Dumb Questions

I don't play a ton of games anymore, but I do occasionally. I am basically buying this to be my primary computer since my other two are on their last legs. I know it's a waste of money just for the flashy look, but I need a new laptop anyway and this is the one I want. Everyone keeps raving about the specs, but always qualifying their statements by saying "for gaming" it's great! My dumb question is, is it limited in any way in regard to other (basic) uses besides gaming?

Can anyone give me an idea for the best build for a primary computer that will last?

 

You're ok with using a 14" laptop as your only computer?

Honestly I'd still just get the base model. Get bluetooth and a bigger HDD if you want, but anything else is just too much for the rest of the laptop's hardware.

 

gaming requirements trump other general usage requirements...hence when something is great for gaming, it's more than enough for basic usage.

get the 2630 CPU...don't waste money on the upgrades
get 4 gb ram...more than enough
harddrive is where it depends on how much space you need....I got upgrade to 750 because I may keep alot of movies and games

DEFINITELY upgrade screen to 1600x900 resolution

everything else is up to you

 

Yeah I agree with ^

Base model should be more then enough power, plus you get a decent GPU to compliment your CPU. I'd probably go with a higher res though 1600x900 with BT and maybe wirelessHD if your into those kind of things, your HDD you can upgrade later since dell charges soo much for HD's that you can buy for cheap either in the store or online at like newegg for example. Hope this helps bro.

What type of games do you typically play?

What programs do you generally use anyways?

 

Well technically I do have two other laptops (Even though they won't last much longer), and a third one for work. I travel a lot so ya, this will be fine.

The 500GB hard drive will be plenty for me. I really only care about speed and load times. Would upgrading the processor or memory make any kind of noticeable difference at all if I'm not gaming?

 

what you need is a 3rd generation ssd...
thats how you will see the most increase in speed/load times/boot times

 

not really, and certainly not worth the money.

As someone else suggested, upgrading to an SSD harddrive will give you a NOTICEABLE speed bump in even basic usage. But SSD is terribly expensive option imo.

 

Games - Call of Duty mostly. After I got a PS3 I REALLY stopped playing games on my computer. Doesn't help that their outdated and crash every 20 mins.

Programs - Basic basic stuff man. I have a computer with me at all times, but if I'm not using it for work, I'm watching a movie, reading online, on itunes, or maaaabe playing a game. I'm impatient and usually doing 500 things at once so thats why I want something that will load fast, is durable, and will last a while. I DEFINITELY don't need something like this, but whatever. It looks awesome, it may get me back into games, and it's really not THAT expensive if I don't need much more than the base model

 

Then yeah bro,

Leave your CPU/GPU the same

Upgrade your HD to a SSD, that's quite a performance booster - but i'd just wait on that to be honest since yes they are quite expensive atm.

4GB of RAM is more then enough, and again probably go for the resolution upgrade /w BT and WirelessHD if you need/use those.

CoD Games will run on your laptop NP easy mode...

Make sure to call dell first for a quote to get it cheaper "haggle them" there are also coupon codes that may be available for you depending on the expiration dates.