Compaq V4000t or HP DV4000 owners please help!

I need some advice on the V4000t. I will most likely be ordering the V4000t tonight and I need your help.
I noticed that the battery does not run all the way across the back of the notebook.
1.Does this cause a wobbling issues with the 12 cell battery?
2.Do you V4000t owners have any regrets?
3.What set up did you guys get?
4.How portable is this laptop?
5.Is it easy to type on?
6.How's your gaming expirence/Have you played Battlefield 2?
7.Do scratches show up easily on this laptop/Blemishes?
8.Is the DV4000 worth the extra cost?

Thats all the questions that I can think of right know. Please help me. This will be my first laptop.
Thanks
Tim Utecht

 

Sorry, I forgot the specs. Does it sound good?
Price: $1,175.62
Operating System: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 750 (1.86 GHz)
Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
Graphics Card: 128MB ATI MOBILITY(TM) RADEON(R) X700
Memory: 256MB DDR2 SDRAM (1x256MB)
Hard Drive: 80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive: DVD+/-RW/R & CD-RW Combo w/Double Layer Support
Networking: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG & Bluetooth(TM)
Primary Battery: 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Should I get Bluetooth or is it just a waste? I would use bluetooth for a mouse. Other than that I don't know what I would use it for.
I would buy ram off of new egg. Since I am a newb to laptops I must ask what ram should I be buying?
I hope I order tonight!:hp:
Tim

 

1.Does this cause a wobbling issues with the 12 cell battery?

It is off center but does not cause any wobbling issues

2.Do you V4000t owners have any regrets?

Purchased a Dv4000 myself, I enjoy and use the quickplay feature, and like the looks of the laptop

3.What set up did you guys get?

See my Sig Line, I did purchase with 256MB memory and purchased some aftermarket kingston memmory to get to 2Gig

4.How portable is this laptop?

Feels heavier than my hp l2000, but the screen real estate and the graphics power for games made it a no brainer upgrade for me.

5.Is it easy to type on?

Yes I enjoy typing on the keyboard, I have had it for about 3~4 months now with no wear on the keyboard.

6.How's your gaming expirence/Have you played Battlefield 2?

Play WoW, EQ & Civ4 with zero issues at high settings.


7.Do scratches show up easily on this laptop/Blemishes?

It will pick up nicks if you slam it against things, does not have that "hard" plastic feel of some cases.

8.Is the DV4000 worth the extra cost?

I picked the Dv4000 over the v4000 for the Quickplay and the looks.

9. I purchased the bluetoot, I wanted to use a wireless headset for games... and I can with Bluetooth


IF you are going to purchase by the 1/31/06. I have a 10% off coupon you can use. (One use only)

 

1.Does this cause a wobbling issues with the 12 cell battery?
No.
2.Do you V4000t owners have any regrets?
3.What set up did you guys get?
I bought a Dv4000 with a 740, 512 ram (I then bought 1 gig of crutial ram, if I did it again, I'd have bought 256 from HP)
4.How portable is this laptop?
It's pretty big and a tad heavy, but the wide screen and the good GPU make it worth it.
5.Is it easy to type on?
Excellent, I really like the keyboard..nice and stiff with good action on the keys and lots of full sized command keys.
6.How's your gaming expirence/Have you played Battlefield 2? I play Doom3, COD, Halo, and Need For Speed with no problems.
7.Do scratches show up easily on this laptop/Blemishes?
Not so far.
8.Is the DV4000 worth the extra cost?
I think so, I like the quick play and the color scheme...I've heard that the case is a little stiffer, but can't confirm from personal experience.

You won't be sorry, this is a sweet price point machine for what you get and so far HP support has been great... I'd only buy one year of guarentee and support (as I did) and add a rider to your homeowners insurance ( cost me a bit over $10.00 per year for full replacement value coverage, including loss if it drops off a bridge or something and is never found).

 

1.Does this cause a wobbling issues with the 12 cell battery?
It runs around 2/3 of the width, but it is very stable. It is even better for sitting on my Antec cooler since the legs are now not at the edges.

3.What set up did you guys get?
I got a DV4000 with x700, 256MB DDR2 plus 1GB after market, remote control (not available for V4000), 12 cell battery, BC Wireless, USB BT dongle (save some battery).

4.How portable is this laptop?
5.Is it easy to type on?
It is a kind of heavy (~7 lb), but it is portable. My old Inspiron 8200 is 8.5 lb. It has full size key and the responss is pretty good.


