The Day Has Arrived. Help Me Build!

I am finally ready to order the xps 17 now that they added the 1080p non 3D option. A little background about my situation as it pertains to spec choices. I am not really a gamer. Maybe I will play a game or two but don't need horsepower specific to gaming. Budget is not a concern, so where upgrades are actually going to be useful in ways other than intensive gaming, I am definitely open to them.

Here are the specs I have so far. I would be so grateful for input on where I should tweak. One of my early concerns is that I read a thread with complaints about the 'best' wireless card option (6230). Wireless is very important to me and I do want the 'best' option but want to make sure that I should still go with this card.

Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
Elemental Silver Aluminum

2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz ( I have NO idea how to choose which processor is right for me. i randomly chose this dell recommended one. thoughts?)


17.3" FHD (1080p) with 2.0MP HD Webcam & Facial Recognition ( 1080p is the reason i am here. i need it. that being said, i have never had it before and the discussion of headaches is definitely troublesome. any thoughts?

8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory

NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 550M 1GB graphics with Optimus ( is there any reason for me to want to upgrade this if i am not a gamer?

56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery ( opted for 6cell because i fear that bump will be annoying since i don't use the laptop on a desk. is that fair?)

500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive ( while budget is not a constraint, the SSD drive is WAY more expensive. I dont need large storage, but do like the speed of SSD)

3 Year Advanced Service Plan
Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
McAfee Security Center with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 30-Day Trial
Software & Services
8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)


Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6230 and Bluetooth 3.0


Backlit Keyboard - English
No Mobile Broad Band Selected
JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
Personalize
DataSafe 2.0 Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

 

Processor: If you can afford the upgrade to the quad-core i7-2630QM over the i5, I'd say it's worth it. The quad-core i7 is more "future proof" in the sense that many future programs (and many right now) perform a lot better when the processor has more cores.

Don't order the SSD from Dell's website. They charge you too much for it. You can get a SSD with the same capacity on newegg for less than it costs to upgrade, or wait a while to upgrade to a SSD and they'll be even cheaper.

Also regarding the memory, it's also usually cheaper to buy an 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz laptop memory upgrade kit on newegg than it costs to upgrade on the order page.


Remember to configure your specs on all the base models to see which one comes out cheapest.

 

Also check out the various Dell Coupon sites.

dell coupons - Google Search

You usually can find several coupon codes that will work on your order that will save you lots of cash. You can get hundreds of dollars off your system and sometimes free shipping. Try combining as many coupons as you can. Good luck.

 

thank you so much for the input. i agree with the SSD part of the equation. as for upgrading to 8gb of ram i think i will just do it through dell because the difference in $ is not large enough to warrant the extra hassle of having to order it and install it separately.

what are your thoughts about the wireless card and the 6cell battery? also, just to make sure, the quad core i7 i have selected is WiDi compatible? how much more of a battery hog is the quad core i7 i have selected that you recommend?

 

DUDE GET THE 9-CELL BATTERY. IT IS NOT UNCOMFORTABLE AT ALL AND IT HELPS when you put it on a desk for better airflow.

 

i am conflicted here. i never use a desk. half the time i am using the laptop it is on my lap and i am lying down with a pillow under the laptop (yes, i know this is bad). the bump i could imagine being an annoying feature when it isn't used on a desk. does anyone have a different experience? also, will it still fit in a normal 17" bag?

also, what are your thoughts with what i posted above:

"thank you so much for the input. i agree with the SSD part of the equation. as for upgrading to 8gb of ram i think i will just do it through dell because the difference in $ is not large enough to warrant the extra hassle of having to order it and install it separately.

what are your thoughts about the wireless card and the 6cell battery? also, just to make sure, the quad core i7 i have selected is WiDi compatible? how much more of a battery hog is the quad core i7 i have selected that you recommend?"

 

All SB i7s can use WiDi and Optimus. At near-idle conditions, it may not draw much more power than an i5. However, without thorough testing it is hard to know exactly, but people seem to be getting similar battery life times (3-4 hours for 6-cell, 5-7 hours for 9-cell).

