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Gettin a 9300 hopefully tonight, need final advice

post #1 of 65
4/11/05 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

I'm finally ready to order tonight (want to take advantage of $800 off coupon). Definately want the 9300 (need a big screen and desktop replacement), but am unsure about some of the options. I will be using the laptop for everything (will setup my desktop back at home): everyday college stuff, I watch a lot of movies, constantly have about 15 IE windows open, outlook, word, AIM, and maybe one or two more programs. I'm not a big gamer, but I want to capability to play a nice game of NBA Live 05 or Madden 05 a couple of times a month.

Here are my questions:

1- Do I need 1GB RAM or will 512MB suffice? Like I said, I constantly have 15 IE's open, Word, AIM, sometimes Excel too.

2- Can I live without ANY warranty? I absolutely can't afford anything more expensive than the 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support, which is $69 and I would love to not even get this, but I have never purchased a laptop. I've had a Dell PC before with no problems whatsoever and never got a warranty on that so I would hate to flush $69 down the drain. I'm on a budget.

3- Will the 1.60 GHz Pent M processor suffice? My only concern is that it is the lowest processor offered. Is it silly to get such a low processor with 1GB RAM?

4- The screen!! Wow, I've read all of the posts here about the 2 displays (Truelife and not) and still have no idea what to get. I'd be very pleased with a great screen, but is it worth the extra $125? Is the base screen (XGA+) impressive enough, or is it just your basic laptop screen?

5- I'm pretty set on the 128mb X300 card. Does anyone have any objections on it being worth the $49 premium over the 64mb?

Ok turned out to have more questions than I intended, but you guys are great, so hopefully it'll be a no-brainer. It's always easier for me to give advice on others' purchases but am totally indecisive when it comes to my own.

I appreciate any and all responses. I really want to order the system tonight to meet the coupon deadline.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 65
4/11/05 at 6:54pm
1. You need 1GB RAM
2. I never get anything over the basic 1-year and I have never had any problems. I have also directly/indirectly used more that 20+ Dell laptops and I have not expericened any big problems.
3. The 1.6 should be fine. You can always upgrade the chip yourself later on.
4. Get the WUXGA!
5. Its up to you.

What is your price limit BTW?
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post #3 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by joseyu
What is your price limit BTW?
1250. I'm about 100 over as of right now.
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post #4 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:12pm
I have 512 memory 2 x 256. Although I have the 2 ghz intel... After clean install, I have AIM, MSN, Yahoo messengers, Microsoft Antispyware, 3 Word Documents and 3 Excel Documents open... using 233 MB resources. Everything is fast and smooth. I haven't started using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop CS yet... but at work I only have 512 memory on my Pentium III with 5400 rpm hard drive and it runs fine.

Unless you plan to play intensive games... I would wait for the price of ddr2 memory to go down... but as I've searched and read, people are getting 1 GB memory sticks for around mid to high 100 dollars.
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post #5 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:17pm
How about something like this?

Inspiron 9300
Date & Time: April 11, 2005 5:16:41 PM

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Inspiron 9300 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $2,052.00
Dell Home Customers
Limited Time Offer! View Details Remove Coupon
- $800.00

Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 9300 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) SM16HN [221-7304] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [420-4766][463-2282][412-0689][420-4928][412-0706][420-4830] 11
Display 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™ 17UXGAS [320-4256] 2
Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm 1GB2D [311-3732] 3
Video Card 128MB ATIs™ Mobility Radeon™ X300 128ATI [320-4184] 6
Hard Drive 40GB Hard Drive 40GB [341-1804] 8
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem INTNIC [430-0493] 13
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
CD/DVD Drives 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive 24COMBO [313-2580][420-5111] 16
Wireless Networking Card Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps) IP2200 [430-0996] 19
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) WordPerfect® 12 - Word processor only ICORELM [412-0714] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS [412-0755] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 26
Primary Battery 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr) 6BAT [312-0285] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options No Extended Service, Support or Ltd Warranty NW111N [950-9057][950-3337][950-3550][412-0361][960-2780] 29
Internet Access: Dial-Up 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging Photo Album™ SE Basic DPS [412-0744] 38
Financial Software No QuickBooks package selected- Includes limited use trial QBSSP [420-5139] 83
TOTAL: $1,252.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Additional Discounts and Coupons

Dell Home Customers: Free Ground Shipping on any Dell Inspiron order greater than $899! -$49.00
Limited Time Offer! View Details


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Total Price
Sub-total $1,252.00

Shipping & Handling --

Tax --

Total Price --




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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post #6 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gettinI9300
Hi all,

1- Do I need 1GB RAM or will 512MB suffice? Like I said, I constantly have 15 IE's open, Word, AIM, sometimes Excel too.