8.Is the DV4000 worth the extra cost?
QuickPlay and the remote are the 2 features you are going to miss in V4000. I like both features very much. In addition, I like it black more than silver. Oh, I forgot. You won't have the Quick Launch media buttons too.

 

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies!

Warhammer999 that would be wonderful! Can it only be used on HP laptops or is it good for compaq too? Is it a promotional cupon? I was going to order the laptop tonight. Thanks again!!!

Warhammer999, I am a noob when it comes to bluetooth. So here comes my dumb question. Could a wireless Bluetooth headset be used at the same time with a wireless Bluetooth mouse? I think that would be awsome if they could both be used at the same time!

togus thanks for the advice on insurance. I will think about it.

Billcsho could you give me a link to your cooler? I think I will need one since I will be playing BF2 quite a bit.
You also said

Are you talking about a quicklanch button for like internet or something?

Thanks again
Tim

 

Another question. Can I use my student discount and my dad's EPP discount on the same laptop? I have a feeling the answer is no, but I just want to make sure.
Tim

 

Warhammer999 Could you also give me a link to the type of ram that I need to buy? Sorry, I am a newb at that too . Thanks again.
Tim

 

I got two of these and so far they are running great!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231038

 

I think you should listen to your gut on this one. No stacking of the discounts... You can get some money back if you use FatWallet.com, though, even using the Academic Purchase Program.

I'm another with the dv4000 b/c I wanted the QuickPlay features. I've been traveling a good bit lately, and it's nice to have a remote control to use the notebook as a portable DVD player. If that wasn't a consideration for me, I probably would've gone with the Compaq version to save the few dollars difference.

 

QuickPlay lets you watch DVDs or listen to CDs without booting to Windows. You can access it with the buttons across the top of the keyboard area of the dv4000 or the optional remote (well worth it, in my opinion). QuickPlay is not available on the v4000t, period. It is run by a Linux program on a small partition of the hard drive.

As for the RAM, I slapped two gigs in my dv4000 using these sticks from Transcend. The price seems to jump up and down a few bucks every day, but two gigs for about $150 is a good deal.

 

Will ethier of these two sticks of ram work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231042.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustRatingReview.asp?Item=N82E16820221206
I thought I might as well max out at 2GB of ram from the start, but I not for sure if these will work.
If I order my laptop today it will make my day perfect since I was just accepted into my college of first choice! :hp: :hp: :hp:

 

If you are going to get the Transcend one, make sure you order the one with SamSung chip. That one is good. Finally I get the $10 rebate after 3 months. It went down to below $60 per GB last month.
For the Antec Cooler, this is the one I got. If you order it online, use coupon code 34456 to drop the price down to $14.94. Or you can pick it up at the store with the discount price. Offer good through 1/28. Free shipping to Rewards customer which is free to register. Make sure you get the new one that has the vent on the right and the back but not on the bottom.

 

Hey, Bill, that's the cooler I have too! I got it on sale for twenty bucks months ago, but I saw it on the shelf at Staples for this price and I was tempted to get another one...

I'm pretty sure the link I gave is to the sticks with the Samsung chips -- those are the ones I have, and I agree with Bill, they work very nicely.

 

Billcsho, Does that notebook cooler feel unstable?
The G. Skill ram says this on Newegg

. So I guess this one should work right? I figure I might as well max out at 2GB.
I get to party tonight for getting accepted to my first choice college and a $6,500 scholarship.

 

The link says they're samsung. I just want to save a little money so I can pay for college that's why I am asking about G. Skill. Here's the link. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231042

 

Looks like the same price to me, since you won't be going to college until after you get the rebate check from Transcend. In your position, I'd get the sticks that people have and use instead of a brand I'd never heard of, but it does have a lifetime warranty - my requirement of all notebook RAM.

 

Opps my bad . I didn't see the rebate price. Silly me. Yeah, I think I will get the transcend ones then. At least I know they will work. Thanks again slappy! How do you like that notebook cooler? I should get one since I will be playing BF2 alot. It seems to be a good deal.
Tim

 

If you do a little searching through the "Accessories" sub-forum up in the Hardware section of these NBR forums, there are a few discussions on coolers. My take on them is this: the only important part is that they move air. Some people (and this includes the companies that market them) make a lot of noise about the ones that are all aluminum b/c aluminum is such a great metal at heat transfer... I say, who cares? Is the aluminum actually touching the hot parts of my computer? NO! My computer has little feet. Those little feet are rubber - an insulator (thermal and electrical, but we're concerned with thermal here). Like the cooling systems of ALL notebooks (I think... haven't seen a watercooled notebook personally), air cooling is the only cooling that actually has any effect on my computer.

