dv4000 or dv1000?

I had my mind settled on an Asus V6v, but unfortunately, I found out today that my graduation/christmas present budget is not going to go that far. Then I was looking at the Thinkpads, and again unfortunately, they will be out of my range with the specs I want. So now it is between the dv4000 or the dv1000. I completed a faq, here is the link...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=34379

Can everybody give me their opinions between the two of these? Things such as performance, looks, problems, and all that good stuff. Also, if you own either, could you would post your opinions on your particular model?

Thanks alot for the help!

 

Well, I had owned both Thinkpads and Toshibas before I bought my DV-4000.
I originally bought a Toshiba M-45 and went through 3 of them before I gave up on them and tried the HP.
I love mine.
Build quality is very good.
The keyboard feels like it has a lot less flex than the Toshiba, and ALMOST as nice as my IBM.
Screen is excellent. Although I think Sony still has the best there.
All in all, I think the DV-4000 was my best choice. Especially for the price!

 

try compaq there cheaper then HP and are the same company

 

The dv4000 will be a much more powerful gamer than its dv1000 cousin, as it has the ATI X700 Video Card. Both come with identical multimedia features (remote control, DVD/MP3 Quick Play, etc.) and have a similar design. If you're intent on the dv1000, I'd also take a look at the Compaq V2000Z, as it offers a better gaming experience, however at the cost of the multimedia features.

 

Thanks for the replies!

dloreski...I know what you mean..the bang for the buck figure on the dv4000 is awesome!

Nismo...I just don't like the looks of the compaq. Its also only around 100-200 dollar difference, isn't it? And although I believe that looks arent the most important thing, For that amount of money, I'll pay the difference for the better looks. Plus you get the feature where you can play dvd's/cd's without booting up windows (cant remember what its called) and the optional remote. So it's one of the HP's for me. Thanks for the help though!

More opinions are welcome!

 

Thanks xAMDvsINTELx. What card does the dv1000 have? I think I am leaning more towards the dv4000 at this point. Although I'm not much of a gamer atm, I would definitely like to get into playing some, such as WoW. Also, as I said in my last post...I just dont like the look of the Compaqs, just a personal thing I guess!

Keep 'em comin..

 

The DV1000 comes with the Intel Graphics Media Accelator 900 (GMA 900). Its integrated graphics which borrows from the systems main ram and is perfectly fine for almost any task except for gaming. The DV4000 in the past used to have the GMA 900 but now has the option for that and the Radeon X700 as well. Keep in mind that getting the X700 will result in more heat and less battery life in your DV4000 but I'd say its gaming capabilities far surpass those negatives.

Integrated graphics are basically more than enough for most users except for gamers of course and its benefits are giving you less heat and battery life than a notebook with a dedicated graphics card. I'd say gaming is really its only drawback and even then it can play just fine some older games from a couple of years back but not the latest and greatest games like Doom 3 and Half Life 2. I've heard from several sources the GMA 900 can play WoW pretty decently.

 

Rahul's correct - the dv1000 has a much weaker GPU than the dv4000 (w/ ATI X700), and won't be able to play high-end games or newer games that come out in the future. The dv4000 on the other hand does have the option for the Intel GMA 900 (although I think it would be foolish to get the dv4000 without the X700 GPU), but the X700 is a much better option. If want extended battery life, then look into getting two batteries or the 12-cell extended battery which effectivly doubles battery life. However, I've also been hearing that the dv4000 keys can get "shiny" after a few months of extensive use (rahul, back me up here!).

 

Yep, thats really the only complaint I have on my machine. The keys and touchpad have worn down and look "shiny" after I had it for about two months. Now I know it was to happen eventually, but I feel that 2 months is far too short. This problem is also on the DV1000. It in no way affects the usability of the keyboard, its only cosmetic but it makes the keyboard look far older than it really is.

I guess I'm complaining because my last notebook which I had for about 5 months was heavily used and never had any wear period and same goes for my dad's and brother's desktop keyboards which they'd had for 8 months.

I guess the best thing you can do is buy a keyboard skin which will also protect against dust, food crumbs and liquids, which I've seen on Ebay but am sure are available in other places as well.

 

Also, when I looked at the Compaq's, the keyboards seemed to have a lot more flex than the DV's.
The whole DV4000 just seemed more rigid and solid.

 

This is because the HP has slightly better build quality that its Compaq cousin. However, essentially, the same components are just placed in a different notebook case - I guess that the HP's case is built better than the Compaq's.

 

I got a DV4000 and I really love the QuickPlay function and the remote control.