Opinion on dell 1520 screen resolution

hello, i need your opinion.. pls..
which is better resolution for dell 1520.. for gaming and watching dvd

15.4" widescreen wxga 1280x800 with truelife
15.4" widescreen wxga 1440x900 with truelife
15.4" widescreen wsxga 1680x1050 with truelife
Malaysia is using LG/philip LCD..

do you think 5400 rpm is enought for notebook or should i upgrade to 7200 rpm? will it give more heat? consume more battery? im ordering 9 cell battery.. im planning to use for gaming and school, also, im always moving and love to watch dvd movies..

P.S: i already returned my xps1330 due to heat issue.. my distributor say the only way to fix the heat issue is to use SDD, but its expensive and only 32gb.. when installed with vista and xp pro.. it consume almost half the size.. 15gb remaining..

 

5400 RPM HDD run cooler simple because they run slower than 7200s. If you get a bigger one you can somewhat offset the speed difference.

As for resolution, it's really a personal choice. Games run slightly better at native resolution, so if you were forced to use a lower resolution on a 1680x1050 screen it might not be "as" smooth. But to make a final decision, you could always go to a computer store and test each resolution and find one you like.

 

the problem is im ordering thru online promotion www.dell.com.my to avail of big discount and get some good freebies.. also here in my place there is no store that sell dell laptops.. mostly acer..

 

What graphics card are you getting on this notebook? For gaming with a 8600M-GT I'd say a 1440x900 would be perfect, a 1680x1050 acceptable (but know that before long you'll have to start dropping the res to get newer games to run well). With a 8400M-GS, I'd say go for the 1280x800, or the 1440x900 (with the same comment as before).

Newer 7200RPM drives produce slightly more heat and consume slightly more power than their 5400RPM counterparts, but it's usually not noticeable in a 15.4" laptop.

 

here are my specs:

processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T7300 (2.0ghz)
Operating System :Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium - with AERO experience
LCD Panel 15.4" UltraSharp(TM) Widescreen WSXGA+ (1680x1050) or wsga 1440x900 Display with Truelife
Color Kits Ruby Red Color with Microsatin Finish and camera
Memory 2GB (2 X 1024MB) 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive 160GB SATA 7200RPM or 160gb 5400rpm Performance Hard Drive
Optical Drive Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Combination Drive with dual layer write
Video Card NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR2 dedicated graphic memory (no other option)
Wireless Network Card Intel(R) 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-Card
Batteries 9-cell 85Whr Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Carry Cases Dell(TM) Nylon Backpack
Power Options 90W Primary AC Adapter (110V/220V)
Keyboards & Mice Dell(TM) Bluetooth Travel Mouse
TV Tuner & Remote Control Dell(TM) Travel Remote Control
Noise Isolation Ear Buds
Software Microsoft(R) Office Home & Student 2007
Security Software Norton(TM) Internet Security(TM) 2007 (English) - 15 Months OEM
Dell Services: Hardware Maintenance 3-Year Limited Warranty (Next Business Day Service - parts & labour) 3 Years Plus Phone Support: Mon-Fri 0900-2100, Sat 0900-1600
Audio Solution Integrated Stereo Sound