*steps off soapbox*

For this Antec cooler, it moves a good bit of air on low and a heck of a lot on high. It has a pass-through so that if I wanted to slide my USB drive into the same USB port, I could. It doesn't tilt my computer forward like so many do - forward tilt is bad for the wrists according to ergonomists and I personally find that to be true.

My one gripe would be that I'd like to be able to reverse the fans. It pulls air from the top of the cooler (the bottom of the computer) and exhausts it out the sides of the cooler. It moves enough air that my built-in fan doesn't come on, but if it did? The fan on the dv4000 (and most notebooks I've seen) draws air from the bottom of the computer - the same place the cooling pad is sucking air from! None of the fans involved are powerful enough to create a vacuum in that space or anything, but the option to make the cooling pad force the air up to the bottom of the notebook (and thus force more air through the notebook's built in cooling system) would be nice.

 

That's strange that they blow opposite ways. Thanks for the info on it. Is the deal at staples the lowest price for it $29.94?
I just saw in the transcend rebate form that it is only valid for one 1GB stick of ram . Too bad that I want two.

 

timu!!! Congrats on the scholarship!!! And BTW, I have G-Skill RAM and it works great!!!! Also, I have found that removing the battery while using the AC generates less heat. And thus you may not even need a cooler! I'm gonna do some testing probably later tonight to see if I still get cpu throttling in Serious Sam 2. I 'll let you know asap.

 

I haven't followed the Staples link, but it was on sale in the store for fifteen bucks last week. Maybe that sale is over.

It'll cost you an extra 39 cents to get the rebate on the second stick - send in a second form.

 

Slappy,
This is what the rebate says

That is why I thought I could only get one rebate.

WonderDude,
Thanks for the help. I will see which one I get. I like the transcend but I am a little worried I can only use one rebate.
Here is the rebate form http://images10.newegg.com/UploadFilesForNewegg/rebate/SH/Transcend20-208-312Jan18Feb0106ny11.pdf
The G.Skill ram seems to be a good deal for a stick.

I will be getting the v4000t later tonight! I really can't wait!

Tim

 

Warhammer999, Thanks so much for the discount code!

 

LOL!!! My wife has mine again. I was worried at first whether or not we'd end up using a laptop very much. But as it turns out, we're like fighting over the use of it now! It makes me so happy to watch her get to play WoW out on the sofa!

Oh yeah! And you are very welcome Timu!!!

Welcome to the collective!!!

 

The Transcend rebate offer has been renewed continuously since October. Last month, it allows 5 rebates per household a couple times. If you can wait a little bit, that offer should be back again and you can get 2. Alternatively, just get one now and wait for the next offer in a week to get the second one.
The Antec Cooler is very stable, and my DV4000 is sitting on it stably too. Most of the reviews on the Antec Cooler were on the older version that has the fan blow out on the bottom. The new one blows to the right and the back and has 2 fan speed. The low speed is very quiet and the high speed is also acceptable. The on sale price at Staples is $14.94. Just look at my post earlier in this thread for details. Offer expires 1/28.

 

I ordered my new laptop!!!!!!!! :hp: :hp: I got the Compaq V4000t. The specs. are in my sig. I can't wait for it it arrive. THANKS FOR EVERYONES GREAT HELP!!!!! I will keep everyone up dated and try to do some sort of review when it arrives. The Due date of compleltion is Feb. 9. I guess it will be an early birthday present since my birthdays on Feb. 14. Thanks agan!!!
Tim

 

Duuudeee!!!!!
Rock On!!!!

 

Well it has just been two days and my printer is already shipping!!! That was fast. I hope they get the laptop to me just as fast.

I have a quick question for any one with bluetooth. Can I use two bluetooth products at the same time like a mouse and a VOIP headset?

I can't wait to get the laptop. Just hopefully I won't be working when it arrives. I am gonna try a little review when I get it.

WonderDude,
What laptop cooler did you end up getting?
Thanks for everyones help,
Tim

 

I'm still in the process of cooler searching. I originally got the Antec Pearl cooler which is just a beautiful cooler...
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75005#



But I didn't like the way the v4000t sat on it. So then I ordered this one from Newegg...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834999336

But it doesn't seem to cool as well as the Antec. And it's not as nice looking. It's also not very portable. Though, the laptop does fit on it better. So now I'm thinking of going back with the Antec. I can get one here for like $25 + shipping...
http://www.hardwarecooling.com/product_info.php/cat/33/prod/400/Antec_Pearl_Notebook_Cooler?

I got a new case for it though. And I really like it. Here's a link...
http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=CVR200