Would you change anything on these DV2000's?

Okay so I built two notebooks I'm interested in and wondered if there is anything you'd change that I may regret. Here's the specs for the DV2000t:

Operating System FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) Solo processor T1350 (1.86 GHz)
Display FREE Upgrade to 14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen
Graphics Card Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Personalization HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
Memory 512MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard Drive 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking 802.11b/g WLAN edit
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money

Final Price= $709.99 with the $100 instant savings, $50 rebate, and free shipping.

I'm also considering the DV2000z with the following specs:

Operating System FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center
Processor AMD Turion(TM) 64 Mobile MK-36 (2.0 GHz/512KB)
Display FREE Upgrade to 14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen
Graphics Card NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 6150
Personalization HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
Memory FREE Upgrade to 512MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard Drive 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking 802.11b/g WLAN
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money

Final Price= $679.99 also with the $100 instant savings, $50 rebate, and free shipping.

The only difference is the processor with the AMD Turion 64 Mobile MK-36 (2.0 GHz) vs the Intel Core Solo T1350 (1.86 GHz) and of course the $30 price difference.

So I have the following questions for you all:

-Is the Intel Core Solo vs the AMD Turion 64 Mobile MK-36 worth the extra $30?
-Would you upgrade the memory to 1024MB (2 dimm) instead of the 512MB (2 dimm)?
-What exactly is the difference between 2 dimm and 1 dimm?
-If I went with the Intel, is it worth $60 more to upgrade from the Core Solo to the Core Duo?
-If I went with the AMD, is it worth $40 to upgrade from the Mobile MK-36 to the X2 Dual Core TL-50?

Is there anything else you'd tweak or change? Sorry for so many questions, I just want to get it right the first time .

Thanks in advance.

 

I would update to the AMD X2 Dual Core TL-50 and I would also get the 1 gig of ram. Core duo would be better than the Core Solo. Is the Go 6150 the best video card that you can update to. If it isn't and you're going to be playing a lot of games then update it. Also, you could have a look at the HP DV6000z.

 

Thanks for the suggestions . I really don't need a powerful video card, I won't be playing any games on it (except flash ones). I looked at the DV6000 but it's too large and heavy; I want something that I can take when I travel.

I'm trying to stay in the $700 price range but I also want something that'll hold up.

 

Since you won't be playing games, then you won't really need that video card then, but I would still recommend the dual core processor. Either the AMD X2 or the Intel Core Duo. I would also recommend the 1 gig of ram.

 

I'm not an expert on this, but it seems like the first configuration will not run all of the features of Windows Vista should you want to upgrade to that in the future. Looking at the video card on the second it looks more likely to work well with Vista. I'd also get a min of 1GB memory if you think you even might have the slightest interest in Vista down the road. Don't want to spend a ton of money and then find out it won't do something you want. If you truly don't care about Vista down the road and you don't game I'm not sure if there is really a big difference.

The one rule of thumb is that you can never have too much memory and it is generally the best way to increase performance in modern laptops.

 

Thanks again! I took your suggestions and upgraded the system. Here's it is and the price didn't increase too much either:

DV2000z

Operating System FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center
Processor AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-50(1.6GHz/512KB)
Display FREE Upgrade to 14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen
Graphics Card NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 6150
Personalization HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
Memory 1024MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard Drive 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking 802.11b/g WLAN
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money

Final price= $769.99

I also configured the DV2000t but it ran me $100 more than the DV2000z. I'm a bit hesitant of getting an AMD processor since I've always ran Intel but if I can save $100, I'll give it a shot.

 

That's a good system for a good price. I took the 6000z though becuase I don't travel. It's in my sig and I got it on eBay for a full price of 824 dollars. I'm sure if you get your laptop with those specs, then it will serve very well for your purposes. Btw, I'm sure the AMD processor will run pretty good, It is a dual core after all. I can't wait for my new laptop to come in the mail. That's the picture of it in my avatar.

 

I just bought my first amd system bellow it is amazing, alot people will tell you that they are slower than intels but this one will give my friends a T2300 a firm pounding in games, and rendering videos.

i do have a diffrent proccessor(a couple levels up, but my system runs 800mhz 90 percent of the time that i am using it, it just clocks up when i need more juice.

i also hear that that AMD cpu can be safely overclocked to 2.0 ghz which would be as fast as mine, for alot less money

I would go for the Turion 64 X2 any day - especially for that price

 

Is there a way to overclock a TL-52 AMD Turion 64 X2?

 

You got me wondering the same thing...


To the poster.. get 1Gig of memory atleast. If you get the 512 see if there is a 1 dimm option so you can get another 512 and pop it in later on vs. having to replace both sticks you already have if you upgrade later. Just an idea.

 

If you chose AMD side, just stay away of X2 for a while. TL-50 will not run faster than MK-36. In fact, along my test result, MK-36 is much faster due to its 2.0G clock. TL-50 will win a little if:
1. You do full disk virus scanning while you are watching DVD or similar heavy job.

2. You use TMPEnc Xpress 4.0 to encode HD video. TMPEnc can use 2 cores to really speed up encoding process. But you still need TL-52 instead of TL-50 for larger cache.

It is 2007 now, the 65nm AMD is coming. Why spend more on 90nm X2?

 

I wouldn't mind staying with the MK-36 since it'll save me $40 but I guess I'm thinking newer is usually better. So why is everyone else saying go with the X2?

Is there any monumental difference between the two processors that'll make me regret not buying the X2?

Keep the advice coming, it's one thing you can't get enough of .

 

I don't know how to overclock anything but there was one person in Notebookreview that did get his Acer Aspire 5102 Turion 64 X2 1.6ghz up to 2.0ghz and it was stable. and not TOO hot but fairly warm.

 

Well, because everybody think X2 is the future, and it will be. But for the sake of budget, why not step back a little bit, and still give yourself an upgrade opportunity for its real future? MK-36 will do the job, and I should say its instant response will be slower than TL-50, just because of task switching in single core. You spend extra bucks maybe just for faster performance ramp. For peak performance, MK-36 may equal to TL-60 or TL-56. But TL-56 will make people feel good of its quick response.

I can't suggest you more, but I may upgrade to X2 after AMD can handle cores power management separately, and let me shutdown one core on the fly.