To buy a 1420 or to wait? Lots of questions--please help!

So I'm thinking about buying a new laptop!

I've got a set of questions for you.

Background Info: I've pretty much decided that I want the current Dell Inspiron 1420, or that I want to wait for the new studio/inspiron laptops to be released (there seems to be controversy over how exactly the newer laptops will fit into the current lines of laptops as well as when they will be released.)

Other things to keep in mind: I'm not in a huge hurry to replace my current laptop (which is a dell inspiron 8600), but I kind of want to I'm slightly nervous about it since that blue screen incident (even though that turned out to be not a big deal)--it also does some other slightly disconcerting things, like beeping upon startup (which apparently indicates errors?), the screen flickers sometimes (particularly when it's not plugged in), and the fan is louder than it used to be (I think). I don't know if any of this indicates anything very negative, but these things combined with the age of the system (about five years) makes me slightly nervous--whether that is justified or not. *shrug* I would also like to be able to at least have the option of carrying the laptop to campus when I need to without dreading it--my current laptop is very heavy, and I can't take it if I have almost anything else to take with me.

On to the questions!
1. Do you think I should wait for this new line of laptops, or should I purchase a Dell Inspiron now? I went and saw one in person, and I honestly can't imagine being disappointed in how it looks--but I imagine that if something REALLY cool shows up in a month that I might feel disappointed. Are the 1420's good laptops?

2. One advantage of getting a 1420 is that they're on sale big time right now--probably to make room for the new line of laptops. If I can get a good build of this older model for cheaper, is that a good plan?

3. Should this new montiveno (sp?) processor be a factor in my decision? The new laptops will supposedly have these...

4. If I were to get a 1420 inspiron now, what sort of configuration should I look for? It is very important to me that I have a matte screen (this is another reason I feel like maybe I should just buy an inspiron now because what if the new models don't offer this as an option?), so I have to choose a lower end model and build up from there to have matte as an option. Here we go...

Processors:
Intel® Pentium® Dual Core T2370 (1.73GHz/533Mhz FSB/1MB cache) [Included in Price]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5550 (1.83GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache) [add $50 or $1/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5750 (2.0GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache) [add $100 or $3/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 (2MB cache/2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB) [add $150 or $4/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache) [add $225 or $6/month1]

Memory:
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz [Included in Price]
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz [add $50 or $1/month1]
3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz [add $100 or $3/month1]
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz [add $150 or $4/month1]

Hard Drive:
Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) [Included in Price]
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) [add $50 or $1/month1]
Size: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) [add $100 or $3/month1]
Size: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) [add $150 or $4/month1]
Stores up to 80,000 songs or 320,000 pictures!
Speed: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) Free Fall Sensor [add $125 or $3/month1]

Sound Options:
High Definition Audio 2.0 [Included in Price]
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition [add $25]
Ultra-realistic surround sound

Last things to keep in mind: I want something quality that will last as long as possible, and I'm willing to pay for that now. Also, I mainly use my computer for composing word documents, internet surfing/e-mail--I occasionally watch videos online and edit photos fairly often with PSP. I also listen to music on it very regularly. I would like the computer to be fast when I'm multi-tasking.

I think that's it! I realize this is a lot of questions :-/ Thanks in advance to anyone who might answer

 

inspiron 1420 is a really nice power/price notebook, i think you should go for it!, get a penryn procesor and it should be more than enough power

 

I'd wait till Nehalem processors are introduced. They seem to be such an enormous improvement over Penryn that if you're worried about obsolescence now is not the time to buy.

 

you could always buy your computer and upgrade later, just make sure your next processor will be compatible with your motherboard

 

^^ how often is that possible between processor generations?

 

0.1% maybe? haha...just get a super-charged-duper-hyper powered-the-last-one-released-at-that-time penryn

 

by the time that happens he might has well wait that and the fastest Penryn, Core 2 Duo Extreme, will probably still be only in 20" models.

Inspiron 1735 (17") will be coming out this month and I think Dell is doing away with the 14.1" laptops for the Inspiron line altogether after the current model. So maybe you should get it.

 

Thanks guys!

That last reply gets right to the heart of the matter--I wish I knew the specs of the upcoming line...if there's no 14'1 or matte screen option, my decision would be made.

Any help on the specs of the 1420? If I were to order it, what should I choose?

 

I'm not entirely sure about the 1425 being canceled, I thought I read it somewhere but can't remember where or the source.

pics of next gen Inspiron:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/08/dell-inspiron-1435-1535-and-1735-leaked/

 

They look really neat--I wonder what the odds are of a matte screen option? Seems like there will be lots of custom options...

Also I wonder when they'll actually be out since the 1535 is quite late.

Hmm.

Thanks for the link!

 

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/dell-studio-line-details-leak-out/

it just speculation right now but engadget thinks the 1435 is canceled

 

yeah obviously those roll out dates aren't accurate, here's a more up to date page: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/dell-studio-line-details-leak-out/

and that's where they speculate no 1425. i'm pretty sure there will be a matte screen option, it seems in demand enough.

if you do decide on a 1420 now, you'll be safe with any config that includes 2.1Ghz (T8100) + the 8400m GS GPU.

ETA: what Nero said.

 

Thanks for the links! Does that website tend to be reliable?

 

You can't win if you wait for Nehalem before making a decision. Once you buy it, everyone's just going to be talking about the next chipset.

I bought a 1420 after my 1520 was stolen and I don't regret it one bit. I would suggest you get the best CPU you can afford and if speed isn't the biggest issue, get a larger hard drive over a faster one. I went with a faster hard drive because I need to access my files faster while I'm DJing.

Get 1GB of RAM and buy 4GB somewhere else on the cheap. Don't buy the Audigy software.

 

Thanks for the advice Davemolina!

 

If he waits for Nehalem, he can buy a laptop at its release giving him a little more lifespan which was his concern to begin with, and the jump from Penryn will be enormous compared to Penryn from Merom.

If he still wants to get a 1420 now the only thing he needs to worry about getting is the 2.1 Ghz T8100 processor and the 8400M GS GPU at build time which are the minimums for any modest future upgrades. Hard drive & everything else won't matter when he configures.

 

He'll definitely have a longer duration (maybe a year or so) of 1337ness, but I don't see how paying extreme top-dollar for the lastest chipset at release makes sense for him. It's just a status symbol.

He's only using the laptop for music, movies, and word processing so he doesn't need ground-breaking performance.