V6J or W3J?

I've spent quite some time trying to decide which of these two laptops I should buy. I plan on possibly playing some casual games, nothing too graphics intensive. I'll primarily be using it as a college student, and doing some programming on it. I don't care too much if the laptop gets loud. I will be running a windows/linux dual boot.

Basically, the W3J seems to be about the same price, even with the $200 mail in rebate, and come with a faster processor, better video card, and better sound quality. The V6J, though, seems more linux-compatible, and has a better screen (does the SXGA really make that big of a difference?). The size and weight of both are fine by me, in terms of carrying around.

The V6J seems to meet my current needs, but in the long run, would a W3J be better (since it has some higher quality components)? Is there a difference in the build quality of either of these, or the materials used? Do either of these laptops heat up a lot?

I've been mind-boggled with this decision for some time now, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

it depends really on how much you game..considering you're a casual gamer and will be using this as your main computer..i'd go with the v6j..the sxga+ makes a huge difference for programming or any kind of long typing...quality wise they're both great..keep in mind that as far as size goes they're both the same width..the v6j is longer because of the 15" screen

 

Both of these laptops are great.

Since you will be taking this to school, you may want to consider the W3J because of the modular bay battery. Currently the W3J can get up to 3.5 hours on max battery mode, and if you add the modular bay battery you can get an extra hour or so.

Also the W3J features an X1600 256mb which is roughly two times faster than the Go 7400 which is in the V6J.

Another big difference is widescreen vs non widescreen, will you be watching a lot of DVDs? Then the widescreen laptop may be more beneficial.

The WXGA+ screen on the V6J is nice for programmers who can fit in extra lines of code and more graphics.

Then things boil down to whether you wanna run linux more than windows or the other way around, and this would tell whether you want ATI or Nvidia, then you can choose the right laptop for you.

In my opinion I would say the W3J may be the better buy for you because of the modular bay battery and more graphical power.

 

i was under the impression that V6j > W3j in terms of structural quality.

 

I was speaking in terms of parts on the inside - it has a faster processor, and better video card. However, I'm also trying to figure out which one has a better build - and I can't find solid proof that one is better than the other, though it appears the V6J is better to some extent.

 

Since you dont game that much (go7400 will be fine), will be programming (bigger screen = less eye strain) and using linux (nvidia support much better) the V6J looks like an obvious winner.

 

After going to a local store and comparing the quality of a 14" WXGA and a 15" SXGA, and searching online to find that ATI's latest drivers support the mobile X1600 on linux, I decided to order the W3J. I figured that the price was the same, but I got more bang for my buck on it. If I decided to game with the V6J, I wouldv'e been in trouble, especially a few years from now. However, if the screen on the W3J bothered me that much, I could always buy an LCD screen to use in my dorm.

Thanks for the help.