Decisions: 1420 vs. 1520

I'm going to be entering college next year and was wondering what notebook to get. I want something thats portable but i also want something that will allow me to play games, i.e Guild Wars, SC II, maybe a few others that i will try out.

I've heard that the inspiron 1420 has a metal case instead of ABS plastic, is this true? I also wanted to hook it up to an external monitor that i would purchase at a later date. Would i be able to?

So im deciding between these two...

Inspiron 1420
Alpine White
T7500 2.2GHz
2GB 667MHz
1440 x 900
160GB 7200rpm
128MB 8400GS
Bluetooth
DVD-R/RW
Intel Next Gen Wifi
Sound Blaster
6 Cell + 9 Cell Battery

For $1607 after everything

If i can get them to email me the $200 discount it might be cheaper...

or

Inspiron 1520
Apline White
T7500 2.2GHz
1GB 667MHz
1440x900
160GB 7200RPM
256MB 8600GT
Bluetooth
DVD-R/RW
Sound Blaster
9 Cell

All for the total of $1595.


Help me out here.
Also ive applied for that coupon on dell university about 5 times, since i dont have my email account for my college yet ( ill get it July 19) i do the manual verification thing, i applied for it about 2 days ago and got no reply.

 

With the 1420 you are getting a much slower graphics card than you would if you would get the 1520.

Of course the 1420 is a bit smaller and may be easier to carry around.

 

Go with the 1420.. And it does have a magnesium-alloy casing.. Pretty nice. I'm not sure on the graphics performance, but it's a decent mid range card.

 

Just a hint - if you're going to be maxing out the specs like that on the Inspirons, you're better off going through the DellUniversity site, picking the "Best" option on the right, and going with the three-year service plan to get a 12% discount. On my 1420, I've got almost identical specs (only went with the T7300 since the 7500 is kind of a waste for the price IMHO) for $200 less, before any coupons.

I've only configured a 1420, but I'm assuming it would work with a 1520 as well. Try to get the 12% EPP discount, if you can.

 

Already done

I picked the BEST $397 off, then premium care 10% off, then 12% off

MSRP $2488 - $397 -$210 - $226 , comes out to $1656, then preffered account makes it $1606, and if i can get the $200 coupon ( if it works) $1406.

If my coupon ever comes id buy it right now

 

Ah, premium care, ok. That's where the extra money comes from.

Nevermind, then.

 

It's usually best to go with the Plus instead of the Premium. At least in the case of the 1520, you get the same things except one thing which I don't need....some expert desk or ...er.....something....

Anyway, if you are planning to play newer games on decent settings go with the 1520. 15.4" is still pretty portable for most people.

Otherwise, if you just plan to play those, go with the 1420.

@ someone who said the 8400M GS was a mid range card. They are wrong. It's really close to low end, actually. The 8400M GT isn't much better.

 

Im not really a big gamer, I have Guild Wars and that runs on my parents D620 ( not sure the card) i just want to play Guild Wars, Starcraft II when it comes out and maybe try some games like BF2142 or some other games, i dont really mind low-med settings.

 

If that's the case, then I think the 1420 is probably perfect for you. The only reason I didn't get the 1420 myself is because it's GPU doesn't quite hit the spot (for me)

 

How is the 8400GS, is it as good as the 7600? I want the stronger graphics (justin case) but i dont want the larger laptop.

 

Can you hook the 1420/1520 upto external monitors? like a 19" flat panel computer screen?

 

One thing i wanted to mention is that both the 1420 and the 1520 have the magnesium alloy from what i understand. Other than that i have no new advice. I did purchase the 1520, but i am a 240 pound ex-lineman so i'm a little bigger guy and don't think i'll mind the bigger laptop.

 

Ok, I just got the Coupon

I can get the Inspiron 1420 for $1450 and I can get the Inspiron 1520 w/ everything and 2 GB Memory for $1550, IM TORN AND I NEED TO DECIDE BEFORE THEY FIX IT!

 

If you decide to get the 1420, don’t pay a premium for the T7500 processor. T7300 is good enough, which too has 4MB cache. 200Mhz difference is negligible.

 

How much would it affect performance if your running a p2p program, talking on aim, and playing games such as guild Wars.

 

Im Torn between the 8400GS and the 8600GT and the size difference, how much bigger would the 1520 be in dimensions and weight?

 

I went through the same problem as you, having configured both the 1420 and 1520 to my liking and being unable to decide which one to purchase.

I ended up with the 1520, mainly because it has a better video card and screen for about $100 more. Since it's plugged into a monitor most of the time, screen size doesn't matter too much for me. I guess for you, if you like the way the 1420 is already since it fulfills your needs, just get that. But if you don't mind paying a little bit extra and don't mind the bigger screen, and want to make sure it can run more high end games in the future, get the 1520.

My suggestion: get the 1520. If you're gonna use it as a desktop most of the times, then the weight and size isn't that big of an issue... just the performance.

 

Next year in college do people usually carry their notebooks to class, thats what i figured i needed a small notebook for.

 

Ok, one more question, how much of a performance difference is the T7300 vs the T7500, are these widescreen also or just regular? Ive owned one laptop before and that was a 15.4" wide, a Gateway 7405gx

 

Well I decided afterall to go with the 1520, It was hard to choose, hopefully i made the right decision.

 

Grats on finally deciding. That's the hardest part!! I got almost the exact same computer as you ctresc, except in hawt pink

I'm wondering now if I should keep the glossy screen... my friends don't like it, and I've never owned a glossy screen computer so... we'll see.

Grrr... now the agonizing wait!!!

 

Don't worry about the glossy screen. It's only bad if you're outside and the sun is real bright, or if you're just in an extremely bright room. My Inspiron 6400 has a glossy screen, and its just fine.

 

Yeah, I have a glossy screen E1505 (SXGA+ )... you only really notice it if you're in sunlight. If you're in a lecture room or something you can just tilt the screen a little and then it's doesn't reflect... only when the brightness is turned all the way down can you see a significant reflection in it.