Building a 1520, help please.

Hey guys,

I'm building a new inspiron 1520 and I'm kind of a dilemma. When I configure it with the t7100 it comes out to about 1500 after taxes. Thats with the 8600gt, webcam, 2gb, 120 gb etc. When I create the same system with the t5250 it comes out to about 1300 with taxes.

My question is, is the santa rosa type processor worth the $200? They both have 2 mb L2 cache, but the t5250 is only 1.5 ghz, but I realize that is still pretty fast. t5250 only has the 667 mhz FSB aswell.

If I went for the lower end processor, would I regret it in the future? Will I have to expect significantly less real world/game performance?

 

The T5250 is a budget Santa-Rosa processor. Usually the budget processors FSB are always a step below the highest available. Dell dropped the Merom processors with the new lineup.

For gaming performance, I highly doubt you will have any issues...CPUs are just too darn powerful nowadays. If you did something like a lot of media encoding work, or massive photoshop jobs, then you'd notice the difference in performance. But gaming...you should be fine with the T5250.

 

Alright, I guess you've swayed me to go for the T5250. I'm happy that I waited for the new dells. I want about to spring for an ASUS F3 with the 8600gs, but thanks to Dell, I can get the gt for even cheaper!

 

*cough* sager np2090 *cough*

 

Its more expensive. I've looked.

 

depends on how you configure it
t7100, 8600gt, 2GB, 120GB, like you stated originally comes to about $1350 shipped

 

I guess everyone here would recommend the sager NP2090 over the new inspiron?

 

Since there are no coupons for the new Dell lineup, so much for them being only $100-200 more than the current deals. With the 8600M GT, and just 1GB RAM, it's coming out to $1600 for me before taxes. Rip-off. Oh and that's if you can actually get to the part of the site that allows you to configure it....the website is very broken right now.

 

Yes, the way things are today, and based on my preferences, I would take the sager NP2090 over the new inspiron.

What *could* make me change my mind would be if the inspiron was cheaper and if they offered it without forcing a Windows license upon the customer. (They are probably going to offer it with Ubuntu but *when* and with *what options*?)

 

I just configured a 1520 with the T5250, gb ram, 120 gb hd, integrated webcam, 8600gt for $1290.00 CAN shipped

 

Doesn't this seem like a good deal?

 

i just ordered mine today. I got it for $1415 with 2 gigs of ram the 8600gt and the 1.5 ghz prosseor (idk what the name of it is its a C2D). and im realy happy with my order. im going to be doing alot of 3d work so the Dedicatd gfx card realy helps only i wish i could afford a better prossesor so that rendering would happen faster.

Heres some tips from me:
1) If ur realy tight with your wallet, nock off the webcam. it comes standard and adds $30 so ull save $30 without it. unless your going to be using it consistantly (i have yet to find a use for a webcam)
2) Go with the Black face plate. it saves u an extra $20 and it doesnt look all that bad. plus it doesnt atract attention so you wont looking like a tool sitting at starbucks with a pink laptop that blinds everyone.
3) 80gb hdd is pretty big. it ends up being about 70 with vista but its not worth the money for a bigger one. Hard drives are dirt cheap u can get a 500gb external for liek $100
4) Dont Buy any crapware with it. You dont need any of that stuff that they sell, MS office 2007 can be substituted with OpenOffice.org very well.

It should knock off the price a bit. If your realy frugal buy a Sager 2090. It honestly ends up ariving at about the same time as the dell and it costs a little less for the better parts. Go to Powernotebooks.com to get one.

 

Chainbrain, I don't know whether it is a good deal. I think in $US and I'm also looking at hardware which is higher spec than what you're looking at. When I configured a 1520 with hardware similar (but not identical, unfortunately) to a np2090, the Dell was over $400 US more expensive... YMMV depending on what hardware you want and when you check the web site. (People have reported seeing the price of the new Dells change over time... I don't know whether they've stabilized yet.)

 

I just got off the phone with a Dell tech and had a 1520 configured with the T7300, 8600 GT, 2 GB RAM, 9 cell battery, 160 GB 7200 RPM HD, and 3 year warranty (with Complete Care) for around $1650 shipped. Hooray EPP and phone deals . I'm still trying to decide if I'll go for it or not.

