What do you guys think about this notebook? Good deal or not?

HP DV8230:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10073495&catid=#

Great looking laptop. Good speakers and awesome screen. Is there going to be a new model coming anytime soon (in the next 2-3 months) though? I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred more as long as it's a whole new design. Anyway, please tell me what ya think.

Thanks in advance.

 

Yes that is a pretty good notebook . HP recently released the DV8xxx series with the Core Duo so there shouldnt be anything major for a while. I would wait for the Yonah processor though should be out in a few months - if you have time that is.

I personally didnt wait for Yonah and just went for Core Duo and am very happy with it .

 

The Altec Lansing Speakers are not all that good. I ended up get a Creative 5.1 card and run my surround sound.

 

aer0sense,

Problem is, I need a laptop by Sept 1. Don't think there'd be any Core 2 Duo laptops released then.


Sledgehammer,

Weird. I was thoroughly impressed with the sound quality of the Altec Lansings. Albeit sound wasn't perfect like sound you hear from typical desktop 2.1 speakers, bass was still noticeable and sound was crisp and clear enough to watch a DVD. Maybe HP uses cheap speakers for their custom models? Hey, it's a possibility.

 

I thought it was a good deal. I bought one. I think the sound is OK but I don't have another notebook to compare it to.

 

I have 2 dv8000t's and both have okay speakers. I have a Altec lancing headphone set, and the laptop speakers do not show even a spec of the same quality.

 

you have to realize though that laptop speakers are pretty crappy in general. i can barely hear stuff from my laptop if i put it on highest volume and i'm sitting 3 feet away. on the other hand, i can hear much better on my roommate's hp at the same distance and at least half the volume level. compared to real sound systems notebook laptops suck....horribly. but the hp compared to other notebooks is pretty good. at least in my experience.

 

As ejl posted, don't rely too much on what people say about crappy laptop speakers. Almost all laptops I've used come with adequate speakers to get the job done - nothing more, nothing less. You can easily buy a $100, 4-speaker set from Altec Lansing with a subwoofer/amp that may think you just stepped into the movie theatre

Overall, the dv8000 series sold by Future Shop is great. The screens are excellent, and they seem to be best sellers at other retailers like Staple and even on hp.ca.

From what I read here, the only real "new design" will be in the chips. The way HP seems to be marketing this lineup in the US suggests that the outer design may not really change. Any differences will be inside, and there are many posts on here regarding issues like best graphics cards, "future-proofing" (getting a laptop now that is 64-bit based (AMD) or something that HP can run the new Vista/Windows (dual core Intel 32-bit), etc.

If you need the laptop NOW, then overall it seems like a good machine.