I need to choose a laptop. Can someone help?
This one was suggested, so I expect this is the price range they’d like to stay in. Can maybe talk them into a little higher:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=333371&pfp=cat1
I’ve never seen this kind of processor before, but I don’t keep up with processors. What is this? AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz Processor
I need a high-resolution screen, too.
Thank you.
Hi Lambchop
An athlon 64 is AMD’s 64 bit processor.
It will likely run anything you need to use it for easily.
The laptop you indicate is a desktop replacement one. Given your specification the one problem it has is the screen is not high resolution, (1200 by 800) - you may be looking for 1400 by 1000 for a widescreen laptop. If they like this one you could plug it into an external monitor to give them the resolution they need.
David
Get a mac. My brother has a brand new mac laptop and loves it to pieces. It almost never crashes, doesn’t get viruses and generally is better than a PC. 
Unless the world has changed significantly since the last time I looked, Mac software is usually 2-4x more expensive than PC software. That’s what has always kept them in the minor leagues. That’s not to say that there isn’t some truly great software for the Mac, but its just too expensive for most people to justify the difference.
djm
Thank you. Can you translate this into American?
Who is AMD? Is an athlon better than a pentium? With centrino technology?
And how do I tell what the screen res is? How did you know what it was?
It’s for me. I don’t want to plug it into an external monitor. That’s why I don’t want a desktop. I already have a desktop and don’t have room for two of them.
What’s a desktop replacement?
He’s saying that the screen resolution may not be high enough. I don’t know if you’ve ever played in your desktop settings, but you’re able to change the “resolution” from 800x600 to 1024x768 to 1280x1024 and so on. What he’s saying is that the screen on that laptop only supports a relatively low resolution, which means that things are going to show up a little big on the screen, comparitively.
If you use your computer on an 800x600 setting, or even a 1024x768 setting, this laptop will probably be fine.
BTW, good eye, BigDavy. I don’t think I’d have paid attention to the resolution…
Hi Lambchop
AMD - Intel’s main competitor.
Desktop replacement - a laptop designed to replace a desktop pc - emphasis on power versus portabilty.
The screen resolution is given in the spec of the laptop.
The athlon 64 is more powerfull than a centrino processor - you would need to get a later model pentium 4 as the equivelant.
David
Ooooh, ok! I was thinking the athlon might be a no-name-brand or something.
Hmmm, well, then . . . resolution. I’ll have to check what I’m using here. We have flat screens at work and I hate them. They’re low res. I have to use a regular monitor there.
Hi Lamby!
I wouldn’t worry too much about getting an AMD or Intel CPU either one of them will do the job. Capability problems of the AMD are more or less something of the past and not issues as you are buying a new computer and not putting one together part by part.
The main issue is what you will use the computer for.
For portability you would have to optimize size, weight and battery life time at the cost of screen resolution, graphics, hard drive size and cpu speed. On the other hand if this computer is to replace your desktop then you should sacrifice size and weight for performance.
About the HP Pavilion zv6270:
My first priority of a new laptop would be the display as you will have to live with it for a long time. This concerns both the resolution of the LCD and the performance of the graphics card. For a new 15.4 “laptop with a good graphics card I would aim for a max resolution of 1680x1050. As others have pointed out a resolution of 1200 by 800 of the Pavilion zv6270 is surprisingly low. The graphic card (RADEON XPRESS 200M) is actually quite good for an integrated chipset and performs better in other models and brand names indicating that the LCD is the weak link in this case. As no higher resolutions are supported this will also be a problem when you connect your laptop to an external monitor.
One thing to remember with integrated graphic processors (IGP) is that they use the on board memory so out of the 1 Gb on this laptop you will have 872 Mb left to run your tasks, which will be more than adequate in most cases. Good thing with the 200 M chipset compared to other IGP’s is that the memory is dedicated meaning that the main cpu don’t need to compete with video card for memory access which will boost preformance. Good grafics alternatives would be the Radeon x300, x600 or x700 chipsets. If you plan to use it with an external monitor, projector etc, it is also good to have the posibility of different resolutions on the LCD display and video out.
In other aspects the laptop you were considering looks fine. I like the 1 GB of memory which is good and often needed with newer software or photo, video applications and the 100 Gb hard drive as they always tend to run out of free space. Nice bonus with the S-Video out if you want to hook it up to your TV.
Many discount models often come with 2x256Mb (512) of memory which means that you will have take them out and buy a new 1 Gb or 2x512 Mb to get sufficient amount of memory.
In short:
If this laptop is to replace your stationary computer at home get a better display or even look into a good one with a 17” LCD.
If you want something portable there are other options with half the weight and good 12-13” LCD’s.
If you plan to run Linux, you better check out the “Linux on Laptops” site before you decide what to get.
If you like HP and 15.4" LCD’s the “HP NX8220” is a brilliant choice in my opinion. You can get it with a 1.7-2.3 GHz cpu and to cut down costs I would rather decrease cpu speed than sacrifice the display.
/MarcusR
If you do end up getting an AMD 64, you may want to look into getting an external cooling pad or fan, they are fairly inexpensive. The AMD 64’s tend to run hotter, especially with intensive programs. I have a very similar laptop to the one you are looking at. I bought it last spring, and I love it. But, it does run hot, and the battery life is not so good. It’s a good thing I bought it as a desktop replacement and I rarely travel with it where I can’t plug it in. I use it for various graphic intensive games, as well as graphics programs for school, as I’m a graphic arts/photography major.
Alcona