 

Stella, what kind of EPP is this? Unfortunately, the term covers multiple kinds of situations and can result in multiple kinds of rebates, AFAIK.

 

Sorry for not being more specific--it's the large corporations section (I think it's first option on http://www.dell.com/epp). I realized after I posted that I didn't mention screen resolution while on the phone though so I probably won't go for it unless I can get him to give me a similar price for a computer with the 1680x1050 display (I have one in my cart right now with all of these specs for $1654.80 base, $1746.27 shipped, which is about $100 more than I'm willing to spend right now).

 

Will Dell 'negotiate' on pricing over the phone? Do they offer deals, like if you upgrade this part, they'll throw in the better warranty, etc.? If yes, how do you go about getting the best deal??

 

From what I've heard, the best way to get deals is to act like you don't really want/need it.

 

be nice to them, they'll be nice to you. they have the authority to "seal the deal" and throw in a discount that you cant get on the website on top of the price that you got by configuring it on the website. just work with the agent, they'll help you out.

 

If I use my school's EPP discount, the 1520 becomes competitive with a Compal IFL90. Still about $200 more expensive than the Sager NP2090 but then the price I'm looking at for the Sager is with the minimum warranty whereas the IFL90 comes with 3-year warranty and so do the 1520 I configured.

Which machine one should buy then hinges on the details of each deal: warranties, the precise specs of each machine, what software is and is not included, etc.

 

Yeah I am ordering my 1520 tonight with the T7300, 2GB, 160GB 5400RPM, 8600M GT, and a bunch of other stuff.

Since I am buying through EPP, the final prices comes out to $1500. Isn't that great?

The real price of it is $2100.

 

Hah, the "real" price.

 

Still seems like way too much. True we'd be comparing the ATI X1400 to the 8600M GT, which isn't fair, but the E1505 was running for the same specs for under $1000 til a few days ago.

 

Does anyone know if Dell will customize the computer with a 1 gig Ram and not the 2 512 Dual Channel Ram?

 

Yeah it's expensive, and I didn't get the EPP discount there is NO CHANCE I would order this laptop. I would just order a Sager.

Either way, it's still a good laptop once you get rid of the price issue.

 

Here's my final configuration, total cost was $1640.95 shipped:

Spring Green
T7300
2GB RAM
WSXGA+ Display (1680x1050)
Nvidia Geforce 8600M GT
160GB 7200 RPM HD
CD/DVD R/W
Integrated 2.0 MP Webcam
9-cell Battery
3 Year Warranty with Complete Care/LoJack

 

Dont reach to conclusion yet. There is actually student coupon. I just order a 1520 with T7100, 8600M GT, 1680x1050 screen, 2GB 667 RAM, 120GB 5400 HD,9 cell battery, wireless N card and 3-years warranty. The price is $1255 before tax.

I think dell's website is fine now. You can expect their websiter to be very busy yesterday since the new computers just came out and people are all on there to compare prices.

 

The answer is never. Dell wants you buy ram from them only, to maxizing their profit.

 

How did you get it that low?

I've been trying different configs, but I haven't seen it that cheap.

Could you post screenshot of your config/savings?

 

Yeah....how DID you get it that low....

 

in order to receive student discount, you must register on www.delluniversity.com with ur school email. They will send u an email after u register,click on the link in the email. It should take u some kind of portal, where u choose the discount type. Here are some screen captures. First one is the link in the email and second one is the final configuration. I hope they work tho...

I think I was wrong about the wirelles N card and 9-cell battery. I bought with the a/g card and 6 cell instead. Must got confused with other systems. I also got rid of the webcam and 3-year accidental protection. Sorry about that. But its still really cheap. btw, the system includes a $99 printer. Cant get rid of it because u have to buy the computer with printer.

I hope its helpful for those who are seeking discounts.

 

Your text looks different than mine ;/.

 

I ordered a system today over the phone and got a great deal through EPP, with Free Overnight Shipping and the sales guy even expidited my order so it would be built faster. What do you think?

