Thinking of Purchasing a Dell 1720...

I am in the process of buying a laptop to replace my dead desktop. I would like a desktop replacement and get a Dell discount through my employer, so I am looking at a 1720 because it seems to offer a better value than the the 17" XPS. I want to spend under $2000 as well.

I have spend some time reading these boards but had few questions I couldn't find answers to. Any opinions you guys could offer would be appreciated.

1.) I am really torn on choosing either the 1440x900 (better for gaming) or the 1900x1080 (better for desktop apps). How well do games upscale on the HD screen?

2.) I don't see an option for dual harddrives on the 1720 anymore, I could have sworn I saw it there a few weeks ago. Although it isn't offered as an option, does it still support dual hard drives if i go get my own?

3.) Anyone know if the 8600M GT is going to be the best card offered by Dell for this laptop for the near future? Are there any rumors of a better card coming soon?

4.) They are only offering 667Mhz RAM, but doesn't the Santa Rosa Chipset run at 800Mhz? Should I think about replacing the RAM with the 800Mhz variety?

5.) I have seen a bunch of threads of people having ordered these things a month ago. When would you expect me to receive one if I ordered it this week?

Right now I have configured the following for $1718.20, including shipping and tax. Seems to be a descent deal? Thanks for the help.

2.2 GHZ T7500 Core 2 Duo
Sunshine yellow
8600M GT
2GB DDR2 at 667 Mhz
Bluetooth Module
Intel Wireless N mini card
CD/DVD Writer
Integrated Webcam
High Definition Audio 2.0
85Whr 9 Cell Battery
Dell Care Plus
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

 

The Vostro 1700 is virtually the same laptop as the Inspiron 1720, so if you can't get any deals on the Inspiron go for the Vostro, because it is a lot cheaper.

Here's my review on the Vostro 1700

As for your questions.

1) Personally I went for the higher res and I'm a gamer... I don't think there's really much of a difference except how much more power you'll need. I've played CSS on here fine.

2) I don't know about dual hard drives, but I'm pretty sure there's an extra slot on my laptop for one.

3) Don't know about that one... but the 8600M GT is pretty satisfactory so far.

4) I do believe that the SR chipset does run at 800MHz... i don't think there's that much of a difference anyway.

5) The Inspirons take forever to ship... it's the problem with the color lids. If you get a white/black one they'll ship faster, and the vostro ships the fastest of them all. I originally went for a yellow but decided agianst it after it was delayed.

 

If you're after more power for your money, like xScorp1on, I'd recommend the 1700. It's just the "small business" version of the 1720, no colour options, just all black but you can get more for your money with it.

I'm not too sure on this, but I'd go for the 1920x1200 screen as you can always reduce your screen resolution later for gaming(although I have read some minor problems) and you'll always have the option to go back to WUXGA for your 'desktop app's.

Not sure either. On Dell's site, they do seem to offer only a single hard drive on their configurator.

It's not their "best card" if you mean in terms of performance but it seems to do alright according to it's users. Depends really what type of gamer you are whether this is going to be alright for you. There are better cards coming soon, as they always are.

From what I gather, there's not really anything to worry about there.

Dell's UK site says 6 weeks for the Inspiron 1720. Quite a long time. However, the Vostros seem to ship relatively quicker.

Seems very good price to me, but I am in the UK and products tend to be more pricey here. (Except the 1710, which is oddly more expensive in the US, but that's off topic )

 

Hmm, I'm looking at it right now and it offers dual 250GB drives for a total of 500GB.

As for the recommendations that you can get more for your money with Vostro, I don't really see that. I come up with almost the exact same price when I try to make comparable systems.

 

It also depends on packages and coupons and what not... don't always go for the cheapest package.

 

What kind of task will you be doing on this laptop?

As for the memory, Santa Rosa doesnt fully support DDR2-800 so if you install DDR2-800 ram it will downclock it to 667mhz(and DDR2-667 ram is cheaper)


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