Questions concerning my prospective Inspiron 1501 build

These are the main tasks I will be running:

- Web browsing
- Instant messaging
- Music and DVD playback
- Music and video downloading
- Disk burning
- Media streaming to Xbox 360
- Games: Football Manager 2007 and Company of Heroes (maybe)
- Word processing
- XP Media Centre Edition. Might consider Vista in future, depending on its system requirements


My budget is E1,000/£675/$1,317


This is the laptop I'm considering as of now:

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=ie&cs=iedhs1&kc=NRS15011&l=en&oc=N01157a&rbc=N01157a&s=dhs&sbc=iedhsrsinspn_1501_1


Questions:

1. How fast is the AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL56, and is it any good?

2. TrueLife. Is it worth the extra E48/£32/$63? What is it exactly?

3. Is it cost effective to pay E84/£57/$111 for single channel 1GB RAM, in case I wish to slot in another 1GB stick in future? If I were to do so, how much do you think a future upgrade would set me back, and how easy would it be for a layman like myself to install?

4. E73/£49/$96 for an extra 40GB of hard drive storage. Worth it?

5. E36/£24/$47 for a 9 cell battery. Again, worth it?


For each question, try to qualify your answer with a "why" if you can.

Thank you very much

 

1. Check out reviews about the 1501; they almost always include comparison to the 1505, basically anwsering this question.

2. Higher contrast and brightness in exchange for more glare (when screen is black, or dark areas of the screen). If you will be using your laptop outside/bright areas, you'll probably benefit by not going for truelife, although you can always kick up the brightness (in exchange for power consumption) and choose a colorful wallpaper heh. I'd say you could get more satisfaction elsewhere with the 48 euros.

3. Not cost effective at all, stick with dual channel. All things being equal, the 2x512 will be faster than 1x1024 because of dual channel mode. Dual channel mode requires both sticks to be the same; a future upgrade should also be a pair for this reason, for best performance. That extra $111 they charge is enough to buy a new 1GB stick online (at least in the States http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...910525+1309121113&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=381).
If you would find it fun or interesting to open up your laptop, you should be fine doing it yourself with some instructions on hand. If you could care less, it could be a hassle.

4. Extra $96 for 40GB bigger HDD not at all worth it. For that amount of money you can buy a new 80, 100 or 120 GB drive ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010150380+4027&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=380).

5. I would say the 9 cell battery is worth it. For the 1501, some might say necessary, as it runs off a single charge for a noticeably shorter time than the 1505. Keep in mind the battery life will also go down over time, so the 6 cell could easily leave you pinched.