14 or 15' screen

My sister has a 15" HP notebook and I really like it. I've looked at some others in the store and like the HP keyboard the best. It feels like I'm typing on a standard keyboard and that's important to me.

One store carries an HP with a 14 inch screen. It is one pound less than the similar model with the 15 inch screen. To be honest, I can't see any difference between the size of the two screens or even the keyboards.

I'd prefer the lighter model but I maybe I'm missing something about the actual real estate. I'm at the computer a lot.

Any thoughts? Thank you!

btw, the only concern I have about buying any HP is that Consumer Reports rates the service and reliability pretty low.

 

Which models are you trying to decide between? that make a huge difrence,

 

Well, if you are just using it for basic office apps, ie word, excel, Iternet, ect. then there is no reason not to get the 14" if you find that the difference is minimul to none in terms of comfotability in viewing and typing. the 15" will give you a bit more viewing space but many people find the 14" to be adequate, especially if they are on the go alot. If you are into games, video/photo editing, and other media based uses then perhaps you will want to get the 15". This is not because of viewing space, but because that it is rare that a 14" laptop comes with the option of a decent graphics card for such uses, especially games.
If you get the laptop from a local store, chances are that it is a base model graphica card and it won't be that great for most of the up and coming games and it will be limited in the other media areas.
If the extent of your media uses for this laptops is simply watching DVDs and listening to music then the local store's models will be fine.

Lastly, shop around on their websites and the local stores to find the laptop you want with the features you want for the best price.

as for your worry about HP/Compac. Don't get Compac if you can help it. as for HP, the business class laptops are really nice and reliable, and there have been a few good reports about the dv model laptops in the home and small office group as well.

hope this helps in one way or another and feel free to post any further questions you have.

Fry

 

HP Pavilion dv2000t or HP Pavilion dv2000z. I don't recall which one. Does it make a difference if I buy Intel or AMD?

 

Actually, I think it was the HP Pavilion dv2500t series. Quite several hundred dollars more than the other two.

 

I have been debating this as well. Seems like everyone wants smaller laptops with larger resolutions. The problem at the retail stores is that they dont let you pick up the laptops and see how big they feel or how much they weigh since they are locked down. Since the dv2000t/dv2500t (14") and dv6000t/dv6500t (15.4") offer the same resolution and same video card (actually dv2000t and dv6000t do offer better video cards right now for the time being) options its really not a matter of the technology. Originally I wanted the 14" because I thought it was slimmer but in reality both are about the same thickness. In the end it comes down to what will you be doing with your laptop. If you will be using it primarly at home or school or on a desk occasionaly taking it on the road with you, you'd probably be happier with the larger screen so its easier to see. On the other hand, if you plan to be mobile with it more days than not, than the size/weight of the 14" would win easily. Also, if you will be the primary user of the laptop and just you will be looking at the screen, 14" should be plenty. However if you will be using it with a group of people (ie: come over and look at this youtube video) where people are hovering over your shoulder to see something, the larger screen makes sense.

I'm used to a 19" desktop LCD with 1280x1024 so a 15.4" with 1280x800 is more than sharp enough for me. But there are many who'd prefer a 12" screen with 1920x1080 resolution

 

This is very interesting. Never thought about it from this perspective. While I'm not into games at all, I do a lot of image editing as I run a digital photography website.

Another question: should I get one with with Vista or XP? Haven't heard a whole lot of good about vista. I only have OEM versions of XP right now.

 

Go to a store and view them side by side. I wanted a 15" until I did that, then I couldn't even stand the size of them vs the 14, so I'm going with the 14.

 

Heh I did that and was originally leaning toward the 14" but after seeing how small everything was on the 14" I chose the 15".

 

I have viewed them and, quite frankly, prefer the 14". But Philip raised the point about features. Obviuosly, I don't know much about notebooks. When away, I use my husbands 12" screen Avaretec but it's too small for working on a website for an extended time, not to mention "fighting" over who gets the machine, and when. LOL!

My husband and I visit our grandchildren often, and sometimes stay an extended time. Quite frankly, I'm tired of "sharing" the averatec, and having to transport files and email back and forth between his laptop and my home computer.

