Need help in choosing a HP laptop..

Yeah, HP is definitely most attractive to me. At most I can spend is $1400, and preferably around $1300 for a laptop. I like the bigger laptops of either 15.4 inches or 17 inches. I'm a gamer (not hardcore) so I need a good video card but it doesn't have to be ridiculous. I looked at the dv6000t but a 7400 is kinda low for my liking. I want 2 gigs of RAM, but I guess it's not required since I could upgrade later. As long as its +100 GB hard drive its fine.

I was browsing Circuit City and I like this laptop alot: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Spec...169877/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do

only thing is... the 1.66 GHZ is not too attractive to me. I'd like at least a 1.83, preferably a 2.0. I've considered Asus A8JP and A8JS but they seem to have alot of bad factors that make up for the great performance/low cost thing. Is there anything out there that fits for me? Anything similar to the Circuit City one with a better processor? Thanks.

(P.S - I tried customizing with APP discount and it is still a little too expensive for me)

 

I know the processor seems slow, but it's still a Core 2 Duo, which at 1.66 Ghz runs about as fast as a Core Duo 1.83 Ghz, if that's any consolation. Aside from that, it seems like it would be about the ideal system for you -- for the money you're talking about that's a LOT of system, especially with a 17" screen. And getting a faster processor means getting a custom config, which generally means more $$$, even with the APP discount.

Now if you were willing to drop the screen size and resolution down to the dv6000 series you could get slightly better specs on the processor, but you lose the screen and better graphics card. Personally, I wouldn't bet on getting a better deal than the one you linked to -- that's a lot of system for the money.

Hope that helps.

 

Honestly, a vast majority of those out there will NOT use all the power that is available through the Core 2 series. You're computer is going to sit there at it's tiny 2% usage...or less...and only occasionally will it spike up to 50% or 75% when opening a program or running a virus scan.

1.66GHz is more powerful than you think . In all reality, you'll probably be fine unless you're some multimedia professional or an engineer/compsci. I've got the T7400 only because I do use the power on a regular basis with media encoding, HDTV, MATLAB, and IC SPICE simulations...even then I only got it because I got a deal on my T7400 nc8430 as opposed to the T7200 I was originally going to order.

Bottom line: You'll probably be fine and won't even know it. Intel's "faster speed is better" campaign is bitting them in the butt right now...

 

You can configure a dv9000z with 2GB RAM and GeForce 7600 within your price range. Not having to pay the Intel marketing tax helps.

 

Not that I want to speak against HP but for 1400 you can get a 15'' Sony with Ge7600 in it. If you need 17'', however, dv9000t/z is a great choice.