Laptop Suggestions

[nismodrifter]

Alright...it's my turn to make one of these threads hahah.

I need to buy a Laptop in the next couple of days.

I am going to be using it 99% of the time for things like internet/email, listening to Mp3's, msn, Webcam, DVD's/movies while travelling, and very rarely playing a game (nothing crazy...maybe something like GTA3).

Price must be less than $1500.
I've never had a laptop before so forgive me if I ask some n00b questions. I haven't paid much attention to PC's lately so I have no idea as to what is new and what is standard equipment these days.

I am looking right now at the Dell Inspiron 9400 right now.
It has the following specs:
- Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2250 (1.73GHz/533MHz FSB)
- 17" wide screen
- 512MB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
- 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
- Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (add $100 for 256mb ATI X1400)
- Integrated sound

Price: $1299 w/ free printer/copier/scanner (probably POS but it's fine as long as it works) and free upgrade to 8x CD/DVD burner. Free shipping.

What is your opinion on this computer?
How reliable are Dells these days? The only PC I have ever bought from Dell was way back in 1993 when they first started. That PC was pretty good and I still actually have it (I actually still use the monitor on a ghetto PC I have setup).

My concerns:
- 512mb ram seems kinda low but it seems like it's pretty much standard on most but some have 1gb. Will 512 serve my purpose or should I get an extra stick to push it to 1gb?

- Is the onboard video good enough? I'm not going to be gaming on it or anything as I spend 99% of my time studying. This is a stupid question but how different is the performance of an onboard card vs a seperate video card? For just watching the occasional movie while travelling will I notice a difference? Can I play a game like GTA3 using it? Can I upgrade at a later time if I choose the onboard card for now? I have a 128mb card on my other PC and I play games fine, I'm not like crazy picky about OMG the graphics aren't the best they could be.

- Battery life with 17" monitor. After checking out laptops at Future Shop I really like the size of a 17" vs a 15". Maybe if they weren't widescreen I would go with the 15" but since they are widescreen the 15" seems tiny. Will 17" totally own me for battery time?

Another Option:
Dell Inspiron 6400 Dual Core
- Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB)
- 15.4" screen
- 120GB 5400rpm Hard Drive (not SATA it seems...does it matter?)
- 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
- 128MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1300 HyperMemory™ [Included in Price] Add $20 for 256mb X1400
- integrated sound

Price: $1,299, same free shit included (printer/upgraded dvd/free shipping).

Now that I look at it this one seems like a better deal. Faster, more RAM, bigger HD, proper video card. Only thing that bugs me is the 15" screen though. Argh.

So which one would you choose? I'm kinda leaning towards the 6400 now...seems like the better deal but for some reason I just ignored it earlier because I was so stuck on the 17".

Any suggestions/advice/info will really be appreciated.

Thanks yo.

[camby]

That dell is a pretty good deal and suits your needs I think. Personally I think dells are cheap and would buy a toshiba or something but its a little more pricey.

[benyl]

Don't get a Sony. They are about style not function.

[xrayvsn]

What resolution are the screens running? If the 17" is running higher than 1280x1024, no matter what video card you get, you will get slideshow-like framerates on any game but the really old ones. The 9400 has integrated graphics, which shares Video Ram with System memory. This is never a good setup for gaming. Also, unlike desktops, it is a bigger hassle to upgrade a laptop in the future. The only things I may consider as future upgrades are RAM and Hard Drive, and maybe a better wireless card, since these are usually easy enough to get to. I am not even sure you can upgrade the video card if the laptop already has integrated video, as Dell may use an entirely different motherboard for the 9400 models with the add on ATI card, and those that have the video card integrated.

To answer the RAM question - get more. I think the minimum should be 1GB.

[Sprinter]

Originally posted by xrayvsn
What resolution are the screens running? If the 17" is running higher than 1280x1024, no matter what video card you get, you will get slideshow-like framerates on any game but the really old ones. The 9400 has integrated graphics, which shares Video Ram with System memory. This is never a good setup for gaming. Also, unlike desktops, it is a bigger hassle to upgrade a laptop in the future. The only things I may consider as future upgrades are RAM and Hard Drive, and maybe a better wireless card, since these are usually easy enough to get to. I am not even sure you can upgrade the video card if the laptop already has integrated video, as Dell may use an entirely different motherboard for the 9400 models with the add on ATI card, and those that have the video card integrated.

To answer the RAM question - get more. I think the minimum should be 1GB.

I thought that it was impossible to change graphics cards or to place graphic cards on laptops that dont have them initially?

[Mr. Burns]

get the 6400 and ante up for the video card... that is 20 bucks well spent. 17" lapops are too big IMO, 15.4 is more than large enough. 1 GB ram for sure.

[dragonone]

Originally posted by Mr. Burns
get the 6400 and ante up for the video card... that is 20 bucks well spent. 17" lapops are too big IMO, 15.4 is more than large enough. 1 GB ram for sure.

agreed
movie watching does not depend on the video card
only instance is that nvidia pure video coder or watever, advertises use of the gpu

[wildrice]

errr..ram should be fairly pricy. I'm assuming that there are two sticks of 256 in there to make 512. so if u wanted to upgrade to 1gb, you'd have to purchase 2 sticks of 512 instead of just 1.

[nismodrifter]

aight but the 6400 comes with 1gb already.

[nismodrifter]

Alrighty I ordered the 6400. Upgraded the video card to a 256mb for $20 extra and kept everything else the same. It will serve my purpose fine and the free scanner/copier is an extra bonus too. It already comes with a 9cell battery so no need to upgrade there. Kept the hd the same as well as a 7200rpm HD costs like $150 more.

All said and done it came to $1320+tax+environment = $1411.92
Probably an aight deal. If I have to deal with Tech support I hope it's not a problem....I'll swear at them in punjabi/hindi and they'll get the point hahah.

[nismodrifter]

What a bunch of retards. I ordered that computer on the last day of their promotion offer for the suppposed free printer and shit. Next day they have got a new thing up...laptop price has dropped significantly and now I can get my whole order for $1251. Thats $160 cheaper!

Going to call these SOB's and cancel my first order (it hasn't been billed yet). Hopefully I don't have to speak to a FOB.

[accordboi_02]

I am looking at purchasing in the next week or so, what I'm looking for is:

14.1" screen
Modular bay
Eraser-head mouse
1 GB Ram
80-100 GB HDD
DVD Burner
Dual core processor

So from what I've seen, only Lenovo and Dell offer notebooks with the features I want, and the one I'm looking at is the Dell Latitude D620 as the Lenovo Thinkpad T series are so freaking expensive.

Anyone have any other suggestions? Know any other brands that offer the features I'm looking for? WIlling to spend up to $2500 on one, but I always want a good deal.

Here's the Dell: http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/prod...DT1&l=en&s=bsd

Oh yeah, one more question: Is it worth the extra money to "upgrade" from Dell's wireless card to the Intel "Centrino Technology" wireless? I'm currently using wireless G - is there really any reason at all to spend the extra money to get the Intel version? Is it somehow better than the Dell wireless? And if it is, how is it better?