Considering a dell, a few questions though

Ok i posted this similar thread in the other forum category and got no replies.

I am considering buying a Inspiron 9400. I will mainly use this laptop for games and uni work.

There are 3 thigns i am not absolutely sure about. First of, i cannot decide if i should get a 15.4" or 17" screen. My previous laptop that got stolen had a 15.4" and i thought that screen was pretty huge. If i get the 17" will that make the laptop really big (so it can barely fit in my school bag), or is that still revatively a normal size laptop and nothing too huge looking?

My second consern is the cpu. I have a choice between a few cpu's but i am not sure if the upgrades are worth it. the t5500 1.66ghz,2mb cache and 667mhz is relatively cheap, but the next upgrade is a T5600 1.88,2mb chache for an extra $115. The third upgrade is for a T7200 but that;s an extra $279 dollars.
Which cpu should i chose from those, (i will buy the 7900gs gpu).

The third thing i am not sure about is windows. When trying to customize your own notebook on dells site, it seems as though you are forced to buy windows with your notebook. The problem is that i already have 2 original windows xp cd's and i really dont need another...
Will dell let me to buy my laptop without windows or not?

Oh yes one more thing.. i have been reading a lot about these dell laptops, and some people seem to complain about the keyboard size. From pictures, the keyboard does seem a little small... but is the keyboard fine for gaming?? hopefully someone with the same dell model can give me an answer

Thanks for the help

 

i would say the better the cpu, the better the overall performance of the computer. It's really up to, on how much you are willing to spend, but the t7300 is the santa rosa platform, which is good. the keyboard is small, but it is actually good for gaming bcz the buttons are close to each other. and the only screen size the 7900's come in is 17".

 

is the new santa rosa that much better than the older T5600. I mean an extra $280 for a cpu upgrade may be quite large compared to the performance gain

 

You get more cache, little more clock speed, and an 800FSB.

As for the keyboard issue, I would just buy a seperate one because I could not at all play on my E1705 without performing horribly in games. Plus, I did not want to ruin the surface.

Mike.

 

ive just been reading all over other forums and they say that the difference between a t5600 and ad t7200 is so small that it will probably be unnoticable in games. I'll be getting a t5600 because an extra $280 is not worth a 5% speed boost.

The question about dell forcing you to buy windows.. is this true or can i get away with not buying windows if i call them up when i order ?

 

Yes, you are right, the difference between Santa Rosa and Core 2 Duo is not worth $280. But still you might want to wait for the upcoming Santo Rosa Inspirons because they have much better DX10 graphics cards. Since you are interested in gaming I’d say its definitely worth considering.

17” are desktop replacements; therefore certainly too big to be used as a college notebook. Personally I wouldn’t consider anything larger than a 15.4.

You can buy a limited number of DELL notebook models with either Linux or DOS ( DELL & Linux), but the price difference is negligible. In some cases even more expensive than Windows XP/Vista pre-installed configuration. Main reason for this is because DELL ships a load of unnecessary trial ware and adware programs with their preinstalled Windows Oss. This will help bring down the OS cost to almost zero. If you don’t already have Vista, then this would be a great opportunity to buy a copy, since it is almost free.

 

I think the 9400 will not suit your needs, you talk about taking it around and barely fitting into your school bag. 17 inch widescreen are desktop replacements. I bought an Inspiron 9300 when it came out, and it is heavy and huge. It is not something you can carry around, well at least consistently. And if you do want to, then I suggest you also get 3 years full warranty coverage. I do not think laptops of this size are good for mobility. And would maybe not able to handle the bashing you may give it carrying it around all the time. Otherwise I would go for the 17 inch XPS model.

 

Will you be carrying your notebook around or leaving it in the dorm? As a desk orniment a 17.1"ers size is not something concerning. For carrying it around if your strong enough and you have a good backpack you might be able to eek it out. But I would recommend a smaller notebooks, atleast down to a 15.4. There are several 15.4 models out there that deliver midrange performance in gaming and the new Santa Rosas in that size are more game worthy than ever before with the new DX10 cards. I think if gaming is your major concern waiting for Santa Rosa just to get the latest GPU is worth it enough. =)

Check out the Compal IFL-90, Asus G1s and what will surely be the cheaper alternative coming out shortly the Dell Inspiron 1520.

-Niki

 

thanks for all the replies guy.. it really helps me out.
i am now faced with a problem because i do not know how big the 17" laptops are so i might have to go down to a shop to see for myself.
The 15.4 inch laptops do not have a 7900gs card which is a shame because i would most probably go for that.

Also, you mention that they will be bringing out the new dx10 card very soon. I however don't believe it is worth the wait, because dell in nz is currently getting ride of its 7900gs laptops at a very cheap price. In fact their laptops with these gpus are over a $1000 dollars cheaper than what any other dealer offers here (New Zealand).

I looked at some of the laptops with geforce 8600 gpu's here and they cost over $4000 dollars. The prices here are really insane so this deal i am getting with dell for $2300 for a 7900gs laptop is really a bargin.

Oh and just to answer the question, i will most probably be carrying the laptop with me at all times, especially now since my nec p8210 got stolen 2 weeks ago when i left it downloading at home

 

You mentioned that your 15.4'' notebook got stolen. And now your wondering if you could carry a 17.0'' around. Well, if you gonna carry a 17.0'' shield, you'll most likely have it stolen. No one can miss this.

 

yer it got stolen from my house. the only reason why i didnt carry it with me that day was because i had an exam at uni.

i had a look at the Asus G1s and it costs 3400 here :/ (it was $4000)

Kinda hard to decide what to buy now..

Looking at all the prices here for laptops, The dell will cost me $2600 with 120gb hd, 7900gs, bluetooth, 9-cell etc... And any other laptop from all other brands that will sell for that price has a go 7600 256mb.
Then there is a huge price difference, as the price jumps up to $3400 for a laptop that has a go7700 or anything higher.

Check out the NZ "ebay" www.trademe.co.nz and you will see what im talking about.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Laptops/Laptops/Other/auction-105756065.htm?p=4

Some of these second hand laptops with the intel 950 chip sell for $2200 and people buy them. I do not know what is wrong with prices here.. i could probably buy dells laptops and re-sell them on trademe.co.nz considering the prices are so high even for useless laptops.

 

I never leave the house without my laptop. If thef is a growing concern, you should consider getting something smaller, like a 14.1'' latitude or inspiron. All my notebooks are 14.1'', no bigger or smaller. These notebooks are easy to carry around in a back-pack. If i were you, i wouldn't carry it around in a laptop case, it will attract even more thieves to your house or house with no doors.

 

Also get theft protection warranty if you get a Dell, then you can at least get it replaced if it gets stolen again.