Help me choose-HP pavilion versus Dell vostro 1500

[e_kostask]

Hello everyone,

I am begging for your help on this matter.

I am in the market for a laptop that costs no more than $600ish dollars to use primarily as a media box. In other words I will connect it to my TV(s-video)and run an internet based TV program (that allows you to view satelite channels-subscription based). I am down to two options:
Option 1: HP Pavilion DV6426-US Widescreen 15.4 with the following specs:
Processor Brand:Intel Processor Class:Core Duo Processor Processor Number:T2450 Processor Speed:2.0 GHz Front Side Bus:533 MHz Mobile Technology:Centrino L2 Cache Size:2 MB Memory TypeDR2-SDRAM Installed Memory:1 GB Maximum Memory:2 GB Memory Slots Total:2 Memory Slots Available:0 Total Hard Drive Capacity:160 GB Drive Controllers:SATA-150 Rotational Speed:5400 RPM Optical Drives:LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-RW SuperMulti Drive:
Additional Drives:LightScribe DL DVD SuperMulti Sound Supportigital Audio (16-bit) Video Chipset Brand:Intel Video Chipset:Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 Total Available Graphics Memory (Vista):224 MB Resolution:1280 x 800 Screen Size:15.4 in Screen Type:Active Matrix LCD (TFT) Physical Aspect Ratio:16:10 (Widescreen) Port Connectors:

• 3 x Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
• 1 x Audio - Headphone-out with S/PDIF Digital Audio
• 1 x Audio - Stereo Headphone-out
• 1 x Audio - Microphone-in
• 1 x Video - VGA (15-pin)
• 1 x Video - TV-Out (S-Video)
• 1 x RJ-11 Modem
• 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet LAN
• 1 x Notebook Expansion Port 3
• 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire (4-pin)
• 1 x Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)

Card Slots:1 x Memory Stick
1 x Memory Stick PRO
1 x Secure Digital(SD)/MMC
1 x xD-Picture Card
1 x ExpressCard/34
1 x ExpressCard/54Network Support:Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) Wireless Protocol:802.11a
802.11b
802.11gModem Speed:56 Kbps Input Devices:Keyboard
Remote Control
TouchpadSecurity Features:Kensington Security Slot Number of Batteries:1 6 cell


My 2nd Option is a Dell Vostro 1500 with the following specs.
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)

Genuine Windows® XP Home

15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife™

1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM

120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive


8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability

128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS

Dell Exclusive MediaDirect™ Instant Play Software Application

Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card




Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera

High Definition Audio 2.0








My Accessories 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery


Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Windows XP™
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

The Vostro goes for $600 and the HP for $650.

Which one would you go with:

Thanks for your help.

Kostas

[Whir]

Which one looks cooler?

Honestly, for what you want to do, it probably won't matter which one you choose.

[e_kostask]

Thanks for replying Whir.

The HP looks cooler but I've never owned one. I always owned Dell's and I got scared by some of the comments people made about HP's support.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Kostas