Vostro 1320, worth to upgrade webcam and HD?

Hello,everyone,

I got a good deal on Vostro 1320 base model and just got confirmation from Dell Canada. Now can any one share your opionion whether it is worthwhile to add the integrated 1.3M webcam for $40 and upgrade HD from 160G 5400rpm HD to 250G 7200rpm HD with free fall sensor for $50 (all before tax)? I might call them to see if they can manually upgrade for me.

I know I can upgrade the HD afterward, and I usually can find a good deal on 320G 7200rpm Hitachi HD for $70 or so if I can wait. But my question is how difficult and how much hassle is to upgrade HD myself, and does that invalid the warranty, also what does the free fall sensor mean? Worth to have it?

Finally, how is the quality of dell 1.3M webcam in Vostro line in general?

Thanks very much.
rivet

 

The hard disk can always be upgraded later and the smaller one it comes with could be a back-up
The web cam can only be upgraded if you replace the monitor, but frankly I have used my web cam once...
Fell fall sensor means when it is accelerating at a certain speed the disc controllers will freeze and minimize the risk of data loss.

 

Upgrading your hard drive won't void your warranty. The process usually take at least 45min to a few hours depending on how much data you need to transfer from your old hard drive to the new and the method of installation ie cloning (faster) vs clean install (slower).

A free fall sensor is a technology that parks the actuator arm away from the disk when a change of velocity is detected. It is worth having if you're using your notebook in a "clumsy" environment eg. house with kids and/or pets.

I don't own the Vostro 1320, so hopefully another member can better describe the quality of the webcam.

 

Also is it worth to upgrade the dell 1397 b/g card to dell 1510 mini b/g/n wireless card for $40, I currently only have a linksys G router, but in the future, who knows?

 

As with the HDD, it'll be a lot cheaper to upgrade when you need the wireless N capability. You can already find the 1510 b/g/n for $20 on eBay, and it's only going to get cheaper. It's also a very easy upgrade and Dell has service manuals for all of their machines.

 

Thanks all guys for your help, decide to keep my current order without any upgrade and change the HD later when I find a good deal on large 2.5' HD.