"Bulletproof" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
>I just recently bought the HP ZD8060 (zd8000 with TV tuner option) from
> CompUSA for about $1900. I've read the CNET reviews where some people
> complain about the heat generated by this machine, and honestly I
> haven't experienced it. I sit with the machine on my lap about 50% of
> the time, and on a TV tray the other 50%. The machine gets better
> circulation on a flat surface obviously.
>
> Performance on this machine is awesome! It matches the performance of a
> high-performance desktop I built last year, even considering the hard
> drive is way slower.
>
> Functionality is great. The WinXP Media Center OS combined with the TV
> tuner allows me to record to hard drive. It all worked flawlessly out
> of the box. I run video editing software, digital music applications
> (Reason 3.0, Ableton Live 4.0, etc.) and everything works great. The
> screen is absolutely beautiful and the WiFi network card gets awesome
> reception.
>
> The machine is a beast in terms of size and weight. That might be a
> limitation to you or not. Me, I only lug the machine from room to room.
>
> My only real complaint is that I only get about an hour of battery
> life. This just isn't enough and I have to keep the thing plugged in,
> wherever I go.
Wow, thanks for the great feedback. If you don't mind answering something
else for me, what's with the Media Center Edition?
It looks like its not just an OS but a box with a bunch of ports to handle
the tuner connections. I have a tv tuner/radio card in my desktop that's
pretty small so I wanted to verify that the MCE does indeed come with a
separate piece of equipment as I don't see cable or radio in ports on the
laptop itself.
If that's a correct assumption does it work wirelessly where the box can sit
near a cable outlet in one room and the laptop access it from another or
does the laptop need a wired connection to it?
Sorry for the ignorance on the subject. I've done some googling about it
but didn't find anything "for dummies" if you know what I mean.
The configuration I'm looking at on the zd8000 (customized) is:
-Win XP Pro (or MCE if I can better understand how it works)
-650 3.4ghz HT processor (although I'm reading some things that indicate
there's no noticable difference between a 3.0 & and 3.2 or 3.4. If that's
so I can save myself some money
-2gb Ram since, for once, its reasonably priced to let the manufacturer do
it
-100gb 5400rpm hd. I want the 7200 but would rather have the additional
space
-free upgrade this week to the dual-layer DVD+/-RW/R CD-RW Combo
-256mb graphics card simply to add to potential future retail value (no
gaming will be done by me)
-wireless 802.11g w/bluetooth
On the one hand I'm keeping future resale value in mind by attempting to max
it out and/or make it more appealing to a gamer. I do need the big hd and I
need performance like my 3.0ghz, 2gb ram, desktop for running multiple
accounting & database apps at the same time. You mention the speed of your
laptop, would you mind sharing the processor & ram specs? I would certainly
consider going with a lesser clock speed and the 128mb graphics card if
spending the extra money for the higher ones isn't going to pay off in
performance.
--
Tara
|
Similar Threads
Linear Mode
