dv4000

Aloha everyone

This is my first post post here, and I would like some advice on this laptop.
Soon I will be buying my first laptop, and have been eyeballing this Dv4000. Good reviews so far, looks perfect for a home use, rare travel, and will be used primarily to browse the internet and perhaps for student related tasks over the next few years.
Its mostly going to be resting on my lap as I sit in bed, as i dont have space for a desk. So i hope the seemingly light 6.5 pounds isnt annoyingly weighted while resting on my lap for hours, and perhaps not too hot aswell. (is heat a concern for my lap at all?)

Given this information, can any of you experienced and knowledgeable members see any possible downsides? Or share any comments/advice that I probably will overlook before my purchace? Especially cause its my first and im a newbie. I always try to ask questions before spending money, which i dont have much of

Also a few upgrades and the ultiamte price:

1GB DDR SDRAM +$150
Pentium M740 (1.73GHz) +$150
60GB hardrive 5400rpm +$50
BrightView display +$25
12cell Battery +$25

Ultimate price roughly $1400


Now I honestly have not much knowledge about how important these aspects will be, and how neccessary they are to upgrade in order to last me for the next 3 years. Remember that my notebook is primarily for school work and internet browsing. I dont plan on downloading a bunch of mp3's or playing games. But definately plan on using it religiously everyday to study.
So with that said,
any advice, comments, support, etc.. would be greatly appreciated.

Aloha

 

I'd recommend buying a well built laptop with good support. IBM, Fujitsu, Asus and even HP's business laptops are better built and offer better support. You can defintely get one of those in that price range. If you post a little more on what you plan to do with it and what other preferences you have, like screen size, etc., we can help more. If you are using a Pentium M CPU, you shouldn't have any probelms with heat issues. Pentium Ms also have much better battery life than AMD or Pentium 4s.






I was robbed by a sweet little old lady on a motorized cart and I didn't even see it coming.

-Lloyd Christmas


Thinkpad T42:
* 1.8Ghz Pentium M * 1.5GB Memory * 60GB Hitachi 7200RPM * 15" SXGA+ Flexview * MultiBurner * Win 2k *

 

The dv4000 is a good laptop for general purpose use. It offers decent value for money & also the design is appealing. Heat should not be an issue since it uses the Pentiu m which is designed for laptops(there will be some amount of heat but it wont be burning hot). The 12 cell battery will give you long battery life (around 6-7hrs) but it does stick out of the bottom of the laptop, but it does act as a nice ventilation system. The laptops from HP are fairly reliable & in my experience, they have good build quality - they arent the best but I dont think they would break the first day either.

There are also a few other options if you want a laptop with a smaller screen(14") like the dv1000, Compaq V2000. There is also the 12.1" Dell 700m or the comparable(to the dv4000) Dell i6000. There is also the Compaq V4000 which is the HP dv4000 equivalent with a different case design.

Here's review of the dv4000 with the pictures of the 12 cell battery...

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2345

------------------------
Compaq Presario R3340US AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512MB, 80GB 5400rpm
15.4" Brightview WXGA.
------------------------

 

These look like 2 well-informed replies above ...

I wonder about 2 things:
- "Well built" ThinkPad etc. - just what is different?
e.g. hinge on screen? keyboard? noise? heat?
- Don't these well-built "business laptops" often have
less attractive non-Brightview screens?

Magazine Reviewers do like dv1000 (dv4000 is brand new)
*a lot*.
User reviews of dv1000, e.g. cnet.com, include students
who give hearty thumbs-up.

dv4000 is v. similar but has new technology (Sonoma chipset
and much faster video) plus larger screen: 15.4 vs.
14.0, and still high-resolution, 1200x800 vs 1200 x768.

If you spring for the dv4000, I'd opt for slowest 533 MHz bus
cpu, which I think is 1.6 Ghz, to extend battery a little -
the 5400 rpm drive will produce visible speedup.

I'd probably get 1 stick of 512 ram and purchase another
512 on the 'net or, better yet, get xplite to reduce apps running
'cause that extra 512 creates heat & burns battery, too.
Sounds like you really don't need > 512 MB.
Otherwise, looks good unless you want more portability:
dv1000.

search this forum for student discount at hpshopping - it's
another website that links back to hpshopping.com you'll save
another $100 or so.
and: Have you seen these (1000 and 4000) in a store?

 

I cant beging to explain how impressed I am with the feedback you all have given me. It really helps out A LOT

tradeoffsdrivemecrazy,
I will definately look into the aspects you shared. Although some of the concepts you presented are foreign to me, being a newbie and all, your advice was easy to follow and sets the stage for a little for research into these "new to me" aspects.[ ]
The dv1000 is just a little too small for my tastes, but with all its good reviews, im glad the Dv4000 is similar.
I also have rather large hands, so the comfort factor while typing is one of my main concerns. The 17"'ers are just too big period.

Miner,
when you say the larger 12 cell battery "sticks out of the bottom", do you mean that it actually makes the notebook lopsided, so it will rest unevenly on a flat surface? I dont picture myself using a desk, but being my first notebook, I would like to leave that option open, and would hate having to tuck a few sugar packets under my new notebook[8)]

Zazonz,
Other preferences? Hmmm..
Well, because ill be mostly internet browsing and studying at home..
Ergonmoics I guess would be the biggest factor. Something that realtively easy to type with, not too big or heavy, and easy to stare at for countless hours everyday.
But also a notebook that will last me for the next 3 years. Somewhat of an all-around notebook that will keep future possibilities open if needed, such as being able to keep up will with basic technological advances that pertain to heavy student/home use, adequately, over the next 3 years.

I really appreciate all the help so far, thank you guys

Aloha,
Wazen

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by wazen

 

Take a look at this:

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/IBM_ThinkPad_T42_2379/2379R1U/E95388/

It weighs about five pounds, and has a three year warranty. ThinkPads are the best built notebooks and have the best keyboards as well. Their support is second to no one. Possibly the only bad things are lack of glossy or wide screen, and their DVD burners are slow and expensive, if you need one. If you want a glossy screen notebook, I would look at the Fujitsu s6231. You can customize one at Portableone.com. I'll recommend spending the extra $30 for the 5400RPM hard drive. Like ThinkPads, they are very well built and have three year warranty. It also has a very good glossy screen. It is about a pound lighter than the ThinkPad. Good Luck.

http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=S6231CTO&Category_Code=SS1&Product_Count=2






I was robbed by a sweet little old lady on a motorized cart and I didn't even see it coming.

-Lloyd Christmas


Thinkpad T42:
* 1.8Ghz Pentium M * 1.5GB Memory * 60GB Hitachi 7200RPM * 15" SXGA+ Flexview * MultiBurner * Win 2k *