Henry Lubong's Journal » pavilion http://henry.lubong.com A weblog about Henry Lubong's journey called... Life Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:42:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Santa Came This Morning To Deliver My Laptop http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/27/santa-came-this-morning-to-deliver-my-laptop/ http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/27/santa-came-this-morning-to-deliver-my-laptop/#comments Tue, 27 May 2008 16:02:48 +0000 Henry Lubong http://henry.lubong.com/?p=174

Wohooo! I just received my laptop a little while ago, thanks to FedEx for delivering it while I’m still home . What an awesome shipping service from HP as well. Initially, the PC was supposed to be built by today but it looks like the elves aren’t too busy these days. I have something to play with tonight.

]]> http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/27/santa-came-this-morning-to-deliver-my-laptop/feed/ 1 I Bought The HP Pavilion DV9700T Laptop http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/15/i-bought-the-hp-pavilion-dv9700t-laptop/ http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/15/i-bought-the-hp-pavilion-dv9700t-laptop/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 05:37:21 +0000 Henry Lubong http://henry.lubong.com/?p=166 After much thought, I pulled the trigger on the HP Pavilion dv9700t.

  • Screen Size – I spend more time coding than actually playing games so screen real state is more important for me.
  • Graphics Card – 8600M GS is fine for casual gaming and should be more than enough for Photoshop and video editing.
  • Weight – 7.7lbs is bearable for lugging it around the house. I can take my smaller laptop for traveling.
  • Design – I really fell in love with the beautiful imprint (radiance) finished on the dv9700t.

Here’s the summary of what I ordered:

- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40GHz)
- 17.0″ diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
- 50% OFF Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
- 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Expected delivery is May 27.

]]> http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/15/i-bought-the-hp-pavilion-dv9700t-laptop/feed/ 0 In Pursuit Of A New Laptop – Dell XPS M1530 Vs HP Pavilion DV9700T http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/12/in-pursuit-of-a-new-laptop-dell-xps-m1530-vs-hp-pavilion-dv9700t/ http://henry.lubong.com/2008/05/12/in-pursuit-of-a-new-laptop-dell-xps-m1530-vs-hp-pavilion-dv9700t/#comments Tue, 13 May 2008 07:36:32 +0000 Henry Lubong http://henry.lubong.com/?p=165 I have to admit, I made a wrong decision when I build my self a Shuttle-like PC last year. I had a monstrous desktop so I thought I’d put together a micro ATX form factor PC for a change. I don’t travel much and never really had any use for a laptop. I have an old 14″ Compaq N600C laptop that I use around the house for browsing and as a guest computer. Well, things has changed and now I need a portable PC. It’s not just for browsing anymore, I need to be able to take all my files with me. I could build myself a NAS to solve my problem but just in case I needed to travel far, I can always bring my laptop with me and not miss my PC at home. (Sounds like a good argument for the wife? ;) hehe)

I’m currently looking at two laptops right now, the 15.4″ Dell XPS M1530 and 17″ HP Pavilion DV9700T. Both are customizable on Dell’s and HP’s websites. Since the XPS M1530 was designed as a gaming machine, it can be had with the powerful NVIDIA 256MB 8600M GT graphics card as oppose to the DV9700T entertainment machine that can only be configured with up to NVIDIA 512MB 8600M GS. When it comes to graphics capability (specially games), processor is more important than memory. The GT comes with 32 stream processors vs 16 for GS. Besides the graphics card, the more obvious difference between my two choices is the screen size. Of course you can’t really compare the two so you’ll end up weighing their features instead and my needs for a laptop. Here is the spec comparison for these two laptops base on my personal configuration:

Dell XPS M1530 – $1,483

  • 15.4-inch WXGA+ (1440 x 950) CCFL glossy screen
  • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
  • “Tuxedo” black shell
  • Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
  • 3GB DDR2-667 SDRAM
  • 250GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD
  • Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive
  • NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3
  • Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n (Intel 4965), Bluetooth option
  • Integrated 2.0 megapixel webcam
  • HDMI, VGA, S-Video, Firewire/1394, three USB 2.0 ports, integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD), fingerprint reader
  • Media Center remote located in ExpressCard slot
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Dimensions (with 6-cell battery): 14.06″ x 10.34″ x 0.93″ – 1.38″
  • Weight starts at 5.9 pounds with 6-cell battery (6.29 pounds with 9-cell)

HP Pavilion DV9700T – $1,456

  • 17.0″ diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
  • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
  • Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
  • 3GB DDR2-667 SDRAM
  • NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS with 512MB
  • HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
  • Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth
  • 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (2 x 120GB)
  • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
  • High Capacity 8-Cell Lithium Ion Battery

As you can see both are capable for their intended use. Both are good looking laptops and garnered good reviews. The question is, do I need a gaming laptop or an entertainment laptop. I am a casual gamer and I don’t think I need the power of the 8600M GT. I heard that “Crysis,” a high intensity graphics game is playable with 8600M GS on a medium setting. But do I want the heavier 17″ laptop though? It definitely will give me more screen real state, which is good when I’m doing my web development. For portability, the 15″ is clearly the winner. But I’m only gonna use it around the house.

15″ or 17″? GT or GS? portability or bigger screen? I’m leaning towards the XPS M1530 because of its size and weight but I also like the beautiful design of the DV9700T and the bigger screen. Which one?

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