final decisions

ok so after a looooooong time researching and what not for notebooks...i think im finally going with a Dell...whod ever thought...anyways ill be doin some graphic arts photo editing, gaming, alot of music stuff and alot of web browsing and ill be studying engineering...possibly computer or mechanical eng.

So my latest choice was an S96J...awesome specs for a very good price...but been reading alot of things about that notebook and looks like its not very reliable or durable...i need something reliable because i dont want to get in a situation that a proyect is due and my lappy is being fixed...so im lookin at dell (e1505) because of offers and the possibility of using coupons which would save big but ide have to give up the ATi x1600 for an x1400 (plan on playing games like Far Cry, HL2, BF2, FEAR...stuff like that)

1) so i need some help deciding on which res would best fit me...im used to my old desktop that ive been using since the 7th grade :S with a res of 1024x768..wouldnt mind trying higher res...but id have to check and see if i feel comfortable with those... i would also appreciate if some links or photos of screens or screenshots could be shown to compare...so thats res

2)XP Professional...worth it at this time?

3) Should I wait for Merom...heard its comin out july 27 and sold in dell notebooks by mid August...or is that just complete supersticion?

feel free to also suggest any other makes or models thatl suite me well for a budget around $1,500...but i think ive already gone through all...

thanks alot for the help

 

wait for a good week, when the have a good sale!

 

I'd go with the WXGA in your case - it is the widescreen version of XGA. Have you ever seen a higher-resolution display on a 15.4"?

If you need to join a Windows domain, then you need Pro. I'd check with your college to see if they require it or not.

No, it's true - the release date is July 27th, but if you order a notebook then with a Merom (if Dell has it available), then you ship date could be delayed. I don't think you can go wrong with one of the current Core Duos. The performance difference between the Core Duo and the Merom (Core 2 Duo) will only be noticable in benchmarks, encoding and rendering. If you plan to keep the notebook for more than a few years, then it would probably be worth it to wait because the Merom has 64-bit extensions.

 

well yea my bad...i meant WXGA, im goin for a widescreen...i mean inspirons only come in widescreen so thats why i just said XGA

anyways no i havent seen a 15.4 laptop with higher resolution, im gonna go see if i find one in stores to look at it in person and get the feeling...but for games and all that i guess the WXGA will do fine cause a higher resolution means more pixels and space which means itll demand more memory...i dont know, correct me if im wrong...the thing is, no Ultrasharp

about the OS i dont think there is an exception in college...ill just go with professional because it is better than home edition and with all the money i could save with offers and coupons i guess its worth the shot...media center and a tv tuner doesnt bring much my attention...id prefer to use my old tv...even though i cant record on it but i dont do those things often

And about Merom...i dont think i could wait...ill probably need that notebook like for this month...and they will probably cost more and if its true what you say that performance difference is barely noticeable then what the hech...but then again havin a 32bit when the 64bit is almost released..its kind of a bummer

 

The X1400 isn't going to be able to handle over WXGA on the newest, or even previous-generation games, so you're right on that point. It'd probably be better to stick to WXGA.

It's only better if you are going to make use of its features . . . I would be inclined to say save your money otherwise.

If you need the notebook now, buy it now - you probably won't gain much by waiting. And, the ship dates will probably be longer, and the price a bit higher too.

 

for the same price as a decently configured S96J you could get a E1705 which has an option for a 7900GS. This of course would get you a 17" screen.

As far as durability issues, I've heard as well that dells have lots of issues and aren't well built. This or course doesn't make it true. That being said you should just get a notebook that has and does what you want.

if you get a S96J from www.powernotebooks.com it comes with 3 years service with 1day shipping both ways I believe.

 

yea man i know...I was about to go for an S96J from powernotebooks...but been hearing alot ofsmall complaints and problems with these notebooks with barely a month or 2 of use...i mean its a great deal...but i dont wanna take any chances as i said before i want something reliable that also can do what i want...cause i dont want to get in a situation were i need the notebook for some kind of assignment and was shipped off for repair and have to send it often...then again every make has faults...it appears dells are also having problems with displays...but it is still much more reliable a think...considering all the purchases dell gets...i dunno

 

I'd say your notebook would be more reliable if you order it from a small, specialized dealer because they have excellent quality control and take their time putting stuff together. Not saying Dell doesn't, but they aren't as careful as PN. They have On-site warranties available too.

But of course, can't go wrong with a Dell for the price, and the Go7900GS is a lot faster than the Radeon X1600.

 

thing is...theres no option for a 7900gs with the E1505