Configuring my E1405

Iv decided to go

1) XP Pro, over the included version (its only +$9)
2) Kept the stock 2yr Collect/Return support

The only thing i need to decide, is 6v Lithium v 9v. The money difference isn't the problem, but if the 6v gets between 3 to 4 hours, i suspect it would be fine for my needs. Would you notice the weight difference in the 9v?



This is the other decision, is it just drivers?

This system is looking very promising, but i just hope when i get it, the screen is one of the better lot. Plenty of user comments on cnet turned me off this for some time, but for the price, nothing else here is competitive.

 

I like HP's budget notebooks better.

 

The configuration of the soud blaster is software NOT drivers. The drivers for the sound are made by sigmaTel. The Sound Blaster software is just a fancy mixing software and is a waste of money for laptops. Go to sound blasters website and look up the software, its not worth it unless you have the need for surround and gaming and sound effects processing and all that stuff. The factory sigmatel sounds great and works awesome for all my needs.

 

I would agree with this assessment. Besides, Creative has never been known for their ability to write stable, user-friendly software (although they are improving in this regard).

 

Take a look at the HP dv2000 series before you buy an E1405 - often, a local store will have them on sale. I've seen quite a few good deals lately.

Forget that Sound Blaster stuff, it's a waste. I agree that the integrated audio is very good. The software also adds several processes/services to your system, which will use more RAM and possibly slow down your laptop.

 

I would be surprised if you could get 3+ hours with the 6 cell battery. I'd bet you get close, but exceeding 3 Hrs. would probably mean some serious performance compromises. The 9 cell battery would add some weight but it would not be significant compared to the total weight of the system.

 

I bought the Audigy program from Creative after I got my E1505, I happen to like it, it came with a nice wave mixing program, some media player program, a voice command thingy, and EAX effects. Its a nice novelty, and you can brag to people who dont know about computers too much that you have Creative Audigy integrated sound

 

See where i live, the dv2000t, is worth $1999, with the 1.6ghz core duo, with no support. While the e1405 is $1600, full speced up more or less (1.83ghz, 1gb memory, 120gb hdd, 2yrs support etc etc).

While i wouldnt mind the HP, its just so much more expensive.

The problem with the e1405 which i dont like, is the screen, the "white glow" which some users report comes from the bottum.