Need help configuring my Vostro 1400

Alright I've chosen to purchase a Vostro 1400 because of the amazing price and it being somewhat portable compared to the 1500(even though I've heard it's still pretty heavy and big). Here are my questions..

1. Will the difference between the 1.8GHz C2D and 2.0GHz C2D be really noticeable? Should I just go for the 2.0 because of the price being cheap reguardless?

2. What's the difference in resolution between the XGA and XGA+?

3. Which wireless card would be best? I won't be using a wireless router though my college campus has wireless everywhere.

These are the choices...

Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Wi-Fi Mini Card [add $29]
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card [Included in Price]
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Wi-Fi Mini Card [add $10]
Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-card [add $59]
Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card [add $49]
Dell Recommended


4. I've heard not to get bluetooth unless I currently own something with bluetooth operation. Is a bluetooth wireless mouse THAT much more convenient to warrant the $20?

5. Should I just stick with integrated Audio?

6. Should I choose to have no preinstalled anti-virus software? I've heard it slows down your laptop most of the time.

7. I've never owned a Dell laptop is the a rule of thumb for warranty selection? And should I add accidental damage protection even if I am very secure with my electronics?

I know that's a lot of questions but I'm pretty laptop illiterate

 

1. For most tasks, no, there will be no difference in performance.
2. Not sure, sorry.
3. Go for one of the Intels.
4. I'd get the bluetooth for $20.
5. Yes.
6. Yes.
7. Some credit cards offer an extra year of warranty. There's a sticky in the forums about this.

Hope this helps.

 

1) You will not notice a difference
2) WXGA is 1280x horizontal resolution and WXGA+ is 1440x resolution
3) Get the cheaperst option, then go to eBay and search for "Intel 3945", you can buy one for $10-$15
4) Its not just mice that use Bluetooth. Its also for cell phones, headsets, GPS devices, Wii... For $20, I would go for it
5) Yes
6) Get the PC without any virus software and install your own later
7) If you get a high end 1400, the warranty may be a good investment

 

WXGA is 1280x800 and WXGA+ is 1440x900
("Widescreen XGA" = WXGA)
WXGA is more common. WXGA+ will make the text and icons smaller but let you fit more stuff on the screen. If you get a 15" laptop I'd recommend at least WXGA+, but with 14"... I'd personally get WXGA with 14", but some people prefer WXGA+.

Wireless: If you're interested in running Linux, get an Intel card, otherwise it doesn't matter much. The N cards should get better range though when used with an N router.

You seem to know what bluetooth does, so you just have to decide if it's worth it to you or not. Similarly, there's no rule of thumb for warranty; it depends what you want.

As for antivirus, you can download Avast for free.

 

Thanks for such quick responses! Well I configured the Vostro 1400 with...


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) edit

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic edit

LCD PANEL 14.1 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display edit

MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM edit

HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive edit

OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability edit

VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS edit

WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card edit

BLUETOOTH WIRELESS Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate) edit

WEBCAM Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera edit

SOUND OPTION Integrated High Definition Audio edit

BATTERIES 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery edit

PRODUCTIVITY MS Works 8.5-Eng: Basic Spreadsheet, Word Processing and Calendar Program edit

WARRANTY & SERVICE 2 Year Limited Hardware Warranty with Next Business Day On-Site Service edit

TOTAL: $978

I've seen many people with this same or even better configurations with a much cheaper price tag, are there any coupons floating around for these things? I haven't seen any.

 

1. no, very small difference
2. higher resolution
3. take the cheapest one, campus networks are all b or g
4. unless you have a bluetooth mouse, than don't bother
5. yes
6. schools usually give out anti-virus get it from your school for free
7. get the cheapest warranty, screw accidental protection

 

Be sure to visit the Dell coupons page on this website.