Hi all. First want to say what a great community this is. I stumbled upon it on Sunday and have spent all week reading up. With Windows7 a week away I'm thinking about getting a new touch computer. I figure since Win7 supports touch, why not take advantage of it. So I started doing some research and of course the HP TouchSmarts came up. They're very cool. However, with Win7 coming out it looks like there's going to be some competition now. I've been searching the web trying to learn as much as I can about them. I'm just having a tough time deciding which to go with. I know this is an HP TouchSmart community site but am sure you guys can provide advice, even if it's against getting the HP.
First some background on me and my use. I'm no stranger to touch. I had a Toshiba TabletPC years ago (it was great while in school!). I'm a tech/gadget geek and work in IT providing deskside support. The system will be used in my bedroom, which is pretty much where I live. I already have an HP MediaCenter PC (which I transplanted into an HTPC case) hooked up to a 32" LCD. That system will remain, so the new one won't be used much for tv. If they added tv-out I'd consider running it to the LCD but it's not a big issue. My computing tasks are pretty simple. Web surfing, music, photos, and some gaming. With gaming, it's World of Warcraft. I'd like to be able to play WoW on the new system, although could continue playing on my current system. So the new computer will pretty much be a toy to play with touch and regular everyday computing.
So far from my research the 2 main systems I'm considering are the HP TouchSmart 600 and the Gateway ZX6810. I have to say that I'm really impressed with the specs on the Gateway. Quad-core CPU, 8 GB ram, SSD for OS and apps and 1 TB drive for data, 1 GB Radeon graphics, etc. The only hardware fault I see with it is the lack of Blu-ray drive. From benchmarks I've seen on PCWorld, the Gateway blew the HP away. If it was a regular computer it'd be a no-brainer and I'd go with the better hardware in the Gateway. However, since this is a touch computer it adds another level to consider, software. This is where the HP shines. I haven't seen much on what Touch software the Gateway includes or how good it is. But reviews have mentioned there was some response issues with the touch input. One thing I'm sure of is it won't be as good as HP's TS. With the experience HP has and with the 600 being their 3rd generation TS, the interface is much more polished and seems much better. So I'm torn between going with better hardware but not as good touch software or going with lesser hardware but better touch. I'm afraid the whole touch thing might just be a novelty that soon wears off. In that case the software wouldn't matter much if it wasn't being used. With the HP's hardware, I do like the colored ambient lighting and the tilt webcam. I know the Gateway has ambient lighting but haven't found any info if it's colored. A third option is to try to get an IQ800 cheaper and get the free Win7 and TS 3.0 upgrade. I guess more info will be coming out in the next week and beyond. I don't need the new system immediately so can wait and see more reviews of the systems. But I am anxious to get a new toy :) Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.
Edit: Besides the better TS software, the HP has the added value of this great community site :) And sorry for being so long-winded. I can ramble, especially when I geek out :)
LOL!!!!!
Rambling is fun though!!!!!!
I would stick with HP and personally I do not trust the other companies from experiences. Dell being the worst.
I have a IQ816 and love it! I highly recommend it.
Oh and welcome to the forums. If you are interested in a Linux forums pls let us know in the COMMUNITY forums.
Having Trouble with your TX2 Series Tablet and Linux? Join us at the Touchsmart Linux Group.
http://www.touchsmartdevzone.com/group/3/Touch-Smart-with-Linux/
Thanks!! It's a tough decision, a catch-22 even. If I get the HP and touch turns out to be just a novelty and I don't use it much I'll wish I went with the better hardware on the Gateway. If I get the Gateway and their Touch software isn't great, it's even more likely it will be a novelty.
It's been a while since I played with Linux. I wanna say back in the RedHat 6 or 7 days? I remember back in the day I had a quadruple boot system with 98, 2000, Linux, and BeOS.
