Need a 32bit car laptop

1_What is your budget?
Up to $1,000

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Do I want a 17"? Sure, who doesn't? But for practical purposes, a 14.1 is fine

3_What screen resolution do you want?
Not important.

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable is a must.

5_How much battery life do you need?
Preferably 3+ hours. Although throw in a car AC adapter, battery life is no longer important.

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
No games that require anything worth mentioning. Most demanding app will be Vista most likely. I might play 16 bit games since my 64 bit desktop can't run them, but for most purposes, gaming isn't nessessary.

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing, surfing the web, playing music, watching movies, Etc.)
Watching movies, OBD-II ECU management, Internet

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
Any. As there are not many apps/games that will be on it, 80GB is fine.

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
5 years minimum

11_If you would like to mention some other things about purchasing your ideal laptop, post them.
Bluetooth ready would be a plus. Many of my toys support it, and it would be nice if the laptop did as well (though giving up a USB for one isn't too much an issue)

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
Special note: Not interested in buying premade "car computers." I want the variety of options a true laptop gives.

13_What country do you live in?
US of A, the only one that matters.

I've been playing with the numbers, and was considering one of these two from HP. I cut out most of the BS advertisement "Smartdrive, security protection...blahblah" for your reading pleasure.

HP dv5t series

Vista Home (32-bit)
Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 2.0GHz
15.4" HP Display (1280 x 800)
3GB DDR2
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
Wireless-G Card
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Targus Notebook Chill Mat

Damage: $734.98


or

HP dv7t series
Vista Home (32-bit)
Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 2.0GHz
17.0" HP Display (1680 x 1050)
3GB DDR2
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Targus Notebook Chill Mat

Damage: $1,098.98

I'll be the first to admit that the dv7t is really overkill for my use, but I wasn't able to "de-tune" it anymore than that. Its considered more for its screen than anything else.

dv7t vs Y730

Color: Is Dark Blue the only color Lenovo offers for this laptop? I'd prefer a professional black look is possible, but wasn't able to find any color options.

Price: Y730 wins hands down with -$200

Display: Granted, I haven't used less than a 19" screen for a long time, but on a 17" display, I can't imagine that resolution wouldn't be important. The HP I priced I upgraded to the 1680 x 1050 display. Take out the display and its like $150 cheaper, bringing the prices about the same for the HP.

Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 512MB vs integrated card on the HP. I won't comment here. I'm a Nvidia fan.

Memory: 2 GB DDR3 vs 3GB DDR2 on the HP. This is a tossup. Honestly I don't know enough about DDR3 to know whether the loss would be worth it or not for the speed gains. I'd like input on this. I've always used DDR2.

Hard drive: 320GB vs 250 on the HP. Lenovo wins here. On the other hand, I don't really require more than 150GB.

Battery: 6 cell vs 8 cell. Different laptops use different amounts of energy, so I won't comment on battery life.

HP does offer Webcam, Fingerprint Reader, and the cooldock fan over the Lenovo which has no options for these.




The Y730 looks like a solid choice. It just seems like its more power than I really need. The huge HD and DDR3 would largely go to waste.