nx5000? nc6000? nx7010?

Hello all,
I am replacing a P3 750mhz SOLID Compaq Armada m700. I want a good machine to last for the next 3-4 years. I do some graphics work. A tiny bit of adventure gaming and DVD watching. But mostly office and internet apps. Which of these biz laptops would you take? I am trying to keep it under $1500 w/ 3 yr. warranty.

ALSO: What is the true story difference between the pavillion/presario line vs. Business line? Should I downshift to the consumer level for greater specs for same money, but worse _____? (I don't know what the downside is)

Thank you,
-Champ

HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
• Intel® Pentium® M processor 1.40GHz
• 512MB Shared DDR SDRAM (2 DIMM)
• 40GB Hard drive (4200 rpm)
• 15-inch TFT XGA display
• 24X DVD/CD-RW (MultiBay)
• Integrated Intel® PRO wireless 802.11b
• 3 Year worldwide limited warranty


HP Compaq Business Notebook nc6000
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
• Intel® Pentium® M processor 1.50GHz
• 512MB DDR SDRAM (2 DIMM)
• 40GB Hard drive
• 14.1-inch XGA display
• 32MB Video memory
• 24X DVD/CD-RW (MultiBay)
• Intel® Pro Wireless 2100 Network Connection (802.11b)
• 3 Year worldwide limited warranty

HP Compaq Business Notebook nx7010
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
• Intel® Pentium® M processor 1.50GHz
• 512MB DDR SDRAM (1 DIMM)
• 40GB Hard drive (4200 rpm)
• 15.4-inch WXGA display
• 24X DVD/CD-RW (fixed)
• Integrated Intel® Pro Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (802.11bg)
• 3 Year worldwide limited warranty

 

Champ,

There aren't that many differences between the Consumer (Pavillion/Presario) & Business (NX Series), but the main differences are in the Corporate (Evo/NC Series) models.

Eg. NX7000 Series (Business), Presario X1000 Series (Compaq Consumer) & Pavillion ZT3000 Series (HP Consumer) are generally all the same unit with cosmetic changes and some component differences, like CPU, RAM, Video, etc...

They also have a default 1 year warranty while the Corporate (NC Series) have 3 years.

The Consumer & Business line also has slightly lower features compared to the Corporate line (eg. Shared Video Memory rather than dedicated, video chipset is an ATI 9000/9100/9200, but the Corporate has an ATI 9600 Chipset which is faster and better, the hard drives are usually 4200rpm while the corp. is 5400rpm), but they usually give you more features to balance things out.
Technical Support is also an issue, I have experienced better support with the Business/Corporate line of computers compared to the Consumer line, the support staff seem to go the extra mile to help you resolve an issue (possibly because these units are usually used in companies rather than at home).

From the units that you listed, I would recommend getting the unit with the faster CPUs. With the Pentium-M CPU's I've read that you have to multiply it by 1.4 to equal similar processing power to a Pentium 4-M. You mentioned that you may play games as well, most games now require 64MB of Video Memory. Since these are all Pentium-M CPU's, you should be able to watch a whole DVD movie on a single charge. I don't know if porability will be an issue with you, but the NC6000 seems to be the lightest because of its 14.1" screen. The NX7010 is the heaviest.

From these units, I would say the NX7010 would be my choice, I had an NX7000 series here in Canada and I found it to be a very nice notebook. The 15.4" Wide Screen, DVD/CDRW Combo & 802.11b wireless. The only things that disappointed me about this unit was the 4200rpm HDD (should be a 5400rpm), no floppy drive & the power connector being on the side of the unit rather than the back. But generally, it was a great unit.

I hope my long winded message helps you make your decision.

-Vb-

 

Thank you for this great response.

I am looking now at the Presarion X1030 and the Pavillion zt3000 series. But my gut tells me that the biz side will be better.

If anyone has any other insight I would love to hear it.

-Champ

 

The business side just usually come with the 3yr warranty, and the home ones you have to add that in so they come out to about the same price, USUALLY. If that is the case then just go with which ever one you think looks better.

zx5000 :: 2.4M :: 512 DDR :: 40gb 4200 RPM HD :: 15.4" :: Radeon 9600 Mobilty M10 :: Aquamark3 21,862

 

Actually, the X1030 & ZT3000 series are technically the same unit with external cosmetic changes. I believe they use the same systemboard, but the CPU's are different.
As I indicated on my previous post, the "Buisness" series is not the same as the "Corporate" series as their default warranties are different, 1 year for the Buisness line (NX Models) and 3 years for the Corporate line (Evo & NC Models), at least that's what's offered in Canada.

Below is a list of similar units that fall into different product lines (Pavillion = Presario = Business):

ZT3000 = X1000 = NX7000
ZX5000 = R3000 = NX9110

These listed models share a similar platform and all offer only a default 1 year warranty. But the "Corporate" series (Evo N400/600/800/1000 & NC4000/6000/8000) is completely different than any of the other units, except for the NC6000 & NX5000 series, they share the same design, but the NX5000 (Business Series) only has a default warranty of 1 year.

I hope I didn't confuse you any further on the models. And of course Quikster is correct in saying that it may come down to which unit looks better.

-Vb-

 

If you want portability, get the nc 6000. I have one, and am very very happy with it! Get the 64mb VRAM version of the 9600 chipset if you intend to play games! the NC6000 fits perfectly in an airplane - a 15" screen will be a stretch here! Keyboard is very good - almost as good as my ibm standalone keyboard!

And i was surprised by the speed of the 5400rpm HD compared to my old IBM laptop...

If you want a larger screen instead of portability, id get the 7010...
M

 

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