Which laptop should I get - does HP still have overheat issue

[Somethngcreative]

Hello,

Can someone please help me decide which laptop I should get? I was thinking of getting the dv7-t because it's so much cheaper but I've been doing a lot of research and a lot of people were saying that the hp dv line has a serious overheating problem. However, I am not sure if that notion is still true for the newer models. Then I came across the Vaio S series which had me thinking about spending the extra $400.

Technically, I am looking for three things: (1) A laptop that can perform for my casual gaming, (2) A durable laptop that I can bring to school and work, (3) Something not too expensive. (4) Something that will last me at least 3 to 4 years without problems

I've narrowed my choices down to two, which would should I buy:

(A) Hp-dv7t (17 inch)

Price: $699.67

Operating System: Genuine Windows 7, Home Premium

Processor: 2nd generation Intel® Core i5-2410M Processor (2.3 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz

Graphics Card: Intel® HD Graphics 3000 [HDMI, VGA]

Memory: FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Hard drive: 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

or

Sony Vaio VPCSB190X CTO (S series, 13.3 inches)

Price: $1029.99

Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor (2.30GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 2.90GHz

Graphics Card: AMD Radeon™ 6470M (512MB VRAM) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology

Memory: 6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333

Hard drive: 500GB (7200rpm) hard drive [add $0.00]

Thanks!

[Somethngcreative]

Hi everyone!

Does anyone know if there is still an overheating issue with the newer models of the hp dv6 dv7 laptops?

I was thinking of purchasing one for $800, but when I was researching problems related to older models of hp, the overheating issue came up. Now, I'm leaning towards buying a Sony Vaio for an extra $400 that offers the same features. So if anyone could please answer this for me it'd be great, because I'd save so much money if I go with hp. But if durability is a question I'll go with the Vaio. What should I do?

Thanks!

[CWB]

there is another thread here that addresses some of the issues you mentioned , with cost savings/justifications as part of them .

i was sony warranty repair for years ... would i buy one of their laptops/boxes ? no ; i cannot justify the added costs for equivalent performance levels found in other brands .

13.3 inch display ?! ... geeeze , ya might as well buy a netbook .

"free upgrade to 6 gigs of ram"

in the other thread i mentioned , the consensus was (not verbatim) that anything over 4 gigs is a waste for even the above average user .

also , video performance is somewhat limited by the ultimate resolution/performance specifications of the lcd itself .

virtually all machines come with fluff and eye-candy programs installed .

the less of this stuff that comes with a new machine , the better .

do i really need "widgets" that tell me the time of day and the barometric pressure in ozona texas at a glance ? these things get in the way and eat up cpu time and screen real estate (aka : clutter) . some of the others here could increase this list .

however , there are people that buy because of the "oooo golly gee whiz" factor and this is why these types of programs are included (and possibly some subsidization) .

ultimately though it is the/a purchaser that pays for this stuff , no matter how you look at it .

have you looked at brands other than those you have mentioned ?

[rgabbard]

If you want casual gaming, the Intel graphics card will not be a good option. You will want dedicated hardware for that. I am not a huge sony fan because they tend to cost more. You may want to check out Asus, they make some pretty nice machines.

[Somethngcreative]

Hi all thank you for the inputs. I've also looked at the Asus laptop, it seemed really nice laptop but I wasn't comfortable about buying it because it was the first time I heard about their brand. I guess I'm kinda judging the book by it's cover but is it really a good laptop?

Also a really good deal came up for hp dv6 quadcore with i7 processors, they're offering a limited time coupon for minus $375 which totals to about $1,100 with 4 year full warranty. Is that worth looking into?

Thanks again

[CWB]

asus is ok stuff .

do some footwork on the different makes/models ... but then again that is sort of what you are doing here .

post back with some links .

however , many of those "reviews" are not made by individuals that have test driven a machine for any length of time ... i tend not to lend a lot of credence to those unless there is a major flaw pointed out .

then there are those reviews written by individuals that are questionable in their abilities to start with ...

my first clue is the misspelling of certain words , etc .

one fellow rated himself as a "wizard" ... his complaint was that he was having trouble hooking up a fan .

[Somethngcreative]

asus is ok stuff .

do some footwork on the different makes/models ... but then again that is sort of what you are doing here .

post back with some links .

however , many of those "reviews" are not made by individuals that have test driven a machine for any length of time ... i tend not to lend a lot of credence to those unless there is a major flaw pointed out .

then there are those reviews written by individuals that are questionable in there abilities to start with ...

my first clue is the misspelling of certain words , etc .

one fellow rated himself as a "wizard" ... his complaint was that he was having trouble hooking up a fan .

LOL that's funny, so much for being a "wizard". Also, I actually went for the hp dv6t quad core and bought it (i7 processors with turbo boost, 750 gb/ 7,200 rpm hard drive with protect smart, 1 gb graphics card, 4 year full warranty) for $1,100 . Worth it?

[BornSlippy]

Performance, reliability, design....Asus every time.

[AdvancedSetup]

Performance, reliability, design....Asus every time.

+1

[Firefox]

I have had plenty of folks by ASUS and they are all happy with them.