NC8430 Questions (Looking to buy)

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post, but I have been reading notebookreview forums for quite some time. My Fiance's t40 is almost dead (kets don't work, etc) and the warranty is now up. I have been looking around for a replacement notebook. We are both gamers (but don't play any first person shooters, mainly rpg/strat games). We would like to get her a notebook that will last at least 3 years, has graphics that will be able to handle all the modern games (up to 3 years).

We have looked at the hp 6000 and the Inspiron 1505, but I don't think the video card in these will be sufficient. I would also prefer a more durable notebook. This is why I am looking at the nc8430.

The questions I have are:

1. If you purchase from a reseller, can you later upgrade the warranty (buy a hp careback) from hp for additional coverge?

2. Can someone give an explanation of how the 3 year limited warranty works? Does hp provide shipping costs both ways, if not how much does it generally cost to send in? Hows the customer Service?

3. How can I tell if the notebook is a refurb? If I type the product # in on HP and it doesn't say refurb, can I be sure it is NEW. (I was looking at buy.com)

4. For modern games is the 1280x800 res ok, or is the higher res option a must?

Also if there are any other options for notebooks we should be looking at, or if i am mistaken and the go7400/atix1400 will be good enough for modern games from now until 3 years from now.

Thanks very much!

 

Yes you can upgrade the warranty though you did not buy from HP.

I believe they do cover shipping both ways, though you may want to check it out.

Buy.com is not going to sell a refurbed notebook unless it is clearly marked as refurbed.

You can play at lower resolution fine. Some games don't support widescreen.

I think the HP is the best in its class. If you want to go to a 17" notebook, the Dell e1705 has the 7900 go which is a better card, but it is not as portable.

 

1) Yes, but keep in mind that the nc8430 comes with a 3-year warranty as standard...you might not need to upgrade too much. Click here for details.

2) I haven't used their hardware warranty service, but I think they cover both ways (and they should). But when I did call in about one issue, they actually knew what was going on and were able to help!

3) From what I've heard, buy.com is a good retailer. Get their part number and google it, or go to HP.com and look it up. Also, check their feedback at ResellerRatings.

4) 1280x800 on a X1600 isn't a problem for Oblivion. But for general usage I'd recommend getting the 1680x1050 screen and then play at 1280x800 (non-native resolution).

Also, the X1600 is about twice as powerful as the X1400/7400 (which those are okay with current games). But three years from now, that X1600 will play at far better settings and you might not need to upgrade as quickly. The X1600/7600 are the best cards in 15.4" notebooks.

 

Thank you both for your responses.

Features Hard Drive 80GB Serial ATA 5400 rpm
Network Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 54Mbps Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g Mini PCI Express Integrated
Broadcom NetXtreme BCM5753M 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express x1 Integrated
Hewlett-Packard Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 Integrated
Processor Intel Core Duo T2500 2GHz
Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
Ports 1 x VGA
1 x Mini-phone Microphone
1 x Mini-phone Audio Out
1 x DC Power Input
1 x RJ-11 Modem
1 x RJ-45 Network
1 x Serial
1 x 4-pin IEEE 1394a - FireWire
1 x 4-pin mini-DIN S-Video Out
3 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 - USB
1 x Docking
1 x Travel Battery Connector
Manufacturer Part Number EY688AA#ABA
Operating System Windows XP Professional with SP2
Processor Technology Enhanced SpeedStep Technology
Keyboard Standard Size
Batteries 1 x 8-cell Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) 69 Wh Standard Battery
Standard Memory 1GB
Optical Drive DVD-Writer (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW (Integrated)
Standard Warranty 3 Year(s) Limited
Display Screen 15.4" WSXGA+ Widescreen Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
Graphics Controller ATi Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB
Dimensions 1.1" Height x 14.1" Width x 10.2" Depth - (Height From Front Side)
Bus Speed 667MHz
Maximum Memory 4GB
Product Name Business Notebook nc8430
Memory Technology DDR2 SDRAM
Display Resolution 1680 x 1050 (Internal) / 2048 x 1536 (External)
Chipset Intel 945PM Express
Memory Standard DDR2-533/PC2-4200
Color Support 16.7 Million Colors 24-bit

for 1540 free shipping no tax

Look good? (I think the extra 200-400 is worth it instead of getting a dell, or hp 6000).

 

If you want to spend a few more bucks you can get the C2D here:

Link

Otherwise looks good.

 

So I actually narrowed it down to newegg. Seems like the best deal and resellerratings give them a very high score (much higher then buy.com). Has anyone ordered an nc8430 from newegg ? How was your buying experience? Also, one thing I am a little confused about is that they list the manufacturer warranty as 1/1 and do not state in the specs that it is 3/3. The model # corresponds to one on HP's website that has a 3/3. Buy.com also states 3/3 in their specs for the same model. Is this just a mistype on their part? Should I call to make sure? Thanks!

 

You can buy from them with confedence. They are one of the best places online to order from and there customer support is excellent

 

Oh yeah...NewEgg is good. If I ever get time to build a computer (or ten from selling) I'll probably get the parts from them. CS is really good with RMAs too.

 

If you plan on using it for 3 years, I'd definitely go with a Core 2 Duo.

Also may be worth you checking to see if HP will offer a Free Vista upgrade when it comes out.

And yes, Newegg is a very good provider -- I've bought almost two full PC's worth of parts from them over the years.

 

Update,

So everyone knows the Standard 3/3/0 warranty that comes with the business notebooks is carry-in which means you bring it to one of their hp authorized repair dealers and they repair it for you. Alternatively you can also pay to send it to HP. That is the bad news. The good news is that you can upgrade the warranty and its pretty inexpensive. For example, 140 to upgrade to accidental/next day shipping for 3 years.

Got the Laptop off newegg. Shipped the same day, should be delivered today. Great service from both HP SBC in answering my questions and newegg as well.

Thanks for all of your help