HP zd8000 or HP dv8000?

Hi everyone,
I thought I had decided on the HP zd8000. I want a notebook with a fast processor and a good amount of memory. I will be using it for digital photos, video editing and burning, and possible for a small photography business. I thought the Pentium 4 was the fastest processor, but when I called HP they told me the new dv8000 is better than the zd8000, and that although the processor has less Ghz it is more efficient than the Pentium 4. A couple of reviews I have read state that the new dv8000 is not as powerful as the zd, but it has some new features that are better (such as longer battery life and not getting as hot). For the purposes I said I would use it for, does anyone have an opinion as to what would be better? Or should I go with a different brand altogether? I was prepared to spend about $1600 for the one I though I was going to get. Thanks for any help.
Suzanne

 

Check out the What to Buy FAQ, and fill it out and copy paste the answers back, we can help more there.

And yea, a Pentium M(or Centrino, the marketing term for it) 1.86ghz would be equal to a 3.6ghz Pentium 4.

 

According to this article:
http://www.laptoplogic.com/resources/detail.php?id=17
the Turion is a bit more powerful than the Pentium M. FWIW, I'd stay away from desktop CPU's in a lappy. Modern mobile CPU's are just too good to put up with the heat, fan noise and weight.

If you really need a desktop CPU, buy a tower and a nice big 24" LCD monitor.

Hermit

 

Digital encoding/decoding is one of the few areas where the Pentium 4 has an edge on the Pentium M. But I would still be hesitant about getting a 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 notebook. That really is an awful lot of heat to dissipate. And heat dissipation isn't just a "my pants are on fire" problem. Too much heat can make a computer lock up or reboot or other nasty things.

If you do get the P4, make sure you get a notebook cooler also. (Also helps if you always work in an air conditioned area.)

 

I have also found that Pentium 4-based notebooks are great as portable heating units and stoves.

The Turion 2.0 or 2.2GHz in the dv4000z will be as fast as any of the Pentium 4's, will run much cooler, and give much better battery life. The dv8000z can get over four hours of battery.

 

As long as you are not moving it much, I think you'll be fine.

 

They're pros and cons to each notebook. If you get the dv8000, you'll be getting the benefit of a much cooler running notebook, dual HDs, a much better screen, and better battery life. However, the dv8000 has a so-so GPU, leaning on the weaker end, and therefore can't handle games at high-end graohics settings. The zd8000 is a larger notebook that has a better GPU than it brother the dv8000. However, it gets horrid battery life, a sub-par screen when compared to the dv8000, no dual HDs, and runs extremely hot. If you live in a cold area, you can use the zd8000 as a back up heater

 

Thanks for the advice! As someone suggested, here are the answers to the FAQ questions.
==========

General Questions

1) Are you looking for an Ultraportable (12" screen or less), Thin-and-Light (13" - 14" screen), Mainstream (15" - 16" screen) or Desktop Replacement (17"+ screen) style notebook?
I'd like a 17" screen desktop replacement

2) Where are you going to be using this notebook (home, office, campus, library, outside etc.)?
I'll mostly use it at home, but will take it with me occasionally.

3) Will you be playing games on it (yes, no)? If yes, which ones?
I will not use it for games.

4) How many applications will you be running at one time (1-4, 5-10, 10+)?
probably 1-4, maybe 5-10

5) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
not sure which brands are best- only familiar with well known brands

6) How much battery life do you need (in hours)?
battery life not of utmost importance- would like 1 1/2 hours.

7) How much are you willing to pay for this laptop and do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
$1500-1900

Screen Specifics

8) What resolution screen do you like -- XGA, SXGA or UXGA (XGA is standard, SXGA gives smaller text and icons, UXGA is very small text and icons)?
not sure what the difference is. which is better? I'll be doing video editing and photo editing

9) Do you prefer widescreen format or standard screen format display?
widescreen??? not sure of the difference

10) Do you want a glossy (reflective and bright) type screen or regular matte (no reflection and anti-glare) type screen finish?
Again, unsure. Any suggestions?

Build Quality and Design

11) Do you need the notebook to be extra durable (good idea for carrying about) or just regular strength (fine for a fairly stationary notebook)?
Would like it to be fairly durable.

12) Do you want the notebook to look nice or do looks not matter?
Looks do not matter.

13) How long do you want this laptop to last you?
several years

Notebook Components

14) How much hard drive (disk) space do you need (in MB) and do you care about hard drive speed (yes, no)? If you care about speed, what do you want (4200 RPM / 5400 RPM / 7200 RPM)?
80 gb more, probably 5400 rpm

15) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, what do you want (DVD, DVD-CDRW, DVD Burner)?
Yes, DVD burner

16) State if you prefer a processor brand (Intel or AMD) and the speed you want (don't care / mid-range / fast / fastest possible)?
I would like a fast processor- not sure which brand is better.

Other

17) Do you plan to upgrade this laptop at some point (typically people might want to upgrade memory, hard drive or the optical drive)?
Possibly.


I have to admit, I'm not computer savvy or savvy about technology in general. I have read that MACs are superior for digital photography, but I just don't want one of those. Any additional advice anyone could offer would really be appreciated. Thanks.

Suzanne

 

The dv8000z looks like a perfect fit for you to me. The only reason to get the zd8000 is for the better GPU for gaming, which you won't be doing, and even then I'd hesitate due to the P4 CPU. The dv8000z's AMD Turion CPU is 64-bit Windows Vista ready, as is its ATI Radeon 200M GPU, satisfying your must last "several years" requirement.

