I'm about to buy a laptop from Dell, few minor questions

Well, I've been looking for a laptop for school for about a month now, finally I found something just for me, the Vostro 1000:

AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core processor TK-53 (1.7GHz/512KB)
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 Dimm
120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+R write capability, Cyberlink Power DVD
ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (integrated)
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
Integrated Audio

$630

I just have a few things I want to know before I buy this:

1. The battery is 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, I was thinking about spending $20 more and getting the 9-cell, but I heard it will stick out of the laptop, is this a problem?

2. The prosessor can be upgraded to AMD TurionTM 64x2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-56 (1.80GHz 512K) for $100, is that worth the price?

Thanks.

 

1. 20$ is well worth 50% thebattery life. the extension isnt such a big deal.

2. it depends on what youre gonna use the system for, ididnt get the t7500(2.2ghs core2dou) instead i got t7300(2.0ghz and saved myself 100$ which i will use to buy collegebooks. go for it if you think you're gonna run cpu intensive progrom.

 

To answer your first question, the Vostro 1000 is exactly the same as the Inspiron 1501, In that laptop the 9 cell doesnt stick out so this one shouldnt either.

 

Also, one more question. Should I stick with the default 1 year warrenty or uprgade it to something else? It seems kind of expensive to get a warrenty...

 

Get the intel upgrade; they're much bettery on battery life, and run cooler, as well.

 

HECK No!

Don't get a warranty unless you are completely technologically illiterate. Warranties are a way for companies to suck the soul out of you.

I agree, but I don't think you can get a intel configuration for the same price and same features as a AMD notebook... So if price is an issue, go with the cheaper solution.

Besides, the guy said he's in school, not working at a high profile 3D Animation firm . A TK-53 would do fine for whatever his school needs him to do.

 

I would get the extra warranty, it may serve you well and saved me $1700 so far.

I can tell you endless stories of $3000 laptops going bust just after their 1 year warranty ends, and due to cost, pointless repairing them.

Get 3 years warranty.

 

I'd have to disagree about the warranty... it is for peace of mind, and 95% of the time it's just not worth the money. Dell makes big bucks on extended warranties (just like CC and BB) because so many people buy them and so few people use them. Those that do end up getting a $30 part fixed for their much bigger investment in the warranty. You definitely have to take into consideration whether or not you would be comfortable opening one up to replace a broken part if it did happen after the mfr warranty expired.

Dell parts are widely available and thus, cheap. It comes down to personal preference and cost. I'm on my 4th laptop, never had a problem with any of them except that sooner or later they aren't fast enough to run the latest OS or software.

On another note, that $79 - $379 will go a long way in a couple years. I definitely wouldn't spend $379(!)... In 2009-2010, even the cheapest, most basic laptop config will blow away your current system. The money you save on warranty could be put towards a cheap replacement should something break a few years from now (think Core 3 Quad=the entry-level processor, 4GB RAM, 750GB hard disk, and video card that will make your Radeon 1150 look like a graphics card that belongs in a cell phone).

My 2 cents.

 

how much is the extended warranty?
i probably wouldn't bother unlesss it's really cheap. on more expensive laptops it's more important...

 

I don’t see what warranty has to do with being technologically illiterate??. I think he is talking about hardware warranties and not technical support.

Personally I think its better to get extended warranties like Complete care because of accidental damage coverage. But you have to first think whether it is worth the cost. For example I don’t think paying something like $250 for a Complete Care warranty on a $600 notebook is a wise idea, but it can be justified for a $2000 notebook.

 

This is a $600 laptop, not a $3000 one. It's not worth getting a warranty on a machine like that.

 

Yeah...not worth the warranty...

And El-El? Sounds like it.

 

Hey, frankly telling don't go for DELL ... I got Inspiron 6000 just 2 yrs back n I regret coz i paid like $3000 plus changed already thrice the motherboard ..ok it is covered in the guarantee for now but later??? DELL got lot of marketing but sorry to say ... it's nothing special abt it except the service during the guarantee time... upto u to decide!

 

To really answer your questions...

On that machine the warranty is probably not worth it. It already has a year.. and in a year you can put that money towards a better machine if you'd like. I got 3 years on my Lenovo, but #1 it was a 1300 machine, #2 the warranty was only 100 bucks. Totally worth it. Not in the dell case though.

And the processor.. really depends on what you're doing and what kinds of speed you're used to. The 53 is plenty fast and you have to ask yourself if it's really worth spending 15% more on your machine for probably 5% improvements in speed, especially considering you're probably getting a machine that is already faster than you're used to.

I say save your money, but do get the upgraded battery.

 

IssGonRain, is this the "$499.99 deal" through Dell.ca? Upgrading the warranty to a three year return to depot service/technical support is $159+tax. Buying warrantiesfor Dell laptops are expensive and that's how most companies make their money.

But did you know if you buy your laptop through selected credit cards (Amex/Visa/Mastercard), they will double your manufacturers warranty for up to 1 year. That's why I didn't buy an extra warranty since my credit card covers extra warranty coverage.

There's also a thread to learn about credit card warranties:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1488465