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-   -   The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/67390-laptop-thread-configs-deals-questions-158.html)

Dell is exceeding my expectations in delivery!! When I tracked the order, it was showing 26th as the expected delivery date.

Just now I got a call from courier that the lappy has arrived and I'll be getting it at 6:00 PM. Can't wait :)

Wow, thats absolute drool stuff. My old laptop seems so obsolete. You are getting with windows 7 right? Then do post the inbuilt Aero etc., benchmark scores.

Sure Tanveer.

Update: Just now got it delivered through Blue dart express. But damn!! I have a tele0-conference till 8!! Still waiting to unpack :)

Hey!
Done with the call? Waiting for the score for the discrete gfx.

I am not very very impressed by the 5470. As of now, it seems I'll have to settle for it.


What do you guys think about Acer with regards to reliability? I saw a 5740G with a HD5650... It was a 17" or a 16" atleast. It had an integrated num pad too.

Sorry folks, yesterday I reached home by 9 PM, and then I had to look after my daughter till 10:30. The much awaited unpacking ceremony got delayed.

Anyway, I could spend 1 hour with the new laptop after that. I must say that the initial impression I got, is just a wee bit below my expectations. The initial boot took a long time (Completion of Win7 setup) and the initial shutdown took about 3 minutes!

I will write about the laptop performance in detail later.

First impressions:

1) Display 1910 x 1080 WLED Full HD - is just great!
Viewing high resolution high quality images in this display takes your breath away.

2) Aero performance of Win7 - Found to be smooth and OK. The effect that you see when you close a window has a little jerk at times.
When I ran picture viewer, the buttons on the bottom didn't get drawn properly. This is something which I didn't quite like - be it the display card or Win7.

Add me to the list!

3) Booting process is not blazing fast. The desktop stays not so responsive for initial half a minute after booting. (I suspected the power settings, and shifted the power plan from Balanced to High Performance, and still it is the same) I couldn't find major differences here compared to my 1.5 years old Inspiron having Core 2 Duo, 4GB dual channel DDR2, running Vista.

So, as usual, I hope a service pack for Win7 will make it more fast.

4) Task manager shows 8 CPU graphs :D

Ran WEI tests today morning, here are the results.


Performance benchmarking using some software and games coming up :)

Hi. I am planning to buy a laptop for normal use (Internet, movies, basic office use of word / excel / ppt, Chat, Video chat etc)

I have shortlisted two choices and am confused between them. Would greatly apreciate advise.

1. COMPAQ CQ62 105TU

Specs:
Windows 7 Home Premium
15.6″ inch (1366×768 pixels) HP BrightView Widescreen Display
Intel Core i3-330M Processor (2.13GHz, 3MB L2 Cache)
Integrated Intel Graphics
3GB DDR3 RAM
320GB Hard Disk
DVD Writer with Double Layer Support
3 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 VGA, 1 RJ-11, 1 RJ-45, 1 Stereo headphone-out, 1 Microphone in
Altec Lansing stereo speakers
Webcam with Mic
Wireless LAN 802.11b/g
Bluetooth
Card Reader
6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
65 W AC Power Adapter
Weight: 2.6 kg
1 year Warranty
COST - Rs.36000

2. SONY VAIO VPCEB14EN/B1

Intel® Core™ i3-330M Processor 2.13 GHz
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Basic (64-bit)
• 15.5 (39.37 cm) wide (WXGA: 1366 x 768) VAIO Display
• Instant web browsing: Quick Web Access button
• Isolation keyboard with 19mm full key pitch and numeric keypad
Graphics Accelerator ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 Graphics
Dedicated Video Memory 512 MB DDR3 SDRAM
3GB DDR3 RAM
320GB Hard Disk
DVD±RW/±R DL/RAM Drive
Front Side Camera Effective pixels: 640 x 480
VGP-BPS22 Lithium-ion battery: 6 Cell
2.7 kg (including the supplied battery)
COST - Rs.39000

The compaq has got Windows 7 Home premium Vs Sony Vaio which is Home Basic 64 Bit. What is the difference? Is it possible for me to upgrade to Home Premium? If so, how?

Sony has got 512 MB dedicated video memory which Compaq doesnt

The speakers on the compaq are altec lansing. But they are really weak / feabile even at full volume with different players. Comparitively, the speakers on the Vaio were pretty good. This really bothers me.

I am assuming that both the laptops have got the same camera.

