Help deciding on what e1505 configuration I should order...

What's up,
I too have ordered an e1505 with these specs:

Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2400
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
60GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Price: $1062.89 with tax

I was thinking this would be a good configuration for me because I don't play games at all on my current laptop (except for those punch the monkey ads) and what I mostly plan to do is surf the net, do a little home video editing, and burn/play dvds. But then I found out that the $750 coupon was still working (it hadn't been when I ordered my current configuration last night) and I could go all out and get a e1505 with either of these specs at a price of about 1350 with tax:

Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
80GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
primary 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

or:

Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
100GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
primary 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
extra 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Do you think it would be worth it for me to upgrade to either of these two options for just about $300 dollars more, or should I just stick with what I have with the purposes I listed? On one hand I want the best so I don't have to buy a new laptop for quite awhile (this is my first laptop), and I'm thinking the upgraded video card would help during home movie editing (I'm not even sure if it does... help me out if you know). On the other hand I am not hard to please, and all these extra features (video card, faster processor, bigger hard drives) might be things I might not even notice since my applications are so basic, meaning I wasted my money. Please help me decide!
Well thanks for taking the time to read all this, and thanks again if you can help out.
Jake

 

imho i'm not sure the extra battery is completely necessary... i havn't had experience with the e1505 but i have a 6000 and i get a good 4.5 hours with a mid-low brightness and simple web surfing and email, maybe some music. and i would definately recommend the sxga 1680x1050 screen just from experience. it's especially helpful when doing word processing/spreadsheets/etc. and browsing. As to the video editing, the higher resolution screen would help and you absolutely need a video card whether its the 256 which is 128 dedicated and 128 shared if i'm not mistaken, or the 128 which splits 64/64. Either way, i couldn't recommend video editing at all with the integrated graphics. Also, the 7200rpm hard drive might be worth it if you really have the need for the faster drive, but since you're video editing you probably want ALOT of hard drive space so you would probably want the bigger one, the 5400 wouldn't be cripplingly slow. hope this is helpful...

 

The video card has no effect on video editing. The plus for a dedicated card is it won't take away system memory for video. You can always upgrade the hard drive later if you need more space. I would only get one batter.

 

the video card would have dedicated memory which would accomplish video editing much more efficiently and with less system lock up etc

 

i do video editing as well and here's my advice. Get 120gb hard drive. My 80gb turned out only 60 or so (with dell's system restore and "fluff" ware) But an external drive will probable give you better results (speed) actually.

And yes get the video card, at least the x1300. 2 cpu's and a gpu (graphics processor) will make your system more efficient. And all the ram (667ghz if you can) you able to afford. Ram's cheaper aftermarket. But atleast 1GB minimum.

i got duel 1.66ghz processors and they handle Adobe Premiere Elements 2 pretty well. (i was actually surprised)

 

What's up,
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I was about to go ALL out (T2500, 2GB RAM, X1400, 100GB 7200 rpm HD), but based on your suggestions I think I know what to go with, and at a cheaper price.
Thanks again,
Jake