64mb vs. 128mb X300 video card?

Hey everyone. Newjack here...just found this site this week (and have done a lot of reading) and have never owned a laptop. But I'm looking for a desktop replacement and the current Dell 35% off coupon has gotten me interested in an Inspiron 6000.

First off, I'm not a gamer at all but I want something that will still be fast enough for me 3 years from now. I'm on the net all the time and play and download a lot of music. I don't use any photoshop or video editing programs but may in the future (nothing very serious tho). I'm not sure if I'll watch a lot of DVD's on it but I want the picture quality and performance to be great if I do. I was hoping to get a great value notebook around a grand.

So...I think I've settled on which features I want.

Inspiron 6000D
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
15.4 inch UltraSharp WSXGA+ LCD (1680 x 1050)
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
64MB ATIs™ Mobility Radeon™ X300
60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer write capability
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr)
9-cell Lithium Ion Battery (80 WHr) Additional Battery
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr Technical Support

$1,084 after 35% off


At first I had the same setup with the standard 40gb 4200 rpm hard drive for right at my price target of a grand, but I figured the 60gb 7200 rpm would be a worthwhile $78 upgrade. Agree?

So the other upgrade I am considering is going from the 64gb X300 video card up to the 128gb X300. Sorry for my lack of knowledge but I really have no idea what kind of improvements the 128 will give me. Like I said, I'm not a gamer so the improvement in game graphics doesn't concern me. But what about watching movies? Will I be able to notice a difference watching a DVD with the 64gb versus the 128? What other areas would it make a difference?


I'm hoping the 64gb X300 should be fine for me and that this is the best notebook for my needs under $1,100. If anyone has any comments or reccomendations I'm all ears. Or does my current setup look fine? And lastly, are there any other coupons I can use right now besides the 35% off one?

Thanks. This forum has already been very helpful and I'm amped to finally get my first laptop.

OK cool, so I'm going to stick with the 64mb card.

The 60gb 7200 rpm drive is only $65 more than the 60gb 4200 rpm drive. I would go for the middle ground 5400 rpm drive if Dell offered it, but my understanding is they don't for the i6000. I thought the 7200 rpm drive improved the overall speed a great deal, is that not so? If 7200 rpm drives are going to be the standard soon I'd rather spend the extra $65 now and not worry about buying a new laptop in 2 years. But if the reduced battery life (?) and increased heat aren't worth it, I'll reconsider.

I hadn't thought about buying a separate DVD burner and adding it. Is that hard to do in the i6000's? If so, I'd rather buy it already installed. It's only $65 more than the CD burner and $84 more than the standard DVD drive.


OK, please keep the comments coming in, especially regarding the 4200 rpm vs. 7200 rpm drive, if you think its worth it or not. I'd like to order this by the 7th or before the coupon expires. Thanks.