About to order a 1520... Have questions

I'm about to order a pretty loaded inspiron 1520. I have a few questions regarding some of the components.... I'm trying to cut some corners in order to save a couple hundred dollars. Here are the specs so far.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
System Color Jet Black
Memory 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
LCD Panel Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
Video Card 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
Hard Drive Speed: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem INTNIC
Combo or DVD+RW Drive CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) 8XDVDRW
Sound Card High Definition Audio 2.0
Wireless Networking Cards Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Camera Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Warranty & Service 1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
Bluetooth and Wireless USB Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)


As it is the only things I am giving up from my ideal setup are the high resolution screen (save $100), the 9 cell battery ($50) and the 1 year at home warranty ($70). I will be taking the computer overseas in January for about 6 months and the at home warranty would be worthless.

What do you guys think??? Does it make a big difference to have the stock screen vs. the high res. one??? should I pay the $70 for the 1 year at home, parts and labor warranty even though I would only bring the computer back to the states during the summer???? , 9 cell battery??? is it worth it????

These were the only 3 things I thought I could maybe skip in order to save money. As it is by skipping those 3 items I would save $240.

What do you guys think about my set up.

 

order exactly like mine but with Vista and bluetooth

its going to be around $1000.00 (make sure Starting Price of your system is at least $1399.00 so you could apply a $500.00 coupon)

p.s. although you should have filled out a FAQ so we would better help you in config of your lappy ( because we don't know what you are going to use your machine for)

 

lower the ram to 1 gig and buy a 2 gig setup elsewhere. Dell charges way too much for the 2gb upgrade. Here is my configuration that I placed last week:

Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
Jet Black
WSXGA
1 GB RAM
120GB 5400 HDD
8600M GT 256MB
DVDRW
Vista Home Premium
Webcam
BT
Intel Pro Wireless
9 Cell battery
4 year CC warranty with accidental

Price to my door: $1,142.21

 

You wan the 9 cell it makes a difference, I have the 9 cell for my 1420 and I can get about 4 hours out of it.

 

I agree on the ram part save your money and get ram from newegg for cheaper

 

dont skimp on the screen. i would get a higher res screen over a faster processor any day. also the 9 cell battery gives me 5.5 hours on battery while surfing, 7 hours with wireless off. you will be lucky to get 3 on a 6 cell. But yes, if you dont get the better screen, you will regret it.

 

I agree on some of your points. I've read a lot about the crappy screens that dell is shipping w/ the systems so I'm a bit scared about paying an extra $100 dollars to get a crap screen. Is the top of the line screen recommended over the mid level one???

Also, which kind of RAM would you guys buy off New Egg instead of getting the RAM from dell directly.

 

I would get something other than Black. It is a fingerprint magnet. I ordered Brown and it is fingerprint free. I would get Bluetooth as well. In regard to the 9 cell battery, I would get both 6 and 9 cell(that's what I did). Just the battery alone, it is over $100 if you buy it afterward.
In terms of screen, it is personal preference. Seems like there is quite a bit of trouble with High Res screen, but my 1440 x 900 on my 1420 isn't too bad. Some graininess, but it is not too bad. You get more screen real estate.
Good luck before $500 coupon runs out.

 

Get the better screen you'll be glad you did! And buy your 2gb of ram elsewhere.