NC8430 configuration ?'s...looking to buy soon

Hello Notebookreview,

I'm about to pop for a new laptop and have settled into either the NC8430 or Dell 820. The HP looks to be the better machine, but have some questions based on my usage and needs.

Presently using an IBM T40P that has served me well. 3 years old, warranty is up, and having a bit of a hard time reading the 14" high res screen.

I'm a CPA and use the machine for accounting, tax, email, research, etc. Not a game player, though sure my son would like something good for that. Most of the work on the laptop is battery powered, with the machine sitting in my lap. With the T40P, it is very comfortable, doesn't get hot enough to notice and decent battery life.

So would the 8430 fit this profile well? If so, the next question is core 2 or core duo. The difference in price doesn't bother me, but heat and battery life are major priorities, so want to get the right chip for the job. Related question on 7200 v. 5400 rpm drive. If the slower drive runs a bit cooler and gives battery life, would it make more sense?

There seem to be some decent deals on either chip right now, and need to get this going before I'm back into tax season and don't have time to get it setup right. All advice welcome and appreciated much..

Thanks all,

Mark


p.s...I read as many of the 8430 threads as possible, including much of the 64 pager...if this is addressed please point me to the link and I'll read. I didn't see it....

 

From what it seems like you want, I would take the 8430. For around the same weight you'll get an 8-cell instead of a 6-cell battery. A 9-cell is optional on the Dell, not sure how much weight that adds or if it sits flush with the main chassis. Also I recommend underclocking the video card to get more battery life, since you aren't a big gamer.

The nc8430 comes with a standard 1280x800 screen, if you're having problems with high-res screens you can stick with that one. It should still be just fine for any gaming you or "your son" want to do

From the benchmarks I've seen, not only does the core 2 duo run faster but it uses less power. I'd go with it. It also readies you for Vista, which you'll probably want to pick up.

I run mine on my desk usually but when you aren't doing heavy-lifting activities (3D rendering, game playing, etc.) the machine is very quiet and still quite cool on the bottom. I can't see the Dell being any better at this, though feel free to check it out if you want.

As far as 5400 v 7200 goes - I say get the 5400. You won't see much of a difference between the two for the things you'll be using it for, and you can get a larger drive (or just cheaper) with the slower speed. As far as power usage goes, I'd assume the 5400 uses less power but don't quote me on that. I'm sure someone else here knows the answer.

 

You could also go for the extended batteries on the nc8430 that work as a secondary battery attached to the bottom of the chassis (and lifts the notebook at an angle). That will add a few hours of extra battery life to it.

Core 2 uses ABOUT the same amount of power...sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. But keep in mind that NO ONE should be charging more for Core 2 chips when compared to Core (1) chips at the same clock speed. If there are other differences in the models, then make sure the price hikes are justified by the other component upgrades.

Also, AFAIK know the 7200 drives can (and often do) use just as much power, and not more than, the 5400 drives. This can somewhat be explained: while it might use more power accessing information, it takes less time to get all the info...so it drops to a lower consumption figure quicker.

Right now, I have a 7200 drive and the T7400...both are really powerful. Yet my battery life is fine, and nothing out of the oridinary for this laptop.

 

I've pretty much ruled out the 820. Dells have served me well in the past, but it's time to try something different.

From what I've seen, vendors are pretty consistently charging a few hundred more for the core 2 v. the core duo . The best deal on the core duo seems to be Amarus at $1299, and to get a similarly configured core 2, you're looking at about $1650+. The Amarus deal has the 7200 rpm drive, which concerns me from a heat standpoint, but maybe I'm making too much of that. Most other vendors have the core duo deal about $1475 with the 5400 rpm drive...strange pricing as I don't see any other configuration differences.

So assuming I go for the core 2, anyone seen a great deal going? Ditto for the core duo. Hoping to get this purchase done today and get back to work

Thanks all,

Mark

 

I see no major difference between the speeds of Core Duo and Core 2 Duo. I would instead worry more about getting the biggest hard drive and best screen that you can afford.

 

So for $1299 at Amarus I can get the T2500 and 80 gig, or for $1675ish, I can get the T7200 and 100 gig. Same display, same memory,and a dvd burner. $375 for newer chip at same speed, 20 gig and dvd burner.

Logic tells me to get the $1299 deal, but the new shiny toy part of me says to get the newer chip. I generally keep machines for 3 years if they last, so the difference isn't much.

Opinions?

Mark

 

I haven't heard of that AMURAS website, at least not until last week...sounds fishy. Has ANYONE (who's been on here for a while) actually purchased a notebook from them?

www.resellerratings.com only as 11-12 ratings for them in the last two or three years. seems like almost all of them are a little too good (perfect rating) to be true and NOT have more ratings...

EDIT: Wrong review website...I looked them up last weekend, but I didn't bookmark the webpage. Can anyone post a link of their feedback from any website?

 

I'm so close to buying that laptop from Amuras but I wish I knew more about them. I did find them on bbb.org and there aren't any complaints against them, so that's a good sign, eh?

