zx5000 v/s zv5000t

Just checking www.shopping.hp.com I find out that there is a significant difference in price between this 2 models setting them up with P4 3.0 wH/T, 1X512 SDRAM, 60GB 4200 RPM, 12 Cell-Ion Battery, etc.
So, basically the only difference is the graphic card ATI Mobility Radeon: 64MB 9600 v/s 9000 IGP (shared 64MB). The price difference is 120 bucks.
If I get the zx5000, I would definitely add 50 bucks and get the 128MB card, so that would make a 170 bucks difference with the 9000 IGP.
So, the first question: Is this difference reflected in the graphic performance? (I know that the 128 MB one is much better, but how is the performance of the 9000 IGP?) For that money I can add another 512SDRAM and more.

I would also go for a 5400RPM hard drive...

Second question, is the brightview option worthy (50 bucks)?

And last... compared to the Compaq R3000, it's basically the same price for the same components. What do u think about the "cover" and speakers? Should I go for Compaq or hp?

Cheers,
Patox

 

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I love brightview on my zx5000. Can't imagine a laptop without it.
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Its not as much a necessity as FishCube makes it sound, they just really love their new laptop =)

Either screen is fine, again go to BestBuy and check em out!

HP ZX5000
Aquamark: 25,053
MR9600 @ 405core/295mem

 

The Radeon 9600 will play just about every game decently, the 9000 IGP will choke on just about every modern 3D game. Extreme difference. Even the old GeForce 440 Go in the zv5000z is superior to the 9000 IGP. (Check out the zv5000z, best CPU and no Intel marketing tax.)

Check the zt3000 series. Radeon 9200, low-end but still way better than shared memory video. Pentium-M CPU, which is the only Intel CPU I'd even consider. And it's thinner/lighter.

I prefer 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 res screens over the 1280x800 res BrightView's. If you only want the 1280 you might as well get BrightView. YMMV and all that.

Definitely get a 5400RPM HD. 4200RPM HDs are an abomination. (So's shared memory video...)

 

OK... I dont know the specs of the 9000IGP but if your doing any gaming above light 2d games (starcraft, etc...) you will definately want the 9600. Its well worth it. Definately get the 5400 RPM drive, the gain from 4200 to 5400 is significant, but the jump from 5400 to 7200 is not _as_ significant so 5400 should be fine. From what Ive heard the brightview is a nice option, I have no personal experience with it but Ive heard all good things. The regular LCD itself is a beauty so it can only get better =)

Compared to the R3000T, yes same things, ZX has a tad bit better speakers (H&K vs JBL). The front of the ZX slopes down and therefore is a lot easier on the wrists when typing. Id say go check them out at your local computer store and just try them for yourself.

HP ZX5000
Aquamark: 25,053
MR9600 @ 405core/295mem

 

I'd suggest you search under "brightview" as there are many of us that have commmented on it.

I love brightview on my zx5000. Can't imagine a laptop without it.



HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth

 

If you have a budget to go with right now, definitely go with the more robust GPU option, and leave the hard drive for another day. You can always replace the hard drive very easily at a future date, but the GPU you choose now is going to stay with your system until the day you sell it or chuck it. That way, you can spread your costs over a greater period of time.

Besides, I don't like the hard drives HP packages with their systems anyway. In my experience, they have a higher rate of failure than one you buy separately, getting exactly what you want in the process.

One more point. There is a place for 4200RPM drives-they conserve battery power and reduce heat, as well as being cheaper. If battery conservation is of paramount concern, and the system will be sitting on your lap for extended periods of time, then the 4200 option isn't all that bad.

Good luck.

 

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One more point. There is a place for 4200RPM drives-they conserve battery power and reduce heat, as well as being cheaper. If battery conservation is of paramount concern, and the system will be sitting on your lap for extended periods of time, then the 4200 option isn't all that bad.
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The difference in battery life is neglible, and its more then offseted by the performance gain. My harddrive stays a constant 31c... never had it rise and its never even warm to the touch.

HP ZX5000
Aquamark: 25,053
MR9600 @ 405core/295mem

 

Ahh..thx for explaining my post Gspark1. But, we do really like the brightview option, and its not just because we love our laptop. It's one of the main reasons WHY we do love it, that's for sure.

I do recommend it, if your even debating it....



HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth

 

Can you get a side by side shot of the Brightview against a regular LCD? I cant tell the difference from just the pictures of your Brightview by itself.

HP ZX5000
Aquamark: 25,053
MR9600 @ 405core/295mem

 

sorry I can't, but maybe someone could post pics of their regular lcd laptop, and we could display them. Should help some.

I know we compared a regular screen and brightview at Bestbuy before we bought our laptop. They were side by side, and we tried movies/pictures etc on each, and there was no comparison for us. I knew right away I wanted brightview. It was just so much brighter and clearer. The regular lcd looked hazy and you couldnt see as much definition.

I don't even notice any glaring, there is glare, but after you use the laptop even 24 hours, you don't notice it. Plus you can tilt the viewing angle of the screen and this elimates almost all glare and we have windows behind our laptop. The clarity/brightness outweighs the glare in all respects at least for us.



HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth

 

I updated our album with a new desktop image... our current one.

http://www.pbase.com/fishcube/zx5000

this was taken 5 min ago, while windows are behind me.

HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth

 

Im sorry, I guess this is just something we will never agree on. I dont see this haziness your talking about... my screen is super crisp and dvd's look stunning on it. Your photos look just like my screen. The resolutions are the same.

I agree with you that BrightView is a great option for those who want to spend the extra cash, however I just dont see why you make it out to be so big of a leap. "I cant imagine a laptop without BrightView". Is it so far fetched to think that 95% of the laptops out there have absolutely unusable screens?

Maybe im taking it too literally (I do that) but Im just not seeing how my screen is bad. It is by far the best screen I have ever used, and I go through lots of monitors and LCD's.

I think the difference between the two is going from Great, to Superb, not necessarily from Bad to Good as you make it sound. Kinda get what im saying?

Matt

HP ZX5000
Aquamark: 25,053
MR9600 @ 405core/295mem

 

It's my opinion, simple. don't take it personally.

I'm going by my experiences of using a laptop with brightview and also viewing both lcd's side by side.

Every post I've seen from those that have brightview, love it. That's gotta say something. I've also read that this option will become standard eventually.

I'm not saying that your laptop is inferior, just that I prefer the brightview.

HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth

 

Ummm.. in my opinion the regular lcd's are fuzzy/hazy. I'm going by the comparison between the two different lcds.

All my posts were talking about my experiences with brightview.

The orginal poster asked if the brightview is worth it and I told them about my experiences. sorry your taking everything so wrong.

I'm sorry you don't like my first reply regarding the brightview "I love brightview on my zx5000. Can't imagine a laptop without it."



HP zx5000 - P4 3.0HT, XP Home - 15.4" Brightview WXGA - 128mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 - 512MB SDRAM (1x512) - 60GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - DVD/CD-RW Drive - 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth