Feedback on D820 Laptop Configuration

Could I get some feedback on the following D820 that I have configured for my needs. Any advice on this for me etc?

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Latitude D820 Advanced (L06822)

D820 with Intel® Core™ Duo T2500 (2.0GHz) with NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M 256MB
Genuine Windows® XP Professional (Service Pack 2) WITH Media using NTFS
1.0GB, 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory (1 x 1024MB)
UK/Irish - Dual Pointing Internal Keyboard
80GB serial ATA HDD 5400RPM
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
8 X DVD+/-RW Drive with Decoder Software
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) Dual Core
UK/Irish - D820 Ship Accessories with Power Cord
L06822 - D820 ADVANCED June
3Y NBD International (Next Business Day) On-site (incl. e-Learning Pack)
No Complete Care
No Anti-Virus Software
European - 90W AC Adapter
PalmRest Standard
Bluetooth Card
No Business Support Required
Latitude Order - Ireland
6 Cell 56WHr LI-ION Primary Battery OR 9 Cell 85WHr LI-ION Primary Battery Extended Life (Not sure which is best for me, worried about the extra weight of the 9 cell)
D/Family 48WHr Media Bay Battery for dual battery support
No Carry Case
D820 Resource CD
Information SKU - Futuristic Order Flag
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) LCD Screen

TOTAL Excl. VAT:€ 1,517.00 ($ 1,909)

 

I think that's a pretty good config. For the battery though, will you need a lot of battery life on your notebook? The 6-cell should give you about 2.5 hours of battery life by itself, while the 9-cell should get closer to 4.

 

I would go with the 9 cell but I am afraid it will make the laptop very heavy in comparison to having the 6 cell. Am I correct in saying this or is the difference minimal? The 6 cell and 9 cell are the same price for me.

 

Looks like a good system (one of my favorite laptops). I haven't seen a D820 in person, but based on previous systems from Dell, 15.4in laptops don't have a noticable difference between the two batteries.

Some laptops have the batteries sticking out, and you would notice it, but on the D820, the battery does not stick out.

 

More feedback would be appreciated.

 

go with the 9 cell battery

 

Thanks for your opinion, Iceman0124. Is the 9 cell heavier than the 6 cell and if so, by how much?

 

Specs from Dell's User Guide on the D820:

Weight:
9-cell lithium-ion battery - 0.485 kg (1.07 lb) typical
6-cell lithium-ion battery - 0.355 kg (0.783 lb) typical

 

the 9 cell is totally worth it, and the 6-cell actually gets around 4 hours doing basic word processing or music or whatever on the go, the 9 cell is rated for 7 hours.
and you can get a 1920x1200 res screen on that if you want, I've never seen it, but that res is amazing, small text (but you can alwasy set the windows font size up to like 13 or 14) but you can watch true HD (1080p) on it windowed

 

Even with the extra weight? I also am also getting the D/Family 48WHr Media Bay Battery. Unsure what it is as its coming free!

 

You shouldn't notice any weight change just because you have a 9 cell battery. As I stated in my previous post, with something like the D420 or XPS 1210, the batteries would matter. But with midsize and large laptops - the added weight won't be felt because your laptop weighs so much.

 

Go for the larger battery, it's definitely worth it. Media bay battery is an additional battery that goes to the media bay usually occupied by optical drive. If you want more battery time, buy another 9cell battery and swap it when you run out of juice (though one 9cell should suffice . As for the size, I have Inspiron 6000 which is almost the same size and I have no problem carrying it, just don't pack too much accessories (as they are the usual cause of extra luggage). Screen resolution is something you should see in person. Just go to some notebook shop and look for resolutions identical to those you're thinking of buying. I use external keyboard almost all the time, so I'm like 1 meter from the screen and extremely hi res sucks and strains your eyes (you only got one of those, and sorry, no replacements are available at the moment).

This is a config I have saved last time >>

Intel® Core™ Duo T2500 (2.00GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Internal English Keyboard
512MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache™
100GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
Touchpad with UPEK® Fingerprint Reader
No Floppy Drive
Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
90W A/C Adapter
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio Digital Media™ and Cyberlink Power DVD™
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Dual-Band Mini Card
9 Cell Primary Battery
3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
Dell Wireless 5500 Built-in HSDPA Mini-Card for Cingular service

is $2200 without VAT (but found a coupon for $300-400, so it's basically the whole price). Definitely look for a coupon or wait for another issue of Dell Small Business Catalog (often has some coupon). Or you can buy the system via Higher Ed and get a student discount.
I was considering D620, but 9cell battery protrudes a lot from the front side, graphics choice is more limited and the selection of ports, card readers is smaller (no Express car i think and some more stuff).

 

The difference between the batteries as far as weight goes is minimal - I quoted lazybum so you can see the difference. In comparison to the rest of the laptop, it will hardly make a difference. I'd also recommend going for the 9-cell battery.

 

Thanks very much for yer help, it is very much appreciated.

I am based in Ireland, does anyone know where I can get a coupon for my configured laptop in Ireland?

Thanks.

 

Normally, dell only issues coupons for the United States. There have been coupons issued for other countries, but it is not a common occurrence. I hate to say it, but you'll probably just have search and google. There are several websites that llist dell coupons, but my experience has been that they only list the USA coupons.