new HP laptop

just wondering if any of you have one of the new HP laptops, i just bought my wife one and i am thinking of getting one for myself, i was going to get the Apple Macbook Pro, but for the price i am thinking maybe HP. i don't hvae any pp programs yet other that the ones that come with the camera so i won't be loosing any money there. but the specs are almost twice as good for about half the price. basic price is about $580

2.5 prosser with 1 g FSB
4 gigs ram(expandable to 8)
320 hard drive(expandable to 500)
glossy screen
bulit in web cam(not that it matters)

so what do you think, i am thinking if i get the HP i will be able to get another good lense and program(since i don't have a program).

If it's the Envy, good choice. If it's the dx/dv lines, good choice. mobile i7 systems would offer future proof computing (slowest mobile i7 is about 2-3x faster than the fastest core 2 duo (desktop version))

good to know, do you know where that is going to rank in the sceme of prices?

In the scheme of things, i7 usually adds $200-300, but if it will let your laptop last 5 years (not counting any failures) vs 2 years (all in terms of useful life, especially at the rate camera tech is advancing) , it ends up being cheaper in the long run. Only two things you should worry about with i7 though is the extra heat, and faster battery depletion rate. Both are due to the extra power needed by the processor. If you need thin and light, stick to core 2 duo (and the CULV variants of it).

murtaugh wrote in post #8953879
good to know, do you know where that is going to rank in the sceme of prices?

I've been playing with the ENVY for a little over a week and I'm impressed - total copy of a MacBook Pro just darker, etched and thicker with different materials used to lighten it up a little. It's also quick. I might request another for work, but won't get one for myself. Now, before I continue I'll have to give you a disclaimer; I'm a Mac person despite being a certified PC person (many PC certs) and helping manage a large (10,000+ computer) network - so, take what I say with a grain of salt

I'm a neat and tidy person when it comes to computers; I like consistency. Since Snow Leopard I've gone completely Mac with my desktop PC just playing music and doing Active Directory duty (pushing updates, changing Group Profiles, batch jobbing CA/Lightspeed Traffic Control and so on). E-mail, iWork, web page development (CSS), Photography and if I cannot do it directly on my MacBook Pro I'll remote to another computer that can.

Windows Vista just hasn't been consistent, though most of things I've had trouble with probably wouldn't effect a casual user though. My Mac however, used heavily every day, has performed exactly the same way it did when I first got it. That says a lot! I will have at least six programs open four different screens (Expose) all doing different things. iCal, iMail, Pages, Firefox, Aperture, Remote, Photoshop CS4, Keynote and a few other programs as they are needed. Today I actually got the time to edit about 600 or so pictures that have been stacking up over the last three weeks. I often have to use Final Cut Studio to help with small things like animated titles, Fx and so on. And every program works the same way it did when I first installed Snow Leopard and before that Leopard - and not one OS crash in two years running. The same cannot be said for my office computer running Vista or hundreds of others we use.

There is a reason Apple is number one at just about everything - or, was it actually everything . Number one with customer support, customer satisfaction, best over all experience, highest retention rate (switchers), number one seller of computers over $1,000... It just goes on and on. Mac's are not perfect. They have problems just like PC's, just not as many and when they do people like Apple support better than all the rest.

Ok, nuf of the sales pitch

PC's have their up sides though. More software, currently more bang for the buck and they are cheap. Budget PC's are pretty much a dime a dozen. If you are a DIY kind of guy and don't mind learning how to maintain computers (cleaning up, safe surfing habits, keep an active Firewall/Anti-Virus package and so on...) you'll do fine with a PC.

MaxxuM wrote in post #8957358
They have problems just like PC's, just not as many and when they do people like Apple support better than all the rest.

Ok, nuf of the sales pitch

PC's have their up sides though. More software, currently more bang for the buck and they are cheap. Budget PC's are pretty much a dime a dozen. If you are a DIY kind of guy and don't mind learning how to maintain computers (cleaning up, safe surfing habits, keep an active Firewall/Anti-Virus package and so on...) you'll do fine with a PC.

Wow. People like you make me want to never buy a MAC even though there is a lot I like about the new i7 iMac.

If you want to trash PC's just do it, the subtle little jabs are just irritating.

I have used Windows for about 16 years, and have been building my own PC's since the age of 12.

I do not run anti-virus or spyware / adware protection. I have never had a virus, EVER.

If you don't open weird emails, and you don't download tons of porn off shady websites chances are you will never get a virus.

Id like to add I have also been using MAC's since my first graphic design class in high school. Going on about 11 years now. I think MAC's are great, I think windows 7 is great.

Vista had problems in the first year for sure, but after SP1 and SP2 the criticism was not at all warranted.

All in all to the OP, get the best hardware you can get for the $$$, whatever that may be. In the long run, that is what matters the most.

R.Perez wrote in post #8957470
Wow. People like you make me want to never buy a MAC even though there is a lot I like about the new i7 iMac.

If you want to trash PC's just do it, the subtle little jabs are just irritating.

I have used Windows for about 16 years, and have been building my own PC's since the age of 12.

I do not run anti-virus or spyware / adware protection. I have never had a virus, EVER.

If you don't open weird emails, and you don't download tons of porn off shady websites chances are you will never get a virus.

Id like to add I have also been using MAC's since my first graphic design class in high school. Going on about 11 years now. I think MAC's are great, I think windows 7 is great.

Vista had problems in the first year for sure, but after SP1 and SP2 the criticism was not at all warranted.

All in all to the OP, get the best hardware you can get for the $$$, whatever that may be. In the long run, that is what matters the most.

I'm sorry you feel that way, truly, but I did put a disclaimer. All you had to do was stop reading at that point, but you didn't. That says something about your motivation. I'm not going to turn this into a vs thread. Like Gump said, That's all I have to say about that.