HP Pavillion dv6000, Toshiba A200-14D or FJS Amilo Pa 1538

[Baby Boy]

Hello everyone,

I need help in choosing one of these three laptops. As you can see, they can all do some moderate gaming, so I only need you guys to tell me which one is, well, better and why. There are also some questions I would like to ask about these laptops, so let me get started.



HP Pavillion dv6000

Intel Core Solo T1350 1.86Ghz
2GB DDR2 RAM
nVidia GeForce Go 7400 256MB (128 dedicated, 128 shared)
80 GB HDD
15.4'' WXGA

Toshiba Satellite A200-14D

Intel CoreDuo T2350 (1.86GHz/2MB/533FSB)
2GB DDR2 RAM
nVidia GForce Go 7300 (256MB dedicated, up to 512MB TurboCache)
120GB HDD SATA (5400rpm)
15.4'' WXGA

FJS Amilo Pa 1538

AMD Turion64 2X TL52 1.6GHz
2 GB DDR2 RAM
160 GB HDD S-ATA
nVidia GeForce 7400 128mb(up to 512mb TurboCache)
15.4" CrystalView WXGA+



Comments: I am leaning towards HP dv6000, but the only model I can afford is the one with Core Solo. However, after doing some search on this site, I found out that it's not that big of a difference between it and Dual Core (not sure about Core Duo and Turion64x2, that's why I am asking you). HP has also got the best build quality if I am not mistaken, but FJS seems to have better specs and is the cheapest.



Appreciate all the help,

~Baby Boy

[Syntax Error]

Can you tell us how much each laptop you've configured costs and what your budget is?

It'll also help to fill out the FAQ as well.

[Baby Boy]

Here are the prices (told you laptops are way more expensive here ):

HP Pavillion dv6000 970 €
Toshiba A200-14D 900 €
FJS Amilo Pa 1538 876 €

I apologize for not filling out the FAQ (not that I am lazy, I've read all the stickies), but once again, not much of a choice here other than these three laptops. Here's the FAQ anyway:

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

Around 900 €.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.

Serbia (Middle Eastern Europe).

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

I'd like it to be HP, Toshiba or IBM as they seem to do well in Ubuntu.

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

Surfing, Office, working in Blender, occasional gaming.

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?

No.

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

Some older games and whatever new game my laptop can run, but games are not a must.

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Not important.

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?

No one is shipping to my country.

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Linux (Ubuntu).

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?

Not important.

12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Not important.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Yes.

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?

I want it to last for some 4 years, buying it as soon as possible.

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?

80 should do.

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?

I need a DVD-RW.

[Syntax Error]

I feel for you...those aren't the best of options for laptops as they're last-generation outdated, but what can you do as no one seems to ship to Serbia.

I would say out of the three, the HP should be considered out because of its cost and the fact that it doesn't even use dual core technology. Between the Toshiba and the FJS, I would choose the FJS because of the bigger hard drive and the bigger screen resolution, it also happens to be the cheapest of the three, as well.

[Baby Boy]

I feel for you...those aren't the best of options for laptops as they're last-generation outdated, but what can you do as no one seems to ship to Serbia.

I would say out of the three, the HP should be considered out because of its cost and the fact that it doesn't even use dual core technology. Between the Toshiba and the FJS, I would choose the FJS because of the bigger hard drive and the bigger screen resolution, it also happens to be the cheapest of the three, as well.

I suppose you're right about HP, that's too much money for something that's not even dual core. Pitty, I really love the design of dv6000.

Yeah, the logical thing to do would be to buy the FJS over Toshiba. But, I am not sure about it's build quality, ubuntu compatibility (will check that out on ubuntu forums) and Toshiba is a more reputable brand. It does have a better GPU though.

:EDIT: Forgot to mention Toshiba's GPU has 256mb dedicated, it goes up to 512mb Turbocache, if that means anything. I...also kinda like Toshiba' design better, so now I am really confused.

[Baby Boy]

There is an even better offer on Fujitsu - 800 €, so I'll almost definitely go with that laptop.

[Baby Boy]

I have decided not to rush it anyway and rethink my decision. Taking anything other than a Core 2 Duo for that much money is probably stupid right now and I have managed to find another Fujitsu laptop that looks very good. What do you think of it?

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pro V3545

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz)
2048 MB DDR2
160 GB 5400rpm
15,4 WXGA 1280 x 800
DVD Dual Layer ±R/RW
nVidia GeForce Go 7300 128MB (up to 512MB TurboCache)

My main concern is how does this GPU rank against GeForce Go 7400, how stronger is the 7400?