I'm looking for a business class laptop. By this, I mean one rugged enough to carry daily. I have a Dell Inspirion for home use and it doesn't inspire me as being very sturdy. In fact at 1.5 years old the LCD backlight quit working. Dell wanted $500 to replace. I paid $160 for a Viewsonic 19" widescreen LCD so the laptop is now a permanent desktop PC. It is a 15.4" widescreen and very heavy. I use an old IBM R40 at work. It is 14" and built like a tank. Heavy for its size. Anyone have experience with HP business laptops or Dell Latitudes? I think I want 14-14.1" for weight savings. When docked at home I'll probably pair with a 20" LCD. I would like separate graphics card and Core 2 Duo CPU. I plan to run XP Pro. Most of the software used will be MS Office apps (word, excel, powerpoint, outlook), Firefox/IE 7, etc. No gaming just biz work. I plan to get the bright screen with better resolution.
Business laptop???
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In Iraq, the computer of choice in the field was the Rugged class here
http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/notebook-computers.asp
they are $$$$ but I'm sure worth it in the end...
they also show the business-rugged which would probably meet your needs.
http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/notebook-computers.asp
they are $$$$ but I'm sure worth it in the end...
they also show the business-rugged which would probably meet your needs.
I travel a lot and have an HP laptop. it has held up well during 3 years of air travel. I've gone through one hard drive though within a year of using it. It might have been a bad HD batch because everybody I know who got their laptops at the same time had the same problems at the 1 year anniversary.
To tell you the truth, the majority of the travelers' laptops I see are HP. Some are IBM. I've never seen Dells except for the recreational users.
To tell you the truth, the majority of the travelers' laptops I see are HP. Some are IBM. I've never seen Dells except for the recreational users.
In all reality, i bought a Compaq 4 years ago...knock on wood, never an issue....
I see the laptops on HP.com called HP Compaq. I never liked Compaq. Are these HP laptops with the Compaq name or are they Compaq with the HP name? Is there a different model HP for business use than personal like Dell offers (Inspirion/Latitude)?
HP bought compaq. for those that say they don't like compaq, it means they nothing about them.
my Compaq has all Toshiba internals...
sooo, you don't like Toshiba?
my Compaq has all Toshiba internals...
sooo, you don't like Toshiba?
Easy. HP nc6400 no #1 business laptop worldwide. These walk out the door like you wouldn't believe and clients love them. HP is the no #1 notebook supplier by the way.
Ouch! $2263. I will be able to write this off but this still seems high for my blood. I need something sturdy that I can use for 3-4 years so I don't want to skimp on the build as this will be my primary computer. The site states 128mb dedicated video memory, do you know if this is a separate video card?
-Configurable- HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC with 128MB dedicated video memory
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
Microsoft® Vista Ready Label
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T7200 (2.00-GHz, 667-MHz FSB, 4-MB L2 Cache)
2048MB 667MHz DDR2 2 DIMM
80GB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)
14.1-inch WXGA+ panel
Multibay II DVD+/-RW drive
56K high speed modem
10/100/1000 NIC
Dualpoint Touchpad and Pointstick
6 cell Li-Ion battery
90 watt AC adapter( for use with 64 and 128 dedicated video memory units)
Integrated Intel® Pro Wireless 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
Integrated Bluetooth Module
Intel® Centrino® Duo Label
Embedded TPM 1.2 security chip
3 year worldwide warranty
HP Docking Station
-Configurable- HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC with 128MB dedicated video memory
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
Microsoft® Vista Ready Label
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T7200 (2.00-GHz, 667-MHz FSB, 4-MB L2 Cache)
2048MB 667MHz DDR2 2 DIMM
80GB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)
14.1-inch WXGA+ panel
Multibay II DVD+/-RW drive
56K high speed modem
10/100/1000 NIC
Dualpoint Touchpad and Pointstick
6 cell Li-Ion battery
90 watt AC adapter( for use with 64 and 128 dedicated video memory units)
Integrated Intel® Pro Wireless 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
Integrated Bluetooth Module
Intel® Centrino® Duo Label
Embedded TPM 1.2 security chip
3 year worldwide warranty
HP Docking Station
For a business laptop, I'd recommend IBM for normal travel use. I've seen these beat up like you wouldn't believe. My personal laptop is an HP ZT3000 with the metal case, but it doesn't have that indestructible feel to it.
If you want to keep it for a long time and/or you think you'll abuse it more than the standard IBM can take, consider a "ruggedized" laptop that complies to the applicable MIL-STD-810 standards (e.g., Panasonic ToughBook). There are several different qualifications under that standard, so make sure you find out if they're what you're looking for. For example, you might not need it to comply to low pressure standards (high altitude use), but you might want a temperature shock rating if you'll be keeping it in a car trunk in freezing conditions, then bringing it into the office.
If you want to keep it for a long time and/or you think you'll abuse it more than the standard IBM can take, consider a "ruggedized" laptop that complies to the applicable MIL-STD-810 standards (e.g., Panasonic ToughBook). There are several different qualifications under that standard, so make sure you find out if they're what you're looking for. For example, you might not need it to comply to low pressure standards (high altitude use), but you might want a temperature shock rating if you'll be keeping it in a car trunk in freezing conditions, then bringing it into the office.
if you mean seperate as in not built into the motherboard, i highly doubt it...most laptops are built in cards. mine has 128 MB shared ram, but I'm running 1.25GB now...never a problem with this compaq
nc6400 base unit comes in various versions here. 64MB or 128MB graphics. Discrete or UMA (uses some of the main memory). Get discrete for Vista Aeroglass use. You can have one custom built with choice of OS, CPU, screen resolution, memory, HDD size/speed, optical device, Optional wireless/Bluetooth etc. Get your supplier to configure what you want.
Dell Latitude D620, nice balance of price/performance and a Wide-screen display (1440x900).
$1575 configured like this (I've bought many of these for our workplace)
2.0Ghz Core2Duo w/4MB cache
80GB 7200rpm drive
nVidia Graphics
DVD-RW drive
Intel W-LAN
Bluetooth
3 year next-buiness-day onsite warranty
cheap carrying case
9-cell battery (adds a bit of weight, but also adds battery life!)
$1575 configured like this (I've bought many of these for our workplace)
2.0Ghz Core2Duo w/4MB cache
80GB 7200rpm drive
nVidia Graphics
DVD-RW drive
Intel W-LAN
Bluetooth
3 year next-buiness-day onsite warranty
cheap carrying case
9-cell battery (adds a bit of weight, but also adds battery life!)
If it for business make sure you buy encryption software for the entire HD.
Similar, but less expensive one here.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147337
Only 1gb memory, but you can buy a 1gb stick for $60
I don't know about their current models, but I had a Dell Latitude C640 which, after a year and a half of very light use, being used in a docking station most of the time, had the following happen just before the warranty ended:
PgDn key popped off the keyboard
DVD drive stopped working
Floppy disc drive stopped being recognized, I would get an error message at bootup and re-inserting the drive fixed the problem until the next boot
It was replaced due to concerns about a potential bad batch of hard drives Dell had used in that model.
PgDn key popped off the keyboard
DVD drive stopped working
Floppy disc drive stopped being recognized, I would get an error message at bootup and re-inserting the drive fixed the problem until the next boot
It was replaced due to concerns about a potential bad batch of hard drives Dell had used in that model.
Dell is still a four leter word!
My compaq is a presario R3000 series....I've banged it around for years....got insurance on it just in case it took a dump on me in Iraq....all that dust, thank G o d for compressed air.
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