good deal on a vostro 1500?

Hi, and thanks for any replies

I've pretty much settled on a 1500, and just wanting some advice on specs and pricing. Here's what I'm wanting....

PROCESSOR:Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OS:Windows XP Home
LCD PANEL:15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display
MEMORY:2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE:120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE:8X CD/DVD Burner
VIDEO CARD:256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
MEDIA DIRECT ell Exclusive MediaDirect
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD ell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card
BATTERIES:85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Priced at: $969 + whatever taxes will be...shipping is free right now.

What I'll mainly be using it for is normal home use, plus at least moderate gaming. So mostly what I'm wondering about are the processor and the video card. Is the 8600M GT really a necessary upgrade from the 8400M GS for gaming? And the same question with the processor from the T5470 to the T7100? I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I'll spend a moderate time on games, and I'll probably run a few higher-end games, or at least wish for the option of running them later. Also, how does the price sound for the specs? I'd of course be happy to spend less if anything I'm getting is unnecessary.

I've been searching the forum (and the internet in general) for hours today, and it seems the only way to get a direct answer is to ask specifically myself...so sorry, I'm sure all these subjects have been covered....but thanks in advance for taking the time, I'm very eager to purchase, as soon as I feel a bit more settled on these questions.

 

I'd stick with the T5470 (I did on mine anyways), since its nearly as good as the T7100 and a fair bit cheaper. And yes, the 8600GT is necessary. In fact, its the whole point of getting this laptop: an 8600GT with decent build quality for well under a grand.

For comparison, I paid $850 for one with Vista Basic (same price as XP home), WXGA+ display, T5470/1GB/160GB (5400RPM), 8600GT, Dell wireless card, 9 cell battery, and Bluetooth.

 

I have a T5470 and a GF8600M GT as well. It works well for gaming, as most games aren't CPU intensive (neither will web browsing and word processing be).

Just for reference, I can run at a rock solid 60FPS in Half Life 2 at 1280 x 800 (my native resolution) with all settings max except for AF, AA and World Reflection.

As for your question of whether or not the 8600GT is needed... That's honestly up to you. Do you want to play games with decent settings at decent resolutions? Or just medium settings at medium to low resolution?

It also depends on what kind of games you play. If you simply play 2D classic games like Starcraft, or not very demanding games like MMORPG's, then the 8400M GS will be fine for you.

But, again, a laptop is not upgradable, so you should always look out for the future and stay "a bit" ahead of your needs.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. Yeah, sounds like I'm gonna want to go with the 8600M GT, and I think I will also go with T5470...that would bring the price down to $889, not too bad. Too bad I don't want a TrueLife screen, or I'd be able to buy a build exactly like this one for $779 refurbished...I guess paying the extra $100 is worth it too me, I really think I'd be annoyed with the glare, plus I'd rather have a new machine...