Is this Good Configuration?

Please tell me if I am posting at wrong place (I am new here).

I recently ordered a Dell Inspiron 6400 Laptop. Here's the configuration:

Intel Core Duo T2300E 1.66 GHz, 2MB Cache, 667 MHz FSB
Win XP Pro
1 Year Next Business Day Warranty
15.4" Widescreen XGA TFT (1280x800)
1 GB (1 x 1GB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Dell Optical Mouse
100 GB SATA 5400 rpm Hard Drive
8X DVD +/-RW with Dual Layer write
Intel Pro Wireless 3495 Dual Band 802.11a/g 54 Mbps Wireless Mini Card
256 MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 Hypermemory
6-cell Battery
Integrated 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Integrated Stereo Sound
1 ExpressCard Slot, (DOES NOT SUPPORT PCMCIA CARDS)
Intel(R) 945 Chipset Family


I am a software developer and needed a relatively high end system for my Development IDEs and of course some future proofing.

• I went for 1.66 Ghz duo core because I needed speed at relatively lesser price. Does T2300 perform well?
• 1GB RAM 667 MHz single slot for faster performance. I heard that 667 Mhz performs significantly better than 533MHz.
• Graphics Card for upcoming Windows Vista and games. I am not a hardcore gamer though. Is X1400 Hypermemory good? I heard it has only 128MB of memory onboard and rest 128MB shared.
• I did not upgrade to 9-cell battery. Would 6-cell be sufficient?

This is my first laptop. I researched a lot and this one seemed to be a good configuration. I got it for INR 71000 ($1590). I guess laptops are quite cheaper in US than here in India. I came to know this site only after having ordered the laptop .

Your views?

 

The x1400 will run Vista just fine, but is basically a low-end card. It will give you decent performance for medium or so settings for current games, but probably dropping to low settings over the next year or so.

Regarding the 9-cell: pretty simple. If you plan to use it on the move, a 9-cell certainly pays off. If you will be using it mostly near a AC outlet it doesn't matter.

 

Thats seems like a good powerful configuration that should last you. I have a similar setup and I find it is extrely fast for normal tasks and for programming/CAD.

The core duo is a fast processor and should be sufficient for you. The x1400 is a good midrange card and will play recent games albeit at low settings. 667 RAM is better than 533 RAM but only by a small amount due to increased latency. Stick to 1 stick 667 MHz RAM and then you can easily upgrade later.

I tend not to use the battery on my laptop. If you are going to be away from a power source a lot then a bigger battery is only a good thing. It just depends on how you use it.

 

Get a 9 cell and maybe a 7200 RPM HD bc u want to get the most out of your laptop and a 60GB 7200 rpm is the same as 100 5200RPM

 

I just realized dell calls its 10/100 port fast when the made 10/100/1000 ports but lets me honest most of us are on our wireless cards, lol and usually dont or need a 1000MB network, lol but thats called trasfuring files at around 120MB a second, lol

 

Yes Ice-Tea and radditz, i wanted a desktop replacement that I could carry anywhere. I would be using it on AC power more often than not. That's why I didn't go for 9-cell. Radditz your configuration neaarly matches mine, could you tell how much do your batteries last?

And radditz, could you please tell what you mean by "667 RAM is better than 533 RAM but only by a small amount due to increased latency"


Thanks everybody for posting.