ok well, there it goes
i was torn between HP dv5000 and Inspiron 6400 (hp canada doesn't let u customise, and dell canada has fewer choices than US counterpart)
hp had 1.66 ghz cpu and dell had 1.83 both intel core duo
hp had 80gig hdd dell has 100gb
hp has go7400, dell x1400 both 256ram (128 on board + 128 shared)
otherwise they are totaly identical, except that if u get a DELL with media center xp, it comes with a bulky remote, and HPs comes with one u can store in a special slot.
i favored dell a bit because after doing research i found out that go7400 is a bit worse than x1400 (that 64-bit bus on go7400 looked suspicious to me)
in favour of HP's were its beautiful design (i have a dv5000 with integrated video sitting next to me), and media center with that neat remote slot.
so i had a smoke, ate, and decided to buy a DELL, since i can lift my ass to switch chapter in DVD if i want to do so, and i guess dell design isnt that bad after all, i like dell keybord layout better, and performancewise DELL will be a bit better for ocasional gaming.
So i had another smoke, then ordered the following:
Dell Inspiron 6400
Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83 ghz ( the only option available on canadian dell site)
ultra sharp sxga+ /w truelife lcd
1gb ram
100gb hdd 5400rpm
256mb x1400 video
dvd-+rw
plus all regular stuff like wireless so on...
after $395 discout total is 1,494.17 (curse the 15% tax!!!) $cad = 1,356.86 $usd VS HP that i was taling about at 1689.99 (goddamn taxes) = 1,534.68 $USD
however, if i lived in USA, i would definitely configured the HP on the website to match or exceed dell specs (canadian one doesn't let you do that)
just out of interest:
dv5000t:
with identical specs to dell above except i took 2.0ghz cpu, media center windows and remote, comes up to USD1,314.98 (after 100 instant rebate)
i dont know if u guys pay any taxes on top of that, but i wish i could get that comp (no, i dont feel like sending to a friend in USA and then have it shipped to canada, gona cost a fortune with customs and shipping)
what can i say, god bless america lol
now i will return that dv5000 with integrated video i stupidly bought 2 days ago, and will wait for my dell to ship and stop second guessing cuz theres nothing i can do lol, this is my 4th dell i hope mike won't let me down