Query:Compaq Presario V3425AU?

[narangz]

Hi friends!
I want to buy a laptop in the range of Rs. 30000-38000. I have checked out Compaq Presario V3425AU It is an AMD based X2 laptop. I wanted to know whether there is any problem with AMD based laptops like heating etc. I have heard from many people that AMD based laptops have heating problems. Is it true? I have AMD X2 based desktop PC & till date never had any overheating problems but I am unsure about AMD notebooks.

Also please suggest other AMD X2 or Intel Duo based laptops in my budget.

I know I can depend upon you guys! Please help urgently. Thank you!!!

 

[Sourabh]

Ignore those who say that. You should check out the new Gemstone design based Acer Aspire 4520. It has a similar config, comes pre-installed with 1GB RAM. Price is 35k. I would say, go for the Acer if you're a sucker for white. Otherwise stick to Compaq. Both are good budget notebooks.

 

[narangz]

Thanks Sourabh! Well I like Compaq more. If you can, please suggest other similar models. I guess the models without Windows will be cheaper. If you know any such model please let me know. Thanks you!

 

[Sourabh]

There is nothing much to differentiate based on design and looks. V3400 and V6400 are pretty much standard. All the info and pricing for the Compaqs can be found on the HP India website. Add taxes to them and you will get the total damage. Dealers bundle free goodies like pen drives in the final price, so in the end it's just the same.

Why don't you increase your budget by another 5k and go for Dell's Inspiron 1420. It's is really worth it. You're going to stick with a notebook for a minimum of 2-years. So, investing in a better one is always a nice, will help in the long run. Your call in the end. I would say, buy a 26-27k laptop or go for the Dell.

 

[narangz]

Hi!
I also had a look at Compaq Presario V3424AU Its AMD Turion MK-38 2.20Ghz.

Now what do you recommend the V3425AU or V3424AU? I am asking this because Turions(V3424 AU) are known for better battery life & they are much cooler than Mobile Athlon(V3425 AU). What will be the performance difference? Please suggest.

 

[Sourabh]

You're asking is single core better than dual core. Obviously that's not true. Don't go by clock speed alone. Turion X2s are better. TK-53 is a new processor which was recently introduced. It's being claimed to be based on 65nm fabrication process. So, it would be better than the MK-38 any day of the week. If you want to go with single core Turion, I would you to buy the Compaq V6404TU (Celeron M 520, 512MB RAM, GMA950) instead. HP has priced it at 27k or so.

 

[narangz]

No I am not asking about single core/dual core issue. I am asking whether it is better to buy turion based single core lappy as i have read that turion is much cooler & provides longer battery life. I know dual core can beat the single core any time. I am more concerned about battery longevity & a cool lappy I am sending you a link in your PM. Check it out. I was shocked after reading that particular post.

Some more info I got:
*forums.amd.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=34&threadid=86693
&
*www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=515071
&
*www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=476&mn=53673&pt=msg&mid=2310704
&
*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Turion_microprocessors

 

[Abhishek Dwivedi]

go for v3424au....i've just bought that last week....its damn cool but remember it has 128 mb graphics shared and Windows Vista Home basic which is preinstalled sucks....it only has 1 single partition of 110 gb...so it woul b better if u just ask ur engineer 2 reconfigure it and install XP insted of vista and creat more partition....best of luck...

 

[narangz]

Well I guess AMD Mobile Athlon 64 X2 TK-53 is just a Turion or similar to Turion. I wonder why they named it Mobile Athlon. Its 65nm SOI and on S1 Socket as suggested by screenshots of CPU-Z. Sourabh, your comments please.

 

[Thor]

Hi, I myself bought the Preasrio V3425AU. It comes bundled with 512 MB DDR2 RAm , but I also bought an extra 512 MB DDR2 module. Now I have 1 GB DDR2. And I must say its performing just fine..
Battery life is yet to be tested by me. As I am running it on Power all the time.
But to let u know....I just disconnected the power source, lets see how long it runs. Will let u know in 4 hrs

it has got a go 6150 onboard grfx/. Which is indeed outdated , with all Go 7xxx series in the market.
I primarily got this lappy simply for high end programming ..in .net 05 / Netbeans / eclipse ...and occasional gaming.

