Help: LG P1-J003A9 vs LG P1-P200A9

Hi:

I am wondering which one is better (ignoring price difference).

P200A9:
Core Duo 2.0GHZ
1GB DDR2 RAM
80GB 5400RPM HDD
15.4 WXGA
X1600 128MB
DVD +/- RW

J003A9:
Core 2 Duo 1.83GHZ (T5600)
1GB DDR2 RAM
100GB 5400 RPM HDD
15.4IN WXGA
ATI X1400
DVD +/- RW

Should I get the one with the better processor and larger HDD, or the one with the better GPU?

Here is the FAQ:

1) What is your budget?
$2000 CAD final price (i.e. with shipping/tax), although lower is always better

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

c.Mainstream; 15"-16"

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Word processing, surfing the net, coding, medium amounts of gaming

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it to many different places

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, probably nothing too demanding, most likely Warcraft 3

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No Macs plz

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
3 hours

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not really, so long as there is a lot of user reviews on it

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Canada

Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy - they look so cool

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Of medium importance, I want it to look stylish, but of course performance is #1

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying it soon, would like it to last for like 3 years

Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
Would like it to be 80-100GB

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-RW drive

Needs to run Vista Aero

 

I recommend that you get the J003A9. You will appreciate the Core 2 Duo and the extra 20b more than the vid card in my opinion. Warcraft 3 gets pwn3d by both cards. Not TOO sure about CAD. My two cents.

 

Hmm.. cool. Yeah I won't be doing CAD, as far as I know. How well do you think the x1400 might handle new games, because I would probably want to get the next Blizzard game, whatever it might be (Starcraft 2 ? ). And can anyone comment on how the x1400 compares with the x800xl I have on my desktop?

 

Urgent: Does the J003A9 come with 3 yrs warranty? I saw that on the LG Canada website, it says 3 years warranty, but I have been noticing other online retailers claiming it is only for a single year. Can someone please clarify?

 

I like the idea of c2d but I personally but a video card on a laptop. I would go with whats behind door number 1. Core Duo is good enough for me, the x1400 is a turtle a compared to the x1600.

 

Two things will decide this for you: how far above $2000 are you willing to go, and whether you need 3 hours of battery. The P200A9, with its more powerful graphics card, may suffer a battery penalty compared to the x1400-equipped J003A9; my J003A9 gets just under 3 hours with Wifi on/medium brightness, maybe a bit more if I use a more efficient power scheme than the default.

The P200A9s sell for over $2100 before taxes right now; I got my J003A9 for ~$1800 Canadian, including GST/PST. The T5600 isn't much more powerful than the T2500, so you're not getting a vastly better CPU, but even so you're basically looking at paying $300-$400 more for a better graphics card. If you're not a big gamer, it's probably not worth the hit.

And yes, the J003A9 comes with a three-year warranty.

 

From the reviews I've read, the Core 2 Duo isn't significantly faster than the Core Duo for a given clock speed, at least based on current applications. And by the time software hits the market that will take advantage of the 64 bit nature of the Core 2, you will probably looking to upgrade to a new computer anyways. I've got the P200A9, and there is no way I would trade it in for a slightly updated processor design, but with a slower clock speed and a graphics card that offers a fraction of the power. Remember that the X1600 is already getting a little long-in-the tooth as far as graphics cards go (in the desktop market), but it should last you 2-3 years for gaming purposes. There are already lots of games out there that would severly tax the X1400. In a couple of years, it is going to be a real liability.

 

Hmm.. Thank-you, more to think about. Still thinking about which one to get still lol, after all this time.

 

P1-P200A9 is what i got, at first i felt suckered when i saw the release of the Core 2's but then i realized that none of the other P1's had the X1600, i tried some games out on the X1400 and they don't compare to the X1600.. hdd's can always be upgraded... the only system LG has i can see that can beat out the P1-P200A9 is the S1 series with the Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz and X1600 video.. but that system is $2899 cnd.. I originally paid $2499 cnd for my P1 back in April

 

Yeah I sort of echo your sentiment about the Core2Duo's - especially now that a lot of laptops have them. Do you know if LG is planning a refresh of the P1-P200A9?

 

who knows.. I wish they would just make notebooks upgradeable lol... i wish i can just order upgraded display lcds with higher resolutions and faster cpus to install lol