Ordered 2 new Dells... need some advice

Last week I ordered these two laptops from Dell:

Inspiron E1705 Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 (2.16GHz,4MB L2 Cache,667 MHz FSB)
17 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS
160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R
Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)
Windows Vista Ultimate
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
9-cell Primary Battery and 9-cell additional Lithium Ion Battery
4 year PC-Care Premium Bundle Warranty


Inspiron E1505 Intel Core Duo T2250 (1.73GHz,2MB L2 Cache,533MHz FSB)
Windows Vista Home Premium
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400 HyperMemory
120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g
Windows Vista Home Premium
Microsoft Works 8, Corel Paint Shop Pro XI
9-cell Primary Battery and 9-cell additional Lithium Ion Battery
3 year PC-Care Plus Bundle Warranty


The last time I bought a new system was in 2001. Needless to say I am not too up to speed with new laptops. I did a little research before I ordered but I had to move fast to capitalize on a great discount.

The E1705 is for me. I am replacing my old Inspiron 8100 Pentium III 1Ghz 512mb RAM Windows XP SP2. She is a good machine but 5 years of world travel has really taken it's toll.

I got the E1505 for my girl. This will be her first new computer.

As you all probably can understand, my anticipation and excitement are building while waiting for the systems to arrive!

After reading reviews and threads about Vista compatibility problems, especially with nVidia, I am not sure what to expect. Is Vista that bad? Or is it just bad when you upgrade from an older OS?

What about the bloatware? Should I do a clean install of Vista? (I will have to learn how)

Should I be that concerned about the video card compatibility? I assume drivers will get better over time. But I want to play the cool new games now!!

What about heat? Can it be managed effectively with software?

I also read about stray voltage through the screws in the bottom of the E1705? Is that still an issue? Is that why it comes with a Belkin 2-Outlet Travel Surge Protector? Usually that costs extra but it is included and I cannot delete it for the order.

How about the Hard Drives? I was tempted to get the 100GB 7200rpm but I opted for the larger but slower 160 and 120 5400rpm drives that come standard. Is there really a noticeable difference?

I did not have much of a choice with the OS.

I upgraded what I could on the1705 and configured the 1505 to keep the cost reasonable.

The 1505 will probably be used only for internet, music, video and pictures and some word processing.

My 1705 will be used for everything from CAD and gaming, video and picture editing, graphic design, wireless internet, word processing and book keeping. I want to use it to it's full potential!


Any advice, experiences or recommendations would help. I want to make sure I get the most out of these machines!

Thanks!!

Oh, can anyone recommend a wireless router? I have a Motorola Surfboard modem that my cable company provides.

 

Thats not a horrible deal, I would highly recommend a Netgear wireless router they are pretty cheap and highly dependable.

 

The "great deal" you are talking about, I assume that's a limited time dell coupon? Those come out ever couple of months (or more often) and are sometimes better, sometimes worse. Personally I would have waited, as I have seen better deals on both. But no, it's not a bad deal, just not the best ever.

 

how can you tell if its a good deal or not, he didn't list the price?

 

Let's see if I can address some of your questions.

After reading reviews and threads about Vista compatibility problems, especially with nVidia, I am not sure what to expect. Is Vista that bad? Or is it just bad when you upgrade from an older OS?

Vista isn't bad, it is just young, just as nVidia's drivers are young. I think Vista will get better over time, but it will take time. nVidia wasn't really ready for Vista when it launced in terms of drivers. You should be able to game fine, but there will be a bit of a performance hit until better drivers arrive.

What about the bloatware? Should I do a clean install of Vista? (I will have to learn how)

Yes, do a clean install on both computers. There is a sticky around this forum somewhere that walks you through it for XP. Dell puts lots of resource hogging bloatware on their laptops so best to get rid of it in the beginning.

Should I be that concerned about the video card compatibility? I assume drivers will get better over time. But I want to play the cool new games now!!

I am assuming you mean compatibility in terms of can your GPU play this game or that game....if that is the case, the 7900GS will do great! The x1400 will actually be able to game decently as well, but by no means at the same performance levels as the 7900GS.

What about heat? Can it be managed effectively with software?
Yes, you can. First off, keep your laptops in a dynamic switching mode for power management. This will throttle the CPU so it only runs full speed when it need too, thus reducing heat. For XP, there is also a program called 19kfanGUI that works great at letting you manually control the onboard fans. I don't know if it will work with Vista though. My best recommendation would be to go and buy a cooling pad for each laptop. They will work wonders on keeping the temps nice and cool.

I also read about stray voltage through the screws in the bottom of the E1705? Is that still an issue? Is that why it comes with a Belkin 2-Outlet Travel Surge Protector? Usually that costs extra but it is included and I cannot delete it for the order.

Never heard about that, but it sounds interesting nonetheless. Might want to google that one a bit.

How about the Hard Drives? I was tempted to get the 100GB 7200rpm but I opted for the larger but slower 160 and 120 5400rpm drives that come standard. Is there really a noticeable difference?

From what I have heard, the difference isn't to big of a deal. Your games and other applications will load slower, but someone else could probably better answer the question as I only have experience with 7200rpm HDs.

Hope this helped a bit. Let us know if you have anymore questions! Enjoy your new machines!

 

Yea, I was wondering too, unless he edited the original post and took the price out.

 

Thanks for the info Imark841!

I read about the stray voltage issue here:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=188600


GTO-
I removed the prices. I am very happy with the deal I got. I maxed out my employee purchase program discounts and had a couple of coupons too. I would rather have some informed replies on the other questions.

 

I don't see the price anywhere in his post. How much did he pay?

 

He said he removed the prices so people would focus more on his other questions. He was happy with his deal, so he removed the prices from his post.

 

I would recommend the D-Link DIR-655. It has the latest Wireless-N (draft but I think it will be eventually updated) and has 4 gigabit ports for ultimate gaming/surfing speeds. I got this when I wanted to upgrade from my old Linksys WRT54G which kinda sucked. This router has so many options I don't know where to begin.

Mike.

 

if the e1505 is only going to be used for word processing and web surfing. Might as well got her the E1405, more light weight, just as fast and would have suite her needs a lot better.

My 2 cents

good job on the good deal