PCA Forums

I'm looking to do some Multimedia work (home recording, photoshop, etc.) nothing TOO extreme but enough to get by. I would also like to do a fair amount of gaming on it. I know I should really look into a new desktop but I need a laptop because a lot of my work will be done at places other than my home. So onto the main point. My mom found this laptop brand new from HP she gets a deal on HP through work so how do you guys think this will perform? If you see something that I should upgrade please point it out and suggest something better.



Operating systems installed
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Processor type*
Intel® Pentium® 4 640
Processor features
3.2 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 800-MHz front side bus
Memory, std.
1024 MB
Video
Display type
17-inch color TFT WSXGA+ WVA BriteView Panel
Display resolution
Supports 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 768, 1280 x 1024, or 1600 x 1200 resolutions up to 100-Hz refresh rate (dependent upon monitor capability), and resolution and color depth settings. Up to 32-bit per pixel color depth.
video adapter card
ATI Mobility Radeon X600
Storage
CD drive type
DVD+/-RW
Hard drive, internal
80 GB (5400 rpm)
Audio and ports
Audio
AC Link audio; integrated speakers; microphone and headphone jacks; volume control
I/O (input/output) ports
4 USB 2.0, VGA, mic in, line out, 1394, power, RJ-11, RJ-45, S-video TV out, docking connector
Communications
Integrated 10/100/1000 gigabit NIC; 56K modem
Wireless
Integrated 802.11 b/g MiniPCI
Mouse / pointing device
Touchpad with right/left button and 4-way vertical scroll bar
Power
12-cell Lithium-Ion battery, 6.6Ah AC adapter, 180W
Keyboard
Full size keyboard with numeric pad
Software
Software / drivers & utilities
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1, Microsoft DirectX 9; Sun JavaTM VM, Norton Anti Virus 2004; HP Mobile Printing Driver for Microsoft Windows;Sonic RecordNow 7 - select models, Sonic DLA 4 - select models; Intervideo WinDVD 5 - select models; Intervideo WinDVD Creator 2 - select models
Manageability
Security management
HP ProtectTools, Kensington lock slot, Smart Card
Mobility
Weight
Less than 9.3 lb.
Dimensions (L x W x H)
11.14 x 15.67 x 1.99 in.
Warranty
Warranty
One-Year Limited Warranty; upgraded warranty and toll-free 7 x 24 hardware technical phone support available; Certain restrictions and exclusions apply

Looks good, depending on how much you are going to game, you might want to see if there's an upgrade on the video card. The X600 will run pretty good right now, but think about the future, it's a lot tougher to upgrade a laptop than a desktop, just my .02.



Welcome to PCA

Thanks for the welcome. I'm only looking to do some RPGs maybe some World of Warcraft, and the occasional RTS. The only thing I've heard from other sources is that the 80 gig HD may not be big enough.

i agree a 80 gig may be good for now. but down the road you can always get a external hd if space becomes a problem . or see if the offer a bigger hd at a good price !
also welcome to pca !

when looking for a laptop, look towards the stuff that will be difficult, non cost-efficient or impossible to upgrade. like CPU and video.

looks like a pretty solid system. if it were me looking and i wanted to keep the same price, i would consider downgrading the HDD in exchange for better video if possible. not that x600 is bad, but like nitro said, plan for the future.

HDD's and RAM are easy to upgrade if you find need for it in the future. you may also consider getting an external hard drive down the road.

the system looks solid, but a P4 3.2 in a lappie will be pretty hot...are there any alternatives from hp with the intel centrino? or an amd mobile?

guy brought a P4 3.0 to the computer place next door for more memory and they said it got very hot after about 20 mins...

Awesome setup, and welcome to PCA! There are laptops that are more user upgradable like Sager and the Dell XPS line of laptops. The have user replaceable GPU's and CPU albeit they have badbattery like they are more like desknotes but they offer 2nd & 3rd HD options as well as RAID options.

I like it.

Ithe one and only thing I get extended warranties on are laptops. Might be worth a though.

Greg

yes, agree with nexus, best to get the longest warranty possible on it. Because of the heat it will generate, things are likely to fail after the one-year mark, just make sure you avoid Best Buy for warranty servicing