Got my e1705 a few days ago w/ 7800, right before 7900gs was offered by Dell. Now I am thinkking of returning it back to Dell in favor of one w/ 7900gs. It's hard for me to decide on this matter alone. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.
main specs of my e1705:
CoreDuo 2.0 (premium-priced)
7800 (heater!)
WUXGA (bloated)
60GB 5400
price: 1301.61 USD (w/ -$750 & -$100 off)
main specs of reordered e1705:
CoreDuo 1.8 (cheaper?)
7900gs (cooler?)
WXGA+ (for gaming)
120GB 5400RPM
price: 1321.61 USD (w/ -$750 & -$35 off)
All others specs considered same on the two machines, would the re-order be senseful -- a good idea?
My uses of the machine will be: college papers, web-surfing, old DOS and newer Win98/XP games (e.g. Red Alert 1 & Oblivion).
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The 7900 GS will perform better than the 7800 card, but it's hard to say on the temperature issue at this point b/c no one really has gotten their hands on an e1705 with one in it. You have 21 days to return the notebook. I would wait a week to allow ppl to get their 7900 tests in and then make your decision. That is what I am doing...
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Theres a good chance that the 7900GS runs cooler then the Go 7800 because its .90 nm instead of .110 nm (So the core is smaller and uses less energy which = less heat).
l would reorder for the 7900 GS. -
Thank you, Unreal, nickster87. I forgot to mention that I already got RMA number from Dell -- with NO restock/return fees.
When do I expect 7900 test results to come in? -
My comments:
1st off the 7900 is the SAME MB as the 7800 which was odd in itself.. meaning its NOT vital to upgrade to it! If you buy a "Cooling pad" with fans and place your laptop on it, that would aide in keeping it cool too. As far as "Performance" they work the same. So all your doing is upgrading to one that runs cooler.
Next off, I noticed you wanted a bigger HD. I would ADVISE you get a 7200 RPM one for your "Gaming Needs" GB is nice.. and I know I am fine on my 5400 however.. I can notice smaller lag in long term process of transfers. Nothing MAJOR however, so thats not vital either.
WXGA+ is nice.. however.. the WUXGA would look better for movies and everything else, along with a higher res to choose from.
As for the Core Duo. I have the 1.87 I am happy with it.. I didnt justify the need to spend 200$ more JUST to get 2 GHZ, Even tho that IS whats recommended for ideal results if you turn one off or so. Nothing too big however.
Just be sure you get Media Center 2005 with the backup cd. Also the remote is nice too. =)
Aside from that.. even if you keep what you have now.. youd be happy. More happy then you think.
If anything..
I would recommend keeping current specs, change GHZ to 1.87, upgrade HD to a 7200 RPM one. That should make you happy. =)
Rem... your time for changes are BEFORE it ships.. I know I changed my orders 3 times before I kept my 4th.. I was studying alot and I wanted to ENSURE I would be happy. =)
Cause think of this.. WUXGA is PERMA, Who said you couldnt hook it up to a HDTV or a seperate monitor with DVI or so to get your WGXA or better.. ?
So its nice to get the best option now to keep on it always, and then use other options you can do yourself. =) -
If you don't have any money to lose, then why NOT do it? After all, you'll be happier if you reorder it.
With that said, you also have nothing to lose by waiting a little bit for other people's experiences to make sure that the assumptions are correct and that you really will be happier if you reorder.
Also, I don't know if the processor speed will make that much of a difference, but (from my experience anyway) - you end up needing more HDD than you expect. I got my N6210 with 60GB, and burning stuff to DVD so I can delete it off HDD is a constant annoyance.
My 2c.
Malia -
Thank you both, Mysticales, malia.zee. I'm so used to my desptop's 17'' Dell FP LCD w/ 800x600 (SVGA) resolution that I fear if I have WUXGA w/ e1705, not only will my FPS' suffer but I will be handicapped to effectivelly write any college papers!
I've heard a lot of hype about how imperfect WUXGA is fot gaming and typing, so I'm worried. True, that I can hook up an external monitor...my 17'' LCD w/ DVI, but that negates the usefulness of the e1705 as a notebook. I want to be able to lie in bed and game or type a paper or wirelessly browse the web. OR go to the kitchen w/ my notebook.
With WUXGA I may struggle to read the tiny text, my old games will be crippled by being stretched. At this point, though the upside of WUXGA is impressive -- yes, I do watch DVDs on my PC, I fear that I will not like it. I've used my 17'' LCD for many years and I love it at 800x600. All the games I've every played ran well and w/o issues in 800x600. I think it's better to be safe than sorry in the long run...though I've seen WUXGA on my bro's laptop and it looks mighty sexy. I don't know whether I am overreacting -- perhaps?
