Dell Studio 1555 questions

Hi, sorry to bother you all. I just had a few Dell Studio 1555 questions. Some were resolved from reading other threads, but others (which I'll ask here) were not.

1) The Dell Studio 1555 can be :
720p = 1280x720
900p = 1600x900
1080p = 1920x1080

Which do you recommend? Are there pictures available to see what the screen would look like? I'll be using this computer for light gaming, mostly schoolwork, and some movie watching.

2) What upgrades do you consider needed for the Dell? Like the Creative sound upgrade for $20 (CDN), or things like that?

3) If I was to upgrade the battery to the 9cell, would it change the weight/physical appearance of the laptop greatly? I need battery life for classes incase I have many back to back...but if it makes the laptop very heavy or very oddly shaped (like the laptop suddenly leans forward a lot) I might reconsider

4) Anything else I should know before buying one?

Anyway, thank you in advance for any help!

 

I would go with 720p. Unless you're watching movies in 1080p Blu-Ray or other high-def format, this will be plenty. It's also the least stressful on the GPU when it comes to gaming. Lower resolution = less work for the GPU to do, which means higher frame rates. Text and icons will be fairly large, but you'll still have plenty of screen space to write papers, lines of code, browse the internets, etc.

I would only go with a higher resolution if you really needs lots of screen space, or if you plan to watch Blu-Ray or other HD movies in 1080p.

If you plan on "light gaming", you'll want the dedicated ATi graphics card instead of the integrated Intel graphics chipset. I wouldn't bother with the Creative sound upgrade. Unless you're a serious audiophile using state of the art multiple-hundred dollar equipment, you won't notice a difference. Personally, I would get the optional 4GB of RAM and a 64-bit edition of Windows Vista to go along with it as well.

The 9-cell battery will stick out at the bottom of the laptop at the back by about half an inch. It's not too difficult for carrying. It probably won't fit in a specific 15.4" notebook sleeve with the extra protrusion, but I just pop the battery out before taking it anywhere and it fits just fine. I put the battery in a separate pocket.

On a desk, the battery raises the back of the notebook up a little, which I think actually makes it nicer to type on. It gives your keyboard a little bit of an incline, which is more pleasant than a completely flat typing surface.

If you like the touch-sensitive media buttons from the other Studio and Studio XPS models, you'll be lacking those with the 1555. Dell removed them and reassigned all their functions to keyboard shortcuts.

 

Although 1080p would be nice to watch HD movies on, I'm not getting a Bluray player...so perhaps 720p would be best for me. Especially if it's easier on the computer.

I heard about the media bar being removed, which I'm okay with. It would be nice if it was there...but eh. And I plan on getting (at least) 4gigs and the ATI card.

Thanks for the advice and help though. It's helping me make my customization. I appreciate it.

 

Glad to help.

As for "at least 4gigs" of RAM, I don't think you'll be needing more than 4 any time soon. Unless you use some heavy-duty modeling software, it's probably not worth the price.

And if you do get 4 or more, make sure you install a 64-bit version of Windows, otherwise any RAM beyond 3.4GB will be wasted.

 

Yeah just make sure to get the 64bit Vista if you plan on getting more than 4Gb of RAM although for general uses I'd say 4 should be more than enough.

 

I'm getting the 64 bit Vista. I may not get more than 4gigs, it depends if I have money left over after customizing it. 4gigs will probably be enough for me though.

Thanks for both of your help.