Help me build a Vostro 1500

I'm a long time lurker on these forums, in fact you guys helped me to come to the decision to order the Vostro 1500. But now I need some input on what to get to fit my needs perfectly.

I don't know if this has been done before, but basically I'll ask about the stuff I'm not sure about (like what processor and all that) and give you the options I can choose from.

Not every single step, because that'd take a while, but just a few I'm not sure about.

What do I want to do with it you ask? Just the basics. Internet, and word processing mostly. No gaming or anything heavy like Photoshop. Something I can use for school And one more thing, I'd like to keep it as inexpensive as possible.

HERE is a link to what I'll be configuring.

And right off the bat I'll need some help with the processor. From what I said above, what do you think I should go for? Nothing high end obviously, I was thinking the T5470 would be a good option.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5270 (1.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache) <- The one included in the starting price
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)

 

No games playing?

Configure it with the basics if you are trying to go as inexpensive as possible. You might also check around to see if there are any coupons.

The link that you have posted would serve your needs fine. You might consider the higher resolution display which will not cost you much more.

 

I would suggest to go with the T5470 as well. You will see an increase with the T7250, but if your needs, even the T5270 will do.

Since you're not gaming, stick to the X3100 as your graphic card.

You might want to consider this instead of the Vostro 1500.

A T7250 for just $10 more than the Vostro 1500 with the T5470. The D530 is not a widescreen though.

 

Well I don't think I'd need to go up to the 7250. I just added the others because they were options, but in my head I was just trying to figure out if there would be much of a difference between the 52 and 5470. 1.4 GHz just seemed a bit low. What's the difference in performance between the two?

I know I don't need a lot, but I don't want to cheap out and have something that won't last me and do me good for a few years.

 

The higher you go with processors, the lower the increase you will. For entry level processors, you will be able to feel the difference between the T5270 and T5470.

I'm sure this much at least is obvious to you.

@ 200/1400 = 14% increase.

@ 200/2000 = 10% increase.

Honestly for your needs, the T5270 might be enough, but I would go with the T5470 just for the additional speed. The D530 with the T7250 is surprisingly cheap.

 

Zags, you should put some quality stuff in there. Vostro's are $500 off if it comes out to 1249 or more. You could get a really good laptop in the 800 range after the discount...

 

Example...

Intel T9300
Windows® XP Home Edition
15.4 in Wide Screen XGA+LCD Display w/TrueLife™ edit
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
8X CD/DVD+RW Read and Burn CD and DVD
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600M GT
80GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Internal Card edit
Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera

Memory isn't worth upgrading via dell. buy your own and upgrade yourself. but the above config put me at 800 after the discount. pretty good specs for that kind of price. If you dont game, you can put a lower gpu and up something else. Lots of options based on what you need.

 

I knew I was forgetting something. That's a good suggestion if you can spare the extra $.