I will not travel with it other than stated above. I run a home based business with a staff of one (me) so no one will be looking over my shoulder.

I want a good processor, don't want the note book to get hot like my husbands, and I want the fan to run quitely. My sister's HP does those things, the Averatec does not!

I suppose I don't fully understand what features I'd be giving up if I went with the 14."

 

Usually the smaller the screen size, the less powerful the graphics solution are (for example, the 14.1" dv2000t had only a Geforce Go 7200 while the 15.4" dv6000t had a Go 7400). Also, the cooling might be a little different since there is more space in a 15.4" notebook.

Another big difference is the pricing; the dv2000t series was more expensive than its 'mainstream' big brother, the dv6000t.

In my opinion, 15.4" notebooks are nice because they don't feel cramped. Whenever i see a 14.1" laptop like the dv2000/dv2500, the keyboard just looks smooshed in and the thing looks too small to me, so I would go with the 15.4"

 

Trust me: if you've seen both the laptops in person and you prefer the 14" screen, go with it.

I was originally going to get a 14" laptop but at the last minute decided to get a 15.4" one and regretted the decision as soon as I got the laptop. I sold it after having it less than a year and am now going to get the new dv2500t.

 

I selected the 14" because the notebook weighed less when compared to the 15.4".

The balance between mobility and screen size is perfect on the 14".

If you do no plan to move around your notebook at all, then go for the 15".

 

I also debated regarding 14" or 15" but decided for the 14" because it's more portable and smaller. I also thought of battery life 'cause a bigger screen uses more juice to power it. My eyes isn't failing me yet (near sighted) so 14" is okay.

If the laptop is mostly going to be used for business and extensive graphics (photos) then I would recommend the 15". Bigger screens results in lesser eye fatigue. 15" is fine for desktop replacement and occasional take alongs. Amazingly it's not that much heavier than the 14s. I also have and Averatec 12" (not widescreen) and is working fine (more than 5 years) but the screen is like night and day.

 

I posted the pics of my dv6500t over in this thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1985209#post1985209

 

ok, to clear things up, the only advantage outiside of battery life that the 14" has over the 15" is that it is lighter and more compact. this makes it easier to carry from place to place.
If you don't plan on taking it off the desk often then you might as well get the 15".
the 14" models have the low end graphics cards and the intergrated gfx modules ie intel brand. intel is planing on making dedicated in th future but for now they are only making the lowest of quality for graphics modules.
If you are doing photo editing then depending on how serious you are with it, you will definitlly want a decent gfx card. the 15" offers a better option than the 14"in this case. Now, the gfx cards that are abvailable are not the state of the art but are ample enough to get the job done.
I wouldn't recomend anything below the nvidea 7400.
for mild gaming/average to above average photo editing, I'd say go for the nvidea go 7600 series or the ati x1400(preferably the 256md model).
Now if you really want a power house then the 17" laptops are the platform of choice. They offer larger screens, high end graphics cards and high resolution screens.
These are not nesecary for most users and with the exception of gamers, enthusiast, desktop replacers, and people with really bad eyesight.
If you are not going to use the laptop on the battery very often then it isn't a very big factor.
If it is then the smaller the screen the greater the battery life(usually).

I wish you luck in purchasing your laptop and don't hesitate to ask questions, eventually someone will have the answer you seek.

Fry

 

Umm...does photo editing really use or require a 3d card?

 

No, it doesn't. Photoshop or any other 2d-editing software wont be affected by the x3100/gma950.

 

It's not so much the card itself but the screen resolution when ot comes to photo editing, but there are some photo/video editing programs that are helped out by something better than a gma950.
If you are going to be doing 2d photo editing and nothing else then I suppose that you could get by with just a basic gfx module.
yes, you can photo edit on a xga or wxga screen, but at least in my personal experience, a wsxga screen or higher gives you much more room to play with and i find the picture is easier to work with because of it.
that's just my own personal opinion so you can take it or leave it.
If your are going to do more than 2d photo editing then I would go with a decent resolution paired with decent gfx card,again that's just my opinion, I won't claim it as absolute fact.