need some last minute advice with E1505

Hi, Currently I own a 3 yr old Emachines desktop and it's starting to die on me. I'm looking to replace it with a laptop so I have the mobility when I want it and after some long researching I seem to have decided to go with the E1505 (mainly due to the nice online coupon for $750 off). I know 15.4" is a bit small for a desktop replacement but I plan to use my ViewSonic 19" LCD VX924 and a regular keyboard and gaming mouse. My main question is I've heard a lot about the E1505 overheating and since I'm used to leaving my desktop on 24/7 I wondered if this will be a problem with using a laptop as my main PC. As far as gaming goes the only game I pretty much play is World of Warcraft and I play it a lot so I'm a bit worried about the laptop maybe being under too much stress from how much I intend to use it. If the E1505 isn't a good choice for what I want other suggestions of better laptops at a good price would be appreciated, my budget is about $1500 at the very most (including tax/shipping). My only other question is if it's a big deal that the ram is only 533 MHz and now 667? I configured a laptop on Dell's website and with these specs I would pay about $1300 after the coupon and tax.

Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
15.4 inch UltraSharp; Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory
100GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
2x 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
2Yr Ltd Warranty, 2Yr At-Home Service, and 2Yr HW Warranty Support

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated considering this is a huge investment for me. The main thing out of whichever laptop I end up getting is to be able to play World of Warcraft flawlessly with at least medium settings, and to be able to play my laptop a ton without overheating it too bad or ruining it. Thanks in advance, John.

 

Hi John,
My advice is to buy you RAM from somewhere else because dell charges an outrageous amount for 2gb. I haven't checked the pricing today, so Dell might have it fairly cheap, but normally you can get it from newegg.com for about 80 bucks (1 stick of 1gb).

Here is a good comparison on the 533 vs. 667 issue: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=46921

As for the cooling issue, I would suggest to get a cooling pad at least. We've done a few reviews on different ones, so you might search our review section. I'm not sure how hot the X1400 will get since I'm not a gamer, so I'll let some of our gaming experts answer that.

If you are planning on being stationary and not traveling with your laptop everyday, you might check out the E1705.
SG

 

I'd say get the batteries via ebay or another store, and the ram via newegg...
the batteries will be ~80 and so will 1bg of ram...

I have a E1505 and it's not running that hot, even while gaming (BF2)...

yeah, but I have the wxga screen, so the x1400 can handle it better...

consider the E1705 if you're only using it at home... a 17in is a pain to lug around and find a place to use it.

 

Thanks for the replys, If I didn't plan on using my Viewsonic 19" monitor I would go for the 17" but since I am I'd rather take a little bit smaller laptop so when I do take it places it's that much easier and not quite of a pain. I understand the ram, batteries, etc. would be cheaper to buy elsewhere but since I can get the $750 discount by spending $1999+ I figured it would be easier to just get straight from Dell. I'll keep playing with some setups and do some more research for now, Thanks.

 

Consider getting a faster processor or a longer warrenty+accidental damage protection instead of the memory. It is much cheaper to get it via newegg. Also, as far as heat goes it doesn't run hot at all in my experience. I use it on my lap for an hour or two at a time and while the heat is somewhat noticable esp. when i move the computer it's more of a welcome warmth than an unpleasant burning. But if you are concerned please do get a laptop cooler they certainly will help cool things off especially while gaming. I have been able to run oblivion on mid settings with the x1400 and it does pretty well. The system does get pretty hot while gaming but i imagine that you wouldn't game on your lap anyway so it shouldnt be an issue. Even setting the notebook on a desk next to your monitor gives it quite a bit of airflow.

Hope this helped.


EDIT: THe x1400 will handle WoW fine on better than medium settings

 

to reduce the cost I'd get RAM upgrade on newegg. Also woudln't get 7200 HD - probably not worth it and lose the 9 cell battery. OR consider buying one of those 30-40% off coupons on ebay, not to confuse those with ree coupons. As for heating issues - I haven't had any so far, in fact I rarely hear fan ...

 

Wow , sooo cheap ,last month when I order my E1505 with the same price I got 5400rpm HD, 1gb RAM, 1 year warranty , I'm a little upset now

But you don't have to worry about the heat ,I've played oblivion almost a whole day but barely notice any heat on the laptop surface

 

I agree but make sure if you do buy the battery from ebay that it is new. If not you can get a messed up battery with low charge

 

John, if you're considering notebooks other than Dell, we can find more for you by completing the FAQ in the What Should I Buy forum.