Zd7000 or Zx5000 or Zt3000?

I thought I had it all figured out and was ready to order a CTO zt3000 but before I ordered I made one more trip to Best Buy to get a look at the Brightview screen just available for the zt. That's when the trouble (the good kind) started: I saw a Brightview zd7000 and flipped over it. Now, a couple days later I'm thinking maybe something between the 2 in size (zx5000) is another solid option.

I'm looking for some guidance from you people who have actually used these machines in the real world and can advise me as to which unit, in your experience, would be the best fit for me.

I will use the unit for web site design, Office apps and some digital photo work(nothing too heavy). I am not a gamer.

I will occasionally use the unit away from home but I will primarily use it at home as a desktop replacement.

At times I use my current notebook outside by the pool using our wireless network so I would like the mobility to do that and although the zd7000 is HUGE by today's notebook standards it is not that much larger than my current Compaq 3045. I love the zd's 17" Brightview but I feel that maybe there is not that much of a drop off in size to a 15.4 screen and the trade off (smaller screen for greater mobility) would be OK.

Finally, the P4 heat factor. The P4 in my current Compaq runs very hot. So hot, in fact, that it damaged a table I was using it on. If the zd is my choice I will use a "cool pad" with fans underneath the unit to keep it cooler.

Sorry this post is so long, only 1 more question: Does the P4 in the zx run as hot?

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights.

 

For what you're doing, the zv5000z would be a better fit than the zx5000. Its Athlon 64 CPU is significantly better than the P4 (way better power management too), it's cheaper, they recently added Brightview and an 80GB 5400RPM HD option... the GPU is rather dated, 64MB (dedicated, not shared) GeForce 440 Go, but for 2D work it's fine.

Personally I prefer 1680x1050 (which I have) and 1920x1200 res screens but choosing between those and the 1280x800 Brightview is very subjective. For the apps you listed I should think the higher res would come in handy.

 

L O L

Looks like brianstretch and I were thinking the same thing at the same time - he just types faster than me!



Cheers,

Stevo

zv5000z: Ath64_3200+ (2.0GHz) - 1GB DDR - 80GB 5400rpm - 64MB 440 - 15.0" XGA - Win2k (tentatively)

 

Heya yellowhouse,

I'm surprised that one of the choices you had listed there did not include the zv5000z. If you take a look, it seems to come closer to what you're looking for in most areas, unless you really decide you want the 17" screen, then there's really just one choice.
Take a peek at the specs, and you'll see that the zv5000z comes with a brightview option, a video card with dedicated memory, which is handy for digital photo editing and the like, but probably the topper on the whole cake is the fact that it has the Athlon XP-M (or the Athlon 64), so you get the power of a desktop P-4, with close to the energy conservation and low heat generation of of a Pentium-M. Now that they have added the 5400rpm HD option, it will let your lapppy boot faster and load apps faster. Also, the wireless card inside the zv5000z is very good, and the Harman/Kardon speakers will sound great out at the pool, too.
I just figured I'd put another option in your mind - something to think about. Seems that what you need it to do and how you need it to perform should be the biggest factors in your consideration.


Cheers,

Stevo

zv5000z: Ath64_3200+ (2.0GHz) - 1GB DDR - 80GB 5400rpm - 64MB 440 - 15.0" XGA - Win2k (tentatively)

 

I vote for the zt3000. This is what I purchased. I am a programmer by profession and was told by colleagues, that the zt3000 would be good for development and design work. I have yet to do any work on it (still new), but I'm sure I will have no problems. I was told to make sure I had at least 512MB RAM, fast HDD (5400rpm or better) for large files, especially if there are a lot of graphics...the 4200 is OK, but slow, 32MB dedicated graphics is adequate but I opted for the 64MB just in case. Any of the CPUs (Banias or Dothan) would be fine. I went for the 1.6 Dothan for 'future' proof plus it was only $75 more. I thought long and hard before I up'ed the $75, but glad I did. To go higher (1.7 - 2.0) was not worth the price for the small performance difference over the 1.6. The unit only weighs about 7lbs with the AC adapter. I have carried it to and from work already. No problem.

This being my first notebook, I can not comment on the the others except for what I have been reading in this forum and others. As for the P4's, I have read they run hot. The AMD's is a good CPU. I have one in my desktop. They do make for cheaper systems and are just as good if not better than Intel's cpus. Of course, this is my personal opinion. I have seen the zd7000 in Best Buy. This is one BIG and heavy machine. I would not try carrying this thing anywhere. It has a beautiful 17" screen though. The ZX5000 is a nice compromise, if you want a P4 instead of mobility. It is heavier than the zt3000. However, it looks like a nice system too (checked it out at BB too).
I like the mobility and performance of the zt3000 over both of the other systems. This is why I chose it.

 

Go with the ZT3000 series. Any work while mobile will need a good battery life. The ZD & ZX series will not be able to provide this, unless you get the extended batteries, but this adds weight to an already heavy unit. For you're overall needs, the ZT3000 will be more than enough.

-Vb-

 

The zx5000 doesn't get too warm. it sits on my lap for 60 to 90 minutes at a time while i surf the web, work on XL spreadsheets, and write reports in Word - it only gets uncomfortable if i play games, which i don't do very often.
battery life isn't as good as the others you mention, but if you're only going to be away from a power source for a couple of hours and you're looking for a good desktop replacement, the zx5000 is great.



HP zx5000 (CTO)
P4 3.0 GHz w/HT
256MB + 512MB (Crucial)
60 GB HD @ 5400
15.4" WXGA (1280x800)
128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9600