I know that I'll be happy w/ current config., but I want to be sure 100% that it's what I want. Thanks for your advice. Please, keep on giving it!
edit: I selected a 5400 HD option to get the price to 2006 USD so that I can use 750 USD coupon. -
Its what I did...got the return RMA w/o restocking fee, upgraded from T2300 to T2400 and 7800 to 7900 for a grand total $12 more (plus return shipping). Don't forget RMA is only good for at most 10 business days...the return thing isn't totally open ended per my discussion with customer care. To me it boiled down if I wanted to return it and be without a new toy...I couldn't wait, and ordered immediately on the phone yesterday (in boxing les than 24 hours later). Since tech is always improving and dropping in price, anyhow, its the age old dilemma...the REALLY BEST thing is only the best for a small window of time.
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Psst. Dont worry about "tiny" text, Rem you can set the DPI settings, set apperance to "Extra Large Font" etc. Nothing to worry about there. Not only that! But you can lower the res to be a lower value to have bigger GUI.
However.. go lower end and you wont be able to up upwards.
Also listen to what you said, you CAN use your DVI monitor.. but when you wanna go in bed.. chances are HIGH that means your not in the sun etc.. At nighttime and low outside light.. the gloss screen looks kick ass.. FPS for FFXI on my 1505 is WHOA! Feels like I am in the game! =D
So really.. you gotta ask is it worth missing out on.. you cant change your mind later..
Also rem.. if the WUXGA+ sucked soooooo much.. Dell wouldnt offer it. These forums are for the select few who know about it and normally what you see here are just the problems etc.. Not the HAPPY report from "x" users that LOVE it all. =)
Again.. your choice.. =) -
What do you mean by "DPI"?
What about screen blurriness when lowering resolution from the original to something lower? Won't this be problem in games, this blurriness...old games like C&C--RA?
One of the reasons for a lappy purchase is because I have a sensitive back and try to minimize my sitting. A laptop will help me in this sense since I'll be confortable in bed. That's I'd prefer not to hook up lappy to extr LCD.
What about the "ratty" screen-scaling prog. Dell ships w/ lappies? -
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Also DPI, right click your wallpaper, goto properties, those tabs there, you can set custom DPI which means Dots per inch to increase the size of things. Plus depending on the theme you use will have font options. I use Windows Classic, Lilac and I can set it to Extra large font etc if I wanted. So really.. setting it lower should be fine. You could set it to 1280x768 I think and it would look more then enough to what you want for quality and size.
I run my PC in 1680x1050 I think it is and its fine... then my games could be set and they look fine too. =) I gotta try CS still tho...
For the most part tho... you should be ok. Truelife is nice indeed, granted.. I think its more a ***** to wipe down later when it gets dusty tho... like glasses since its smooth and glossy, vs matte where you wipe down and not worry about glare as much or streaks.
Also I DO wonder if the gloss screens can be "scratched" when you wipe them down. I have never seen a CRT glass or LCD matte screen scratched.. but gloss screens.. I dont know, can someone fill me in on this one please? -
Malia -
Good to hear.. thanks. Makes me feel abit better, cause I worried that a truelife screen maybe same as a DS screen, or PDA screen where you KNOW you want a screen protector.
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Not sure about DS, but PDA screens are different since they don't have anything to protect them, so they have to be pretty solid and withstand a lot of damage. My cell phone screen is super scratched from being in my bag all the time (keys, pens), but laptop screens don't have to put up with that kind of abuse - that's between the lid and your bag.
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Yea I know.. what about "streaks" or smears when you clean it. How clean does it wipe?
Also wonder if the gloss screens are protected as well as a matte. -
It is annoying to get the streaks off, but it's possible. And, since I practically never have to clean it, it's not a big deal. If you ever used those CRT screen protectors to make them less glossy (easier on the eyes) and ever had to clean them, it's a lot easier than that. I'm not sure if the streaks would be noticeable when the screen is on if you don't work on it since I always do it with the computer off for whatever reason (hence black screen, easier to see streaks & fingerprints).
However, the thing from the other thread (cleaning truelife screen) about Windex possibly damaging the glossy finish may be valid. I've never thought of that, and I haven't noticed a degradation in quality, but like I said, I haven't had to clean the screen very often. Since some areas of the screen end up with more Windex than others (in order to get the streaks off from everywhere), I think it'd be reasonable to expect to notice this degradation in glossiness, if it does indeed happen. So, since I haven't seen any adverse effects from Windex, I'll probably continue using it... One less cleaner to keep around and lose. However, paper towels definitely don't scratch, so I see no reason for using a sock or a microfiber cloth.
