Countdown Has Passed

[trickykitty]

Shit. I'm skimming the vittles in laptops on Newegg looking for XP machines.

This has been the most absolutely gut wrenching decision I've actually made in a while. Had I looked more whole-heartedly before getting this close to the deadline I probably would have found exactly what I wanted. As it is, I'm absolutely and completely torn between two systems. Hopefully the links will work, as I'm sure the systems will be sold very soon indeed.

ASUS A8 Series A8SC-X3 NoteBook

PROS: lots of goodies

CONS:
not black
not ergonomic keyboard

1.83 GHz
14" WXGA display (I prefer closer to 12-13")
3GB DDR2
250GB hard drive
DVD Super Multi
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G
1 x Express Card
5 USB
1 IEEE 1394
1 x VGA, 1 x DVI, 1 x S-Video TV-out
1 x Headphone-out jack (SPDIF)
1 x Microphone-in jack
5.25 lbs.

versus
Acer TravelMate TM5720-6462 NoteBook

PROS: not too bad as well on it's crunchy bits, but a little short in a couple areas, but not so much I can't deal with it
also, black, and ergonomic and all around pretty in my eyes

CONS:
15.4" WXGA display (again, I prefer closer to 12-13")
Intel GMA X3100 (not dedicated)
6.6 lbs. (I also prefer under 5')

2.0 GHz
1GB DDR2 (upgradable to 4GB)
120GB hard drive (this will easily do for my purposes)
DVD Super Multi
IrDA-FIR 4Mbps
1 x ExpressCard/54 slot
4 USB (I can live with one less USB than 5)
1 IEEE 1394
1 x VGA, 1 x S-Video TV-out (no DVI, but I like the S-Video)
1 x headphones/speaker/line-out
1 x microphone
1 x line-in
5-in-1 card reader (eh, I have this on my main computer)

_____
Really, the crunchier isn't that much of a difference between the two systems for my needs and purposes. So it basically boils down to black/ergonomic versus smaller/lighter. Yes, I am that materialistic that the black/ergonomic really does hold THAT much sway over my decision. Damn it, I can't decide!

Also, I must note that this decision was made after taking a good hard look at the black MacBook and it's ability to run vitual Windows simultaneously with the OS X. However, I see a couple kinks that I would like Apple to work out, like my vain request for the power cables to come in black. I would also be interested in seeing if Parallels can work out it's little kinks as well. I may come back to the MacBook in time, but I'm not quite there yet. Besides, I'd hold my breath for something like this.

_________
EDIT:
And then I went with the XP downgrade after all.
Acer TravelMate TM4720-6218 NoteBook

2.20 GHz
14.1" screen
2GB DDR2 (upgradable to 4GB)
160GB hard drive
DVD Super Multi
802.11a/b/g/Draft N wireless LAN
IrDA-FIR 4Mbps
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
1 x Type I/II PC Card Slot
4 USB
1 IEEE 1394
1 x VGA, 1 x S-Video TV-out (no DVI, but I like the S-Video)
1 x headphones/speaker/line-out
1 x microphone
1 x line-in
5-in-1 card reader supports optional MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO or xD-Picture Card
5.3 lbs.

Such is the Nikki.

Comments

[the-paco.livejournal.com]

First one's got a better graphics option, barely.
Second one's got a newer generation processor with a faster bus, so everything else will move a little smoother and give you more upgrade options. Honestly, unless you're gaming the dedicated graphics wouldn't do too much. It also will be almost impossible to upgrade if you get that one... well, not impossible, but hard. The Vostro I'm getting has a slightly better video card than the first one you mention, too. Feature-wise, it's not worth the price. I'd say number two.

Granted, I'm feature driven with the bottom line, so I put up with a slightly less ergonomic and slightly larger system to get the features I wanted at the price I liked. You will pay a premium and/or suffer a lack of hardware features in a smaller laptop. The price range you're giving though is giving you a lot of better options, though.

I'll keep looking around for a 14.1 inch laptop with dedicated graphics and a new core 2 duo generation processor under 1000. I think you could find a better one than what you can find on newegg.