Solved! Which is better...

[spilot]

I'm curious, which would be better for overall performance i3 with a 5400 hd vs. p6200 with a 7200 hd (and I guess I should add 4GB memory vs. Asus's 3 GB).

I've heard that the HD is the bottleneck of the system, and I'm curious which combo would have a better performance?

I'm not a gamer, so I'm just looking for a regular home/office laptop. Here are some my top 3 choices:

Asus ($520):
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Mood+Indigo/1769288.p?id=1218291998082&skuId=1769288&st=asus%2052f&cp=1&lp=4

Gateway ($500):
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101243

HP ($500):

http/www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=cto_store&sto_cto=WV773AV&brand_name=hp

I've been leaning towards the Gateway one (I've heard it's a quality brand) until I've come across those customizable HP's (which I've also heard are great machines).

Or should I not worry about all these difference, since they won't make a dent in the overall performance?


Thank you and I would really appreciate any feedback

 

[cia24]

Any of the 3 you listed should make you happy, i prefer asus and if you get it from best-buy and you dont like it you can return it and get 100% of your money back in 30 days

 

[spilot]

Which is what I did. I went to Best Buy and looked at the 3 options in person and went with Asus.

I was actually also looking at this i3 Gateway with Blu-ray and other bells and whistles (which would have only been $20 more - $540)

http/www.amazon.com/Gateway-NV55C29u-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Satin/dp/B003ZUXXMY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1295810570&sr=1-1

but the quality of its case was extremely poor (hence why such a "killer" deal). Asus, on the other hand, is built like a tank. This was the decisive factor.

Also, a side question. I just turned the thing on for the first time. Is it normal for a hard drive to make a "clunk clunk" sound at the very beginning of a start up? I know it's quite normal with my PC, but I do not recall hearing the same clunky sound when I was turning on/off the same model at the store (unless it was coming out of hibernation mode, or it just was too loud to hear anything).

Thank you!