Malia -
If you have a pair of Oakley sunglasses, use the little microfiber sheath that comes with them to clean the screen.. and I heard that plain water works fine to clean the glossy screen.
I love the 1900x1200 resolution, its beautiful! Like others have said, just adjust the DPI and the font size, and you will be ok. I thought I was going to have trouble with it, but now I don't think I wanna go back to anything else! -
Wonder what if you clean it with the spray you use on glasses.. might be a idea too. =)
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Certainly, I admit, you are starting to convince me of just leaving it w/ WUXGA. Normally, as with all changes, the mind tends to fear the unknown, untested standard. So too I am unsure about this screen type.
Like I said, if WUXGA can be adjusted properly WITHOUT blurriness, blackbars, blocks, etc. so that I may be confortable typing 6-8 page papers and play old games like Red Alert 1, as well as browse the web...then I'll keep my screen no matter how massive it may seem at first. Please continue to give advice anyone and everyone; I thank you for your time.
Off topic: In regard to Windex, I'd recommend against it. The solution has ammonia -- it's highly toxic and destructive to a finish. It's made for cleaning glass, not plastics or wood finished. As well, cleaning-alcohol that I used to use to clean my electronics is a corrosive solution: I ruined the silver finish on my stereoplayer when I cleaned it w/ alcohol...silver came right off!!! Now it's a hunk of black plastic w/ silver spots. To clean screens, I recommend either/or designated screen-clean solution and LCD cloth. Both are sold widely. -
Youll be fine on old games. Trust me.. not too much to worry on with the old games.. and god.. I wish I could play CC RA orig again.. I have all the install discs.. but rem it DOESNT like XP.. I need to buy that new remake of the CC generation that adds support for XP.. Loved hiding secret nuke silos behind buildings etc..
Kinda wanna play again! =D
Used to link up PSX consoles to play with friends hehe..
So which version you playing? The new released one?
But yea, you should be fine.. blur happens when you look at it from the wrong angle... adjust settings and your fine. =) -
Pull the trigger already! In the time you've been thinking about it, my replacement e1705 went from me submitting my phone order Friday morning to seeing status show "shipped" this afternoon....48 hours....
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I play the old, DOS/Win95/98 version of C&C: Red Alert 1. Yep it's old and is the reason, as well as others that I play like Thief Gold and Thief 2, for me wanting its in-game graphics to not become spoiled.
You say that EA has released an updates version of C&C: RA1? -- send a link this way, if you will. It wouldn't be that "First Decade" collection of C&C, would it?
On topic: When you look at the specs of both of my option, which would you say is a better idea for my needs vs. price?
Is there any way to convince Dell to let me re-use that now-void -$100 coupon again? This is the deciding factor of my decision: if I can convince them, I'll return; if not, I'll keep my lappy. What advice can you offer? -
No luck with the $100 coupon
They didn't let me use it when I re-ordered. BUT, they did let me keep the full price of my first E1705, coupons and all, when they refunded me.
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BTW, Dell does not return the money; instead, they give you "Dell credit" for your next purchase. -
Ok listen, if you applied the codes when you 1st ordered, Dell WILL apply the SAME "deals" when they "change" your order.
Ok want my Advice?
Call up, switch the 2 GHZ to a 1.87, apply the SAVED money toward a 60 GB 7200 RPM HD or upgrade it to LEAST 80 GB 5400 RPM, That alone you will like more.
Keep the WUXGA+ screen, rem if you HATE it, you have I think what 21 days to call dell to say forget it?
Also you may wanna add Bluetooth to it.. who knows, seems everyone loves the Intel/BT combo. =)
But yea, I changed my order 4 times.. they kept my orig coupons etc applied or matched the deal of it. -
Dell did not give me the same $100 coupon that I had first used.. they said that it was expired and that I would need to find another $100 coupon to use... I couldn't find one, but the rep did refund me the full price I paid for the first E1705, which included the $750 + $100 off coupons.
In my case, in the end, the $100 coupon was taken off the price of a laptop, because if they had to take it off the one I ordered before to use on the new one, I would have been refunded $100 less... catch my drift?
