Ordering my M17x today!!! Need help.

Ahhhhh...!!!!
lol

ok, so this is what I'm looking at for my new M17x.

Space Black - Anodized Aluminum
Intel® Core™2 Duo T9600 2.8GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M, 2GB – SLI® Enabled
17-inch WideUXGA 1920x1200 (1200p)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
500GB 7,200RPM w/ Free Fall Protection
Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis

Cost: $2,324.07 (with 7% student discount)

And these are possible alternatives I was contemplating:

Intel® Core™2 Quad Q9000 2.0GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) (+$25)

640GB - 2x 320GB 7,200RPM - RAID 0 (+$25) (Not sure what kinda difference this would make, anyone know?)

Should I get the 15-month Subscription to McAfee that's included in the price or say screw it and get nothing?

I don't wanna screw anything up, so I'm checking all my bases with you guys before I do this. I was given a ballpark ~$2,500 for the cost of the computer, before tax and shipping, so I'm not going crazy with the xTreme this or 280M that, blah blah blah. Let me know what you think.

Thanks guys.

EDIT: One more thing... I'm not getting free shipping, according to the site. Anyone know why?

And are there any coupon codes I should know about?

 

I'd take the T9600, stick with the 500Gb and buy a SSD down the road, and take the 15-month Anti-Virus or download one of the good free AV programs...you'll need it if you're considering downloading pirated software. ;þ

 

Well as for the processor, i prefer the idea of a dual core because that is a weaker quad. I am getting the same dual processer you listed. I guess I'm biased.
I got the 320x2 hard drives because they work together to make the hard drives faster.(I've read) but if one disk fails, you lose both. As for Microsoft office, i have getting it after. My friend has an extra one lying around so I will be using his, look on ebay. MUCH cheaper than they charge. I ended up getting the mcaffe for no reason. Just to have it.

 

Whatever you do - make sure you call your order in and not use the (except for planning) web site. Orders from the web site are processed later than those from phone sales - sometimes days later.
Also - if you have a problem you can always call your salesman back. (Make sure to get his/her number.) Whatever you do, you do not want to have to deal with Customer Care. They can be nice or nasty depending on who you get and your situation but generally they are limited in what they can find out and do.

Good luck and enjoy the forums. There is tons of information buried in the threads here.

 

I do believe that when a CSR orders your system, it goes right to manufacturing/in the queue.

Nice to know for the next go-around with Dellienware

 

Id recommend the Sager Np9850 from xotic PC.

 

He's not in the "what should I buy" forum, lol.

 

That looks like a nice configuration. The RAID 0 configuration WILL speed things up quite a bit, however you may want to do what I'm doing, put a single hard drive in it initially and get a nice SSD later on. I personally WOULD go for the quad (and I have with my M17 ) but I just love quad cores, and many of the games I play are either suited to a 2GHz single/duo or optimised for quad. There are still many programs out there that WILL run better on that dual core, so it's all down to personal preference and usage.

As for office, that's easily pirated. Just do a search on thepiratebay.org, and download it using uTorrent or other suitable BitTorrent downloader. It's simple, easy to install, and works just as well as the original, so you're not losing anything. (I've got both 2003 and 2007 complete editions pirated on 3 computers )

I'd recommend taking the McAfee subscription unless you've got an antivirus for it that you'd prefer. (I personally prefer AVG, hardly slows down a computer)

That configuration should serve you well.

 

Just an FYI that the banhammer might be coming for ya with all the pirated software talk....

 

lol yeah I was scared to comment after him and agree with some stuff

 

The OP mentioned the pirated software. AV would be a must at that point.

 

Congratz on your new system

First off, this site doesn't encourage pirating, Second, it's called Open Office www.openoffice.org, Third, it's free.....

 

Plus there are a lot of ways to get MS office much cheaper. I know my work offers it to me for $12.

 

I need to get a copy for cheap...I'm thinking eBay, i cant figure out if my school offers it.

 

I'd be surprised if they didn't worth looking into.

 

why doesn't he just get a pirated av from the place he's pirating the other software lol.

 

+1 rep for being honest!

 

Microsofts trialling free antivirus software at the moment so wouldn't waste the money to be honest

 

But he asked about it...

That would be because you can't necessarily trust pirated antiviruses, not so much because they may themselves have a virus but that they may stop working, stop updating etc. and would not provide the necessary protection that he would need.

Personally, I ran AVG Free Edition for quite a long time on my PC before upgrading to one of the paid versions of AVG, and I have to say the free version should definetely provide more than adequate protection from viruses, it did for me.

 

i agree re officer 2007

i use free avg edition as well, well worth it

 

How can it be worth it if it's free? Technically that means it's worthless

But yeah, it's an awesome antivirus with an even more awesome price tag of $0.