G50VT-X5 recommendations Please

I just pulled the trigger on the G50VT-X5 I found on Buy.com for a fairly incredible deal, and want to make a few changes to it when it shows up.
Asus G50Vt-X5 15.4'' Laptop Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.13GHz, 4GB, 320GB HDD, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium - Refurbished - G50VT-X5 - Buy.com
When I realize all the discounting that I got with this purchase, I will have gotten it for $496.00 . Sweet.
I called the Geeks (they are "Marketplace"ing this though Buy.com) and the representative told me that these particular units provided are of the highest caliber of refurbs. that they pass through thier warehouse. Yeah!!

I'm giving it to a 16 year old as a birthday present in a month, so I have some time to get it set up just right.

I have some Vertex SSD s, and figured that I would put one in the G50.
I have read that the extra drive bay is too tight for the thicker drives like the 12.5mm Seagate that comes as Drive 1? in this machine.
Can I install the Vertex in the secondary bay (tight one?) without the caddy?
(The OCZs have thin frames, and aren't subject to overheating like HDDs are)
I checked the Asusstore, and the caddy/carrier is backordered, and without a date for restock. My experience with Asusstore is that you won't get raincheck/ -ship when available- , you just have to keep going back and hoping that the part is in stock this time. No indicators- No joy
So, will the machine put up with the SSD installed with stuffers (delicately) used around the storage device rather than being slave to the unobtainable HDD carrier?
I figure on running o.s. and a few other needy programs from the SSD and pile the rest of everything on the 7200 rpm HDD that comes with the G50.
What do you think?

Second, will the machine boot off the secondary SATA slot when the installed drive is configured as the boot drive? Or is there some "gotcha" lurking in this attempted install for me?

Thirdly, I have upgade packages for Win7 Home Premium and Professional available, Which version would be the best avenue? 32 or 64 bit? The kid is a gamer (duh), and would probably prefer that I install XP Pro, but I think it's time for him to step into the 21st. century.
Will the processor avail the virtualized XP available on the Win7 Professional version?
I figure that he wants to take advantage of the DX10 and beyond, watch DVDs and such, all the sort of multi-media and such a kid would be into.
Suggestions and "what I would do(s)" are welcome at this point.


I don't think this machine is bluetooth enabled. What Asus internal module should I order to add this capability to the lappy?

Lastly, is there any BIOS version that has been identified to work better with SSD s ?
I certainly would appreciate some constructive feedback concerning the things I have out lined, and any pointers about shakedown for this machine during the coming month/ before I make changes to ensure that if it's going to break, that it does it before I hand it over as a b/day gift.

Thanks in advance -unknwn1_

 

I found out for myself that the P7450 Core2 is NOT capable of virtualization.
One question answered. Win7 Pro will not operate the virtual XP Pro on the G50VT-X5.