Now, if there is a way for me to call and say that I want the $100 coupon for my new one, and they still refunded me the full amount of the old E1705, then that would be great!!! -
The UPS guy came by today to pick up the lappy but I refused telling him to come back tomorrow. Darn -- decisions decisions!! I'll call Dell now to inquire about "changing" my config: leaving it w/ WUXGA+. -
Check it out, I just tried to get them to use the expired $100 coupon, to no avail. The $750 was no problem because those are always around and you can just get a new one to apply to your new purchase. I have no idea where the $100 off came from, but I have not seen it since it expired on the 17th.
But like I said, they refunded me the $100, just wouldn't transfer it to the new purchase. -
I say keep with what you have. We are on the verge of directx10 that any hardware that comes out today will not be directx10 compliant. The 7800go is a great card and should do very well with any game. My 2 cents.
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DX-10 and specific 7800/7900 efficiency aside, I just want my darn e1705 not to die before its time. Overheating is my biggest concern, really. I want my laptop to last at least five years or so. I know lappy's life expectancy is 3 or so years...but a guy can dream, can't he?
That's why I'm thinking about 7900. It runs cooler and that extends e1705's life, right? Now only if those 7900 heat reports were in -- that'd be of great help to me. Anyone has one? -
Called up Dell, but they would hot cave in to my demand for $100 off that expired a while ago...just ordered another lappy & even signed up for Dell Pref Acc.! I'll keep on ordering and canceling until I get my $100 damn it!
Here's the re-order. I'm not too crazy about it:
1 222-1022 Inspiron E1705, Intel Core DuoProcessor T2500 (2GHz/667MHz FSB)
1 320-4558 17 inch Wide-screen WXGA+ Display for Inspiron 9400/E 1705
1 464-9485 1GB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 320-4779 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 341-2942 60GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 412-0689 Image Restore
1 420-5755 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, English without Media, for Inspiron
1 420-4830 DELL SUPPORT 3.0
1 420-4928 Windows Media Player 10
1 463-2282 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
1 420-5460 Complimentary courses: Look for EU icon
1 420-5476 Dell Direct Download
1 420-5924 Icon Consolidation Application
1 430-0493 Integrated 10/100 Network Cardand Modem, for Inspiron
1 430-1048 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, for Inspiron
1 313-3866 8X DVD+/-RW Drive, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 420-5775 CyberLink PowerDVD v5.7 Decoding Sofware for DVD Drives
1 313-4218 SoundBlaster Advanced Audio for XPS M1710
1 430-1516 Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 412-0850 Network Associates McAfee 7.0,English,90-day Trial
1 312-0375 Primary Battery, for Inspiron 9400/E1705
1 412-0787 AOL for Broadband
1 420-3224 Broadband Icon for Inspiron
1 412-0687 NETZERO ISP
1 420-5256 Netscape ISP
1 412-0803 Corel WordPerfect 12 plus Trial of Quartro Pro and Presentations
1 950-3337 1 Year Limited Warranty
1 950-9057 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 960-6910 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 960-6890 Type 12- Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
1 983-2207 Thank You for buying Dell
1 464-5503 PC Restore Recovery System by Symantec
1 464-9630 Thank you for choosing Dell
1 412-0856 Paint Shop Pro Standard
1 412-0865 Basic digital Music,Photo and Game experience
1 465-0505 No Broadband Expresscard technology currently available
1 464-6641 72106 ($50 DFS REBATE). Redeem within 30 days of ship at dell4me.com/rebates
Total Order Amount: $1,367.72 -
What do you mean "not too crazy about it?" This machine is tits! Here are some notable parts I saw in your order:
1 983-2207 Thank You for buying Dell
1 464-9630 Thank you for choosing Dell
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I'm in the exact same boat with you, from not having my very similarly spec'd E1705 for very long right down to the Red Alert and Oblivion and college papers.
I also just received my return authorization.. after finally haggling them not to charge me any fees and to cover shipping. I haven't been able to find any way to get that $100 coupon back either, and they wouldn't budge on the phone.
I opted to lower my 2ghz down a step to save that big chunk of money.. also lowered my warranty (from 4 year) so I'm looking at a bit less money which makes me happy. With the possibility of upgrading to Merom cpu's later on, it's probably a good thing I'm ditching the premium warranty and cpu.
I know you don't like black bars, but I've found them very tolerable for playing most games in native res.. the nvidia screen res option is pretty cool if you ask me. The WUXGA has been great to me so far as well.. If I want to play a game in 1600x1200 it fits nicely with the black bars on either side, yet keeping most games very very playable and looking great.
Oh, there's always the $25 or so off coupon you probably got on the back of your dell catalog from when you got your first system.. not $100, but hey..
