Need help choosing between two

Hello, i am a high school senior and have found my currentl laptop to be less than sufficient (compaq armada with ME and a pentium 2). As such i am looking to replace the computer with a newer HP model. Bear in mind that a family member works for HP, so there will be the discount in addition to this (any ideas as to how big it would be)

1) What is your budget?
Up to $1100 but around $800 would be preferred

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
14 or 15 inch

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
-games (not to intensive ones- no shooters other than counterstrike), using crystal reports- part of internship, and other basic uses. Creating C/D's would be a big thing too

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
-yes i will, but not daily, and i am 6 foot 2 so the weight won't be as big of a factor.

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
-above stated. The only shooter will be CS

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
-have to get HP

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
-I believe that 2 1/2 would suffice, although i would prefer double, the batteries dimensions seem to concern me though.

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
-no and have seen most choices

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
-USA, sorry for the icon

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?- either, would actually prefer a moderate widescreen

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?- glossy

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?- a bit

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?-3 years would be nice

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?-80gb, will probably also get an external

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?-yes , a DVD-CD/ RW

The three choices that i have narrowed it down to are such (does not include employee discount)

dv2000t- this is my forerunner for now. ($997)
-duo t2050
-go 7200
-web cam (do i want this?)
-1 gb ram
-80gb hd
-8X DVD+/-R/RW
-bluetooth (will i use this at a university?)

dv5000t- my trailer- i like the asethisics a tad less (more from the sides, same when open, but it is much worse when closed), however due to its being obsolete, it is cheaper ($894)
-duo t2050
-media center (home on dv2000t- 30 to upgrade)
-go 7400
-1 gb ram
-80 gb hd
-8X DVD+/-R/RW
-bluetooth

The third choice, but unlikely one is the dv6000t, components are identical to the other to (go7400 does have more mem), but it costs ($1197)

All in all, i am trying to decide between the dv2000t and the dv5000t. The biggest factors being do i want a 14 or 15.4 inch screen? can't decide even though i have looked at them both several times (14.6 would be perfect), and does the better looks of the dv2000t (minor advantage for me) make up for the better performance of the go 7400 (would go 7200 suffice) and the $100 difference.

Also, i don't think i need a core 2 duo considering that i really don't need ultra high processing power (even though i encode quite often), and that i don't wish to purchase vista untill my next laptop (or if can get a free version from the university in 2-3 years time). Will the university require me to get vista, and will in 2-3 years xp and 32 bit become a big hindrance?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Forgot, if i were to save $75 and get 2x256mb ram, would i be able to put it in some 1-2 year old pavilion pc's (they have 2x256 ram currently in, but run ddr) and if i did this, would it be ok to run a 1x1gb and not notice any performance dissadvantage due to dual channel. If i can't put the mem in the pc's, how much do you think that i could get for them ($25?)

 

never buy dv5000 and 8000 that had keyboard problem~

however~~ im enjoying dv5000 now~~~ the keyboard ~~~~~~~~~

 

If you encode often, then go with the core duo. You will be able to multitask a lot easier. As far as RAM, don't bother with their prices. You can get 1gb at newegg for $85.
So there you will save. Remember that most of the time the thing holding you back in a laptop is the RAM. Most people think it's the processor. So, they stick in 512mb, but fail to realize that the video is shared, and with most video cards take anything from 32mb to 512mb it does cause the laptop to slow down.
You can go with 2 sticks of 512mb or 2 sticks of 1gig (better). Also, you'll benefit from the dual channel support.
As far as size, that's really up to you, but the smaller and lighter, the more portable.
Try looking at a dell. The inspirion edition usually has massive discounts from time to time. Like, $500 for when you spend $1499.
You can also get extended warranty, which I would recommend.
As far as video cards, dedicated is better because it doesn't depend that much on your memory.
If it's a minor difference between dedicated or integrated, go with the dedicated.
You will benefit from performace.
As far as the webcam, I like it. At least in mine. I used to travel a lot and met a lot of people, I can keep in touch and talk to them from anywhere and they can see me. Which is kewl for me. U can also record lectures, ect...

Inspiron 640m Dual Core
Intel® Core™ Proc DUO T2050 (1.60GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache), Genuine Windows® XP Home

Unit Price: $1,248
- $189
SYSTEM OPTIONS
Inspiron 640m
Intel® Core™ Proc DUO T2050 (1.60GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) edit
Operating System (Office software not included)
Genuine Windows® XP Home edit
Operating System Backup & Recovery
PC Restore recovery system by Symantec edit
LCD Panel
14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp™ TFT Display with TrueLife™ edit
Memory
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm edit
Hard Drive
80GB Sata Hard Drive edit
Combo/DVD+RW Drives
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability edit
Video Card
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 edit
Sound Options
Integrated Audio edit
Battery
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery edit
Wireless Networking Cards
Dell Draft N Internal Wireless edit
3 STEPS TO A PROTECTED PC
Dell Service & Support Plans
$173 Mail-in Rebate! 3 Year On-site Economy Plan. Price before rebate: edit


Inspiron 640 M
Windows Vista™ Capable
Intel Core Duo Processor
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem


Total with discount. $1059.
S&H is seperate. PLus 3yr warranty.
It does; however, have integrated video.
You can always reduce the warranty time and get about $60-$70 off the price.

 

Thanks for your comments, if the keyboard issues are as big as you stated then i will avoid the dv5000t. Also it looks as though i am going to be going with the dv2000t, if i have a web cam and others don't will there be an issue when talking to those people (how much is a web cam addition?) Also, can i get just 1gb and run single channle, that way in the future if i need it i can go 2gb, or will there be a severe performance dissadvantage. If there is a severe one, it would probably be more cost effective to get the upgrade to 2x512 for $75. Also could i use the ddr2 from the system and put it in a ddr pc or will there be compatibility issues?

As for the inspiron's, with the discounts that they used to be running it was actually a good amount than the employee discount, but now it is about the same and i like the looks of the hp's more.

Also, is the go7200 sufficient for gaming (not severe, and if i cut the settings back a bit on less demanding games), or might i have to spend 200 more and get the 6000t with the go7400.

Again thanks for the help

 

Well I don't know what you'll prefer but I'm going to get the dv2000t because it is a lot more portable and I plan to carry it at university. I'm pretty sure the go7200 will play moderate games as well.

 

The dv2000 is great on battery life. I can get about 3 hours out of it, and I'm running about the same config as your config, so that would be good since you'll be at Uni and my not always be at a power source.