The bottom line on HP build quality?

Listen...

Going to make a rather large investment in
a quality notebook.

I want a Duo-Core Processor T2500 with 2 gigs
ram and a 100GB SATA hard drive. Also need
something lightweight and portable.

A Lenovo T60 with this configuration will cost
me about $2500-2600. A HP DV1000T will cost around
$2000. I can even get a good deal on an extra 12-cell
battery pack for the HP at purchase.

Huge difference in price.

I know LENOVO is supposed to be the best and
I am trying to justify spending $500-$600 more
for an IBM that doesn't even come with a glossy
screen or CDR-DVD combo dual layer recording drive.

Bottom line question is this...

If I go with the HP dv1000T....

How is HP's reputation? Is their notebook build
quality solid? Do you hear a lot of reports about
them going in for repairs?

The IBM LENOVO has a 3-year standard warranty.
If I want the same warranty with HP it's rather
expensive. Quite frankly, for what I am paying with
HP, I'd rather risk not getting an extended warranty
at all.

I owned a Toshiba satellite notebook for 2 years
and never had a problem.

Would just like to hear from you HP owners as to
how well you feel these notebooks are built and what
the chances are of having problems.

Thanks in advance.

 

dunno.. my hp5000t is my first HP notebook. it hasnt even come yet.

but ask yourself is it worth the money if the system is the same thing. most laptops last about 2yrs max before you need a new one.

I wouldnt waste the money on IBM

 

The HP will not be as well built as the ThinkPad. The dv5000 is a consumer notebook which in general are not as well built as business class notebooks because consumbers aren't willing to pay as much. There are other choices like Fujitsu, Asus or even HP's business class notebooks which will offer very good quality.

 

i second the 'business class' notebooks!

 

The business class models would be the way to go over a consumer model. The casing is so much more durable. HP only carries the dual core business models in a 17" screen currently, so not that portable at that size and at 7.4 lbs $2500-2600 vs $2000 for the HP consumer? hate to say it but IBM would be the better set up if your looking for a solid built machine (but for a pretty penny).

 

i've had a poorly made laptop for 2 years now. travel with it, carry it around in my house, etc. and have managed not to drop it too far. and i haven't broken it. frankly, if you're anticipating benefitting from a better build, you've already lost the battle. nothing's going to just fall off the HP---it will flex more, it can probably withstand a drop from 16 inches, and the Lenovo, 24, and the keyboard is deeper. you make the call on whether it's worth 500 bucks. and i bet you'll benefit from the extras you can get with a 2k dv1000t than from the better build quality.

(full disclosure: just made the same decision, bought a dv5000t)

 

well, i went the other way. i figured that if i was going to spend $2-2.5K, that i wanted a rig that was WELL BUILT. i spent a little more than what i wanted, but i got a machine that's solid AND amazing in its specs. and for $2187 delivered - before my aftermarket upgrades to the RAM and HD - it's not so much more than the 'consumer' versions. the base specs are great BTW. i've carried it to work the last few days too --- not a problem. the quality of this rig is comparable to much more expensive ones. either way you'll be getting a great machine. i just wanted to make sure that the build quality wasn't an afterthought by the manufacturer. 'business class' notebooks are generally better built.

 

What? I'm pretty sure there's more models, smaller size as well. Like the NX6125, which has a 15" screen and an AMD Turion, as well as a fingerprint scanner. HP even have toughbooks.

 

DMO,

What did you end up buying?

 

i said at the bottom. i bought an HP dv5000t. i bought it from costco. specs on it are the same as you can get on a lenovo. and i'm getting extra batteries, ac adapters, a remote (cool), 2g RAM (i know i got hosed), and it's 2k. and i can walk into costco and return it any time in the next 6 months.

so if in 7 months, i decide to start dropping my notebook from heights of 24 inches, or really pushing hard on the keyboard, or questioning my sneaky girlfriend's ability to guess my passwords and thereby steal all of my supersecret information without so much as a fingerprint, then I'll wish I had gotten a Lenovo. otherwise, i think the HP, plus a helluva night on the town, plus a slingbox, and a pretty hefty speeding ticket is worth more than the a well-built lenovo.

obviously i'm being contrary here, and me and isvara go for different schools of thought, but i think Lenovo gets away with charging more for something that might be worth a 100 more, but not 5 or 600.

 

oh, and Isvara, what was the final price then, all in? with RAM and HD.

and NJRonbo, also might want to consider whether a widescreen makes a difference to you.

