HP dv 4000 worries

I was looking at the HP dv4000, and I really liked it (with my customized options), but I had one very big worry.

I had seen the laptop in person, and the build quality didn't really look too great. I'm a student, and if I buy this laptop, it should be able to take a lot of abuse.

Any comments?

 

I'd say HPs are middle of the road quality wise. If you want a HP, their business class notebooks are better. If you really want a more semi-rugged notebook, I would look at a ThinkPad. They are the best built notebooks. Since you are a student you should qualify for some educational discounts.

 

What kind of abuse will you be subjecting your notebook to? I consider HP's to be very well built considering their price, you get what you pay for. Their certainly built better than some other notebooks, I really like my DV4000 and feel comfortable carrying it around.

 

I see this comment occasionally in reference to HP's, and it really makes me wonder a couple of things...

First, why someone would say that, because they seem well built to me. And secondly-- even allowing that there may be other machines that are built better: What else have you seen in this price range that are built better? Hasn't anyone ever heard of "you get what you pay for"? Would you walk into a Hyundai dealership and say, " well, it's pretty nice, but I really think a Mercedes is built better" ?

 

Same comments as jim above. The build quality seems on par with most other manufacturers I've tried and owned, including that of Dell, Sony, (pre-HP) Compaq. I've never handled a Thinkpad personally, so I can't comment on what people generally think of as "high build quality." I just got my DV4000 and it seems perfectly fine. It's not gonna fall apart on you by just lifting it up. It's not snapped together like a plastic model kit.

 

Well agreed, but if the HP is really comparable to a Hyundai, I don't think it's right for me . My problem is that when you pick up the notebook with one hand, it kinda creeks. Also, this laptop needs to be able to take quite a bit of abuse (being thrown around [not literally], scraping with other books, being hit with other books [and laptops of careless students who sit next to me], etc)

At this point, my parents are buying me the notebook, and they said that price is not a factor

Even better, I know someone who works at IBM, so I can get some pretty wicked discounts there - it's probably where I'm going to go.

 

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Nobody would claim that a $1000 HP is built as well as a $1800 or $2000 IBM. That's a ridiculous comparison. If someone told you "I'll buy you a car. Which would you rather have, a Hyundai or a Mercedes?", which would you chose? And how would that answer vary, depending on whether you're spending your own money, or someone is buying it for you? Duh.

 

I like to think of my HP as a Honda. Did you know that more millionairs drive Honda Accords than any other car... there must be a reason.

 

Are you trying to hint that you're a millionaire?

 

I'm not suggesting that HP's are as low-end as Hyundais. Actually, I think the Honda comparison is perfect.

 

I own a DV4150 and it's fair to say that the build quality of this laptop is on the poor side. I find it worse than my old T20 and even my friend's Inspiron 6000. The DV4000 is clearly the better looking laptop but surprisingly the Inspiron was actually better in terms of build quality and "creakiness." My DV creaks when I hold it by the sides and this seems to have gotten worse over two months I've owned. It has some unevenness or bulge on the top surface of the lid and the upper keyboard cover which just look to me that these parts weren't properly closed during assembly. A metal grid fell off from the back of the hard drive cover when I opened the cover to take a look at the inside. This metal grid was attached to the cover by a double sided tape which apparently wasn't strong enough. This problem was fixed by HP. The laptop should last for at least a few years without falling apart but some people may find these quality problems irritating.

 

i agree, the build quality for dv4000 isn't so good. i don'tlike its cover, it's just a paint that can be easily scratched, the other day a hanger fell on top of my laptop and it's not really heavy, now i got a scar on my dv4000 casing. sigh-

 

Even though hp's and IBM's are in different classes of notebooks, I still think you can compare them. Just because they aren't the same doesn't mean you can't question about the durability of a certain notebook

 

Of course you can compare them. The point is that you shouldn't be surprised when the much-more-expensive one is sturdier. And you can't expect the much cheaper one to be just as sturdy as the more expensive one.

They're not created equal because you get what you pay for.

 

The only comparable IBM out there right now is the Z60m, which has an X600 instead of an X700. The cost for one is at least $500+ more for comparable specs, unless you have EPP connections.

With the quick advances in technology these days, I replace my laptop once every 1.5-2 years, maybe even less. Will my HP last this long? I certainly hope so. Will it survive with the same "beauty" like an IBM would? Probably not. But it'll still work, creaks or not. And at the end of the day, I would rather have that $500 in my pocket.

For others, it may not be the same. And if you really don't care about how much it costs, why not get the IBM?

 

Actually, the last IBM I priced came in about a grand higher than the HP. I got my Dv4000 with the X700, a 740, 512 in one stick and an 80 gig HD for $1170. That's almost 50% of the cost of the IBM.

As to build quality, well I think I'll need to wait for a year or so to judge that. Right now my only complaints are that the lid has a bit more flex in it than I'd like and the beast chews battery reserves fairly quickly. On the plus side, it does what it's supposed to, it's pretty light, it's very quiet, and it runs cool. It has a relatively high end GPU. It's not ugly and it has good speakers. The display is bright and clear. I'm not sure how much more I could ask of a notebook.

 

I have a dv4150us, and I haven't had any problems with its structure, if anything, the only complaint I have is the **** graphics card. I haven't notice any creaks, but then again, I take care of my laptop.

 

I agree that the Inspiron 6000 is built better than the DV4000.