TORN: HP zv6000 or COMPAQ V200Z

I'm looking at two notebooks, the HP zv6000 and the Compaq V2000Z. The zv6000 has an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0 GHz) and the Compaq has a Turion M-28 (1.6GHz). In addtion, the HP has a 128MB VRAM card, while the Compaq has a 32MB VRAM card. However, I want this notebook to be on a budget. I like the V2000Z b/c it has a low price of 850 USD, while the zv6000 has a price of 1150 USD. Is the extra $300 worth it?

 

Well, it all depends on your needs. The ZV6000 will be noticable larger and heavier than the V2000Z but also more powerful. The V2000Z will get better battery life and will be coolor running. What are you going to do with the notebook?

 

I few corrections - the Compaq has a VRAM card that is configurable from 32MB to 128MB (I know, HP says that you only get 128MB if you upgrade, but that's a cheap marketing ploy. I didn't upgrade, yet I have 128MB available to the video card. I called HP and it's exactly the same card as the upgrade, the only difference being the added "productivity ports". Either way, the vid card uses system RAM, lowering the amt of available system RAM by the amount you use for the video card. The Turion is going to be MUCH better at battery conservation than the P4. I ran some benchmarks and they were roughly the same as an Athlon 64 3000+, so I really don't think the vz6000 is going to be that much faster. But it is bigger and quite a bit heavier. I almost got a 15.4" screen laptop instead of the v2000z 14" screen, but I am incredibly glad I didn't! The v2000z is so much more portable than a larger laptop would have been.

Keep your eyes open for good deals on the v2000z. CompUSA, for instance, has one on sale this week and Office Depot has been known to have great deals on the v2000z. You can order it straight from HP Shopping and have no tax and free shipping. I highly recommend upgrading to Turion, 12-cell battery, brightview, wireless card, RAM and 5400 RPM hard drive (if you are comfortable, buy the RAM yourself to save some money). Even with most of these upgrades (and a few more), you can still get the v2000z for $800 after rebates from HP Shopping.

 

I second that mnrbradley!

 

Ok, but I've been hearing some quality issues about Compaqs. Are Compaq's as good as HP's are quality wise, or are they lacking? In addition, I've heard that Compaq's, when compared to HP's, generally have lower quality touch pads and keyboards. Is this true?

 

There are basically the same notebook with a few minor differnences.

 

I've also heard that Compaqs have slightly lower quality touchpads and keyboards. I personally, like the keyboard and textured touchpad of the HP DV1000 much more than the clicky, rattlely keyboard and smooth touchpad on the Compaq V2000.

 

I've owned both a dv1000 and a v2000z and I MUCH prefer the v2000z even though it's less expensive. Granted, the dv1000 looks a lot cooler and has more lights and separate media buttons (you have to use the function key on the compaq), but the dv1000's lid doesn't shut very well (it still rattles when you latch the lid) and I had a lot of problem with my dv1000 touchpad. I like the smooth feel of the compaq better. To me the keyboards were nearly identical - I didn't notice a difference. Overall, I am VERY pleased with my Compaq and feel like the quality is the same as the HP (but neither is as good as other manufacturers).