Need help choosing between Sony and HP

Bryan311 · September 23rd, 2003, 05:26 PM

I'm hoping to get some advice on buying my first laptop. I'm looking to get a laptop that will be used for home/school use and some light gaming. I'm looking to spend around $2000 at the most but I can be flexible.

So far I have somewhat narrowed my choices down to two makers...Sony and HP. I have heard a few bad things about HP but the value seems to be there. I like what I will get for my money. On the other hand, the Sony laptops look great but are expensive. I like the Sony brand and already have a Sony camcorder and digital camera and the quality has been great so far.

The specs I am looking to get (at least) are as follows:

P4 2.4 (or faster)
512 MB ram
60GB HD (preferrably 5400 rpm)
15" LCD
I would like the video to not be integrated and at least have 64mb of stand alone memory
Integrated wireless (802.11b or g)

If anybody has any suggestions as to what I should go with I would appreciate your help. I will consider other brands but Sony and HP are the ones I like so far.

Thanks in advance.

enekomeg · September 24th, 2003, 04:25 AM

Definately Sony or IBM.

Sony have many nice features, and good stetics, IBM are very robust, and very good performers. I am not an expert on Sony laptops, but I could recomend an IBM, get the T40 series, simply the best laptop arround. Don't forget to get the centrino processor, for high power and very low battery comsuntion.

For the video memory, sorry, the only option to have a dedicated video card, would be to put the laptop on a docking station with a PCI slot (some docking stations have this option), and install a PCI video card. Belive me, when I say that it is not the same than a AGP, but it is your best chance.

I hope this helps.

Dj-Icer · September 24th, 2003, 05:03 AM

Here's a link to judge:
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/hard17.htm

It wise u go for testing the laptop till u get the feeling of it. Expensive laptops dont usually give high performance or satisfy your mood. If I were you, I go for Sony but for printers, HP's. Me, I have a Toshiba, a bit like your specs but a little faster and wider with 17" LCD.

p/s: one thing about laptop, is that u can't upgrade it and the cost of repairing is expensive

Big Calhoun · September 26th, 2003, 11:31 AM

I agree with DJ Icer. If you can toy around with these laptops at a BestBuy or Compusa, that will help you make your decision. Features aside, you would want to look at the screen quality, get a feeling for the keys, make sure all the I/O ports are where you want them, etc.

Quality wise...Sony and HP are very good machines. My company uses HP laptops as the standard and everyone is happy with them. I own two Sonys that were refurbished and can only say good things about them. IMO, Sonys are good for multimedia apps; HPs are good for office apps (MS Office, WinFax, etc.).

nuggettsmyname · October 3rd, 2003, 06:50 PM

For the money you are looking to spend, there is only one choice IMO. The Dell Inspoiron 5150. 3.06 Pentium 4-M upgradeable to 2GB of memory (512MB standard) and 5 full hours of battery life. It is a heavier laptop @ 7.9 lbs though. I'm guessing thr weight isn't a problem since you were looking at HP. The one part that doesn't fit your equation is that the 5150 has a 40GB 4200RPM drive.

The 5150 will run circles around the beloved T40 and at alot less money. The T40 is a great machine and is much more portable, but you can tell what I have my eyes on buying.