months of office environment duty.

Total waste of money!

I have already bought a replacement laptop - it is not a HP.

 

sad to hear that...

what's your replacement laptop anyway?

 

Undecided.. My first time on here but im extatic about my system.. its insane for just about any game and its under your 2k budget.. i paid 1428$ with shipping/insurance.. check my sig out, if you like ill point you in the right direction
It also has a "WUXGA" Screen which is crazy for anything you want to play such as dvd's or games. i like this system i have flawless runs at "Doom 3, Ultima online, world of warcraft"

 

in fact i'm looking at something similar to your sig right now, but can't decide on the screen part. WUXGA or WXGA+... Besides gaming, i would like to surf net, do some reading, etc on my rig.

Trying to find some examples of text on the 17" WUXGA screen to see whether i can be accustomed to it. Haven't found any so far.