[ASK] Will Go7200 in dv2000 enough for my need?

Hi, I'm planning to buy a dv2000 series, to be more precise dv2201tx.

The main specifications are:
* Core2Duo T5600, 1.83 MHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 Cache
* 1 GB RAM
* 120 GB HDD
* GeForce Go 7200 128 MB
* Windows Vista Home Premium

My question is, will it be sufficient for my daily usage?
My daily usage will be:

Campus work
* C/C++/OpenGL Programming
* 3Ds Studio Max modelling and animation
* Some video editing work
* Adobe Photoshop

Games that I will play:
* Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
* Caesar 4
* The Sims 2

My concern is in the GPU, whether it will be sufficient or not.
The biggest graphics work might be the 3Ds Max, video editing, and the games. Actually I will not playing a really heavy 3D games such as F.E.A.R or Oblivion, The Sims 2 might be the limit

Will the system be sufficient with my needs?

~thx

 

You need to ask yourself if having a 14" laptop is really what you want more than a decent GPU. A dv6000t w/ a 7400 Go would easily fulfill your needs and be cheaper too, but it's a 15.4" so there is some trade off. Not unless you want to get into really expensive stuff can you get the best of both worlds here.

 

I agree because the only reasons i can see buying the dv2000 is either becuase of the 14inch screen and/or a limited budget.
Also do you mind filling out the FAQ

 

Oops, sorry, I don't know there's such 'form' available

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
<=$1400

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen --> only in certain cases, but not preferable
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
C/C++, OpenGL, Photoshop, 3Ds Max, some Games

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
All around campus and traveling home-campus

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, The Sims 2, Dreamfall, Caesar 4

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

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Around 2-3 hours would be good

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

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
Indonesia

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen

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

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Either will be fine

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Soon, hopefully last around 2 years

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
>=100GB

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Yes, DVD-RW


That's the problem, dv6000 is VERY rare in Indonesia, hardly found one. Everywhere I go all I see is dv2000 and compaq v3000.
I know it is available with Go7400, which is more powerful.That's why even if I could found one, it will be a very difficult choice of Size vs GPU.. hmm...

 

Well, my experience with the Go 7200 is that it's "good enough" for most everyday use, but not really for major gaming. That said, the games you listed will work fine. I might mention that the Sims 2 needs to have a .cfg file altered to allow you to use the proper 1280x800 resolution, but once that's done the game works great.

Premiere and Photoshop will work fine, as well. I use both of those fairly regularly, and although the low res screen is less than ideal, the graphics chip doesn't really slow either app.

3ds Studio Max is the one app I would be more concerned about. I've never used it, but I would assume that it would like as much graphics power as you can throw at it. The GeForce Go 7200 is about as low end as you can get for hardware acceleration for DirectX and OpenGL. Also, Nvidia's Vista drivers are terrible, so that doesn't help much either. Lastly, I believe only 3ds Max 9 with the Productivity Booster extension is fully working under Vista, so depending on the version you're using you might have additional problems with that software.

Anyway, I have the dv2000t and, overall, its a good system. The combination of power and size is great--and the price is pretty reasonable for what you get. My only complaint is HP's (nonexistant) support, but the hardware is very good.

 

Thanks for the replies^^

One last question,

The other laptop that I'm considering is Lenovo Y400-25A, which is $100 cheaper

The differences are:

• Lenovo: Core2Duo T5500 (1.66 GHz) vs dv2000's T5600 (1.83) GHz)
• Lenovo: 100 GB HDD vs dv2000's 120 GB

BUT

• Lenovo: Go7300 256 MB vs dv2000's Go7200 128 MB (though I read somewhere that in Vista it become 256 MB)

I'm leaning more toward HP dv2000 because I thought the difference between Go7200 and Go7300 should not be that much. Especially with dv2000's having better processor and bigger HDD (and much better design too )

Am I making the right decision choosing the dv2000?

~thx

ps: I think this question is better to be put in the "Which notebook should I buy" thread, but I would love to see HP owners' POV about this.

 

Um... do you know if the Go7300 of the lenovo is dedicated?
I know the geforce 7200 of the dv2000t has 32mb dedicated and the rest of that 128mb comes from system memory. If its dedicated, then that should make a big difference.

 

The Go7200 is actually 64MB dedicated.
The Go7300 is also dedicated, either 64MB or 128MB, I dont remember.