zv5000z vs zx5000

i've priced out very similarly equiped hps. 1) zv5000z with a 3400+ 2.2 ghz and nvidia 4 440 2) zx5000 with P4 3.2 ghz w/HT and radeon 9600

i have a couple questions about these 2 options.

1) is there a quantifiable way to compare the 2 chips? how much faster is the 3400+ than the p4?

2) when is having 64 bit technology going to start to be beneficial? what kind of software will it benefit most?

3) i'm assuming the radeon 9600 does NOT have a similar flash card, SD, smartmedia, etc reader. please let me know if i'm wrong.

i am a photographer and will use photoshop extensively. if the 64 bit will help at all in the future, that is good to know. the card reader would be VERY convenient for my digitial photos. and finally, the video card is kinda important to me. i am not a gamer, but i will definitely start playing games now. however, i'd consider losing some gaming power if the 64bit technology is a real advantage, the 3400 chip is significantly faster, and if the 9600 does NOT include a card reader.

thanks for all your help. this site has been an amazing resource for me.

 

The 3400+ is faster, by how much depends on what you want to do. 64-bit is useful now if you run Linux and the end of the year for WinXP. If Adobe has any brains whatsoever they'll have a 64-bit port of Photoshop out shortly after 64-bit WinXP ships and you'll see a very noticible performence boost. For getting work done the zv5000z is the better choice and much more future-proof, but for games...

The gap between the GeForce 440 and the Radeon 9600 is huge. If you want to play modern 3D games, you'll be stuck at 800x600 res, low detail with the 440. Maddeningly stupid choice on HP's behalf. Nearly every other Athlon 64 notebook has at least a Radeon 9600, many with 128MB Radeon 9700's. Just not from HP.

 

argghh. tough decision.

so does the 9600 have a card reader?

additionally, how many games will require the 9600 to play at an "acceptable" size/quality? are most games being built for similar standards?

 

All first person shooters coming out now and in the future will probably not work well with the nivida 440 and some will not work at all. The 440 might play a few less demanding games now but the chips is definietly at the end of its life, its really dead...

Compaq R3000T (CTO)
P4 Desktop 3.0GHz w/HT
1 X 512MB RAM
Radeon 9600 128MB
15.4 wide screen
WXGA (1280 X 800)
CD-RW,DVD+RW
60GB 5,400 RPM HD
Wireless b/g
Windows XP Home
12 Cell Battery
No mods/overclocking
AquaMark: 19,796
PCMark04: 3955
3DMark03: 2508

 

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

 

You GOTTA get the zx5000 with 128MB MR9600! It does have the card reader - I saw the zx5000 wtih MR9600 at BestBuy about a week ago. If you want to play any current/upcoming games at all, get the MR9600[^]. The AMD64 3400+ is a little faster than the P4 3.2HT, but with that 440 card, games will run 3-4 times slower [xx(] than on 128MB MR9600. For other apps - you wouldn't really notice the difference between the AMD and P4 unless you're running 3-5 intense apps (photoshop, CD/DVD burning, rendering, etc) at the same time. And if you have the $$ and plan to use this notebook for more than 2 years, get the P4 3.4GHz HT.
Hope that helps.[ ]

 

the AMD is better and is faster but in windows you will probably never notice anything. In games the AMD is better but the Geforce 440 is just to slow for it! So in 3D gaming the Pentium chip set will easly win with the radeon 9600 128MB on its side, those 2 can't even be compared they are so far apart. If your really worried about the CPU speed go for the P4 3.4GHz w/HT it will perform very very close to the AMD. As for 64 bit computing it is the future, but when it will take hold I'm not sure. Personally I don't believe it will be that important for at least another year from now, even with XP 64 is out, it will need lots of software and drivers to run and so far there isn't much there for it to use. If you think you will get another notebook in 3 years like I will I think your safe with the old x86 proccsors, if you really want to keep it longer the Geforce will just hurt you more and more over time and you might need to consider something like the Acer Ferrai 3200

Compaq R3000T (CTO)
P4 Desktop 3.0GHz w/HT
1 X 512MB RAM
Radeon 9600 128MB
60GB 5,400 RPM HD
No mods/overclocking: GPU: 310MHz, Memory: 190MHz
AquaMark: 19,796
PCMark04: 3955
3DMark03: 2508
Over clocked GPU: 378MHz, Memory: 256.5
Aquamark3: 24,257

 

I would consider another Athlon 64 solution, such as the Acer Ferrari 3200, eMachines M6811, or a Sager NP4750. The Sager is the beast of this group, and the price reflects this. It is one of the only Athlon 64 notebooks that comes with a 17" screen, though.

Each of these machines features an ATI MR solution, and the Acer and Sager feature 9700 w/ 128MB dedicated VRAM chips. The ATI MR 9600 w/ 64MB VRAM featured in the eMachines M6811 is no slouch, either, and the price is right for most consumers.

Click on these sites for more information:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/notebooks/product2.cfm?ProductType=4750&SubType=V
http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/fr3200.htm
http://www.emachines.com/support/support_info.html?prodName=M6811

If price is the most important thing, then the eMachines is a better choice for your computing needs than the HP...the Go440 is an archaic and unnecessary choice for HP to have made.[ !] If you want the maximum power, and price is no object, go with the Sager. If you want the most mobile and cool-looking Athlon 64 notebook, go with the Acer.

Good luck!

 

sounds like i'll be getting the zx5000. it's good to know that it has the card reader too. that will be helpful.

 

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