[JB4PC]

Hello!


I am a new member, so please forgive me if someone asked this awhile back.


I have been working on a 5 year old Dell Latitude laptop since it was new. Everything has been fine until two days ago when it was suddenly infected with viruses. I took it to Geek Squad, where I was told it would cost $299 to "de-bug" it. For that cost, I figured I should upgrade to a new laptop immediately.


I am not a gamer, but I appreciate speed and storage. Most of my work is on Word, PowerPoint, and to a lesser extent, Excel. I like to have a lot of programs running and minimized at the bottom. (This will be my first time using Vista... I hope it's better than what I've heard! I have XP on my Dell).


Geek Squad said I could spend $700 on a new PC, but I quickly found that I'd be happier with a roughly $1,000 laptop. I've narrowed it down to two very similar laptops, the HP Pavillion dv6875se OR the SONY VAIO FZ490EAB or the FZ430E and I've meet people who strongly prefer one brand over the other. Both have 3GB memory and a 1.83GHz processing speed. HP has 320 GB vs. 250 GB hard drive. HP also has a separate graphics card. Could you please give me your insights and pros/cons about these brands. If you feel strongly about any others, please let me know. I need this computer for work asap, and plan to buy one this week.


Also, what are your feelings about $1,000-$1,200 laptops vs. $700-$800 laptops? For a user such as myself, is it worth the extra money?


I am barely getting my ill Dell to function and it is very hot as I type!


Thanks!


JB4PC

[snorg]

For performance and reliability i always recommend the Toshiba Satellite series of laptops.

[rgreen4]

First I will state out front that I am a happy HP user. I have two laptops, a 4 year old HP zv5330us that I bought at Best Buy when I didn't know any better. It is still plugging along with XP (it has an integrated video card that Vista will only support in 640x480 mode) and refuses to die. Last September I ordered directly from HP a dv9500t CTO (custom to order) and absolutely love. I use it in the living room to work while watching TV. The older one travels when needed.

I am also a Vista user having it on two desktops as well as the laptop.

One of the things that gives the edge, in my viewpoint to the HP is the fact that there is much more information available on the HP website for you to peruse and solve problems than on the Sony website. HP is not the largest computer manufacturer by accident.

One thing I heartily recommend is that you go on the HP website and spec out your laptop, chosing exactly what features you want and then order it directly from HP. I usually call, even though you don't have to. It will not cost you more, and may keep you from the "if only I had added ...." afterwards. After you order, they will ship it directly to you home. I haven't looked to see what the timeframe is, but I had mine in about 9 days. (7 days to build it and 2 days FEDEX from Singapore). Which ever way you go, I would go with the 4GB memory option, as 3GB is 1 2GB module and 1 1GB module, and memory works best with dual channel if its balanced. 3GB will work, but 4 works better, even though the 32bit version of Windows only recognized 3.25GB. BTW my laptop performs nicely with 2GB, which is an option if you custom order.

However, you can save more money by working on your Dell. I don't know what virus you have gotten, but if you would post another question about that on this community there are many who can give you advice on "debugging" your Dell for free. Our advice is cheap but worth every non-penny. We also use several free anti-malware programs, I use Avast! anti-virus and Superantispyware anti-spyware.

[Tech4me]

[~157894] . Between the three...FZ490AB has newest Processor (T8300 Intel Core 2 Duo)...

I 've been using Fz for over a year...so far so good.....I like it.

If your FZ490AB come with these......: Then Its the best in three..

[dau59]

i totally agree. HP has the best costomer service.

[Tech4me]

[~158070] .

dau59 said:

i totally agree. HP has the best costomer service.

Well...Depends on who you ask...For me , I had really hard time to get my laptop repaired ( Still in warranty).

I like my HP laptop....(Don't get me wrong).HP...SVC was the only reason I bought Sony .

[Flashorn]

Hey JB!!



Welcome to PCWorld Community!



I will only say that I too have a HP well two but, one is a Compac , three years old and still going.



The current one is a dv9834ca which is a Canadian version.



It came with roughly the same specs as the HP you describe.



I have been using it for about three weeks now with Vista Home Premium.



Nothing but praise so far . It's fast and has beautiful graphics and LOTS of space.



I also have lots of apps. opened at the same time with no noticeable slowdowns.



The only difference so far is that with Vista you will have to get used to things not being in the same



place as you are accustomed to.



I always recommend either HP or Toshiba for reliability and performance.



People have told us that Sony's after sales are not the best.



You could also order your notebook from HP with XP Pro pre-installed

as rgreen suggested.



If you are interested in cleaning out your Dell, as rgreen mentioned



you could start a new discusion and with a little of your time



we could try and save that notebook.





FLASHORN.

[riko]

just wanted to reply since i just bought the HP. I love everything about it except one thing: the keyboard runs hot. so for me doing a lot of data entry, this is a real nuisance. if you want to take advantage of the multi media features, it's great, a lot of bang for the buck. The model on display also seemed to run hot also which I just noticed upon going back to the store. Another model they had, slightly different than this, did not seem to have the same heat output, so i'm not sure on what the cause is. The heat is primarily over the track pad and the left side of the track pad. i'm trying to decide whether to return it or just get a wireless keyboard for extended work.

[Flashorn]

Hey riko!!


Welcome to PCWorld Community!





