8510p Questions

Hey Guys,
Just recently decided to get a 8510p for gaming / surfing / general use / travel. I have a alienware 9700 for gaming, but it is fairly big and heavy so I need something that is a bit smaller and lighter while still being able to play most games since I will be moving between two countries. It also needs to be of high build quality as I do international travel and though I try to take good care of my laptops they can have a bit of wear and tear on them. Battery life is fairly irrelevant.

While I would love the 8510w, the current pre-configured 8510p version on hp's website for around $1450 seems to be much better value for money than the w. Also considered was the T61 which seems to be the only other competitor with similar qualities. From reading around it seems the T61 is slightly better for games courtesy of it's GPU while being a bit heavier and having a bit poorer quality customer service. After much thought I've decided to go with the 8510p. I ordered it on the hp website on sunday and have heard nothing back yet (not even an email confirming they have recieved my order). Looking around it seems that it might take a few weeks from ordering to recieving the laptop. My questions are:

1) Would it be quicker/better to order from a reseller website? shopblt.com has the same configuration for a little cheaper and I have heard they ship them out alot faster (I am in TX atm, and they seem to have some in stock in the state). They have a 3 year warranty, will they take care of it for the 3 years or send it on to hp in case of problems? Does anyone have any experience with shopblt and/or their warranty servicing?

2) I am planning on buying a 2gig stick of memory for the laptop, I have purchased Patriot 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Notebook Memory. Is this compatible?

3) Can any one recommend a book bag that can securely hold the 8510p nice and snug and still have space for other things? It would be used for travelling so should be a bit durable and looking good is a definite plus.

4) Any thoughts on the decision to go with the 8510p?

Thanks for your help / comments!

Edited for less wall of text

 

Hi,

I went with shopblt instead of HP. I ordered on a Wednesday with 2 day shipping and it was here by Friday morning. Zero complaints!

You can read the review in my sig for some more info on shopblt and what happened when I bought mine.

HP will cover the warranty for the 3 years. Shopblt will only get involved if you receive a DOA (dead on arrival) machine. They'll send you a new one and you send the dead one back, that's about it.

Yeah that ram will work.

I use a Targus business notebook case that I got from work which is really nice, but pretty much anything that "feels" solid enough on the outside and cushy enough on the inside should be good. Mine (even though I didn't buy it) was about $50.

My thoughts are in the review link in my sig Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I actually read your review on 8510p (and someone elses) that tipped me in the direction of the 8510p, and rereading it I guess I did'nt know what BLT stood for. I will definitely check out the bag as well. Thanks for the info.

 

You should have received a confirming email. I'd call HP. The preconfig models ship fast.