 

ugh. you had to ask. remember, the base rig comes with 1GB of 533MHz RAM (1x1024MB) and a 100GB 5400 RPM (SATA) HD.

let's see:

$2187 (includes tax , S&H) for the nx9420 (EV268AA#ABA)

$255.98 (includes S&H) for the 2GB 667Mhz RAM (Samsung)

$215 (does not include S&H - i forget/not handy) for the 100GB 7200 RPM HD

$39.95 apricorn ez upgrade (does not include S&H - i forget/not handy) for the upgrade and then a USB mass-storage/backup solution with the original 100GB 5400RPM drive - 200GB total HD storage.

all-in = approximately $2,700.

i blew my budget of $2500 but i'm very happy with my new rig

again, the base rig at $2187 is much more than enough for most people. this is mainly a work rig for me --- then a play rig.

the main selling points for me were the x1600 GPU, the build quality, a step-up in the core duo type from the Fujitsu Lifebook N6410, the weight and the business-class warranty (9-5 pick-up and return).


update: forgot to mention that i used the original 1GB stick of RAM (533MHz) as barter...got the IT guy to hook me up with all kinds of software for it! otherwise i would have sold it...

 

What what. Sure, there is a handful of business notebooks...but NOT dual core, like they wanted.

 

my dad had a hp buisness laptop with a pentium m 1.4ghz for 4 years It was great, had never broken on him played games when i wanted it to (Radeon 7500) and had around 4.5 hours battery life i think his m was ultra low voltage

my laptop dv1000 with celeron m is of great build quality except screen and keyboard there is space, could be troublesome for you, and a noisy fan i think its defective but cant tell.
i would go with the hp, if you are going to save some money if the price difference between hp and ibm is almost the same I would change to ibm

say hp is 2300 and ibm is 2500, and for a investment that price you should get 3 year warranty, or you might be kicking yourself if you dont.

 

I have an Evo N610C. Is pretty solid, has a very good keyboard. Bought a nx9420, it came in with good keyboard, magnesium chassis. I was thinking of the ThinkPAD T60, but the reviews of phone support, order screwups, etc. for Lenovo, seen everywhere on the internet, was fairly scary. Also, actual delivery dates of T60's are either immediate or in 4 months after order, which ever customer's comment you believe. My bet is that the T60 is a bit tougher than the nx9420, but that Lenovo does not understand the level of customer service organization that IBM had.

I had a Toshiba twice before (business level), great mechanics but the interaction with Microsoft drivers was a disaster. I don't think a Japanese company could come to grips with the fact that the largest operating system in the world is just a giant kludge and the exact opposite of Total Quality. Better to deal with someone that already understands this.

 

nx9420...still it is only 1.83GHz. Compare that with LG, Dell 2.0GHz.
I read somewhere that Dell has some advanced quality assurance procedures for their laptops, I've heard reports about LG P1 solid build and it can be ordered from Germany for 1900EUR ($2273US 100GB/7200, 1G/667MHz, x1600, international warranty)...and all of these with 2.0GHz for ~$400US less then nx9420 after market's $2700.
I would rather leave nx9420 with 5400rpm HD and 533Mhz DDR2 to level with 1.83GHz subpar processing power.

 

the longer you wait, the better the deals that come out. fact of life. at my time of purchase, there were only a few core duo 17" DTRs out there and only a handful of core duos total. i LOVE my new rig. the build quality is second-to-none, the performance is blistering, the size/weight is astonishing and if i ever have issues i've got a business class warranty to fall back on --- not to mention a 30-day return policy (until April 18) if i just don't like this thing! the $400 difference is the price i was willing to pay for a solidly built rig and that all important peace of mind. the dell wasn't ever a contender for me --- only Fujitsu, Asus or Sager. can't speak for the LGs but i do hear good things. my aftermarket upgrades are getting cheaper by the day as well. the hitachi HD is now $35 cheaper on newegg!

if you can wait --- wait. you'll only save money and have more options. i couldn't wait

 

Personally, if you are spending $2000+, I'd rather look some place else rather than HP. You can get much better build quality for the price.

HPs are good when paying less than $1500, as the price/performance ratio is good enough that build quality isn't much of a concern, simply because all the manufacturers with nice build quality charge you insanely for it ($1300+ for a decent basic model).

Then again IBM makes nice notebooks, I wouldn't really say they are for gaming though. Amazing keyboards from what I have heard!

 

if i were looking in the HP 'consumer line' i'd probably agree with you. but as my requirements were much more demanding than the typical consumer, i chanced-it on the HP 'business line' after much research. i'm extremely pleased with this unit. as i've stated, my contenders were Fujitsu, Sager, Asus. but there are only a couple high-quality 17" DTRs (IMHO) out there right now (Fujitsu Lifebook N6410 and the HP Compaq nx9420). if the Sager or Asus 17" core duo line-up was ready, then it might have been a different story.

but i'm getting a little off topic... given the choices, i'd probably go towards the IBM...

do look into the extremely well built business-class HPs though. they'll probably refresh their whole line soon AND be cheaper than IBM.