Jump to content

$399 laptop comparison, Toshiba CompUSA vs HP Walmart

missyjane

By missyjane
in 2005

 Share

Recommended Posts

jminer1

jminer1

Posted
Posted

Well, here is a comparison based on information I've been able to pull together from these message boards:

 

CompUSA

Toshiba

Intel Celeron M Processor 370

1.5 GHz / 1MB L2 cache / 400MHz FSB

256 MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM

Mobility Radeon 9000 IGP w/64MB DDR shared memory (adjustable to 128MB)

15.0" XGA display (1024x768)

40GB HDD (5400rpm)

CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive

802.11 b/g wireless-LAN

1 year standard warranty

 

WalMart

HP

AMD Sempron 2800+

1.6 GHz / 256KB L2 cache / 400MHz FSB

256 MB PC27090 333MHz DDR SDRAM

Radeon XPRESS 200M w/32MB DDR shared memory (adjustable to 128MB)

15.0" XGA display (1024x768)

40GB HDD (4200RPM)

CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive

802.11 b/g wireless-LAN

1 year standard warranty

 

 

The two laptops are pretty comparable. The main differences are:

 

- Processors. One is Intel and the other is AMD. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. The Intel has 4 times the amount of L2 cache (good for multimedia applications) as the AMD, but the AMD has a slightly higher clock speed by 100MHz.

 

- Video cards. The Radeon XPRESS is the newer of the two, but both should be pretty comparable performance wise. They both share memory with the main system.

 

- Hard drives. Both are the same size, but the Toshiba runs 1200rpm faster.

 

 

If anyone has any questions about what these specs mean, go ahead and ask and I'll try to answer.

wazman

wazman

Posted
Posted

The Celeron is more of a business processor - it's not quite as good with gaming or CPU-intensive tasks (of course, the graphics in both those laptops won't get you very far with gaming. But the Sempron has more raw horsepower than the Celeron). If I had to choose, I'd go HP first, and then Toshiba.

 

As for a Dell? I'd go for that one before any of them.

albrandwood

albrandwood

Posted
Posted

The Celeron is more of a business processor - it's not quite as good with gaming or CPU-intensive tasks (of course, the graphics in both those laptops won't get you very far with gaming. But the Sempron has more raw horsepower than the Celeron). If I had to choose, I'd go HP first, and then Toshiba.

Since the HP has a slower harddrive, and a smaller L2 cache, the faster processor (a whole, 8%) will make very little difference.

 

If (like the vast majority of laptop buyers) you are basically after a web/email machine that can be put away when not required, and are not planning to play games ... then both will do the job ...

 

Which would I get? the Toshiba ... why? see my previous postings ... even HP don't use them ... I haven't seen a new HP in a corporate office in a long time ... most are Dell, IBM or Toshiba.

 

@

jminer1

jminer1

Posted
Posted

I agree with albrandwood, if I absolutely HAD to pick one of these laptops (based solely on the specs known up to this point), I would go with the Toshiba over the HP because I believe the Intel processor would perform better overall, and the faster hard drive is a must.

 

In actuality, I would not buy either because they both use shared memory video cards. At the very least, I would pick up the Toshiba and then add on more RAM. With the video card eating up 64MB, that only leaves 192MB for system use. I don't know how much adding the extra RAM would cost, but it would definitely be worth it.

Kingfalcon

Kingfalcon

Posted
Posted
Let me also throw into the fray that the Toshiba will have a 4-cell rechargable battery whereas the HP has a 6-cell. So I would imagine you're looking at better battery life if you go with the HP, although I'm not sure about how the power consumption of the Intel and AMD chips compare.
jpeyton

jpeyton

Posted
Posted

The Celeron is more of a business processor - it's not quite as good with gaming or CPU-intensive tasks (of course, the graphics in both those laptops won't get you very far with gaming. But the Sempron has more raw horsepower than the Celeron).

That's not exactly true. You guys have to remember that the Celeron M = Pentium M minus 1MB L2 Cache & SpeedStep.

 

What does that mean exactly? Well having only 1MB L2 Cache (vs. 2MB for the Pentium M) drops the performance by ~5-10%...not that big of a deal, and nothing you'll notice during everyday tasks. Having no SpeedStep means the Celeron cannot "throttle down" its clockspeed when you aren't doing CPU intensive tasks. That lowers battery life by as much as ~20%.

 

But the Celeron M is still a Pentium M at its core, and thus it is noticeably better than a Sempron in gaming and many CPU-intensive tasks. The Sempron has a paltry 256k L2 cache (one-fourth of the Celeron M) and it wasn't designed from the ground-up to be a mobile processor, meaning its battery life will be lower than a comparable Celeron M laptop.

 

The XPRESS 200M should provide slightly better graphics performance, and another plus of the HP is that it has no rebates. Right now the Toshiba from CompUSA does have a rebate (although I haven't seen an ad scan confirming any other details).

 

EDIT: Although I have to mention that CompUSA has done a fantastic turn-around of their rebate program this year. During the Compaq-CTO desktop fiasco, I got my $300 CompUSA rebate in four weeks.

missyjane

missyjane

Posted
  • Author
Posted

That's not exactly true. You guys have to remember that the Celeron M = Pentium M minus 1MB L2 Cache & SpeedStep.

 

What does that mean exactly? Well having only 1MB L2 Cache (vs. 2MB for the Pentium M) drops the performance by ~5-10%...not that big of a deal, and nothing you'll notice during everyday tasks. Having no SpeedStep means the Celeron cannot "throttle down" its clockspeed when you aren't doing CPU intensive tasks. That lowers battery life by as much as ~20%.

 

But the Celeron M is still a Pentium M at its core, and thus it is noticeably better than a Sempron in gaming and many CPU-intensive tasks. The Sempron has a paltry 256k L2 cache (one-fourth of the Celeron M) and it wasn't designed from the ground-up to be a mobile processor, meaning its battery life will be lower than a comparable Celeron M laptop.

 

The XPRESS 200M should provide slightly better graphics performance, and another plus of the HP is that it has no rebates. Right now the Toshiba from CompUSA does have a rebate (although I haven't seen an ad scan confirming any other details).

 

EDIT: Although I have to mention that CompUSA has done a fantastic turn-around of their rebate program this year. During the Compaq-CTO desktop fiasco, I got my $300 CompUSA rebate in four weeks.

I have no idea what you just wrote - except the rebate part...that I understood.

enoreeman

enoreeman

Posted
Posted
Wal Mart =$399 bottom line price immediately / CompUSA=pay a lot more and PRAY that your rebate actually gets there someday and have your available shopping funds that day reduced significantly. It don't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out!
jminer1

jminer1

Posted
Posted

I don't see the Toshiba in the actual CompUSA scans -- can anyone confirm?

Me either. I guess the rumored list that came out before these scans was wrong.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...