Choosing E1505 configuration

I am buying an E1505 and am going back and forth about whether to invest extra money to buy a Core 2 Duo (T5600, 1.83 GHZ) instead of the Core Duo (T2250 1.7 GHZ). From what I've heard there is only a 10% increase in performance for the Core 2 vs Core Duo. I would only need it for basic internet surfing, basic gaming for 9 yr old, some music downloading and word processing and some photos, and watching DVD's.
I was also wondering if I should pay extra to get 7200 rpm w/ 100 gb HD, vs 120 gb 5400 rpm. If neither of these would make a substantial difference, then I wouldn't want to spend extra unnecessary money.
I will be getting 2 GB memory.
Thanks for any input.

 

I didn't think that the Core 1 Duos are being sold anymore through Dell. Are you sure you aren't buying through another retailer other than Dell itself? Like you say the performance difference isn't that great, although the newer technology can be had for about the same price.

On the subject of hard drives, choose based on GB space demands that you have. The difference in 7200 v 5400RPM, a hotly debated topic, is negligible by many benchmarks.

 

For what you want to use it for get the least expensive processor,
7200 rpm hard drive will only be nominally faster then a 5400 (thats what i have). Could even save more money by upgrading the Ram yourself. It's a pretty simple task.

 

Greetings - for what you will be doing - the T2250 - will be fine. When I had my e1505 - I could not see any difference between the original 5400-rpm hdd and the 7200-rpm drive I replaced it with. Especially since Vista pre-fetches so much after you login - it doesn't go out to swap space when you open an application like XP did. If you have the RAM, and you have used the program recently, then Vista prefetches it. You can't go wrong with the 2-Gb of RAM with Vista Premium - and I would go with the ATI x1400 (which is what I had). Just my 2 cents worth...

 

For the tasks you mention, a Core Duo processor will be sufficient. If you wish for programs to load faster and Windows to boot up quicker, then go for a 7200rpm HD. Otherwise, stick with the 5400rpm HD.

 

I was just wondering- for what type of applications would the Core 2 Duo be recommended over the Core Duo? I guess I'll go with the Core Duo though, since for my applications it would be sufficient and I don't want to overspend on something I don't need.

 

make sure u get the 1440 x 900 resolution which is the best for that scree size IMO

1680x1050 is way to small for 15" and has alot of complaints online

i wanted to throw away my e1505 when i got it w/ 1680x1050

but now i have 1440x900 and its just right