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nitpick my m5550 config

post #1 of 8
10/17/06 at 2:05am
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone! I'm new to these forums, and I thought I'd introduce myself by asking for advice. The m5550 looks like a good choice for a new lappy since I'm looking for portability, but I want to game quite a bit as well. I have my configuration pretty well fleshed out, but now it's time to pick a few nits. Here's what I got so far:

CPU: 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo
OS: XP Pro
Display: 15.4" 1280x800
RAM: 512 MB (will upgrade)
HDD: 100GB 7200 rpm
8x DVD-RW combo drive
GPU: 256 MB GeForce Go 7600

I'll also be grabbing the messenger bag (makes it go faster ) and respawn disc. I kinda want to wait for the Vista upgrade coupon before I seal the deal, and I'll be stuffing it with 2x1GB RAM from another vendor to save some cash. Got a few questions, though:

Question the first: should I go for the 1920x1200 screen? This is my biggest concern. On a 15.4" display it'll probably make text look way too tiny for my eyes, but I guess that can be fixed by adjusting the dpi. I plan to at least try to run Oblivion and NWN2 on it, and I doubt it'll handle anything much higher than 1280x768 for those games, but I'll also play WoW and HL2 and those ought to work well using a higher resolution on this configuration. I normally play both at 1280x1024 and like 'em just fine. I expect a stop at Best Buy/Circuit City is in order to check resolutions in person.

#2: do I really need a 7200 rpm HDD? I'm guessing the answer is YES since Oblivion is on the menu, but from the (outdated) benchmarks I've seen, making the jump to 7200 rpm doesn't help performance much and reduces battery life. I'd like to stretch the battery as much as possible, but not at the expense of gaming performance. And let's face it, if I cared that much about battery life I'd go for a rig with integrated graphics.

#3: for those of you with a DVD burner on your notebooks, do you use it? I have one in my desktop and hardly ever touch the thing. Being able to take it with me might change my mind, but I suppose it depends on the hard drive size I wind up ordering.

Nice to meet all of you, and I'd appreciate any input you can offer.
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post #2 of 8
10/17/06 at 2:49am
1 - If you're going to get a single card, I'd go for the 1440 x 900 screen. My m9700 will play Oblivion fine with a single card, but not at highest settings. Ultra high settings with dual cards is pushing it at 1920 x 1200 but it is playable. Usually when you hit ultra high, the resolution is set to either 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024, can't remember at the moment. Games scaling down doesn't matter too much for me, looks fine...

A single card plays CSS fine, and BF2 pretty well at 1920 x 1200 so SLI can handle 1920 x 1200 with lots of games....

I find the text to be a strain for websites at 1920 x 1200, so if you're using it for all around stuff the 1440 x 900 might be the way to go. Shazza ordered hers with that screen and she's got an XPS with the higher resolution so she's a good person to ask.

2 - HD speeds won't affect game performance except when the pagefile is used. If you get 1 or 2 G's memory, that usually isn't much of a concern though. Games are loaded into memory and played from there, so HD speed will affect load time, the time between levels, but not gameplay. It will also affect things like boot time, and windows when it needs to read or write to the HD. It will save a bit on battery though, and 5400rpm drives can be bought in larger sizes. I got the 7200 as I'm used to that from my desktops. Really not sure it'll matter much unless you're a nut about time. Do you get pissed that microwave popcorn takes so long to make? If so you might appreciate the speed boost of the 7200 for windows and reading/writing.

3 - I've not used mine yet, I still burn CD's and have a few left from my last 50 disc spindle. I'll buy dvd blanks when those run out and start burning dvd's. I don't have a dvd burner in my desktop though... I have a dvd burner in my m5500(766) but I've never used it.
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post #3 of 8
10/17/06 at 9:22am
Welcome to the forum!

I have the 1920x1200 screen on my m5550. Doing normal web surfing and other stuff i normally stay with 1024x768. I'm 46 and it kills my eyes to put it in higher resolution for normal use. However, when it comes to games, that's when i crank up the resolution. Far Cry and Doom 3 look and run great in the higher resolutions.

In regards to the built-in DVD burner, yes i use it at home and at work occasionally. Your needs/mileage may vary.
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post #4 of 8
10/17/06 at 6:08pm
i use my dvd burner almost constantly....
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post #5 of 8
10/18/06 at 12:16am
Thread Starter 
I'll probably go with a 7200 rpm drive. I used to play Morrowind on a slower drive, and the hitching between zones annoyed the crap out of me. After I upgraded to a faster HDD the load times were barely noticeable, so I'm betting I'll appreciate the little bump in read speed. The 100GB version has the fastest seek time of any HDD Alienware offers on this model...by a whopping 2ms! Booyah!

As for the DVD-RW, I probably won't use it that often, but the extra $50 is pretty small in the long run.
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post #6 of 8
10/18/06 at 2:37am
I think 1920x1200 on a 15.4" display is too much resolution...but it is a matter of personal preference.

The 100GB 7200RPM HD is a good choice...although the 160GB 5400RPM HD is also fast in everyday use. I notice no slowdowns due to loading from the HD during gaming.
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post #7 of 8
10/18/06 at 5:38pm
i'm typing on the same config you are planning on getting right now (except with 1gig RAM to be upgraded ) =] ... and i totally agree with everyone on the resolutions as well as the HD! i play oblivion with great results, as well as others like BF2, COD2, Battlefront II, Fable, and such

you won't be disaoppointed at all
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post #8 of 8
10/18/06 at 11:44pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the input, everyone. I think I'll be sticking with my original specs, but it depends on what deals are offered come buying day. As of this post, the deal is $100 off an $1800 system, which means I could pick up a spare 9-cell battery and be up 10 bucks. Or save some cash and spend it on RAM.
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