Here are the specs:

Inspiron 1520, Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 2.2GHz, 800Mhz, 4M L2 Cache
Midnight Blue Color with Microsatin Finish
2GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
15.4 inch Wide Screen WSXGA+ TrueLife LCD (1680x1050)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
160G 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
Media Direct 3.3
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini Card
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Full 24/7 At Home 3 Year Warranty w/ CompleteCare Accidental Damage


Subtotal: $1,579.66
Next Day Shipping: $0.00
Sales Tax: $93.64
Total: $1,673.30

 

Wow, that is really cheap for ur configuration,same with the G1s and compal IL90. Asus and Compal, say hello to the new Dell! Sadly, I can only configure mine to about $1250.

 

**cough**
Although I buy very oftern from dell, I cant say there warranty is reliable. LOL. Wait til u talk to an Indian rep. After i talked to one, i never wish talk to another one ever again. Just pray ur computer dont break down. Fortunetely for me, my computer only broke down once.

I swear I saw a post before me about the warranty. Now its gone. Weird!

 

lol, yeah, i deleted my post sorry. i thought it was out of place

original post:
im hesitant to buy computers from smaller companies. with dell, i know i can get relieable warranty

 

I owned 3 Dell laptops over a period of 9 years. I never talked to someone in India. Never had any problem with Dell service. Every time I've had to have a part replaced, they sent it very quickly. Once I had a tech come to my home to replace a motherboard. He came when I needed him and did a great job. My experience has been great overall.

There are two problems I have with Dell. A) I think the build quality of their laptops has gone down over 9 years. B) They are not supporting Linux in the way I need them to. (I think they provide good support for people who need business laptops but not for other segments.)

 

I've dealt with Dell customer support several times. You have to be very clear about what you expect and just not back down until you receive it (within reason of course). I've actually found outsourced tech support to be more polite and helpful than domestic support most of the time once you get past the communication barrier.

 

to morrison up there, how did you get that deal without student? and if you use student discount, how the heck did you get wireless N? that's a crazy discount

 

I configured a system in home office and they gave me a discount of 250, then when i went to work, i called to make sure it was inclduing overnight shipping cuz the order said standard delivery.

The sales rep said they didnt apply my epp discount cuz the order was placed in the home division, so they transferred the order (changed status) so they didnt have to run my card again, and it was reduced an additional 12% so I really got a great deal.

It appears if you place an order with home division then have it transferred to the business division they can apply 2 discounts to the order. I think what happens is they take the home order for what its worth (including discounts the home division rep applied), and apply 12% off when making the cross to the business division via epp. Heck I maxed out the system and got it at a steal of deal price. works for me

I hope I like this notebook. I went through 3 in the past 3 months and they all had issues..... i9300, hp dv9000t, e1705. But i think i will like this one... at least i hope. I dont mind the 15" cuz the resolution is high 1650x1020. And N is great for wireless streaming of video from my NAS Ill let u know how it turns out.

 

Hey, I got just ordered the 1520 with the t7500, 2 gb RAM, and 8600gt as the main specs. and it came up to just a few dollars over 1400 with tax. The new coupon that takes $350 off is great when you stack it with the auto discounts dell has now.

 

You can stack the coupon the discounts dell already has on them?

 

My Dell cost $1511 after shipping and taxes with the $200 student, $292 select Inspiron, 7% care program, and 12% EPP discount.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows ® Vista Home Premium Edition
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1440x900)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8600M GT
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Card
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0

Could I have gotten it for cheaper? I am gonna try to talk them out of the shipping and handling since it's free on the regular site and isn't on the student site.

 

Yea because I have been trying to get the right specs for my money and I found the coupon they have on this site and tried it. It doesn't stack with the epp discounts but the discounts from dell's website such as $70 or the $313 off select inspiron notebooks you can stack them.

So i used the $292 off the 1520 and add what I wanted and then used the coupon and it knocked it down to $1400.

 

i just did the same exact thing and......wont stack

 

Ordered mine too, I wanted to go 5400RPM HDD to save some money but went 7200...

Is there a big performance difference? I play some games, older ones like counter strike/HL2 etc... And some RPG's from last year... All play on my PC fine.

I don't really do much video editing etc.. So yeah, is there a BIG noticeable difference between the two?

 

Not really like unless you are doing a lot of demanding programs that need to access the hard drive alot more. So you would of honestly been fine either way.