buyers regrets?

Like a idiot I bought my first laptop before researching enough. There are three things I am really second guessing on my decision. I should recieve it this week. Here are the basics.

E1705
duo precessor T2500
XGA+ display
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
GMA 950
80GB 5400rpm hard drive
symantec restore cd


Ya you guessed it. My 3 concerns are the XGA+, the video card and not getting the XP restore cd. I got cheap and went with the XGA+ and now I wish I spent the cash for the better screen.

Anyone have any major complaints about the XGA+? I really hope I am not to disappointed since the screen is what we look at the most.

Now after researching the video card it looks like I get real a piece of ****? I don't plan to do any gaming. I currently just use my xbox for that. But how does the video card affect everyday use like internet and photo editing. I plan to do allot of photo editing for work. I am getting worried now! Will the video card affect the computer speed and resolution outside of gaming? Sorry for stupid questions. I am really just learning this as I go. Just about a weak to late.


Thanks and great website..

 

Photoshop shouldn't be affected the GPU - the GMA 950 will do just fine for that - it was more important that you went dual-core, as Photoshop can take advantage of that. The Internet won't be affected at all by the GPU you have.

 

I LOVE MY E1705-

Here's why:

1) The 1900 X 1200 truelife screen. Amazing. You really can have all kinds of windows open at practical dimensions. Good for multitasking... i.e.: what the duos were supposedly built to do.
2) 7800 go (not available anymore). From what I've heard, dedicated RAM on the GPU is really only for games. I can't see where else it would really help you out, short of other 3D intensive apps. Plus... u'll get better battery life with the 950. BTW: If I'm dropping serious cash on a laptop, it's going to be able to play games, so a decent GPU is a must. I understand that the 950 doesn't really cut the mustard. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.
3) The duo 2.0 is snappy. I had a zd8000 before (Intel 650 3.4 gHz) and it seems as fast, if not faster.

If I were you, I would go for the screen if you can. Overall, this dell blows away the previous HP's I've had, if that means anything.

 

Thanks for the replies. To late for me to get the truelife. According to Dell they shipped mine out today. Sucks for me.. Probably would have made photo editing way better. I am actually using Photoimpact 10. It's a awesome program.

 

My dad bought my e1705 for me, and even w/ that in mind I still have major regrets. 3 months (or 8 months away from college), and I have nothing to do with this monster. Today I almost cried when it bluescreened (I tried to select detect optimal clock frequency)

I had to remove the battery-windows bombed out.

 

You do have 21 days from shipment date to return your laptop if you are unhappy with it. There is a 15% restocking fee, but sometimes you can get out of it.

If you are unhappy with it, I would return it. I kept my XGA+ screen, and ended up upgrading to the truelife a year later (cost 500 bucks), so I think it would be better to do it now rather than later.

Also, you can request the CD at any time. Call or chat with dell and request it.

SG

 

i recieved my M170 a couple of weeks ago. On the 2nd day after it shipped out (before I recieved it). I called Dell And told them I wanted the same laptop with a better processor (2.26 instead of 2.0) He said to just deny the package when they try to deliver it, and I wouldn't be responcible for any amount including shipping. If you Tell Dell that you are unhappy with their product, usually they will go out of their way to satisfy you, up to a certain point. Get them on the phone, or on chat tonite! It can't hurt. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

That doesn't seem too bad to me. If you aren't gaming, then then anything but the integrated card is a waste of money. In my opinion, the trulife screen is better, but not worth the extra money.

 

You can notice the video board in the strangest ways. I use my system for program development and noticed that when testing my program which was displaying a grid which was constantly changing that my notebook was much faster than my desktop which has a cheapo on board video from intel I think it is. It was gratifing to notive that the money I spent wasn't for nothing. I assume if I tried I could notice it in other places.

 

If you're not playing games... then there's no reason for a dedicated graphics card.

I PERSONALLY don't like the high resolution screens, and prefer XGA or WXGA. Even in games, SXGA and UXGA screens make everything way too small.

 

I'll admit I have real worries about the screen right now. I can't send it back and pay shipping plus 15% for a better screen. So I hope it's not extremely disappointing. I just want it clear and not pixalated, or jagged. Any one have this problem with the XGA+? If so is there a prefered setting?

How hard is it to upgrade the graphics card if someday I decide to game on it?(still don't see that happening though). I really like the PS and Xbox for gaming.

 

Higher resolutions make text smaller, but not games, not by a huge factor. Well unless you're used to playing at 640X480 and then going to 1280X1024. The scaling from 1440X990 to 1900X1200 stays relatively the same. It's just that images and the picture gets sharper. But if you don't game much and spend most of the time for normal word processing and internet use, I recommend sticking with the WXGA+. Text is very small on the 1920X1200 and might not be for everyone. Another problem with the trulife; the light leak is more pronounced than on the non trulife screen, guess due to it's glossiness.

Also like the previous posters said, a dedicated graphics card is pointless if you don't game much. The only other time you might see a difference is if you ran some 3d app or plugin in some program like winamp or a 3d screen saver.

The restocking fee applies only if you want to return it for a refund I believe. You shouldn't worry about it too much. I say wait till you get the machine and see if you're satisfied, you can always call and talk to Dell later. Like leer said , they usually do go out of their way to satisfy a customer.

 

Ya I can't wait till it gets here. I think I'm just driving myself crazy because I can't actually see the thing in person. Thats one problem with buying online..

 

Yeah I remember the wait for my laptop. And on the actual day you have no idea how many times I went to the window to see if it was the UPS truck pulling up.

 

you won't be able to upgrade the graphics because it is integrated. It would require more work than what it is worth.

As for th 15% restocking fee, I think dell is pretty forgiving on it. I've seen users that complained that the light leakage was bad, and dell ignored the 15% fee.