Laptop for home use.

[Chewy509]

Since my wife's PC is acting up, and following up on the other thread "Laptop for kids", I'm in the market for a new laptop to replace her desktop. (I get to inherit her 20" LCD, so I'll have dual 20" LCDs for my PC :bglaugh: ).

Primary use will be web, office, email, education games, and running some accounting/taxation software.

I'm looking at either a:
1. HP 4510s (Intel T6570 @ 2.1GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB 7200rpm drive, ATI HD4330 512MB gfx, DVD-RW, 2MP Webcam, Win7Pro, 1 yr wty)
2. HP 6730b (Intel P8600 @ 2.53GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB 7200rpm drive, Intel GMA gfx, DVD-RW, 0.3MP Webcam, Win7Pro, 1yr wty).
3. Lenovo SL500 (Intel P7570 @ 2.26GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB 5400rpm drive, nVidia N10M-GE1 256MB gfx, DVD-RW, 0.3MP Webcam, Win7Pro, 3yr wty).

While I've used the 6730b quite extensively, I have no experience with HP 4510S nor the Lenovo SL500? Has anyone had experience with either, or have other recommendations?

Budget is AU$1500.00 and XP Mode is not required, as I've confirmed all software runs fine on Win7, (or have alternates available).

PS. The HP 6730b is $250+ than the HP 4510s, which is mostly in the CPU cost and the possible expansion options which won't be used. The SL500 listed is $50 more than the HP 4510s. The only downside to the 6730b is the Intel GMA gfx.

 

[ddrueding]

I haven't used any of the machines listed, but I have reservations about Intel GMA and Aero. I'd actually take the 4510s even if the costs were equal.

 

[Stereodude]

I haven't used any of the machines listed, but I have reservations about Intel GMA and Aero. I'd actually take the 4510s even if the costs were equal.

FWIW, Aero works fine on my Acer Mini Notebook with GMA4500MHD under Windows 7 x64.

 

[Mercutio]

I see no reason to recommend HP over Lenovo. I think discrete graphics are a big waste in most notebooks. They're a source for waste heat, they drain batteries and they're another point of failure.

Aero works on 945. You get something called "Aero Basic" if you have a GPU that doesn't fully support DX9.

Finally, the Lenovo you're looking at has a standard 3-year warranty. In 3 years, you're going to care a lot more about the fact that someone will replace your notebook's mainboard with a bad USB port than you will about 400MHz of speed you can't even subjectively appreciate.

 

[Chewy509]

Thanks all, I order the HP 4510s with extended 3yr wty. (It came out cheaper than the Lenovo, even having to pay a little bit extra for the 3yr warranty).

It came down to, cost and I know HP warranty (and I work for a HP reseller so deal with their support services all the time).

 

[sechs]

It's knowing the system versus not needing it.

 

[Mercutio]

I'd like to see an HP do this.

 

[time]

Frankly, I would have paid extra for the Lenovo - their support just makes HP look like the scam artists they are.

As a reseller, you wouldn't experience the absolute crap that end users have to go through. For example, be thankful your laptop doesn't have faulty Nvidia graphics, because HP Australia was in full denial about that well-known issue.

Sorry, I don't have anything against the product and I'm sure you'll be happy, but I wouldn't want anyone else to be under any illusions about the company.

 

[Mercutio]

I haven't had to deal with HP's business support in years. HP Business Computer products in the USA actually cost more than Dell or Lenovo and based on my limited knowledge their support isn't as great, but I do know another IT guy who swears they're most bulletproof things out there.

Which at least makes me wonder if they've gotten better as far as that goes.

But at least in the USA, it makes me weep for joy to call Lenovo, hit 1, then 1 again, tell George in Atlanta the model and serial number of my Thinkpad and that I need a new CD-R/DVD drive and have him say "OK, you'll have that tomorrow morning" 30 seconds later.

No one else offers service like that.

 

[Chewy509]

Which at least makes me wonder if they've gotten better as far as that goes.

But at least in the USA, it makes me weep for joy to call Lenovo, hit 1, then 1 again, tell George in Atlanta the model and serial number of my Thinkpad and that I need a new CD-R/DVD drive and have him say "OK, you'll have that tomorrow morning" 30 seconds later.

No one else offers service like that.

I don't know what support is like in other countries, but this is my experience here in Australia.

HP support for the Compaq/HP consumer range products is, well, less to the desired - I will fully admit that. (I would never touch one of their general consumer products anyway).

HP support for the business range stuff, I found mimics what you just wrote about Lenovo, (except I get either Sydney during hours, or India after-hours). eg Dead HDD, run the test in the BIOS, give them the code that their test gives you, and one will be shipped same day. Again with their servers, even though they have next business day warranty, if I call in the morning, on occasion I've had a tech onsite same day doing the hardware replacement for me. (be it, HDD, RAM, mainboard, whatever).

HP is getting better... (but may not be up to the same standard as Lenovo, yet).