Thinking about buying an Inspiron B120 (or 1300), but want to know about future upgr

Hello!
I've been busy reading the forums about upgrade possibilities with the Inspiron B120, but I still have a few nagging questions.

1) It seems that the B120 and 1300 can come with either a 910GML or 915GM chipset; is there any way to precisely determine what each will come with so I can plan my future upgrades? I can't seem to find a precise answer in either the ordering website (Canada) or the online Service and Owner Manual.

2) I know that both of these chip sets can be maxed out at 2GB of ram, and that the online documentation states that both RAM slots are user accessible, but the website said that the 1300 can only be upgraded to 1GB, and that the B120 comes with 256MB of RAM installed and that only 1 slot is user accessible (making the max 1.25GB?). What I want to know is: does the website say this because you can only order a maximum of 1GB of ram for the 1300 at initial purchase (but can upgrade it later on), and does this me that the B120's mainboard is altered by Dell so that the maximum specifications cannot be reached (the 256MB stick is placed somewhere else, soldered in, etc.? Or is it still possible to take out the B120's 256MB stick and replace it with 2x1GB sticks to achieve the maximum upgradability as outlined in the documentation/Intel's website?

3) Optical drives: Is it possible, later on down the road, for me to purchase and install a DVDRW, or dual layer burner for the B120? Or is there some unstated cap?

4) Processor: I have been told both sides of the story on this, that it is both possible and impossible to upgrade the processor. Can anyone give me a "true" statement? And if it is possible, what is the fastest processor that can be placed in either chipset? I know that tinkering with the processor voids the warranty, and that because of this many people say that it is impossible to do, but I just want to know ... even if it's a "hypothetical" answer!

Okay, well, that's it (I think). I really want to know all of this because I'm a student who is on a tight budget and just wants to get a cheap workhorse laptop. But, I might want to upgrade it later on down the road to replace my outdated desktop (P4 1.8Ghz, 256MB Ram, Ati Rage 9100, 20GB HDD, DVDRW). I don't play a lot of games (mainly the older ones), but I do a lot of burning and backup ... so the extra RAM and DVDRW would be perfect in the future for running more tasks at a time.

Thanks a bunch!

 

Normally the B130 is not really worth upgrading. If you are wanting a laptop to upgrade in the future, you might want to look at the Inspiron E1405. I'm not sure how much of a cost difference it is in Canada, but in the US it is only a couple of hundred dollars between the two systems.

1.) I'm not sure. I haven't looked at the 120/130 that close
2.) According to Kingston, both models are upgradable to 2gb. On the service manual, it only shows you how to replace 1 of the modules but if you look at the images, you see two slots.
3.) AFAIK, you should be able to with no problems at all - as long as it fits your laptop.
4.) Not really. You are getting a P-M which is not upgradable in laptops. If you got a core solo or duo, then you could upgrade in the future to different speed and possibly Merom. Nothing has been officialy released from Dell about the Merom upgrade yet.

Like I said, considering the upgrades you want, it sounds like you would be better off with a E1405 - even if it is low specs.