Any advice on Laptop buying Decision

Hotman_2

All,

I am intending to buying a Toshiba or HP laptop from the States. I am struggling to chose one. Below are the Specs and prices. Would someone please help me decide on one please

HP dv9500t series, Price $1,467.99 after instant rebate $150.00

Operating system
Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)

Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)

Display
17.0" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)

Memory
$50 Off upgrade from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Graphics Card
383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Personalization
FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Webcam + Microphone

Networking
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)

Hard Drive
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

Primary CD/DVD Drive
FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support!!

TV & Entertainment Experience
No TV Tuner w/remote control

Primary Battery
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

OS and Recovery Media
System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)

Productivity Software
Microsoft(R) Works 8.0





Toshiba Satellite P200-ST2061
PSPB6UTCC5U7
Price: $1,462.20 after rebate of instant rebate of $365.80

CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)


Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic 32-Bit


Color Variation: Onyx Blue Metallic with Embossed Logo


Office Software: Microsoft® Office 2007 Suite Ready


Memory: 2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx2)


LCD: 17.0" Diagonal Widescreen WSXGA+ TruBrite® display (1680x1050)


Graphics Controller: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 2400 with 128MB GDDR2 discrete memory
+ up to 255MB allocated shared graphics memory using ATI HyperMemory™ technology


HDD: 160GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA)


Optical Media: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash™ drive


Mini-PCI/WiFi: Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965 AGN (802.11a/g/n)


Bluetooth: Bluetooth® Version 2.0 +EDR


Speaker: harman/kardon® stereo speakers


Battery: (6-Cell, 4000mAh) Lithium Ion battery

FallingDownMan

Be careful if you get the 64-bit Windows and you plan to connect your existing hardware to it. You'll need 64-bit drivers for that hardware, and it isn't always available for slightly older kit.

Apart from the Radeon GFX (and that's just my personal opinion) the Toshiba is the better spec. if you want a decent general laptop. From experience, Toshibas are also more reliable.

Just remember that you'll possibly need to buy a power supply in the UK (£70-ish) and the warranty might not apply (at least in parts).

BillScarab

Also, are you buying it in person in the US or planning to order it over the web? If you're ordering it over the web you may get sting for customs, VAT and processing charges which can really bump the price up and wipe out any savings.