 

Thanks for the reassurance. I guess I just want to feel confident in my choice and not have buyer's remorse. I've been surfing and just noticed the Gateway NX850X. It seems like I can get about the same specs for about the same price. Which is better HP or Gateway? I read something about Gateway having better screens. Anyone have an opinion??
Suzanne

 

Through my experience with HP, they've been great. Their tech support knows how to solve most all problems when it comes to notebooks, although they have heavy accents, which makes it hard to understand them sometimes. In my years with Gateway, they've been O.K. but not as good as HP. Their notebooks, IMO, are not built was well as HPs too.

 

Agreed - HP's tech support is pretty good. True, you almost need a translator for some of the reps, but for the most part, you can understand them. They always provided a reasonable solution.

 

Suzannen:

Here's my two cents, from a fellow designer and photographer...

I currently am writing this on a eMachines 6809. I've been pleased, and the Gateway's are basically renamed eMachines notebooks. The deal is, with the HP, you get a far better CPU and better battery performance, especially with the dv8000z. Don't discount battery life. Accepting mediocre battery life will turn around to bite you at the least convenient time, like when you're making a key presentation or when it's NOT convenient to bring along a power brick.

I'm leaning towards the dv8000z, and here are the main reasons:

1. A more powerful CPU than the PM series that produces far less heat and gives more battery life than a P4 zd8000. That heat has to come from somewhere, and it comes at the expense of working time.

2. Sure the graphics chip is less powerful than the Gateway, but neither of us plays games, so that's okay. Things like Photoshop are much more affected by CPU speed, hard drive speed and available RAM. Score one more for the dv8000z.

3. The ability to accept a second hard drive internally means that backups of critical files can be made easily without needing to bring along an external drive. Of course, one can always burn a CDR, but that's not always convenient.

4. The included numeric keypad means that coordinates can easily be entered if one uses AutoCAD (like me) or one works with spreadsheets extensively.

5. And last, but not least, for what we do, is the screen. Higher resolution means more screen real estate. More real estate means One can work without constant zooming in and out, or have more windows open at once. I use a Dell 20.1" LCD with my desktop at work. It runs at 1600x1200, the maximum native resolution. Having a notebook that runs with that resolution means that I really would have the power of a desktop on the go, and not be compromised by equipment.

Does any of this make sense?

Please keep us aprised of your final decision.

Tony

 

I agree you should go with the HP DV8000z. The only drawback to the system compared with the zd8000 is that it is not as good for gaming but you are not interested in that anyway so it is not an issue. I think you will find the DV8000z to be more than up to the challenge of whatever you throw at it and be a little cheaper than the zd8000 as well.

 

Today I saw the zd8000 at Sam's Club for $1099,... right next to a dv8113cl with a $1349 price tag. Course this is 2 months after the last post in this thread, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway. Just incase someone else is out there crusing these halls, torn between these two and live near a Sam's Club!

I chose the dv two days ago (before the zd price drop).

 

what 24" lcd monitors do you know of. was thinking of upgrading my apple cinem dispaly 20'' (the older clear adn white one not the newer silver one that looks like every other lcd monitor)

was thinking of going to a samsung 22''. maybe the 23" version of the one i hve which i can still get but its expensive for being old and as much as i like the clear and white design, the 2 legged picgure frame design with the picture frame stand to hold it up in back is not that prractical

rather have something with thin bezel (especially for using multiple monitors) and something on a height adjustable stand.


btw my dad has the dv8000, the one with altec lansing speakers. i can't believe its a 17'' widescreen though as it doesnt seem that big. has a nice screen, i like it but yeah its with the pentium 4 which is not as good as a centrino core duo.

 

Dell 2407FPW -> 1920x1200 resolution.

 

my dad has the hp zd8000 and its pretty sweet. nice latch in front (unlike my v6j) nice wide glossy screen and nice altec lansing speakers in the front. its pretty decent though older now i guess.

i'm not super duper impressed with my v6j and now wondering why i ddint' get the 15.4 wide sony vaio with teh white keyboard and black screen

other then that it is only wxga not sxga like my v6j but stil there are sony with wuxga.

was going to maybe get a asus w2p with c2d and wuxga and hddvd (see avatar) but may look at the comparible sony. i ws just anti sony cus its so mainstream and expensive but if it looks just as good or better then asus and is actually cheaper I can't not consider it.

 

zd8000

Pros

* Gorgeous Screen
* NumPad included on keyboard
* 5 USB Ports
* 2 PCMCIA ports
* Good graphics card and gaming performance

Cons

* Loud Fans
* Keyboard area of laptop gets really hot
* Horrible Battery Life
* No serial or parallel ports
* Proprietary AC connector
* Only 100MB Fast Ethernet


**** im just realizing how much smaller widescreen makes it seem. i guess the the 17 wide seems larger then my 15.1 square but not by much so i know a 15.4 wide might seem smaller then my 15.1

the screen is nice on the hp. i guess its just the glossy though as its only xga

5 usb ports is great. v6j only has 4 though i think the v1j has 3

num pad on there is nice but i dont think the graphics card is that great.

the nvidai 7400 that comes with v6j has to be better then ati x600 (not x1600) and the v6j isn't known as a gaming machine.

the zd8000 i'm sure was much cheaper though then my v6j but i split it with my wife