which is going to be better in the long run

2000z with
Turion X2 TL-52 1.60 ghz
Nividia 6150
1 gig DDR2 Ram
80 gig 5400 RPM HD
Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
A/B/G +Blue Tooth
6 cell battery
($977)

or
2000T with
Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2400 1.83ghz
128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
1 gig DDR2 Ram
80 gig 5400 RPM HD
Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
A/B/G +Blue Tooth
6 cell battery
($959)

Prices are pretty much the same so which one will be better to have for about 4-5 years (only reason I'm thinking of the Z is if 64 bit takes over will I be screwed with the T?)

 

The Core Duo offers better performance and battery life. Even if 64 bit somehow magically takes over the computer world, your laptop is gonna work.

 

ZaZ reply is accurate, but somewhat misleading.

The Core Duo does offer better performance and battery life, but I am not sure that the T2400 - mid range Core Duo is faster than the just released Turion X-2 TL-52. Probably not by much if it is.

If 64-bit takes over the computer world, the Core Duo will continue to work with today's applications.

Short answers -

2000z will be better for the future if you need to run 64-bit apps. I don't see that happenning for 2-3 years (or more) and you might be ready for a new lappy by then anyway.

2000t is probably better now, but probably not by much (haven't seen many X-2 benchmarks yet).

Merom is supposed to be a direct replacement for Core Duo, so you could swap out the processor on the 2000t in a few years to get 64-bit capability, but that is not confirmed yet.

 

I have the 2000z and have really enjoyed it. I plan on keeping this laptop for the foreseeable future, so I wanted something 'future-proof'. My battery life has been the same as the vast majority of 2000t users, 3 hours or so. I know benchmarks show the 64 x 2 being slower, but my laptop is very fast, quiet, and it stays cool. Just thought I would give my view, since most will own/support the intel version. ;]

 

One driving force will ge 64 bit dual core game engine upgrade. Not much game does the patch yet, but a few of then already have dual core patch. 64 bit should be expected even later.

1 GB DDR2 will not last long if you plan to use Vista 32 or 64.

 

True, but you should buy with 1G or even 512 from HP and then upgrade from www.newegg.com.

 

yeah I figure whenever I decide to install Vista (whenever my school has it for a discounted price) then Ill upgrade to 2 gigs of ram and possibly a larger hard drive if i can set it up to be used as a DVR.

Is it really possible to be able to swipe out a core duo for a core 2 duo in the future...I always assumed they would use different mother boards

 

HP has better deal for HD, but memory is really in high price.
Yeah, in running XP, even 512 MB is enough. Just get ready for 2 GB when ever you are trying to play vista.

swape cpu will avoid warrenty automatically. To be in your shoes, I will do that one year later if I have to.

 

Unknown, rumours are yes, but it would take a BIOS swap, so you have to be sure that HP releases it on the HP2000t, and it will void your warranty.

 

There is a chance that you'll get the BIOS update if you ask. Remember SledgeHammer, the guy who kindly disassembled his whole DV8000t to find his processor, and see if it was replaceable? He also managed to get a BIOS update by asking so he could use his Merom (he managed to get one).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=64193&highlight=DV8000t

Now, I'm not saying HP will do this for everyone, but it's worth a try.

 

How could you get that with such low price?

 

i get the student pricing?

 

How can I apply for the student pricing? I'm going to be the first year student.

 

Look for either APP or EPP on hp.shopping.com's page.