TrueLife in E1705 is it worth it?

I'm planning to go with a 1705 at the end of the semester (once my courses are over). My budget is very limited so I don't know whether I go with TrueLife or use that money for a 7900GS. What do you guys recommend? Also I might get a hold of a X700 mobility (Dell Part), will I be able to use it in any case with the E1705? Thanks.

 

For gaming purposes, the 7900GS is worth the cash . . it is leaps and bounds ahead of the X1400 in that aspect. However, if you aren't a gamer, go for the screen.

Would it be possible to wait and afford both?

Dell never used Mobility Radeon X700's to begin with. Don't plan on upgrading the video card after you buy the laptop.

 

Thanks for the reply. I guess I better withdraw my bid for the x700 then.

 

Remeber on the E1705 its Truelife + UXGA. You'll save much more if you don't get the True Life. Besides the UXGA is not good for regular computer use.

 

Don't understand. Sorry I'm a newbee when it comes to laptops. Why exactly isn't UXGA good for regular computer use? How does it look without the True Life finish?

 

You don't have the option of just having Truelife(the last time I checked on Dell's website). There are 2 options: the standard is 17" WXGA and the second is 17" WUXGA with Truelife.
Unless they changed those options in the last week.

 

What do you mean by that? I have wuxga for a year and a half and that doesn't effect me.

 

Some people find that text size with the native resolution of UXGA to be too small to read comfortably. If you decrease the resolution, things look blurry because the screen is no longer running at its native resolution. If you have bad eyesight or your eyes get tired easily the true life is probably not the best for you.

 

Sorry I meant WXGA, is it that bad vs WUXGA w/TrueLife?

 

Read what Quiong wrote. Before you buy the WUXGA I suggest you try it out at Bestbuy or Circuit City.

 

Hmmmm. I wear contacts and usually my eyeballs are aching by mid-day. The glossy finish surely looks pretty though. I'm a CS student so I have to use a PC every day.

 

Ok, I'll go with wxga. I don't want my eyeballs to explode. thank you

 

Yes, make sure you've seen it before you buy it. Some people hate it.

 

...I love it...

 

I am a cs student myself and i love the amount of room for coding. Its unbelievable. I highly suggest the wuxga screen. The glare doesn't bother me that much.

 

so whats the whole deal about the resolution not being native and all? how does that affect games?

 

Plus the WUXGA screen is of better quality then the WXGA screen.

 

The WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) on the TrueLife screen is very demanding for a graphics card to handle - the 7900GS, as powerful as it is, will not be able to handle most modern games at that resolution. Therefore, the resolution will have to be lowered in order to get the game to run right, and that means taking the LCD out of native resolution.
LCDs have a 'pixel grid' where all the pixels have designated spots. If the resolution is non-native, then the image is stretched over that grid and is not as sharp.