# HP or Dell? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658 "2008-03-25T07:43:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![youredd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/85f322/32.png) [@youredd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/youredd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/1 "2008-03-25T07:43:57Z")
I’m currently looking at a HP or Dell for a laptop replacement. I have done some research & find some good reviews on the following models: HP dv6700t 15.4 inch notebook [http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=37403&ru=290](http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=37403&ru=290) Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) 15.4" Widescreen Display (1280 x 800) 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive Dell Inspiron 1420 14.1 inch Notebook > **[Computers, Monitors & Technology Solutions | Dell USA](https://www.dell.com/en-us)** > > Shop the latest Dell computers & technology solutions. Laptops, desktops, gaming pcs, monitors, workstations & servers. FREE & FAST DELIVERY 1.6GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor Windows Vista Home Premium 14.1-inch Widescreen glossy OR anti-glare display 2GB DDR2 Memory 250GB SATA Hard Drive Wanted to know your thoughts about these two. Also if it is worth the money I am spending for it. ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/2 "2008-03-25T09:32:40Z")
What are you planning on using it for? That extra gig of RAM might be essential, depending on your needs. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/3 "2008-03-25T10:55:31Z")
trust me, with the piece of shit that vista is get the extra gig of ram and the vid card with memory. I wont suggest between dell and hp, but i have 2 dv9000 - one a z with 2 gig ram and the top vid card and I can play wow, flip screens and surf the internet - pretty much what I want. It has xp pro on it. THe other 9000 has vista, only had 12k ram and had the generic vid card. It wouldnt play WOW or civ 4 without adding the ram. It will grudgingly let me into WOW without the screen locking up, but it is about as lagy as EQ used to be and pretty much wont let me flip screens to look something up online. Vista is a pice of site resource hog. Max out the vid card and ram no matter whiich you get if you want vista to work right. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/4 "2008-03-25T13:23:08Z")
Of the two, I’d go for the Dell. Apart from anything else, you can - and should - opt for a higher-resolution display. I’d also suggest upping the CPU and getting the 8400 GS graphics card but these depend upon what you intend doing with the device. And buy as much memory as you can afford. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/5 "2008-03-25T15:42:35Z")
RAM is the cheapest upgrade there is, and ironically has the biggest impact. Max it out. 32-bit Vista won’t recognize more than 3 gigs, so that’s what you’re aiming for. Although if you order from Dell, you can still get XP instead of Vista, which might be a good move for a medium-level laptop. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/6 "2008-03-25T16:04:44Z")
Don’t go for the Inspiron. Go for the Dell Vostro. The business class. Generally, it’s cheaper, hardier, and easier to fix. Also, less crapware shoveled on it, and you have more choices when you configure it. Like, say, getting Windows XP. Which will be a much better choice than Vista. … don’t get a HP. ---
**Author:** ![laramary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@laramary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laramary)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/7 "2008-03-25T17:08:43Z")
[QUOTE=E-Sabbath] Don’t go for the Inspiron. Go for the Dell Vostro. The business class. Generally, it’s cheaper, hardier, and easier to fix. Also, less crapware shoveled on it, and you have more choices when you configure it. Like, say, getting Windows XP. Which will be a much better choice than Vista. … don’t get a HP. [/QUOTE] Dell’s getting wonky over what it’ll slap XP on - and it’s peeving me. I completely agree with the quoted post - OP should go with the Vostro and eschew the HP. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/8 "2008-03-25T17:39:37Z")
[QUOTE=E-Sabbath] Don’t go for the Inspiron. Go for the Dell Vostro. The business class. Generally, it’s cheaper, hardier, and easier to fix. Also, less crapware shoveled on it, and you have more choices when you configure it. Like, say, getting Windows XP. Which will be a much better choice than Vista. … don’t get a HP. [/QUOTE] I bought a Vostro and it rocks. No crapware as it is a business class machine. Tech support is here in North America not India Awesome graphics (I upgraded both the display and video card. XP pro ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/9 "2008-03-25T18:31:50Z")
Ooh, I’ve been looking for a laptop for school and the Vostro looks good, especially based on the esteemed doper recommendations here…and it has a built-in memory card reader, sweet 🙂 How’s the battery life and/or power cables? Does it have a toaster-sized power brick? ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/10 "2008-03-25T18:49:41Z")
Another vote for Vostro. I got my wife one with Vista, and added more RAM. Works pretty well, for her needs (email, surfing, music). Upgrades would have made it good for gaming. Battery life seems to be average to good. You can upgrade to a higher capacity battery. Power brick is the standard type… If you are going to keep it plugged in for the most part, I’d suggest removing the battery; I’ve had issues with other laptops where the battery seems to discharge quicker when running on battery, if plugged in otherwise constantly. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/11 "2008-03-25T18:50:11Z")
This doesn’t seem to belong in Cafe Society, I’m moving it to the IMHO forum. No biggie, **youredd** , and welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards! ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/12 "2008-03-26T05:48:21Z")
I’ve had good luck working on other peoples’ HP hardware, but I’ll never buy one, and here’s why. A couple of months ago I got ahold of a “free if you can fix it” HP laptop, no more than two years old, that had a bad display and a broken power connector. I repaired both of these problems for less than a hundred bucks and called HP to order a replacement restore disk. (The OEM key was on the machine and was completely legal, but the guy I got it from had no idea where the disk was.) The representative informed me that there was absolutely no way to replace this disk for any amount of money, and if I didn’t want to buy a new copy of Windows she had a fine selection of relpacement laptops starting at just six hundred dollars. If you buy an HP machine, you should be aware that once they have your money you can go piss up a rope if you need support for it. ---
**Author:** ![ShermanAter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ShermanAter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShermanAter)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/13 "2008-03-26T07:37:32Z")
Another happy vostro user here. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/14 "2008-03-26T09:23:56Z")
HP and Dell can both burn in hell. They were both good companies once upon a time, but they cut quality and service in the name of profit, which they don’t seem to realize is very short sighted. [Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=296569) a Dell Pit thread from a few years ago. From what I hear, things haven’t changed. I’d go with Toshiba or Sony. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/15 "2008-03-26T10:31:45Z")
Not Sony! Oh, god, those things are horrid. Too expensive, marketed towards executives rather than users. They’re _pretty_, but… ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/16 "2008-03-26T15:35:31Z")
Another vote for buying the Dell an no matter what to not buy the HP one. HP Customer Service is even worse then Dell’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/17 "2008-03-26T15:49:45Z")
I’m on a HP nx8420, and it’s working fine. As opposed to some of the consumer grade Dells I’ve seen, especially with regards to the hinge. I think the rule of thumb ought to be “get the business line” no matter what brand you choose. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/18 "2008-03-26T16:09:59Z")
I’ve just been boycotting HP since the private eye issue of last year, myself. I don’t have anything good or bad to say about their laptops. I _do_ have good things to say about the Dell Vostro. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/19 "2008-03-26T16:57:46Z")
For laptops, I would vote for Toshiba; they make an excellent product. I have owned 3 laptops made by HP (I used to work for Agilent) and they were OK, 2 laptops from Toshiba that were excellent, and 1 from Dell that was on par with the HP laptops. Sony laptops are rumored to break on the 370th day of ownership… ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hp-or-dell/442658/20 "2008-03-26T17:12:03Z")
I’m posting this from a Dell Vostro. Configured with XP. I agree with my esteemed friend **Rick**. It Rocks! Highly recommended.