The only thing you should keep in mind is that this model comes with preloaded vista home basic , which is a fine one, if u don't need Vista's all bells and whistles...I am doing fine with it. BUT vista being as it is, will consume 500+ MB of RAM , without any customization. So attempt to play games which are relatively new ( after 06 ) , the experience wil not be smooth. But if u can chug through net and find out which Unnecessary Vista Services to disable,and how to chow down on Vistas memorry consumption, like get it down to arnd 300 , then I deem gaming at low to med is not gonna be a too much problem. I prefer playing strategy n rpgs ..so its cool for me.

XP is not supported. Gaming wud be a breeze in this laptop had XP been supported. XP wud take hardly 150 MB of RAM.
But neither Tech Support nor HP's site , had any worthwhile drivers for this model for XP. So , I am still in the search for the drivers! ...

But as far as my requirement goes, i am doing fine with it, and its a damn sexy looking belle...

 

[narangz]

Thanks Thor! I appreciate your quick response! Also please let me know if you ever had any over-heating problems or any other problem with this machine. Also please let me know the manufacturer of RAM you purchased & how much did it cost you. Thank You!

 

[infra_red_dude]

@Thor
why is xp not supported. get everest or simlar. get to know the hardware you haf, download drivers for them and install xp

 

[Sourabh]

All the processors we're talking about here are Turions. Turions are only for laptops. Who called it Mobile Athlon? AMD have stuck witht the Turion nomenclature for some time now.

TK-53 or MK-38 both have a rated TDP of 31Watts. Both use the same Go 6150 chipset. So, there won't be any noticeable difference in battery life. Whatever you read on forums is not always correct. The battery capacity, no. of cells, load and usage all play a major part. Battery life on the budget Compaqs is strictly so-so. Expect 2.5-3 hrs max under moderate usage. Since, TK-53 is newer it will have better power saving abilities. So, going for MK-38 Turion is pointless in my opinion.

 

[narangz]

Hi Sourabh!

Well Compaq's site calls it Mobile Athlon. Check here

Thank you for your help!

@infra-Thanks for the suggestion man!

 

[Sourabh]

Ok, that's very stupid of HP.

 

[Thor]

There I am , My Laptop just shutdown , and I am back online. Last 20 min I was listening to SONGS... So i gues If I didn't I cud get still 20 - 30 min more on this time..

also I ws using chat clients (3 -> Y / G / M ) , utorrent, Norton , and one movie encoder. Hmm...gues if all u do is reading and simple writing , lap can take it more than 2.5hrs to 3 hrs.

I got a Transcend JETRAM..for 1350 + 4% tax .. 512 MB DDR2 667MHZ ..

No overheating. No Probs. I hv suggested this lappy to my other frnds too if u want a SShot of how his looks , i got tha too!
Its an awesome beauty. and comes cheap too!

@Infra , i will try that too .. though i know what hardware I have..but still I will chek if i get something diff...

 

[narangz]

Thanks Thor, Sourabh, infra!!! Thanks a lot!

Btw- is rep disabled here? cant find a button to rep you guys

 

[hackers2005.3721]

whyy dont u go for dell vostro man

 

[Thor]

This the links for Dell Vostro.
*www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/vostronb?c=in&cs=inbsd1&l=en&s=bsd

Must say looks good..

 

[narangz]

@hackers- Thanks for the suggestion buddy but I already bought the V3425AU. Thanks!

@Thor- I am going to install XP Pro SP2. Will Let you know if everything works out fine

Okay guys I have installed Windows XP Pro SP2 on my laptop. Installed all the drivers & all the devices are working fine(till now ) There is no unknown device in Device Manager.

Thor get all the official drivers you need for your V3425AU for XP from here:

Drivers

These drivers were originally for another model V3116AU. But everything works fine

You can find the newer NVIDIA Go 6150 Drivers here

Well now I plan to create a partition using Partition Magic. Didn't use fdisk cause it will delete the recovery partition too.