is this a GOOD Lapptop SETUP FOR LIght USE OF LIVE?

mrweasel · Post by **mrweasel** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:55 am

looks good, yeah was thinking of removing the 4200rpm drive and replacing, how easy are the hard drive upgrades to do on an HP?

It's easy enough alright but there's the guarantee issue where manufacturers can void the guarantee if you remove the hard drive yourself (how convenient for them:roll: ). Some people on this forum think that's just a catch for fools cause them have no way to find out, but I don't know.
The guarantee is one the most important thing on a laptop. I learnt it the hard way (didn't get a warranty extension for my €2000 machine I got 2 years ago) and personally, I wouldn't mess around with it for the sake of a 100 quid.
I bought my new laptop off an agreed dealer who changed the hard drive for me (although they also get to keep your original hard drive

)

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:53 pm

The Dell sounds like what was being called a "Latitude 400" in the states. If so, it's good for what you need, esp with 1GB ram. The drive does slide out. Downsides might be case is not super durable and screen is kinda small.

I'd agree that the 4200rpm drive speed on the HP is maybe a little iffy, if you can switch to a smaller 7200 drive for about the same price do that.

(a backup USB or FW external drive for storing off renderings and sets is a really good thing to have at some point, so a 60 or 80GB 7200rpm is really plenty).

I've used both Dell and HP laptops for business, both are good, the HPs seem a bit heavier/sturdier.

Mark Lane · Post by **Mark Lane** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:55 pm

yeah that is a realy dodgy issue Weasal, the whole warranty aspect.

Also I realised that unless they provide operating CDs the restore software for the HP and the operating system is probably held in a hidden partition on the old drive, which would make getting a clean hard drive a bit of a bummer unless there is some way of transfering the files over?

Cheers for your input Mike. I found out the HP graphics chip is actyally 'integrated' like the dell, it just doesn't share system memory (got 128mb dedicated) like the Intel on the Dell, and its a Radeon. Not sure if that means the HP is much better graphics chip wise.

hmm, what a quandry!