Miscellaneous laptop discussions : Please help Sony Vaio A140 vs. HP Pavilion 1040us
Please help Sony Vaio A140 vs. HP Pavilion 1040us
by nini1 - 12/5/04 11:37 AMI am trying to surprise my husband this Christmas with a notebook. I know certain specs that he is looking for and I have narrowed it down to these two computers based on weight, speed of processor, screen size, DVD, USB ports, portability and price. I have found the Sony at Ecost.com and the HP at the hpshopping site and they are comparable as far as price goes....does anyone have any opioins or advice for one over the other? We are both physicians, use the computer for work and papers and presentations. Not much for games. My husband likes to do a lot of music and DVD's on the computer. He likes lightweight, though, I think 7.3 is okay (Vaio) and I think the memory and speed are good for both. Is the quick start such a great thing, in reference to the Pavilion? Is the pavilion screen bad compared to the Vaio? I have so many questions!!! I am going to Best Buy and Ultimate Electronis today to feel and see both computers, but any and all help is appreciated! If someone has an outstanding thought on another computer, I am willing to swich modes....Thanks for all the help. Nini
Re: Please help Sony Vaio A140 vs. HP Pavilion 1040us
by KenSanramon - 12/6/04 8:14 PM In reply to: Please help Sony Vaio A140 vs. HP Pavilion 1040us by nini1Keep in mind that the 14" widescreen HPDV100 series (of which the HP 1040US is a specific model) is a great portable notebook (only 5.5 pounds) and has the instant on features for playing widescreen DVD's and CD's.
However, it does not have dedicated video memory for games or demanding video programs. If you thought you would be doing video editing at all (bringing in video from a digital camcorder via USB 2.0 or firewire) this would not be sufficient either.
It is fine, however for Microsoft office, spreadsheets, internet surfing, DVD's and CD's and it has a built in remote control in the PC cards slot.
Your DV 1040US is one of the low end models though. This means it probably doesn't have a DVD burner, has a lower end processor, etc. You best bet would be to pick the specs you want and price it out at hpshopping.com as a prebuilt limits you to what it has on that particular model. Note also that you get free shipping, a 30 day return policy (and they pay shipping). Best Buy gives you 14 days and if it is not defective you will pay a restocking fee also.
Also, you can double the warranty from 1 year to 2 if you use an American Express or certain Visa/MC's with the warranty doubling policy (for free).
Sony has the worst service among mainstream companies and their pricing is usually higher. HP/Compaq has middle of the road service. Apple is #1 in service and IBM is #2 but rumors have IBM Selling off their computer business.
Also, see the HPZT3000/Compaq X1000 15.4" widescreen notebook (6.5 pounds)-- that has up to 64mb dedicated video RAM -- see X1000forums.com for ordering specs and discounts and you can search for the dedicated DV1000 forum there as well.
Finally, make sure you get at least the 715 Pentium M processor or higher to get the 2mb L2 system cache. Don't buy a Celeron Pentium M and if you get a Pentium M less than the 715 you are only getting 1mb L2 system cache (1/2 the 725) or 1/4 if you get a Celeron.
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