I don't mind the 9-cell bump on my 15-inch, and I find it provides a good grip for picking the laptop up and putting it in my bag. And in my lap, the battery fits between my legs, so it hasn't been a hassle at all.

 

thanks a ton. this is helpful advice for me. just out of curiosity, the decision for which battery doesn't really have any affect on the laptop build, right? by that i mean you could get one, decide you don't like it and just swap to the other? or will the choice dictate what fits into the computer and if you pick one your stuck with it?


also, do you have any thoughts about the wireless card? is there any reason for me to want to upgrade the video card if i am not a gamer?

 

Batteries are 100% swappable. They may lock you in to one or the other at build time, but you can always get another, and having a spare battery lying around (half charge in the freezer for long term storage, from what I've read) isn't a bad idea anyway, just a bit more expensive.

If you aren't a gamer and don't do video editing/rendering, then there's no reason to upgrade the card. And even then, it seems like people are successfully overclocking the lower card to match the higher card.

As for the wireless card, chances are any issues can be fixed with drivers, but there's no guarantee. Performace is pretty good, its just at times the connection seems to momentarily drop packets at 2.4 GHz in some situations. Not necessarily a killer though. I prefer having the 5 GHz band and range provided by the card, so I'll stick with it or maybe upgrade to the 6300, since I don't use Bluetooth all that much.

 

thank you again. very helpful. i don't see an option to upgrade to the 6300. is that something you do with Dell or is it on the side? if the latter, how simple of a process is that?

 

I concur with this fine gentleman.

 

If you're going to have it on your lap with a pillow half the time, the bump from the 9 cell shouldn't bother you anyway.

But as you already seem to know the pillow is a bad idea, why not get a proper laptop tray (can't remember the proper name for them. Have a hard plastic top and foam bottom so it's comfortable).
I have one, and it works a treat.

EDIT: Something like this, which is what I have -

 

You'd have to buy it separately. It's one of the easiest parts to access, should be just under the bottom access plate, held in by two screws. Just depends on whether your computer comes with all three antenna cables or not. Mine did, but some others didn't.

 

gotcha. is using it at the 5ghz frequency just a choice or does it depend on the router or connection? i have a normal cisco valet N router, and it is important my connection doesn't drop. also, why do you suppose dell isnt offering the 6300 as an optional upgrade if it is the best out there?

and in response to jukkie, i like your idea and might get one of these pads. the issue with what you have is its size because i want to be able to take it with me when i travel. also, is it 17" compatible? do you think this pad would work even with the 9cell battery?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RQ2HWK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A1KR3E17G1CY4L

and just a random question i havent heard discussed. how is the trackpad on the xps? are people happy with it? is it quick and responsive and easy on the hands/fingers?

i am so close to ordering and just want to touch of these final few issues before i do so. excuse my frequent posts but i have been waiting what seems like forever for this and with a few more of your replies i am going to be ready to order

 

also, this is way less important than my wireless card question, but is the soundblaster $20 upgrade to the JBL speakers worth anything or irrelevant?


also, with the 9 cell battery, will the laptop still be able to rest safely on a surface that is a bit smaller than its diameter? currently, it is very easy to balance a FLAT laptop safely on a smaller surface, but i am afraid the 9cell will make it very unstable and way more likely to crash and call if hangs off of the surface at all. is this accurate?

i am so eager and close to ordering, these are my final questions and i am ordering tonight!

 

The band depends on the router and reciever. The basic Valet is just 2.4 GHz. I think the reason Dell didn't include it is because it isn't out in a +Bluetooth or +WiMAX version right now.

The trackpad driver has a lot of options to customize its behavior. I particularly like the "Momentum" feature that allows the cursor to glide some distance after you remove your finger. Though I haven't found the multi-touch all that useful, and I keep accidentally touching part of the pad with my other hand while moving the mouse, which triggers the pinch zoom mode, so I've turned that off. I also prefer side-scrolling to two-finger scrolling (default), but it provides that option too.

 

Actually the 3D screen always uses the dedicated graphics card and can't use Optimus.

 

But the OP is not getting the 3D screen.