The sony did seem a bit sluggish when I tested its webcam application. Could this be a one off or would the above Sony Vaio config be slower than the above compaq confiq.

There. Have put out most of the data I have. Look forward to your views.

Rgds,

Victor

The issue would be two fold:

-the hp bloatware running in the back ground.

-the 1080 display sucking the performance out of the card.

Hi Victor,

Go with VAIO. It has better build quality than Compaq and feels nice as well. On Windows 7 Basic, yes you can anytime upgrade to Windows 7 HP if you have a valid license. HP has Aero, Media center which HB doesn't have. Its again question of using it in your daily routine. Also, I3 processors come with inbuilt graphics in the core. So, they dont need extra graphics card.

Thanks for your revert. Whats a valid licence (dumb question but honestly I dont know. Am picking the system from Croma and therefore, it would have a original software of HB). The guy at croma told me to go to the microsoft website wherein I can pay the differencial (1000 rs odd) and upgrade to the HP. Is this true? How does one go about it?

Whats the actual process of upgrading it on the laptop?

Also, any idea basis the above configs, why the Vaio appeared a bit sluggish?

HP software? It's a Dell, or am I not getting something? The only 'Dell' thing running in the background is support center, which I will get rid of soon.

1080 is the height, it is 1900x1080 - 2 million pixels !! But the video card has 1GB dedicated memory anyway right?

My Inspiron has 1440x900 display and the graphics is integrated in mother borad - still it is able to behave decently. So I guess the ATI card should be able to take the load so that display doesn't become a bottleneck.

@Victor - for basic uses mentioned by you, both the choices look pretty much overkill unless you have something else in mind.

I'm also looking for a laptop for similar purpose. I've been told that intel dual core or core2duo are more than sufficient for these purposes. Also, I'm restricting the budget to around 24-28 k.

Any suggestions for models in this range? I'm not hung-up on any specific brand.

Thanks.

I hear bad things about the 5470. Is it the GDDR3 or the GDDR2?

I had written to Dell about the same. Still waiting for a reply.

Your review has just completely put me off. :(

The 1080p display has got nothing to do with sucking power. IIRC Aero effects can be disabled. Try that and see if things improve.

See if there is a BIOS update available.

I had a query, can you ask for the Windows 7 disk without paying extra?

@Funda2Max

I did not know that the i3 had some special inbuilt GPU. I always assumed that it is the Intel on-board systems (4500 etc) doing the job.

They are pretty bad performers.

@Victor

I would suggest the Sony. Exclusivity and a slightly better profile.

If the Compaq comes with the 32 bit OS, 4GBs will anyways be unusable. And then, you can always upgrade RAM. Do check if the Viao has a 1x2GB + 1x1GB or a 1x3 GB card config.


@Clever

Hows the heat dissipation?


Any reviews for the 3700?

I would recommend to Reinstall OS completely from scratch and remove hidden partition to free up some space. Dell comes with lot of craps which might be running as daemons. Also, make sure you have the latest patches for BIOS, Video Card, Chipset from Dell site.


According to Microsoft India store, Windows HB to HP upgrade costs Rs2,175. Its again if you really need to use Aero and Multimedia center in HP, then worth spending it. Otherwise, its a waste of money. I checked both Compaq and Sony VAIO at Staples, BG road; Sony impressed me due to rugged build quality.

It is DDR3 in my case.

Well, may be it is the initial sequence of events that led me to write in that much negative tone, it was not very bad when I think about it now :)

Disabling aero has not much impact on the performance. In fact there is no noticeable difference.

I didn't see a Win7 DVD in the pack, but need to check thoroughly.

Pretty good I'd say. Way better than my older Inspiron 1525. The new laptop doesn't get heated that much.

well I checked the processes, there are no 'daemons' running as you say :) There is a support center, which is not a resource hogger by any chance. In fact, CPU does a cool 2 to 3 % work most of the idle time. I still need to install some processor intensive software like CS4 and check out the performance. Will also try cooking up 4 or 5 RAW files in Photomatix.

Also wanted to mention that the system is pretty fast and responsive after it boots up and gets a breathing time.

Hi. AS per their site, the detail is as below

Main Memory


Pre-installed/Max3 GB DDR3 SDRAM *2 (upgradeable up to 8 GB*3)SO-DIMM slots2 SO-DIMM slots (The pre-installed memory module uses two)


Does it matter whether its 1x3GB or 1x2GB+1x1GB?