The more I think about it the more I lean toward the Gateway with the better hardware specs. I really think the touch will be a novelty which will eventually wear off. I'll have to see what options are available for the 600 via CTO. Hopefully this week we'll get more info on the different models coming out, which will help to make a decision.
Well now that the new TouchSmarts are on HP's site and can be configured, I think they made the decision for me. I configured the HP to match the Gateway specs as much as possible. For the CPU, I went with the next step up, trying to match the speed. That HP CPU is actually a little faster as far as GHz, but it's only 3 MB cache and 1066 FSB and dual core vs. Gateway's quad core, 4 MB cache, 1333 FSB. I went with the 8 GB RAM and 1 TB HDD. Since the Gateway's only hardware fault is no blu-ray I left that off the HP. The HP comes to $2200 and they have a $250 instant rebate making it $1950. The Gateway is $1400 MSRP. We're talking a $550 difference and the HP's hardware still doesn't match. The HP does add the HDMI and composite-in that Gateway doesn't have. But I doubt I'll use those. Hopefully I can see both of them in-person and compare but it's hard to justify the price difference.
So I was wondering if someone could give me some advice. I decided it was time for a new computer and really liked the idea of the touchsmart. It looks so pretty! One of the bigger factors for me was the tv tuner included. Ideally i would like to pick the 25.5inch screen one. However the 800 series aren't sold in very many places here in Canada. Last week i found one however at Costco for a reasonable price and i believe the model is either 816 or 847.. now im not sure. It has the bluray, 4gb and 750gb hd. The only thing missing is the tv tuner which is one of the options i wanted. I then found out about the new launching of the 600 series but wasn't impressed with the smaller screen size.
So my options are: buy the costco one and add a third party tv tuner
or wait and spend more money on the 600 version. A third option is to forget touchsmart altogether and get a computer with better specs for the same $. Don't get me wrong i love the touchsmart from what i see but i'm worried about all the gliches that are said to occur and think that the touch system may be a novelty and will wear off after a while. I basically need the computer for basic computing. School work, internet photos etc.
Also does anyone know if i even could add the third party tv tuner and how it would work? Does the windows media centre still work with an outside tuner?
Thanks a lot!
Could you configure an IQ800 on HP's site and just have it shipped? Here in the US they were offering $400 off last week. This week it's down to $250 off. A third party tv tuner should work just fine. Years ago I bought an HP desktop pc that came with XP Media Center but no tv tuner. I already had a tv tuner so just threw it in. Been running fine for years. Just put Win 7 on it over the weekend. Problem with the TouchSmarts is there's no way to add a tv tuner to the case, so you'd have to go with a USB tv tuner. But I don't see why that wouldn't work.
Sphyrna said: Could you configure an IQ800 on HP's site and just have it shipped? Here in the US they were offering $400 off last week. This week it's down to $250 off. A third party tv tuner should work just fine. Years ago I bought an HP desktop pc that came with XP Media Center but no tv tuner. I already had a tv tuner so just threw it in. Been running fine for years. Just put Win 7 on it over the weekend. Problem with the TouchSmarts is there's no way to add a tv tuner to the case, so you'd have to go with a USB tv tuner. But I don't see why that wouldn't work.hey thanks for the reply but unfortunately the hp.com doesn't ship outside of the U.S and hp canada doesn't have the 800 series for some weird reason. I haven't heard that much about Win7. Is it worth it to go with the new 600 series or do you think the 800 series is still prob the best? ok thanks for the info on the tv tuner. I'm still new to the idea of watching tv on my computer. the usb wouldn't be an issue though.
Maralm said:hey thanks for the reply but unfortunately the hp.com doesn't ship outside of the U.S and hp canada doesn't have the 800 series for some weird reason. I haven't heard that much about Win7. Is it worth it to go with the new 600 series or do you think the 800 series is still prob the best? ok thanks for the info on the tv tuner. I'm still new to the idea of watching tv on my computer. the usb wouldn't be an issue though.
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