 

Very little info out there on Amuras, though a few on this site in other 8430 threads said they've bought from them? If it's on credit card, how much exposure could there be?

mg

 

I took the plunge and ordered from Amuras.
I was very sceptical to order from them but it help me in my desision to order from them since other people ordered already and where very happy. I spoke to Anatoly from Amuras several times and he was very helpfull and answered all my questions.
He e-mail me the tracking # and most likely my notebook will be delivered to my place sometime tommorow or Thursday.
I was very skeptical because the manufacture's part # (RE798US#ABA) is not listed on HP's website. I called HP and I was told the part # is valid and is for custom configurations. That explains why is listed with a 7200 rpm hard drive and one stick of 667 ram. If you google this part # you will find several other companies that sells the same product for over $ 2,000.00. Amuras is located in NJ but the computer is coming from Illinois. I guess it is shipped directly from his vendor. I guess if you pay by credit card you have some protection if the product is not delivered as described.

 

Thumbs up for Amuras from me too.

Core Duo vs. Core Duo 2 here

 

Not having reports from the BBB doesn't mean anything...they might even be a company that "just popped up" to do a little "business." If a deal looks like it might be too good to be true...I generally run the other way.

 

UPDATE: I found a site that had some reviews up for AMURAS, although I'm thinking that 11 reviews (all but one have nearly perfect scores) from 2004 to 2005 is not exactly a good sign. Me thinks this is fishy...

 

Search this forum for Amuras.

Find my posts and the posts of others.

There are at least 3 others have ordered since I posted the deal, nobody has ANYTHING bad to say.

Run the other way if you want. There is nothing fishy about it.

They went out of their way to make me happy and I didn't even ask them to, They upgraded my 3 day shipping to 2 day and I didn't even ask them to. They called my home to confirm that MY order was legit and that I wasn't soembody using somebody else's credit card. When the .pdf invoice file they sent me was corrupted they answered 4 emails within an hour.

Your "sixth sense" is not working right on this one.

I have bulit over 30 computers using internet parts and I have ordered form A LOT of etailers, Amuras is legit.

 

I'm just stating my concerns...and I'm not the only one. Amuras lists the nc8430 (with a particular part number) for $1299 as NEW, yet other companies I found searching through the internet are asking between $2200-2300. While I have no problem with legit companies, or new members, it does seem like the only people who have promoted Amuras are relatively *new* members with few posts. You are the one with the most posts that I can find (17 as of this writing), and the others seem to have less that 10 posts between them. From what I can tell, almost all of you have been on NBR for less than one month.

I don't mean any offense, but I am worried about this deal...it is coming from a company with very little history. And no, 11 ratings from epinions.com between 2004-2005 are not enough history...no matter how positive they are. Shopping.com lists Amuras as based in New York, yet Amuras's website says they work out of New Jersey.

With the same phone number.

 

If my nc8430 is a lemon you are all invited to my lemonade party
place: Amuras headquarters

 

in which state?

At this point I'd be concerned about it being refurb...is there really anyway to tell?

 

It's an 888 number. It's a toll free number, it's the same no matter where they are from!!!

 

If the notebook I ordered is a refurbished one, I will be nocking on his door.
he told me it is brand new with 3 year HP warranty as stated in their website.

 

djspl - did you register your notebook with HP?

 

You could give HP a call...they will certainly be able to tell you if you ask.

 

If it's a "custom config" part # then I'd expect prices to be all over the map; I personally went for the $1670 one, but that's because I actually have a use for the 64-bitness and the DVD writer...

 

I believe the part number on Amuras was RE798US#ABA, that "RE" might stand for refurb...

 

I called Amuras today, and the person I spoke stated that the units were from an order placed and cancelled...thus the unusual configuration. There is also a site, something like Erie or similar that has the same machine for $1395. It seems a bit odd to me, and for a few hundred difference, think I'll pass on their deal. Just feels weird to me.

And now another variable in my search. Lenovo has just put up their new Z61e (core 2) machines on the employee site. I've got a friend at IBM and can get that deal. The machine is basically the exact spec as the t7200 nc8430 at $1670 but I'll pay tax and shipping. More research......

Mark

 

yes.

 

Anyone who purchase from AMURAS- is the fingerprint reader included in your notebook?

 

yupie! I got my nc8430 today from amuras.
the good news- this machine is brand new with 3 year warranty, the bad news- it dosen't have the fingerprint reader. According to HP this machine was custom made without the fingerprint reader (it is optional). According to Amuras he posted on the webside the dscription the way was given to him by his distributor. And he told me there is no way to check because these are sealed boxes. Amuras offer me a full refund for my troubles.
Now I'm thinking what should i do.

 

I would like to state that I understand everyone being unsure about Amuras and about us that have not being here all that long.

I have been on here for the last 5 months looking at different posts about different laptops and just never was able to post anything till I got rid of my hotmail email address.

If anyone is in the SC area I would gladly show them the laptop. I have been really happy with it and the way Amuras has handled everything. No problems yet. I will let you guys know if anything pops up though.

But all and all I am really surprized and really glad that I found out about this deal. Oh, and I actually found out about the deal on the anandtech forums.

 

Unless you really need the fingerprint reader (like business usage / secure documents / whatever) I'd say keep it; it's not like normal people really need biometric security...

 

I never even noticed my fingerprint reader was missiing, I personally have no need for it.

that was me.

 

Heh, Yes it was. Thanks for the post


Yeah, just noticed that I didnt have one also. No need for it either.

 

Is there any way to get a free upgrade to Vista when buying through Aramus? You get a free upgrade when you go through HP directly, right?