Thoughts on 9500t, 6500t, and 2500t for people planning to buy soon.

How do you like your laptops and do you think you should have gotten a dell 1720, 1520, or 1420 instead or are you happy with your decision?

 

i have a dv9500t and i am very pleased with this laptop and do NOT wish i got a dell instead

 

The only thing that makes me want a Dell is the 1920x1200 screen (17"). Other than that, the HP is nice.

 

the only negative i see about the HP considering the dell is that the HP has the 8600m gs while the dell has the much more powerful 8600m gt. As a gamer this will probably be my deciding factor. I hate the bargain look of the new dells and love the styling of the HPs, this will be a hard decision.

 

The only thing I wish my 9500 had was the 8600GT. Other than that i'm extremely happy with my HP and I wouldn't buy the dell.

 

I am very happy with my dv2500. It plays GW on maxed settings with ~50 fps. I wouldn't have gotten a dell because their too bulky and they arent that much cheaper.

 

i have the DV2500T its a beautiful laptop and its really fast if your planing on gaming on it i wthink you might be better off with the dell the dv25oo only has the nvivia 8400m but besides that this thing is fast the t7300 processor is great id recommend this laptop if your going to college or just need a compact laptop

 

The Dell 8600M GT has GDDR2 and the HP 8600M GS has GDDR3. This somehow brings these two laptops closer in graphics performance. GDDR3 for the GT version would have increased the gap for sure.

 

I agree with fraser. Dont forget the 8600 gs is direct x 10 compatible.

Alex

 

Hmm. I'm going to buy the 2500t I think, both for its mobility and power.

I'm looking to play some games like Civ IV at max. Possible?

Good choice, right? <_< Thanks.

 

I have the 2500t and its pretty good especially after getting XP on it. I personally would never get a Dell. They're just too dull and lackluster. In a world of sleek machines like Macbooks, Vaios and HPs, the Dell is just plain. Even the Thinkpads look sleeker.

 

I think i would get a dell latitude before i even got one of those inspirons. I was gonna make my decision off of gaming and get the Dell, but seeing that i have a xbox for gaming i will get the HP. and i shouldnt be gaming anyway because i should keep my head in books while in college anyway, i think i will get the hp 9500t if i get a 17 inch or a sony vaio fz if i get a 15"

 

I played Halo on a 8600 GT and a 8600 GS and I couldn't find a difference even at the highest settings.. I don't know what these guys are talking about GT being better than GS... IMO, Direct X 10 and GDDR3 add more value to the GS than GT... as for performance, I couldn't discern a difference being an avid gamer... moreover in the 17" HP 9500T you can set the other configs like RAM, process or speed and hard driver speed to the highest levels available without burning a hole in your pocket which sure you will with dell if you attempt it.. I set mine to 4GB, 2.2GHz T7500 dual, 200GB 7200RPM SATA and 8600M GS... try doing that on a dell... I am more than happy with the config.. you have to experience this beast to know what it means to work on it...

and I was surprised to find the HP DV9500T so light for its large screen and the brute power it provides... and anyone is surely to fall in love with the sleek (like a motorola razor V3!) and smooth design, it just looks like a flat plank! I am spellbound and look forward to work in it.. installed XP on it in a separate partition and do I need to say it screams!

The only thing I think the config lacks is a WUXGA... but I don't worry about it, because at that setting the icons too small to my taste..

 

I seriously considered a Dell 1520 for two reasons - it had a 7,200 RPM drive option and a better graphics card. Once I saw the delays in shipping, I decided to look elsewhere.

I saw the dv6500t and felt it had everything I really needed, plus the price and delivery times were good. It also had some nice reviews.

I chose the dv6500t and await it's arrival.

 

Dude! Would never buy a Dell.

I've put Halo, UT2K4, and Tribes2 on the DV6500T with the integrated (X3100) graphics and they play fine.
I've put Farcry on the DV6500T with the 8400M GS and it also plays fine.

The thing I've been trying to tell everyone, is that you probably won't game that much on the laptop. I'm a huge FPS fan, yet I find the laptop is used for surfing the net, and light stuff. I went on a trip to the UK, and didn't play any games. On the way over I watched a movie, and on the way back I resized pictures.

When Crysis comes out, I'll build a new tower. I could have bought anything I wanted, yet I went with a DV6500T. Why? Because it's rock solid once XP is installed.

It's kinda hard to explain this, but when gaming, you need a full size keyboard, mouse, and large desk to sit at. So unless you have an empty desk in your home, the odds of gaming on the laptop, and actually being comfortable are slim. Spend your money on the desktop if you really want to game.

 

I agree completely. I do not want a Dell! Their QC for the past year has been horrible and they currently have roughly a 1-month backlog on all new orders.

I REALLY like the look of the dv9500. I think the 16x12 screen would be perfect for a 17" widescreen. From what I've read so far, the screen on the 9500 is very nice, indeed.

Quite frankly, I spec'd out a 9500 with everything I'd want in MY dream laptop and it was $1,300 after coupons and such. It's perfect...EXCEPT for the darn video card.

What are the chances that HP will offer the 8600GT in the 9500? Any HP insiders care to help us out here? I won't tell anyone where I heard it.

 

Well, I though hard about this, the dell's are great, but in the 14 inch segment, the 2500t was just the way to go. Hp does an excellent job of having a sleek design. I just couldn't find an equivalent 14 inch laptop. Sony CR doesn't have dx10 support and its too big for a 14 inch, dell looks bulky has gddr2 gfx ram, t61 has an off centered screen (i just couldnt deal with that). only option was 2500t

 

I was going to get a 2500 but I went to Lenovo and got a T61 instead. Better specs, better design IMO, 1440x screen instead of 1280, anti-glare instead of forced glossy (which is crap and I will never buy one), turbo memory, the option of buying 1GB 1 Dimm for $0 extra (so I could upgrade myself), and 3 years of warranty for only $100 compared to HP's 2 years at 140.

Oh and I hate the 12-cell battery and how it sticks out of the bottom. If it went out the back like everyone else it'd be much better

 

The thing about laptops and gaming is that:

1. You can't update the graphics card.
2. New games and better graphics are coming out all the time.

This kinda ties your hands on a lot of things. If your looking for superior graphics, go for a gaming laptop. If you are looking for something a bit more balanced and that will get you through the daily toils of life.... HP's new series has the best bang for your buck currently. Also, the gaming performance that I have seen so far on these machines isn't bad.