Opinions on HP dv3600ea please?

Duffman

I'm thinking about buying this machine for £799. Any thoughts on the specs?

A P7450 @ 2 GHz isn't fantastic but would I really notice the difference between it and a P8600 @ 2.4GHz which seems to be the standard for laptops at this price point?

Similarly, would I notice the difference between DDR2 and DDR3 RAM if cache, clock and FSB are all the same?

What's the deal with shared GFX memory? It has 512mb dedicated and shares "up to 2300mb". The dedicated bit is fine but will sharing hit performance with 4gigs of RAM?

Thanks.

Processor, operating system and memory

* Processor type: Intel Centrino 2 processor technology Intel Core2 Duo Processor P7450 2 GHz , Level 2 cache 3 MB
* Operating system installed: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Standard memory: 4096 MB
* Memory layout: (2 x 2048 MB)
* Maximum memory: Supports up to 8 GB DDR2 memory

Internal drives

* Internal drives: 320 GB
* Hard disk controller: SATA Hard Disk Drive
* Hard disk drive speed: 5400 rpm
* Optical drive type: Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support

System features

* Memory card device: 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
* Modem: High speed 56K modem
* Network interface: Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
* Wireless technologies: Intel WiFi Link 5100
* Wireless capability: Bluetooth wireless networking
* External I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI connector, 1 eSata connector, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, 1 RJ11 modem connector, 2 headphones-out, 1 mic-in, remote control infrared port
* Expansion slots: One ExpressCard/34 slot
* Display size: 13.3" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display
* Display resolution: 1280 x 800
* Graphic subsystem name: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS
* Video RAM: up to 2300 MB Total Available Graphics Memory with 512 MB dedicated
* Ergonomic features: Integrated finger print reader
* Control panel: HP Mediasmart media player software and its dedicated menu controls, music and DVD buttons
* Webcam: HP Pavilion WebCam with Integrated Microphone
* Remote control: HP Mini Remote Control
* Internal audio: 3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated
* Speakers and microphone: Altec Lansing speakers
* Keyboard: Full size backlit keyboard
* Pointing device: Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical and horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute buttons, 1 Quick Launch Button
* Power supply type: 90 W AC Power Adapter
* Battery type: 6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery

Software

* Software - Productivity and finance: Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 60-Day Trial Version
* Pre-installed software: Microsoft Internet Explorer; Windows Mail; Adobe Reader
* Optical drive driver software: HP MediaSmart Suite ; Windows Media Player ; Windows Photo Gallery ; DVD Play ; Windows Movie Maker,
* Windows DVD Maker ; Cyberlink DVD Suite ; Windows Media center ; Digital Persona Fingerprint reader software ; HP Total Care Advisor ; HP Games Console with hours of free game play, featuring EA Spore Creature Creator
* Software included: Recovery partition (including possibility to recover system, applications and drivers separately); Optional re-allocation of recovery partition; Recovery CD/DVD creation tool; Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 (60 days live update); Notebook Help and Support

Dimensions / weight / warranty

* Product weight: 1.87 kg
* Package weight: 3.62 kg
* Product dimensions (W x D x H): 32 cm (L) x 22.8 cm (W) x 2.94 cm (min H) / 3.58 cm (max H)
* Package dimensions (W x D x H): 385 x 160 x 345 mm
* Warranty: 1 year, pick-up and return, parts and labour

gamer

it just means if you load crysis or some 3d design prog that uses the graphics card heavily at hiresolution the card will take more memory IF it deems it necessary ,i dont know any game that needs more than 300meg grahics memory,that looks like a laptop for a professional graphics designer or a gaming laptop.13inch lc d seems small to me ,you can get a 15inch widescreen for 700 or cheaper,i like the hp laptops ,they tend to be very quiet in regard to fan noise,and very well built.

Duffman

Thanks for the reply. I have no experience with HP laptops so that's good to hear about build quality.

13" is kind of small but it also means the machine is portable. I'm coming from 1024 x 768 (I know ) so 1280 will seem fairly decent. If I went for a 15" or over I'd look for at least least 1600 horizontal which seems to be kind of expensive. I only care about resolution rather than size so I wouldn't have any problems with small text or high pixel density.

After debating it for a while I think I will go for a small panel and get an external monitor later. Is HDMI pretty much as good as DVI from that point of view? I can get a simple adaptor, right?