Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
First of all, let me say I was thrilled to find this excellent forum.
I have been looking at the zx5000 series for my first laptop. I will be doing a little bit of traveling with my job in the next 4 months (a round trip plane ride every 2-3 weeks) and wanted my system to be able to play some of the newer games to help pass the time (maybe even online multiplayer games), play DVDs, do some digital camera work, and of course, surf the web. It will also serve as my main computer when I get back.
I configured a system from HP's EPP site. Let me know if this system would be good or if anyone suggests any modifications.
P4 2.8Ghz
512MB RAM X1
60GB 5400rpm HD
DVD/CR-RW Combo Drive
15.4" WXGA Brightview
128MB ATI Radeon 9600
802.11 g/b WLAN
It comes in at just under $1500. It seems to have everything I need at a good price with a nice screen and speakers. Most of my questions have been answered by reading other posts. I will go over what I think I have learned. The upgrade to the Brightview screen is worth it, esp. for gaming. The faster HD will improve some wait times, but I'm still unsure if it would help with gaming performance.
I had 3 quick other ones.
Would the P4 3.0 w/ HT help in my gaming or digital photo work? Is it worth it to get the upgrade?
I've heard people talking about going with the cheapest hard drive and installing a new, bigger, faster one. How hard is that to accomplish (physical removal, hardware agreement, etc.)? Is there any way to easily transfer all the programs that come with the laptop to the new HD? Would I need to purchase anything additional to get this done?
Does anyone know if the coupon code for $100 off will work if you buy through the EPP (Federal Employee) site?
Thanks in advance.
-
Does anyone know if the coupon code for $100 off will work if you buy through the EPP (Federal Employee) site?
Yep. It worked on my EPP order (I'm a DoD employee- but the EPP site isn't really federal- lots of corporations get the discount) last Friday, at least. [
]
I did read on another forum that someone had trouble getting the NB8218 code to work (it gave me trouble the FIRST time I tried it, too)- if that happens to you, maybe this one will work?
Save $100 on ANY customizable desktop over $999 at HP
Expires (07/31/2004)
coupon code: DT8321Last edited by a moderator: Jan 29, 2015 -
Counthaha: Where did you find the $100 mail-in rebate? On the zx5000 I only see a $50 mail-in on the site... did it change recently or something? Thanks.
-
You can see a list of ALL the rebates if you click on the link: "Mail-in rebates", directly under "Order status" on the main shopping page: http://www.shopping.hp.com/
The $100 rebates are valid for purchases through September 1st... but of course, HP would rather you take the $50 rebate instead.[:I]
About NB8218- it's true- it worked for me, and I left XP Home on my order. AND- your computer doesn't have to be an HP, either! It worked fine on my r3000t (the prettier Compaq twin[]). I also read your order doesn't even have to total $999 for the coupon to work.
So give it a try!
Oh, and one more way to cut costs down- stick with a 256MB of RAM, and buy a couple 512MB sticks elsewhere (if your plan is a GB), and sell the 256MB stick for a few bucks.
One last thing springs to mind... unless this is literally the ONLY system you have access to- why waste money on a CD-RW drive? For @$75 (the CD-RW upgrade is $50), you can pick up a 512MB USB 2.0 Flash Drive. They're SOOOO much more faster to write to- and easy to cart around. Unless you really need more write capacity on your notebook, or are limited to ONLY this computer- they're really a better use for your money (IMHO, of course).
Good luck! -
Thanks for all the advice, everyone.
I ended up ordering the system I listed above, but I did decide to go with the 3.0GHz w/HT. I figured it might extend the useful life of my new notebook as new software might take use of such technology, and for the extra $75, I thought, "Why not?"
I did get the NB8218 coupon code to work (no XPPro either) when I placed my order. Grand total before the $50 (or $100 if I can find that one) rebate was $1399. If I can get the $100 rebate I will be THRILLED to get this system for 1300 bucks. I'm hoping everything arrives in good working order.
As for the last post about CD-RW, this is going to be my only computer. Plus, it's hard to put a 512MB flash card in my CD player. []
-
The specs you listed should be able to have you gaming for a while. The fast CPU & great video card is a definite plus.
The CDRW drive is a good thing to have. Since this unit doesn't have a floppy drive, you will need something to transfer data to another computer. The CDRW drive will do that.
It's up to you on the amount of ram, but having 1x512MB module will give you the easiest upgrade path. It doesn't require you to remove anything from the system, just pop in the new module and you're done. But at this time, 512MB is more than enough to run pretty much anything that's in the market. 256MB may be a bit on the low side.
You might as well get the best CPU out ther that you can afford, it'll keep your system more up-to-date in the future so you don't have to worry about it becoming obsolete too fast. You either pay now or you'll "pay" later. []
The Brightview screen will be brighter and probably make the colours sharper, but it will also add 3-4x the amount of glare. The screen is a high-gloss, very reflective plastic. I'd recommend going with the regular non-Brightview screen, they're still very bright (not as much as the Brightview), and doesn't have the glare.
-Vb- -
Sorry, I was probably wrong. There are two threads:
http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3423&SearchTerms=home,does,not,support,hyper,threading
and
http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3432
saying the opposite things. It will work faster but it may get too hot because it is a regular desktop processor, not mobile. Ask guys with HyperT processors if they are getting too hot or not.
-
-
ZX5000 decision
Discussion in 'HP' started by wazlo21, Jul 21, 2004.
