Building a D630 from Dell.CA (bunch of questions!)

So I finally settled for the D630... I hesitated a lot at first because the D630's price is bit steep in Canada (moreso than its US counterpart), but I just found out that I have a 12% EPP discount with the company I work for!! So yeah...

I noticed Dell's upgrades are a bit on the expensive side... so basically I'd like to buy a D630 that's as "cost-effective" as possible (ie. I buy a cheap "core" system, then buy the upgrades elsewhere).

I'm sort of laptop retarded, and I don't know much about laptop parts pricing... So here are my questions:

1. MEMORY

I'd like to have 2GB of RAM. Here are Dell's memory pricing:

1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS [Included in Price]
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1 DIMM [add $30]
2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS [add $180]

Should I ditch the 1GB (2 DIMMS) for the 1GB (1 DIMM), then buy an additional 1GB elsewhere? Or should I keep the stock memory and buy 2 x 1GB elsewhere? I don't know much about memory... can I fit a DDR2-533Mhz next to a DD2-667Mhz? What kind of memory chip would fit with the Dell 1GB (1 DIMM)?

2. HDD

Stock HDD is 80GB (5400RPM). Is the 120GB (5400RPM) worth it for $60 more? And what is the cache on the Dell's HDD? Even the Dell rep couldn't tell me.

3. WIRELESS CARDS

Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card [Included in Price]
Dell Wireless™ 1490 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini Card [add $20]
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Dual-Band Mini Card [add $40]
Dell Wireless™ 1505 Draft 802.11n Mini Card [add $50]

Which one should I get?

4. AC ADAPTER

What are the advantages of having a 90W AC Adapter over a 65W?

5. Can buying/installing new parts (eg. memory) void my warranty?


THANK YOU!!

Edit. Oh yeah, all prices are in Canadian $.

 

I get no love

 

You do get love from Canadians

1) Upgrade to 1DIMM for $30, this is much better than 2DIMM because you can upgrade to 2GB by adding another DIMM. Do make sure you get the same brand/model for dual-channel. Dell always ship with Hynix brand. You are most likely to receive DDR2-667.

2) Do you need a bigger HD? Cache in HD is 8MB.

3) If you use a/b/g wireless, get the appropriate ones. I don't see a reason with N yet. Also, if you get the Dell wireless card, your notebook will only have "Core 2 Duo" sticker. If you get the Intel wireless card, you get "Centrino" sticker.

4) I am happy with 65W, and 90W theretically speeds up charging when system is on.

5) No. Unless you are stupid enough to break things, Dell has the service manual for all notebook. I service my own notebook caz I don't like the guys in Selectron in New Market (depot service) to touch it. Every time they touched it, something is wrong after.

 

Thanks!

About the memory... does it really matter if the other DIMM is of a different brand? Can't seem to find that "Hynix" brand on tigerdirect.

 

It shouldn't really matter as long as it's the same size and speed (DDR2-667). Definitely go for the single DIMM config for $30 more. I think Dell Canada has the Intel 4965agn card. You may consider that. I don't think installing memory voids your warranty, but of course Dell doesn't cover that RAM that wasn't ordered with them.

 

Alright. Thank you!!

 

I'm not sure if you've ordered yet, but at Dell Canada they have a free upgrade to a 120GB 7200RPM hard drive. I just ordered today, so I can certainly confirm that.

If you've already ordered and it didn't have that, call 'em up.