Dell vs HP Mobile Workstations

[BomberAIA]

I just compared the 2 companies mobile workstations and ordered a Dell Precision M65, 2.16 GHz Dual core with 4 gigs of Ram and a 24" LCD Monitor. The Dell has a Nvidia Quadro FX 350M 512MB video card. I priced the Dell through the AIA Premier Program which saved me about 20%. HP will not discount their systems. You cannot get 4 gigs of Ram or a 512 MB Video card with the HP. I know XP does not recognize the ram yet, but Vista is coming out in the Fall. I get the laptop in a week.

[H-Angus]

I just compared the 2 companies mobile workstations and ordered a Dell Precision M65, 2.16 GHz Dual core with 4 gigs of Ram and a 24" LCD Monitor. The Dell has a Nvidia Quadro FX 350M 512MB video card. I priced the Dell through the AIA Premier Program which saved me about 20%. HP will not discount their systems. You cannot get 4 gigs of Ram or a 512 MB Video card with the HP. I know XP does not recognize the ram yet, but Vista is coming out in the Fall. I get the laptop in a week.

I assume it will have XP on it, so would you go to the expense of buying vista when its released?

[BomberAIA]

Yes, I will get a Vista upgrade coupon. Dell told me it will be out in November.

[BomberAIA]

I'm having second thoughts. I just looked at the graphics card on the Dell and it's only 64 bits vs the HP at 256 bits. The 17" models have better & faster cards. Does this matter w/ Revit?

[randolph.fritz102047]

My intuition is the more primary RAM, the better.

[BomberAIA]

The card has 512 mb of video ram. I went to the Nvidia site and it compared all 3 mobile workstation cards.

[Elmo]

My intuition is the more primary RAM, the better.

Not always. You have to consider if that card works with the motherboard and other issues. Computers are not black and white where if you put more you'll get more! You need to know what works with what and if something is compatible.

[BomberAIA]

I just canceled the Dell M65 since the graphic card is up to other mobile workstation standards. After reading a review on the Dell & HP, I ordered a HP nw9440. The review said:

"Out of all the mobile workstations on test this month, the nw9440 was the hardest to give back and that speaks volumes for just what a good machine HP has produced. The nw9440 not only delivers cutting edge performance, but is elegant and light, which is particularly impressive considering the integrated 17-inch widescreen display. Add to this the functional engineering-style keyboard, and you’ve got the most impressive mobile workstation we’ve ever seen."