Hel80 Vs Hgl30

Hey guys,

I'm torn between between 14 and 15.4 size screens and need some expert help deciding. When I first started looking, I wanted a 'thin and light' style notebook but the 14 inch @ 6lb base(before i add some extras) it's not exactly light. Now the 15.4 is only 1/2 LB more in weight with the same stats and price(at agearnotebooks)!!

Please help me decide,......... meanwhile here are some stats of what I want.

Intel core2 Duo 2.0Ghz @ 4mb cache
Artic Silver thermal paste
2GB ddr2
comes with 256 Nvidia
DVD burner
60Gb 5400rpm
all come at $1540.00
Well these are the highlights and the rest is pretty basic and unchanged.

The one other concern that I have is, if you look at the photo gallery of the 15.4 one:
http://store.agearnotebooks.com/compalhel80.html There is a pic from the back that shows a little stand with the antena.

Is that the WIFI/wireless networking?

If so it's pretty troublesome if you have to cary around an antena just to go online.

Thanks.

 

It's actually a 1 pound difference between the two when equipped similarly. If you're not going to go to the uplevel screen on the HEL80, and don't need the on-board Firewire then there probably isn't much reason to get the HEL80 over the HGL30 unless you really want a 15 inch screen.

 

The thing is, i'm realy not sure what I want. This is my first notebook so no matter what I get, I will have an easy time getting used to it. I have a 19 inch screen on my desktop(wich is pretty nice) and I may connect to the notebook sometimes too lol.

The firewire is someting I forgot about. I need it to conect to my camcorder. Sux that HGL30 doesn't have it though.

So unless something else comes up, I will have to go for hel80.

 

If you want to video edit, I'd go with the Hel80 simply because it offers a higher resolution matte screen. The missing firewire on the hgl30 can be fixed with a 20 dollar firewire pcmcia card however. I would also consider the 7200 rpm drive, even though 5400 should be alright. The reason is to further safe gaurd against possible lost frames when rendering. Just a thought

 

I think I will go with the Hel80 then, and thanks for the tip with the HD. Maybe I'll just get one separately to make sure it has 8mb cache, dont know yet.

How about the wireless card? Does it realy stick out like in that picture? I don't know anything about wireless networking yet, but if I have to cary around a stand-alone antena like i'm from the 70's......... that just wont do lol.

 

The hel80 has an internal mini-pc port on the Motherboard.. It's found under a the middle bottom panel i think..next to the ram. Cards range from 20 to 40 dollars and are easy enough to install (they will be completly internal and do not stick out in any way). You can also get a usb wireless dongle, or pcmcia wireless card.. but there's no need to do that unless you need something that an internal solution can't offer, like a high gain antenna, or CanTenna. =)

The thing you see sticking out, if it's on the left side of the computer is because it's probably shown with the OPTIONAL tv tuner.. there is an analog antenna connection present if you add it into the configuration. Not to be confused with WIFI.

 

Yes, the picture you are referring to shows the TV tuner's antennae. The WiFi is completely internal.

The weight difference is actually 1 lb. Dimension-wise, there is not a big difference between the two systems on paper. But for everyday portability, a 14.1" system will be easier to take around all the time.

It comes down to screen resolution as mentioned. If you're going with WXGA, I personally would go with a smaller screen. If you want WSXGA+, the HEL80 has a nice one.

I will also recommend you upgrade the HD to a 7200 RPM one...especially for video editing. Faster boot/load/seek times with the added speed.

 

the 15.4 inch wsxga matte screen on the hel 80 is absolutely beautiful, alot of programs run on the 1680x1050 wide res too!! also it should have a wireless intel 3945 abg card in it when you buy it.

 

I just have to say this post is nothing but lies... just have your new compal shipped directly to me to save yourself the trouble...

 

lol u wish

oh yea forgot to mention i run wow at 1680x1050 with all graphics maxed out and im getting 65fps

 

Not that WoW is very graphically demanding anyway...but i thought 60 FPS is the limiter on most games.

 

nope, 65 fps steady

it gets pretty taxing in the middle of a 40 man instance battle

 

The only time 60 would limit you is if you have vertical sync enabled. That locks your FPS to no greater then your refresh of your display. Most LCD's are 60, so they frame limit at 60fps.