Should I change my order? already...

lol! I just decided on the inspiron 1501 and now Im thinking about changing...

Here is what I ordered: 908 + tax
Inspiron 1501
AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0GHz/1MB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™(glossy)
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
ATI RADEON® Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (Integrated)
80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.08
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Integrated Audio
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
4Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Day
Add Accidental Damage and LoJack Theft Protection to 4Yr Warr.
Belkin 2-Outlet Travel Surge Protector

Here is what I could have ordered(there are 2 options): 887 + tax
Latitude D520
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz) 2M L2 Cache, 667Mhz Dual Core
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
15 inch XGA LCD Panel
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
8X DVD+/-RW w/Sonic Digital Media™ and Cyberlink Power DVD™
Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card edit
6 Cell Primary Battery
65W A/C Adapter
3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year Mail-in Service edit
Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 3Yr Lim Warranty

Latitude D531(this one sounds like the competition to the one I got)
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Processor TL- 60 (2.00GHz 1M)
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™
ATI® Integrated Graphics RadeonTM X1270
Dell Wireless™ 1490 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini Card
6 Cell Primary Battery
65W, A/C Adapter
Dell USB 2-Button Black Optical Mouse
3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year Mail-in Service
Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 3Yr Lim Warranty

I will be using them for school and work. I do/am learning accounting... I will NOT be using it for anything that requires graphics UNLESS one day I happen to have a DVD with me and am SUPER board(so board that solitaire doesnt keep me happy lol!).
I think I would be happy with the inspiron, customized with all the options I want... but would the latitude be better? customized with only some of the options I want?
Id need them to be at that exact price range though, right at 900+/-

ETA: my order has yet to be confirmed, so I might have until monday to cancel it.

 

I’d definitely get the D620 over E1501. It has better build quality and a better processor + smaller size, which is more suited for daily college work.

 

I dont see the D620 on their site... it takes me to the D630 which would be over my budget.

 

I use My Laptop For same Needs..

I ordered a dell Inspiron 6400 / e1505

And I've already seen the blue screen of death thrice..

I certainly wouldn't recommend dell to anyone..

And the blue tooth drivers are really bad...

 

For your needs, an Inspiron is totally fine in terms of build quality. I've had one for like 2 years now, no real problems. The keyboard and palm rests are made of plastic, and will turn white after a lot of use. The Inspiron is also really ugly.

Beyond that, go with whats cheaper since that seems to be your biggest constraint. I'd also reconsider the LoJack theft protection for 4 years; unless you have good reason to suspect your laptop will be stolen, I don't think you'll ever use it. Honestly, I think you'll buy a new laptop before the 4 years are up.

 

it was part of the package, so I dont think I can take it off. It was add extended 4y warranty for 340, then add 4y accident and lojack for 119... so I suppose it was free?
the good thing is, I used the 500 off 1400+ so essentially the warranties are free all together! If I got them without the warranties it would still be about the same price because I wouldnt be able to use the coupon then(908original+500coupon-459warranties=949newprice)

I will probably buy a new one before the four years are up... when I do Ill probably give this one to my little bro, so it wont be wasted.

 

TANSTAFL. Nothing is free, and if you want a reasonable price on a Dell its gonna be with the bazillion coupons floating around. They (correctly) think that making the base price low isn't as profitable as making the base price high - but always including like 20 "deals" and coupons.

I just quickly built an E1501,

Price: $659

So my advice is, don't go by whatever "deals" and packages Dell has. I shouldn't say that. Go by the deals, but be wary of 'packages' that force you to buy junk you don't need.

Just go to Dell.com > Small business > Notebooks > Inspirons > choose a notebook, or look at the promotions they're offering.

For the specs you're getting, you can buy a Dell at around $700 easily.

That's great, but I would much rather spend the extra $500 on a better computer, then on warranties I don't think you'll need.

 

oh I forgot to add I NEED those warranties lol! thats why Im going with a dell to start with. If I wasnt going to get but the 1y warranty I would just get the toshiba that I really loved at circuit city... instant gratification!
but I have two 3yos and a baby that will be around this computer, as well as I am a klutz... so even if it is just for peace of mind, I NEED those warranties!!! now I COULD live with a 3y possibly 2y, but I need a warranty for at least as long as Im paying it off(student loan).

 

You'll probably want a 3 year accidental warranty. The LoJack is theft prevention... if you live in a sketchy neighborhood or tend to leave your notebook lying about. Seems like overkill to me, but go for it if you need it.

 

Sorry for the typo; I meant D520 . Your second option.

Why get an Inspiron, when he can get a Latitude for almost the same price ? According to his first post, price of D520 is almost same as E1501.

 

If you can get the D531 within your budget, I'd go for that. You get a metal chassis instead of all plastic, and the matte screen should be better for business work (although you could probably get that on the 1501 too). Also, there are new Inspirons coming out in a few days... but they may be more expensive, and they won't be as well-built as the Latitudes. I'd go for the Latitude if you can. If you want a smaller (14") notebook for portability, you could look at the HP Compaq 6515b business notebook.

 

I didnt see an option for just accident without lojack... it had 4 options all for 119 and they all included lojack already.
I do work in a sketchy area where we keep our front door locked, plus there are shop workers who can come in to the office at any time. I trust all the current ones, but we get new ones from time to time that are sketchy.
Even so, if I could save money by not getting the lojack I would choose that option, but on the home site- under the warranties- I didnt see an option just for the accident??

 

the D520 isnt really up to speed with the 1501 though... it has a slower processor and wireless card... the D531 is better competition for the 1501 with the things I think I need. Though I dont really know what I need lol! Just what I think I need by what everyone keeps telling me.

sigh, why cant they just made good laptops and that be that lol! not make some that are good, some that are ok, and some that are just crap... people who know nothing about them dont know which is which!

 

Don't be fooled by the processor clock speed. Unlike in the past, clock speed has little significance now, especially when comparing different processor models/architectures. Parallelism and architectural differences plays a much significant role in performance.

I could't find an exact comparison between the T5500 and TL-60, however this review compares a T7200 (Core 2 Duo 2GHz) vs TL-60 (2GHz) and you can clearly see how weak the X2 architecture against a Core 2. Despite the lower clock speed I'm sure a T5500 is faster if not at least on par with a TL-60.

As far as the wireless cards goes, they both are 802.11g cards, thats all that matters: no significant difference worth considering (certainly not worth considering when deciding between the above two notebooks)