Thanks!
I would highly suggest getting the bare minimum of RAM (i.e. 256) and then buying your RAM elsewhere (i.e. Newegg.com or somewhere else where it is much more cost friendly and you can get a 1 gig stick for less than $175 and have the option later to upgrade this yourself.
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post #7 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
looks good.

one more question, how about getting 512 for now and upgrade later to 1 gig? will the system allow for that?
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post #8 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:24pm
As for the screen, you should really see if you want a higher res or not. From your post, you seem to think it's just a difference in quality. The WUXGA is truelife glossy while the WXGA+ is non-glossy normal-type LCD. But the truelife is only available as 1920X1200, whereas the non-truelife is 1440x900 meaning at default res, some text and images will be very tiny. There are many threads you can search for that discuss the difference and fixes, but you should really go to a store or compare different resolutions on your current display to see which is more suitable for you.
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post #9 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:24pm
Not wise because 512MB means that you get 2x256MB, so you will have yo replace both chips. Either just get 256MB, or get 1GB (2x512MB) from Dell.
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post #10 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 
how easy is it to replace laptop memory? and if I were to do this, what would be the point in getting the 1 yr warranty through dell. Wouldnt the upgrade void the warranty?
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post #11 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:28pm
Replacing laptop memory is extremely easy. Remove 2 screws, take out the old chips and snap the news ones in there and put the 2 screws back. The 1 year warranty will cover the entire machine and not just the memory. If you replace the memory, it would just void that part of the warranty, but not the rest of the machine. However, most memory vendors offer lifetime warranties with their products.
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post #12 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
okay now im really leaning towards getting the 256mb RAM, buying 1gig from another place, relacing, and selling the dell memory on ebay. Im gonna look now, but offhand, how much saving are we tlaking here?
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post #13 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:34pm
If you get 256MB from Dell instead of 1GB, take $250 off from the price listed above. A 1GB stick from Newegg will cost about $170, so you save $80. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...208-024&depa=1

However, the slight problem is that you will have to spec the computer to be at least $1999 for the $800 off coupon to work, so there might not be any dollar savings, but you get a better computer.
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post #14 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:38pm
If you get something like this, the system will cost $1212 from Dell, and then you gotta add $170 for RAM.

Inspiron 9300
Date & Time: April 11, 2005 5:37:33 PM

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Inspiron 9300 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $2,012.00
Dell Home Customers
Limited Time Offer! View Details Remove Coupon
- $800.00

Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 9300 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) SM17HN [221-7307] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [420-4766][463-2282][412-0689][420-4928][412-0706][420-4830] 11
Display 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™ 17UXGAS [320-4256] 2
Memory 256MB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 1 Dimm 256MB1D [311-3719] 3
Video Card 64MB ATIs™ Mobility Radeon™ X300 64ATI [320-4179] 6
Hard Drive 80GB Hard Drive 80GB [341-1808] 8
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem INTNIC [430-0493] 13
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
CD/DVD Drives 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer write capability 8XDVDRW [313-3082][420-5111] 16
Wireless Networking Card Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps) IP2200 [430-0996] 19
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) WordPerfect® 12 - Word processor only ICORELM [412-0714] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS [412-0755] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 26
Primary Battery 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr) 6BAT [312-0285] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options No Extended Service, Support or Ltd Warranty NW111N [950-9057][950-3337][950-3550][412-0361][960-2780] 29
Internet Access: Dial-Up 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging Photo Album™ SE Basic DPS [412-0744] 38
Financial Software No QuickBooks package selected- Includes limited use trial QBSSP [420-5139] 83
TOTAL: $1,212.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Additional Discounts and Coupons

Dell Home Customers: Free Ground Shipping on any Dell Inspiron order greater than $899! -$49.00
Limited Time Offer! View Details


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Total Price
Sub-total $1,212.00

Shipping & Handling --

Tax --

Total Price --
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post #15 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
edit: dumb question.

still messin around with it. i appreciate the help guys, keep it comin
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post #16 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:42pm
The dell ram isn't that overpriced for this system. I would just get it from dell and spare the hassle.
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post #17 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottman
The dell ram isn't that overpriced for this system. I would just get it from dell and spare the hassle.
Totally agree with you! I got 1GB from Dell and just said heck with the hassle of selling stuff on ebay to save few bucks. However, I might have to do an ebay sale anyways, since I got 2x1GB sticks coming.
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post #18 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joseyu
Totally agree with you! I got 1GB from Dell and just said heck with the hassle of selling stuff on ebay to save few bucks. However, I might have to do an ebay sale anyways, since I got 2x1GB sticks coming.
Hmm... You have ram. He needs ram. Maybe a possible sale right here?
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post #19 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:48pm
Man, props and rep to Joseyu for that spec-ing! Helpful and more! FWIW, I agree with joseyu and scottman - $1252 is a good price for a sweet system!

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post #20 of 65
4/11/05 at 7:48pm
Thread Starter 
I better like the truelife display.....

i've read a lot about it. Shouldnt text not be an issue if you mess with the dpi and set to cleartype?
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