New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

please guide a noob on purchase

post #1 of 6
4/18/07 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I'm Sean, I'm new to this forum and I was wanting some help building and buying my new Dell 1505 notebook. here are my issues:

Processor:
-is there much of a difference in the intel pentium dual core (1.6ghz) and the core 2 duo 1.73ghz (is it worth paying $40 more for?)

Hard Drive:
-does anyone think an 80gb hard drive is a bit too small, I'm debating paying extra for a 120gb but I cant decide if its worth it, i dont exactly have alot of files, i just like having space. Is there a difference in battery life with an 80 vs. 120?

Optical Drive:
-$40 worth a built in DVD burner?

Graphics Card:
-is there a large difference in the ATI X1400 and GeForce 7300 (both 256mb) is the GeForce worth $30 more?

Battery:
-I have read that the 6-cell isnt that great, I plan on getting the 9-cell but how long of run time can i get per charge (lets say low brightness, normal surfing and word docs, and then how much with movies) how much battery can you save by turning off some things?

Internal Wireless Card:
-how well does the 1390b/g work as far as getting signal and transfer speeds> is it worth $30 more for the PRO wireless?

Also I read something about Dell notebook deals in a little bit. What are the ddetails on those? How much could I save and when will they be released? thank you so much

-Sean
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 6
4/19/07 at 12:44pm
One thing I will say is don't be fooled by the gpu pricing. The x1400 is more powerful than the costlier go7300. Do not pay more money for a weaker card.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 6
4/19/07 at 12:52pm
yes pay extra for the C2D

80gb hd is big enough for most people (how much music, videos do you have) any difference in batt life will not be noticed since both are 5400rpm how ever there would be a difference between 5400rpm and 7200rpm (as well as a noise difference)

a DVD writer is worth the extra $40 for me.....you need to decide if you will use it (you mentioned watching movies so you may want to burn some of your favorite movies to your notebook to watch on trips/flying time and you won't have to bring the movies with you.)

wireless will be similar....i would choose the intel one.

as adinu said get the x1400 it is the best GPU for the 1505

9-cell batt is always a good idea if you plan to stay mobile away from outlets

dell deals come around once in awhile, impossible to know when, if you want to save money check out the dell outlet, you can get good deals there and they usually come in like new condition (still has same warranty options)

and as always get the best warranty you can afford, complete care can be a real life saver, especially if you eat/drink while working on the notebook, kids will be using it or around it or if you plan to travel a lot with it.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 6
4/19/07 at 5:22pm
Thread Starter 
so the X1400 is a better grapics card than the geforce? sweet, also, i had 3 people tell me today that dells suck because of something to do with the firmware or something slowing the machine down the longer its running, any idea on this? they also said they run too hot, thanks for the help
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 6
4/19/07 at 9:36pm
Thread Starter 
anyone?
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 6
4/20/07 at 6:05pm
they may have been refering to the fact that dell computers come with a lot of pre installed software that you won't use. It is generally called "bloat ware", you can easily re-install the OS and get rid of the bloatware of manually uninstall the unused software form 'add and remove programs', or just make sure the software doesn't auto start on boot by de-selecting them from the startup menu or going through msconfig from the 'run' utility.

In my experience all notebooks run warm, at least warmer than 'new' or first time notebook users expect. I wouldn't worry about this though, buy the notebook use it (see if it is uncomfortably hot), run some temp programs (core temp is a good one), compare with other Dell owners with similar notebooks. If the temps are too high contact dell and see if they will send you a repacement. Keep in mind that all notebooks will get hot when they are being used for gaming. Also you can by coolers or buy little flip up feet (like I did) that you put on the bottom/rear, this allows for the rear to be raised higher allowing for better airflow and a more comfortable keyboard.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home