Any opinions on this laptop?

[sylvar]

The specs look good enough to me, but I don't know anything about modern CPUs.

http://bfads.net/HP-154-Pavilion-Laptop-w-AMD-Athlon-64-X2-DualCore-at-Circuit-City

$549.99 AFTER $150 MIR
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TK-53, 2GB memory, 160GB hard drive, wireless b/g, DVDRW, Webcam, Vista Home Premium.

What do you think, sirs?

Comments

[ximinez]

In your position, I would try to find something that came with XP instead of Vista, but otherwise, that seems perfectly sufficient. I'm not a big fan of rebates either. Maybe not the best price, but I have no idea what a good price is these days.

Do you have any info from your employer about what specs they'd need for the job?

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

This is a great deal and very much the kind of system that I am looking for myself. The AMD/HP & 2 gigs of RAM are the real keys.

...However, I am not buying anything from Circuit City, They laid off their most experienced employees in a cost cutting measure, as they were also the most highly paid. In other words, Great job! - You're fired. I know that loyalty counts for nothing these days, but that was a bit over the top for me. Also, it guarantees the stores are filled with morons as they have gotten rid of anyone consistently deserving of a raise.

[cadrys.livejournal.com]

Oh, and to actually answer the question about the CPU...it's not cutting-edge anymore, but it's plenty zoomy for what you intend. That's a nice price for something you don't have to build yourself. :)

[ratcliffe1963.livejournal.com]

You can always go to one of the vendors (Dell, HP etc) online, and have them ship to you. Then you know its not an open box and dont have to deal with any of the other evilness of places like Circuit City.

This also allows you to configure exactly to your liking, though that may slow the order down :)

[fizzgig-bites.livejournal.com]

I'm not a sir but I would think this computer is pretty good for you. I would try to get XP and make sure the hardware has drivers for XP and not just Vista.

I'm constantly VNC/VPNing in and my laptop is several years old. The net is still the slowest point and nothing I can do about that. I would see what programs you can use locally to speed yourself up and make sure they can run on the laptop. You didn't list how many USB ports but I would make sure to have two and some hubs. I have three with a 4 port hub on one and still switching stuff out. Laptop keyboards suck and track pads are not far behind. Ed has a lot of trouble because of his size and you are close. Plan on buying a keyboard and mouse (wireless optical) at least.

[zanna-voodoo.livejournal.com]

My laptop is very similar -- an AMD dual core chip, mine is the TL-56 (slightly lower power consumption, slightly faster processor speed), and it's a Toshiba. I don't love HP products, but that is a good processor and good price, and I would go for it.

Don't count on downgrading to XP, tho, because on a new machine like this you won't find enough drivers for it. G just bought a new laptop and has been fighting the drivers battle for two weeks. If you can live with Vista, just keep it for now. It hasn't bothered me all that much.

As for memory, the 2 GB will serve. But upgrading memory is not very difficult or terribly expensive with laptops anymore. It used to be a major pain, but it isn't now. They are now standard laptop memory sticks and most cases have easy access. It's easier than popping into a desktop these days. I upgraded the memory for my laptop when I bought it and it was a total breeze.

Welcome to the AMD world, my friend! >:) You'll be overclocking in no time!


Please not Circuit City though! This model is available practically everywhere. And after CC did that mass firing of their hourly employees a few months ago, so they could hire cheaper people instead... I encourage a more worker-friendly vendor. :(

[nunnehi.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised that no one has asked what sort of video card is built into this. Considering that the print ad makes absolutely no mention of it, I'm guessing it's the usual integrated graphics special. As, unlike the RAM, a laptop graphics card usually is impossible to upgrade after the fact, it bears some consideration, however brief. On the other hand, if you are positive you will never want to play a 3D game on this machine, then no worries... the deal you've found looks pretty solid.