Help with putting together a HP Pavilon dv9000t, please

hey again,
since HP doesn't sell the dv8000t anymore I am thinking of buying the newer dv9000t with the following specs and have a few questions about it:


Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache)
17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680x1050)
512MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7600
HP Imprint Finish + Microphone + Webcam
2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
200GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (100GB x 2)
LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer



1) In the dv8000t HP had this nice remote control card which was built inside the laptop (right hand side, like a PCMCIA card), that you could get out to control your laptop... does the new dv9000t still has this remote control? if not, what is the new like? I like the fact that the one in dv8000t was so thin and small, great for presentations

2) is the extra $149 for a 512MB Geforce 7600 (rather than a 256MB Geforce 7600) worth it? I play Counterstrike and those kinda games from time to time, plus do some 3DMax.. so is there a noticeable increase in performace? and what about vista?

3) Are the 2x 100gig 7200rpm Hitachi HDDs combinable via RAID? I heard this could bring a significant speed increase - is that true? how will it affect the overall free space capacity? How significant would the speed improvement be (access time and throughput wise)?

4) Given the fact that the hp9000t hosts only a middleclass graphic card, I was wondering if I should maybe go with the lower native resolution HP offers (1440x900, rather than 1680x1050) and then would choose the Ultra bright view over the bright view.. do you agree games could run faster at a lower native resolution? and is the ultra brightview noticeably brigther than the standard brightview? (I love bright colorful displays, but I also love high resolutions.. my dell had a 1920x1200 res and I just loved it, but then again it also sported a geforce 7900gs)

5) Is it possible to upgrade/exchange the graphic card with a Geforce 7900gs, if I may consider the go 7600 to slow? has anyone done it already? heat problems? (warranty?)

6) I want to go for 2gig RAM, but on the HP website it does not say if it is 533Mhz or 667Mhz. Do you think 667Mhz would be the right choice and do you know if in fact it is 667Mhz RAM that HP puts in? (all it says is: DDR2 is the latest memory architecture with flexible memory bandwidth up to 8.5 GB per second)

7) do you need special cdroms for the lightscribe burner? is it cool & worth getting those?

8) not directly related, but I'd love the aero effect and all visual glory vista brings, so which one should I chose? home premium, business, or ultimate? And does it make sense, speedwise, to chose the 64bit version, for example when I do games, or do 3D rendering?

9) I would first go with the standard warranty and am wondering if it is possible to extend your warranty later on for maybe another 1-2yrs?

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

dont get the 512mb 7600.
take a look at this thread for 256mb vs 512mb 7600
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=75648&page=3

 

1) Yes, the DV9000 should come with a remote control.

7) Yes, you need special CDs to BURN lightscribe labels onto the discs. But you can burn normal CD/DVDs with normal discs!

 

7600 is highest on HPs

 

1) HP still sells the remote as an option when ordering or can be purchased separately.

2) Extra 256MB is not worth it for a card like a Geforce 7600. You need to get up to the 7900 GS for an extra 256MB to be worth $149 on any GPU.

3) RAID is not officially supported. Do not buy this laptop and go on an egg-hunt trying to get RAID working. Dual hard drives were meant to store a lot of videos and pictures (because it IS a media laptop, you know!)

4) I'm getting the idea you want a power laptop. Lower resolution does help in increasing FPS (at the cost of detail of course). I've never seen the UltraView screen myself so I can't comment on that.

5) No upgrading or exchanging. I want to bluntly say if you think you need more power, go get more power. Get a Dell with a 7900 GS as it's nearly twice as powerful (but you pay for it of course). I'd rather just warn you now instead of being disappointed later.

6) Difference between the two is so small, it doesn't matter. But by default, I believe it comes with 667Mhz RAM.

7) You need special LightScribe media. Not worth it unless you like burning your money! Spend it on something else!

8) I've seen no personal reason to get Ultimate right now other than maybe Remote Desktop (which I use) and Volume Shadow Copy. But since Microsoft might come out with something later and the fact that HP only charges $100 for the upgrade, might as well get it now than pay $160 for the upgrade later.

9) I don't know if you have to buy the warranty in a certain period but you should at least get a 2-year warranty. If anything is going to break, it'll be in the first 2 years.

Personally, I think you'd be happy with a Dell e1705 with a 7900 GS since you seem concerned about gaming performance. The dv9000t has a mid-class GPU because it's meant to be afforable! If you want maximum FPS, get a powerful GPU. Of course, if you wallet is crying because of this, then maybe you should make a few compromises...

 

i just brought the 9000t with the specs you mention,with 1 exception,i have the 256mb card instead of the 512mb,did my hwk from this site and i am not disappointed.These guys know what there talking about.i am new at this ,learn a lot just by reading the threads. thanks guy,i hope this help.