HP Mini or HP DM3?

[tse]

Hi guys, I'm new here and in the market for a new laptop and have been waiting since about August to wait for Windows 7 comes out because I heard when a new operating system comes out, that is when the PC manufacturers are the most competitive.

To my expectations, HP has reworked their whole lineup, and I have pretty much nailed down my two options to the HP Mini or HP DM3. Basically what I wanted in a laptop was a small (14 inch or smaller) laptop with basic specs to allow me to browse the web, do my office work, hold and listen all my music (~20 GBs), watch some movies on from Hulu, play some old classic games from 2001 and earlier, and I wanted it to have a long battery life for when I am on the go.

I waited it out, and I think either the HP Mini 311 with the nVidia ION and HP DM3 AMD version will suit my needs, it is just which one will suit it more.

Cost:

-HP Mini, $399, RAM, $35, USB Optical Drive, $50, Total: $484
-HP DM3, $499, USB Optical Drive, $50, Total: $549

The thing that compels me to buy the HP Mini 311:

-The biggest thing is that it is cheaper. If I buy the Mini I was just going to buy the stock version, upgrade the RAM myself to 3 GBs (which is more than enough) for about 35 bucks, and buy the USB optical drive for 50 bucks. It doesn't have nearly as good of a processor as the AMD Neo Dual Core, but it has a slightly better graphics card in the 9400M G over the ATI Radeon Mobility 3200 HD. It is also more portable than the already portable HP DM3 which is a plus.

The thing that compels me to buy the HP DM3:

-The biggest thing is the better processor, the AMD Neo Dual Core, because I am unsure if the Atom N270 is strong enough to run fullscreen Hulu, even with the new version of Flash coming out next month that uses the graphics card to improve performance. I am also keen on the fact that the HP DM3 has a 100% sized keyboard over the 311's 92% sized keyboard. It also comes with better specs then the HP Mini, for example if I buy from Office Depot it includes 4 GBs of RAM more then the max amount of the Mini, it has double the hard drive space even though I doubt that I will need more than 100 GBs, and it has Wireless N vs. the 311's Wireless G.

The thing that is neutral to both:

-They both have an average graphics card that ISN'T Intel integrated, even though the 311's graphics card is slightly faster I doubt I'd notice. The fact that they both have the same amount of battery life is also very nice, and they are both stylish and look good.

Any help? Suggestions? Any laptops that are similar to these two in price, performance, and form factor?

[tse]

double post

[Haluska]

I'm thinking the same thing as you were and now I'm leaning to the DM3 because it's larger. What did you decide and what do you think?

Thanks!

[tse]

I bought the HP DM3 from Office Depot, and am loving it. The Neo Dual Core is extremely fast for my needs and the 3200 HD is no pushover either. I compared the DM3 to the 311 next to each other and the DM3 seemed a lot more sturdier then the 311 and the 13 inch screen seems more practical.

[greggo25]

I am also interested in the DM3 amd setup but am slightly worried that the battery life is not as good as the DM3 with the intel cpu. How has the battery life on your DM3 been so far?