There is no clear winner to that question. It is really a matter of user preference. I would not be happy with the 1440 * 900 but there are other people who would not like the 1920 * 1200. The best thing to do is to check out a notebook with each resolution to see what suits your needs better. Make sure each notebook is running at native resolution when comparing. If you can't get to a DELL kiosk then go to Best Buy, COMPUSA, etc. and check out other brand notebooks with similar screen resolutions. Although it is not as valid a comparison it is still better than just winging it.