Well, the heat you are referring to comes from the Core2Duo. Like I said I too have one with practically


the same specs but, in a 17 inch configuration and it too runs hot but, not excessive. There is also the fact that


you have a dedicated Video Card with 256 megs of ram ( memory ) which will also generate some heat plus


3 GiGs of ram, also heat coming from them. All of this in a small amount od space. The heat has to go somewhere.


To solve this inconvenience, I bought a "Cooler Pad" for notebooks:



This will also give you a slight angle which I think is better


for typing . Since then , my notebook stays nice and cooler.





TigerDirect has them on sale right now. Just click on the blue link below.

Cooler Pads from TigerDiect .







I hope this will you decide which course of action to take.











FLASHORN.

[piyushsingh]

hey flashorn
I never knew that any such thing exists. So its called "cooler pad". Nice. :)

[rgreen4]

Hey Riko - all laptops get very warm and if you try to use them on your lap, can get very hot. I cannot speak to other laptops, but all the Compaq and HP laptops I have seen in the last 5 years have their air inlet on the bottom of the case and exaust out the side or back or both. Yes the area to the left of the trackpad does get warm and I believe that is where the video chip is located as the memory is under the keyboard. The other hot spot is the bottom near the inlet at the rear and on the right side, where I believe the CPU is located. This is also a primary inlet area and if blocked gets hot enough that your leg will beg for mercy if there is no pad in use.

I have not used a cooler pad as some have because the cooler pad draws air in from under the laptop and exhausts out the back while the laptop also draws air in from underneath and exhausts out the back. I use an old cutting board that is large enough to hold the laptop while ensuring that the ventilation system of the laptop will not be blocked by legs or clothing. For the same reason, do not use it flad on a bed as the bedding will definitely block the inlets.

I have a friend who went to a hardware store and bought a small piece of Masonite which is a pressed board about 1/8" thick and very durable and inexpensive. He trimmed it down to where it covered the bottom of the laptop, plus a little bit extra for a mouse surface (we both hate trackpads), about 24" wide and 15-16" front to back.

[riko]

Thanks, very kind of you to reply. I contacted hp online support, on line chat, and she quickly had me reinstall the power management driver, then update the bios. we'll see but i think it's still getting warm. i did get the Belkin coolling pad, which has a noisy fan in it.

[riko]

thanks. i use mine on the desk, but your suggestion makes me think i could cut out a little cover on the area where palms rest, to so it's not so hot when i type, or just get a wireless keyboard.

[rgreen4]

Warm is not bad, Hot is bad. All laptops are going to be warm, some noticeably so, depending on how much use you have recently done. It may be very warm, but if you take a few minutes break to got get a sandwich or something, by the time you get back the screen saver has kicked in, the fans havd cycled down and it's cool again. Remember that although the processors are "de-tuned" to some exent compared to desktops, they still generate a lot of heat. Desktops get rid of this heat with multiple large case fans and a CPU cooling fin and fan assembly, none of which is a laptop permitted. Yes they do have some cooling fins and small fans, but cannot even dream of moving the air that a desktop does.

If your hand is uncomfortable on the top, that is still ok, but if you hand is so hot that it is painful, that may be a matter for concern. Before I went to the board, at times my let would get very uncomfortable which was a signal to move my leg and unblock the air inlet. Also, if it gets too hot for itself, it will shut down.

Wireless keyboard and mouse combination might work out well as they would be more conventional than the sometimes wierd layout that laptops have to compromise to in order to get everything on the keyboard.

[riko]

right, for extended periods typing, it gets HOT to my hands. not sure if other laptops are like this.on a desktop, one never has this problem.

[Flashorn]

Hey riko!!



If the notebook cooler pad you bought makes noise, Return it.

They should not make that much noise. You should also be able to

adjust the fan's speed.

I don't know how much you paid for yours but, this is the one that I

recently purchased and has all of the options that a good

cooler Should have.



The one I purchased ; Zalman ZM-NC2000 Notebook Cooler .

The Review by Techpowerup.com .



If this one is too expensive for you then try the Zalman ZM-NC1000.



Here you will find both products , with description from Zalman.



Zalman ZM-NC2000 .



Zalman ZM-NC1000 .



Since buying my new notebook , I too asked if this was natural for a notebook to heat up

this way. My other one is a Compac with a Athlon 2.2 Gig proc. single core and never

heated up like this one.

On the other hand , we now have 2 cores to deal with . So , more heat but, still

manageble.

Since using the Zalman cooler , my notebook is now about the as the Compac.



If you would like to keep an eye on the temp. Try this little app. for notebooks. It will,

among other things, tell you the temperature of both your Hard Drive and cores and warn you if and when

they get to hot. This application has a 21 day trial after which you will have to Wait 6 seconds for it

to start but, will stay on as a free application.

STV Software SensorsView Pro .



I hope this info. will help you .





FLASHORN.

[riko]

wow, thanks, all good info. The fan makes noise like any fan....it's just, no variable speed. for 30 bucks, not too bad. still there is a fair amount of heat on the keyboard area, very noticable with lots of typing. for a pc that is just for watching videos, and doing multi media, probably not an issue, but not fun for a working laptop.

i downloaded the sensor, currently varies from 60 to 70 degrees. now at 63. not sure what to make of this. when it hit 70 it gave me warning, then when back down.

[mphenterprises]

Hi Riko and welcome to the PCWorld Communities. :D




For future reference, it is always best to open your own Discussion and allow as many of our members an opportunity to review your problem. Latching onto an active Discussion could potentially either take focus away from the current issue or leave your concern on the back burner. Since it appears that the original poster has not returned back to this Discussion it is okay but please keep this in mind for any future postings.

[riko]

I also downloaded CPUID, which has monitors temp of the cores. wondering why they appear lower than Sensor Views.



http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

[riko]

ok, thanks.