Help, about to order, a few questions...

about to order a ZX5000

Which screen do I order? I have read nice things about the brightview but is it better than the higher resolution model?

15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen(1280x800)
BrightView is a great upgrade for high-contrast, color-rich applications.

15.4" WVA WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
Higher resolution upgrade for TV-quality viewing

Also, do I need to opt for any of the extended warranties or service plans or are they just money makers for HP?

and lastly.... what are your opinions of the HP top load leather notebook case?

 

What do you plan to use the zx5000 for? If gaming, I would go with the 1280x800 (BrightView or basic). With the MR9600 you won't be able to play the coming games (FPS' in particular) at 1680x1050 without losing graphic settings and fps, and if you play at anything lower, the image will be blurry or small (if non-full screen). With the 1280x800, you'll be able to play games at that resolution without lowering the settings at all other than FarCry, HL2, DOOM III, etc. The 1280 screen looks sharp with great contrast, I don't know how it can be improved with the BrightView... Also, I personally don't like high resolutions on laptops below 17"...everything is too small. My bro has a 15" laptop with a 1600 res and my eyes hurt after a while[xx(]. I have a 1280x1024 right now (non-widescreen) and I love it...

 

I will be using it for when I go out of town... I run a sports website so I will be photoshopping photos that I take with my digital camera... I will also be editing interviews and press conferences that I record with a camcorder.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Cajun_Mike

 

I really do like the looks of that brightview screen though... I will also be surfing the net out of town with this thing... I'll upload video and then be done with it... I have had several peeps tell me that the high resolution 1680 gets real annoying... I'm even more confused now..

 

Have you considered the zd7000 with 17.0" WVA WXGA+ (1440x900)? It's a little bigger and heavier tho...

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by artem1985il

 

17" zd7000 won't fit under a airplane seat? huh? Now, we havn't flown since 2000 (our wedding), but the bags they were allowing were quite huge for under the seat, plus many allow pet taxis, those are bigger then a notebook.

SK

 

There's actually 2 models available from Targus that will fit the 17" notebooks, both are nylon. The XL & XL Rolling. The largest one is 19"x8.5"x16" & the other is 18"x6"x15". I did a search on what the max size for any carry-on luggage & it said it was a max of 45" (take inches of w+h+d=size), therefore these bags should be allowed onto the plane, but may not fit under the seat.

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/travelaccessories/airlinecarryonluggageallowances.htm

Cajun_Mike,
If weight is an issue, I'd go with a nylon bag. The leather bags may look good, but it can add as much as 3-4 extra pounds to the total weight. I have a Compaq Leather top loading bag and it weighs approx 6-8lbs without the notebook!

The higher res LCD's will give to a total sharper image because you have more pixels to display the image. Because you have more pixels in WSXGA+, your fonts will also look smaller than it would if you had an WXGA screen. I personally like the WSXGA+ LCD on my NX7000, you can fit more on your desktop and working on speardsheets will be great. If you work with photos, then the WSXGA+ is the definite way to go. But it mainly comes down to user preference. I suggest that you go to a local store that has notebooks and look at how you like WXGA & WSXGA+. It doesn't have to be an HP, anyone will do.

Extended warranties do make the companies who sell them money, do doubt about it, but if you want an extra "saftey blanket" get the warranty. You may never need it, but when you do, I know you'll be kicking youself for not buying it. I had a situation that required 2 repairs after the original 1yr warranty expired, but luckily I bought the extended warranty because it would have cost me $1000 for all the repairs needed. Also, if you're going to be traveling a lot, Hp also has an Accidental Damage plan. This will allow for the repairs of cracked LCD's, dropped units, liquid spills, etc... I believe it's only 1 repair per accidentally damaged item (per year or just 1 per unit). To repair a cracked LCD, since it's not covered under normal warranties, would cost approx $800-1000USD. If you spilled something on your notebook, a systemboard would cost approx $600-800USD. So the Accidental Damage plan would have paid itself off on your first repair. There have been users who suggest getting insurance from your insurance company, but I don't think it covers normal wear and tear, so read the fine print before buying anything. I'd still suggest getting directly from the manufacturer, no hassles of going through your insurance company to get authorized, just call HP or drop off to an HP service center and you're done.

-Vb-