Cautious about a "Consumer" grade laptop? Don't be.
Written: Sep 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great screen, ample processing power.
Cons: Could use 128M memory
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| cmullins70's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion N3270 (F1917A) PC Noteboo... |
When my wife recently began Law School, I knew that adding a laptop to the stable of computers in our home was inevitable. Less than a year earlier we had purchased an HP Desktop for the house and have been generally pleased with it, despite a few minor issues.
As a heavy laptop user myself, I am generally suspicious of the "Consumer" models you find at the electronics megastore. My primary work computer is a Toshiba Satellite (http://www.epinions.com/./cmhd-Notebooks-All-Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_4280_ZDVD), and is a flawless workhorse of a performer. My wife and I, however, didn't have an extra $4000 in the budget for her laptop, so we set out with a budget of $2000 or less.
Having been through a number of laptops in my career, I have learned a few caveats:
- Buy the best screen you can afford. You will thank yourself many times!
- The less "gadgets", the less likely your computer will die.
- If you travel/carry a lot, 7lbs is a lot!
With these things in mind, I nixed a few potential choices, including almost anything without an active matrix screen, and anything Compaq, as I had some bad experiences with them in the past. This left us comparing hard drive size, memory size, processor power, and screen size and quality. For our budget, that left us choosing between 2 HPs and a new Sony VAIO.
In comparing these finalists, all of the criteria were in the same ballpark, and my wife ultimately chose the higher-end of the two HPs to get the larger Active Matrix screen. Being of the frugal type, this took some encouragement on my part, but she continues to be glad she spent the extra amount to get the better screen. She could just have easily chosen the Sony, but the HP screen was a bit larger. We did break one of my rules - the HP has a nifty feature that lets you listen to CDs without having to boot up the computer, but so far it has not caused any problems. (and it even sounds pretty good!)
My wife has been very pleased with the performance, and has had only one "lock-up" in the last 2 months. (You Windows users out there know this is pretty good!) Speed is more than sufficient for her MS Office and Internet usage. It is a nice, compact package that goes to every class. (Along with the power supply - she typically gets 2-2.5 hours on the battery.)
For the money, a good buy. Maybe I'll even save a couple of thousand next time around and go with a "Consumer" model!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cmullins70
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Location: Houston, Texas
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 2 members
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