In terms of the video card.. it was a no brainer there for me. Of course I don't want to have to go through the hassle to wait for the new laptop, I like the idea that it's substantially faster and draws a lot less power. Arrghh.. been looking at stuff for this all day/night now... garrrr...
Good luck! -
Here is what I wound up ordering last Friday. On the UPS truck for delivery today. Looking forward to comparing (at least the heat generated on the bottom!) to the system I have with the 7800 before I send that one back tomorrow.
1 Inspiron E1705, Intel Core DuoProcessor T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz FSB) $1,186.00
1 17 inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WUXGA, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 1GB, DDR2, 533MHz 2 Dimm, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 Image Restore $0.00
1 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, English without Media, for Inspiron $0.00
1 DELL SUPPORT 3.0 $0.00
1 Windows Media Player 10 $0.00
1 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access $0.00
1 Complimentary courses: Look for EU icon $0.00
1 Dell Direct Download $0.00
1 Icon Consolidation Application $0.00
1 Integrated 10/100 Network Cardand Modem, for Inspiron $0.00
1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, for Inspiron $0.00
1 8X DVD+/-RW Drive, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 CyberLink PowerDVD v5.7 Decoding Sofware for DVD Drives $0.00
1 Integrated High Definition Audio, for XPS M1710 $0.00
1 Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 Network Associates McAfee 7.0,English,90-day Trial $0.00
1 Primary Battery, for Inspiron 9400/E1705 $0.00
1 AOL for Broadband $0.00
1 Broadband Icon for Inspiron $0.00
1 NETZERO ISP $0.00
1 Netscape ISP $0.00
1 Corel WordPerfect 12 plus Trial of Quartro Pro and Presentations $0.00
1 1 Year Limited Warranty $0.00
1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3 $0.00
1 Warranty Support,Initial Year $0.00
1 Type 12- Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year $0.00
1 Thank You for buying Dell $0.00
1 PC Restore Recovery System by Symantec $0.00
1 Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR), for Inspiron9400/E1705 $49.00
1 Thank you for choosing Dell $0.00
1 Paint Shop Pro Standard $0.00
1 Basic digital Music,Photo and Game experience $0.00
1 No Broadband Expresscard technology currently available $0.00
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Sub-Total $1,235.00
Shipping $0.00
Tax $61.76
Total Price $1,296.76 -
Listen to this...you can pretty much compensate for the $100 loss by doing this; apply all of these:
-$750 (valid; stackable)
-$25 (if stackable?)
-$35 (off ebay; stackable)
--$xx (Dell Pref. Account; gives anything?)
--$xx (ditch/downgrade a component; warranties are a waste of money, this I read when I ordered my Sony HandyCam last summer for $500 that has yet to be broken. You can pretty much tell if the product will break within the 1st year; most warranties are 1-year. I also read recommendations against opting for those expensive extended warranties on the web)
-$50 (8-10 week printable mail-in-rebate) -
so you decided to keep it? clue us in please on your final decision rationale...
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Did I? Darn it: I'm still 50/50 but more on the side of keeping it, seeing how the FREE 1GB RAM upgrade is out for e1705 re-order. The -$100 coupon is out as well. So if I were to keep this baby, I'd do it because the window of opportunity for e1705 deals is over. I still have a few days to discuss some points of concern about my e1705 before I make the final decision.
Right now I can say that I do want to keep it. All in all it's a great machine for the 1300 price tag: top of the line 7800 and a 2-core 2.0mhz CPU! A laptop like this would've been expensive beyond the means of a regular student like myself a few years back. For this reason I am satisfied, and feel fortunate.
True that I didn't get the best of the best, like e1705 offers w/ 7900gs, but I can pretty much do everything users of 7900gs can and...most 7900gs users probably will not take their baby to its limits. I intend to tax my 7800 and CoreDuo. As well, though it's a hot popatoe on the right side, for a DTR, where the power of a desktop is crammed into a petite shell, it's a champion. True too that it may have a heat issue...for that, a cooler is readily available (I'm eyeing the Bytecc one right now as I want to use e1705 in bed).
At this point I'm still exploring. Thus, I'll keep asking and posting. I've until the 5th of June to return this unit. Until then, I'll be here. -
The story continues here, where I try to set up, optimise my e1705 for use: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1398918#post1398918
Please share your experiences. I'd like to get this baby up to speed before actually spending time using it for college, gaming, personal design projects. Thanks for all your feedback so far. -
Here you go.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=5787
Notebook for dummies. =D Very good info! =D -
Great resource, Mysticales. Thank you.
reordering e1705--tough decision!
Discussion in 'Dell' started by gd-student, May 20, 2006.