Does anyone know why there is a sharp difference in prices between these two laptops ?

Question

At amazon, for example, the following laptops are available at:

for about 800$:

T24-17017 :: Toshiba Satellite P305-S8822 Laptop Computer - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83GHz, 802.11a/b/g Wireless, 3GB DDR2, 200GB HDD, DL DVDRW, 17.1" WXGA+, Integrated Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium (11.75 lbs)

and for 1300$ or so:
Toshiba Satellite X205-S9810 17" Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

seems very similar except for the processor clock speed...but the price difference is huge...

By the way, without exceeding 1500$ does anybody know of a better performance-wise 17inch screen laptop ?

Answer 1

All i can see is the extra 120GB of hard drive space, which is nice to have on a laptop (mine only has 40gb) So that would account for part of it. Also, the extra CPU speed would account for the rest. CPU's, and hard drives are much different than Desktop CPUS, and hard drives. They need to be much smaller, so they can get more expensive.



And i would agree, the first laptop is a very good deal (I'm not thrilled with the Vista, but what can you do?)

Answer 2

There are 3 large differences between the two laptops. First, the video card. In the p305-s8822, the video card only has 256mb of video RAM. The x205-s9810 has a 512mb card.



The second difference is the processor. The p305-s8822 has a 1.83GHz dual core processor whereas the x205-s9810 has a 2.0GHz processor.



The final thing is obviously hard drive space. A 320GB hard drive is pretty much the max you can get in a laptop. 200GB is actually getting to be below standard since most laptops out have a 250GB hard drive.

Answer 3

The Processor is of higher speed (2.0ghz > 1.83ghz), the bus speeds could be quite different, which would add to the cost.



120GB more of hard drive space and the smaller one (cheaper laptop), is only 4200RPM while the more expensive one is 5400RPM, which means can read/write data quicker to/from the disk.



Also, Graphics Cards are different: Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 on the cheaper one and an; Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT in the more expensive one. Right now, NVIDIA's are more expensive.



Also, the more expensive has 2 more USB's, a 5-in-1 Card reader. Not to much, but tends to add up.



Hope this helps with those, as for a good laptop:



Try IBM/Lenovo. They make great laptops! Happy Hunting.

Answer 4

You haven't listed all its features... how powerful is the graphics card on both machines (nowadays, graphics cards can have a huge impact on system prices) - if the latter has got a decent video card and the first has got an integrated, that could help make the price difference.



Also maybe the first one is last year's model so they're trying to sell it :).

Answer 5

I think you forgot the wireless on the toshiba(matters if it has n),the weight,the hard drive space (200 - 320) (t5550 - t5750)



(I'm not a fan of 17")

Answer 6

processor clock speed also determines the computer speed. i would say the first one is a much better deal though.

Answer 7

A macbook is the best bet but if you dont want one just go for the first one.

Answer 8

try dell vostry 1700 you can customly create your own laptop according to your price range.