Config/Dell Bluetooth Travel Mouse

Specs for Inspiron 1420:
Jet Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 14.1 inch display (1440x900)
128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
160GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Dell Bluetooth Travel Mouse
Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
=
$1138 (w/ $300 coupon) before tax.

Specs for Inspiron 1520:
Jet Black
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 (1680x1050)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
160G 7200RPM SATA HDD
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Dell Bluetooth Travel Mouse
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
=
$1338 (so close , w/ $300 coupon) before tax.

Which would be a better is the better graphics card and screen worth $200 and the added bulk? And is there anything that should be added/taken off of that list? Or is there a better deal I'm missing?

Dell Bluetooth Travel Mouse:
Does anyone have any input on this? It's $45, and I was wondering if it's worth it, or if I should just wait for the VX Nano. Also, I'd really like some pics of it, as I can't find any anywhere.

Jet Black/Polar White finishes:
Is it true that it really attracts fingerprints? Coming from a black MacBook, I know what that's like, and it's really annoying. Also, is the Polar White finish glossy? Does it scratch easily?

Case:
I'm not exactly in love with the whole red-black color scheme for the cases during checkout. Any other places I could get a decent case?

I'm planning on making the purchase sometime next week. Should I wait longer for any particular reason, better coupons maybe? $300 off sounds pretty good to me.

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I make all the right choices.

 

The 8600m GT is MUCH better than the 8400, but thats really just for games. If you plan on playing games the 8600 is a must, if you dont then you will be just fine with the other option. The screen you selected on the 1520 is really high resolution so be sure you know what you are getting before purchasing. Everything is going to be extremely tiny at native res. If you are using the 300 off coupon that is about the best price you can get. Try using the dell preferred account for an additional 4% off, or using a different means to insure the laptop, be it credit card or an insurance agency.

I bought a targus bluetooth mouse for 10 dollars after a 40 dollar rebate and 20 dollar discount. at compusa, so you should try waiting a different one to go on sale.

Yes the black will pickup fingerprints, but not as badly as apple products. Its not that big of a deal. Not sure if the white is glossy though.

Try bestbuy or newegg.com or something like that for cases. Dell charges way too much, unless you can complain about something to get one free.

This is the 3rd week the 300 coupon has been up, i doubt there will be a better one anytime soon. Be sure to get the laptop before dell stops giving free upgrades to ram and hard drives though.

 

Thanks for all the answers. If I was to get the 1520, I'd really want to bring the cost down. If I lowered the resolution, it would bring the price down $50, still making it $200 more than the 1420 I was looking at. What else could I take out the laptop?

 

What warranties did you select? If three years you might drop it to 2 etc.. Or you could drop the processor down to the 1.5 keeping the fast 8600M card. With the fast 7200HD and 8600M you probably won't lose much in gaming if any with the 1.5 dual core. Probably see worse performance if you downgraded video card or to 5400 HD. So about the only area where you can downgrade more and not sacrifice gaming too much is in the processor.

 

I actually selected the 1-year. I was thinking of upgrading it to a two-year. To be honest, I'm just a casual gamer. Would the 1520 be worth it for me? Or is the graphics card THAT much better to justify a $150 difference for someone who's not too serious about gaming?

 

Sorry for the double post, but reading over this post made me wonder what you meant by this. How do I go about getting a preferred account?

EDIT: uh oh, I also just noticed I'm in trouble in terms of the coupon.

"We're sorry, the coupon code you have entered has previously been redeemed."

I'm using coupon code "TG60$CZNQ0BQ2R," is anyone else having this problem? Previously, it said it expired August 2nd..

 

Previously? In that you already applied it? If so, yes Dell won't let you apply it again.. If not, call dell and see if they can. As for the 8400m card, it should be able to play older games and even new ones with medium settings or even low setting depending on the game.. But the 8400 is not as future proof for gaming. I ordered the 1420 with the 8400m and also a casual gamer. I am sure the 8400 will be more enough for my needs. Is the 14" display really too small for you? I think the design on the 14" has many advantages over the 1520. First, the speakers are located below the display.. which is better I think then under the front of the keyboard. The media buttons are also located under the display.. instead of on the front.. which some users say is a bad place. Also on the higher res displays a higher percentage of people are saying the 1520 has a grainy picture.. more so on the wxga +. Its really not definite how bad this grainy issue is but more complaints on the 1520 on this. The bulk on the 1520 has also been a issue with some users. It will add over a pound of weight.. even more then that when the 1420 uses the 6 cell battery. That is allot if you plan on toting this around much. So unless you really need a bigger screen or the upgraded graphics.. I would go with the 1420. And if you really are serious with just using the 8400m, then the only advantage will be the bigger screen. I have not even mentioned the headphone noise issue with the 1520. There seems to be a majority consensus that is a real problem with the 1520. So much that Dell has put a creative sound card option on the 1520 configuration web site. I think the headphone jack would be the deal breaker here if I were in your shoes. Obviously, Dell has a bad design in the MOBO on this one.

 

Does the 7200 rpm hard drive really make a difference in gaming over the 5400?

 

In a word, Yes. Faster HD and GPU is more important then having the fastest processor for gaming. If you are serious about gaming at all.. a 7200 rpm HD is mandatory.

 

My current desktop computer runs games from a 4 year old hard drive, and it runs the games fine. What does a 7200 rpm hard drive do better, is it just faster load times?

 

Yes.. which is important for a serious gamer.. Remember I said serious gamers usually go for this option. But as you know, in games.. it does allot of loading between scenes etc.. So if you are gaming allot.. the 7200 is a must.

 

Thats a good point.. Pcarm92 could probably downgrade the HD to a 5400 rpm and save some money there. It does not sound like he is that serious a gamer if they are even considering a 8400m gs.