Which laptop??

[Cupo]

Hey guys, I'm going to be getting a laptop soon and I've pretty much narrowed it down to two.
I'll be using it a lot for recording (yes desktops are better, but I'm getting a laptop).

The first one is the Dell Studio XPS 16. It seems to have been specifically built and designed for audio/video work. Specs can be found here: DELL NEW STUDIO XPS 16 LAPTOP NOTEBOOK w/ WIN 7 CORE I7 - eBay, Laptops, Notebooks, Computers. (end time 23-Jan-10 15:25:53 AEDST)

The second laptop is the HP DV6. Specs are here: HP Pavilion DV6 Windows 7 Core i7 Quad Core 8GB DDR3 - eBay, Laptops, Notebooks, Computers. (end time 26-Jan-10 11:16:01 AEDST)

Which one would be best suited to audio work? It's also going to be my university laptop, so it will have some other stuff on it as well. Also possibly some games, though not a major factor.
Thanks

 

[Daemoniac]

Go DV6

The Dells are way overpriced for what they are, they have SHIT SHIT SHIT customer service, and (in my experience) no matter what specs you get they never seem to go as fast/efficiently as they should.

 

[Cupo]

Thanks for the reply Demoniac. I can see why the Dell is more expensive though. It has a full HD screen resolution 1080p, where as the DV6 1366 x 768. And the dell comes with a 9 cell battery compared to the 6 cell of the Dv6. And it has 6Gb of 1333MHz compared to the 8GB of 1033MHz in the DV6. I know that won't make much of a difference, but it's still extra to begin with.
As for Customer service, that doesn't really bother me, I've never had to contact customer service for any computer problems or what not. As for your fast/efficiency issues, I have heard (especially on this site) that the Dells do seem to lack compared to other computers with equivalent specs. Why is that?

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

All the bloatware they put on it when you get it. The first thing I would do if I got any laptop is format it and reinstall Windows without all the bullshit they throw in.

 

[Cupo]

So you could just go the Dell, format, then re-install and it would be fine?
If so, that's hardly a problem, especially no reason to just hate on Dells and say they suck.

 

[AK DRAGON]

All the bloatware they put on it when you get it. The first thing I would do if I got any laptop is format it and reinstall Windows without all the bullshit they throw in.

+1 JJ is right on this one.
Reformat and remove ALL the crap

 

[Cupo]

Well from the beginning I was thinking I might just get rid of Windows 7 and re-install with XP Pro. I'm use to XP. Thoughts on this guys? Also, still want some opinions on which laptop? (After clean re-install)

 

[Daemoniac]

I'd still go with HP, the other issues aside they just generally make more solid laptops (this is from experience too, my last lappy was an HP). The RAM probably honestly won't make that much of a difference, especially considering the downfall in speed is made up for in an extra 2GB of it on the HP.

Is this for recording, music, or both? Also, what CPU wil be in there?

So far as XP vs. Windows 7 goes, i honestly prefer 7. I was an avid XP user all through the vista phase, but i have 7 now and it's running like an absolute charm

 

[Cupo]

It will be for all my recording. Just music though. And it will also be my University laptop, so some internet browsing, emails, research, word document. Stuff like that.
It has a Quad Core i7 1.6GHz, which can "turbo up" to 2.8GHz.
Yeah, I'll see how I go with Windows 7 first. If I like it, and it works, it will stay, if not, XP it is.

 

[troyguitar]

I would stick with Windows 7 (I've had the RC version on my laptop for awhile and it's great IMO), but do a reformat whenever you buy anything new like that. Especially on a laptop where extra shit not only makes it slower but makes it eat the battery faster.