HELP WANTED!!!!!

I am currently in the process of purchasing an hp notebook. The two notebooks that I have determined to best fit my price range and needs are: the hp ze5700 and the hp zv5000t. I will be using the notebook primarily for it's mobility, word processing, internet, etc......The specs that I have choosen on the both of these notebooks are relatively the same:

Processor: Intel(R) Celeron(R) 2.8 GHz

Memory: 256MB DDR SDRAM (1x256MB)

Hard Drive: 40GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive

Primary: CD/DVD Drive 8X DVD Drive

Display: 15.4" WXGA (1280x800)

Primary Battery: 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

HP extended service plans: 2-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with Express Repair extended service plan

This notebook will be used solely for school purposes (word processing and casual use)

My questions ARE:

1. Which of these two notebooks would you all recommend to best fulfill my needs?? OR, are there any other hp models that would satisfy my needs at a cheaper price??

2. Will the above specifications that I have choosen allow me to use my notebook for the purposes stated above??

3. Do you recommend a 2 yr. full service plan??....especially for a first time relatively inexperienced user like myself???


Any feedback would be much appreciated,

TaebsOSU

 

Do NOT get the Celeron. You will be very disappointed with the performance, no question.

You might want to configure an AMD system (zv5000z). It will be a little more expensive, but the performance you get will be well worth it.

Good luck!

 

I second that. Even a low-end pentium 4 will do. A Dell Inspiron 1150 wouldn't be bad, either. 512 megs of RAM will double your speed.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x256 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

get the 2 year plan because u never know what might happen after the year..always good to be safe

I'd rather be skateboarding

 

I third it [ ]. Also, be sure to configure the 12-cell battery, and check both the zv5000z and Compaq R3000z (more or less the same notebook but the Compaq is usually cheaper for some unknown marketing reason).

 

Hi. Do not buy Celeron, with little bit more money you can get AMD. Buy 2 year express repair, and then if you want accidental protection, check your insurance company, they should have some deals to insure your notebook. It should be cheaper. And, yeah, 512 Memory should be much better.

zv5000z AMD 64 3000+ 1.8 Ghz 768 SDRAM

 

I looked at the compaq that brianstretch suggested and it seems like a good deal for what i am going to use it for. Which processor of the options would you recommend? Also, I would like to be able to go wireless with this- which option should i choose for the networking?

Processor options-
AMD Athlon(TM) XP-M 2800+ (1.60 GHz)
AMD Athlon(TM) XP-M 3000+ 1.60 GHz
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3000+ 1.80 GHz
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3200+ 2.00 GHz
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ 2.20 GHz

Networking options-
FREE Upgrade to 54g(TM) Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN !!
Built in 56K Modem+10/100 LAN
802.11b Wireless LAN
54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
802.11b Wireless LAN & Bluetooth Combo

Thanks!

 

I would suggest the Athlon 64 3000+ with the 54g w/ bluetooth adaptor...the extra money will be worth it.

 

Ditto.

 

The website says that the bluetooth is for pda and cell phones, etc. If i dont need/have that type of stuff is it still worth it to get that connection for other reasons?

 

If you just need wireless for internet, and you are not going to use it with printers and pda, ect. Then you do not really need blue tooth.

zv5000z AMD 64 3000+ 1.8 Ghz 768 DDR SDRAM 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) 30 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive 64MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 4 440 Go

 

It's also used for wireless mice and keyboards. I'm using Microsoft's Bluetooth Mouse with mine. Logitech makes a very nice Bluetooth mouse too. There are Bluetooth headsets available as well. For $30 it's a worthwhile upgrade.