which options increase speed most? CPU? Ram? Vostro 1700

Hello all,

I'm wanting to buy a Vostro 1700.

Keeping costs in mind, which options will allow it to run fastest? I can't afford all the maxxed out upgrades, so I have to choose. Is the upgrade in that component worth the money? Where can I get the most 'bang for my buck' so to speak? Where should I spend my money to get the speed increase?

The $899 option, with extra 1g ram, extra 40g of HD, dvd burner and 128mb video card , seems better than starting from the $799. They give you quite a bit for $100.

L2 cache 4mb instead of 2mb? cost $195, but cpu is upped to 2.0ghz from 1.6. Will that $195 buy me a noticeable speed increase or should I put that money into the upgraded video card or more RAM at a later date?

video card - 256mb instead of 128mb? I'm not a gamer, but would like to watch DVDs and videos and do occasional minor video editing and encoding. Will the extra 128mb really make that much diff? Especially if I have 2mb+ RAM? card ups from 8400 to 8600. Is this worth the $100? I can buy a 2gb ram stick for ~$100, wouldn't that speed up the system more than the video card?

Thanks, contemplate

 

You can buy your own RAM for cheaper probably. If you're willing to do that get 1 gig from Dell.

If you're not gaming, or doing very little, the 8400 GS 128 MB should be more than enough. CPU...well the 2.0 ghz is probably the best...but I doubt you'll be taking advantage of it. So might as well stick with the 1.6 ghz.

 

Waveblade has mentioned the main points. Buying aftermarket RAM is a much cheaper option that to buy from Dell. Going for the $900 package seems better, and then simply adding RAM should increase system speed. The 8400M GS should do fine for general tasks, such as watching a movie, but in gaming its not so good. Since your not gaming, don't upgrade the graphics card. Be sure about this, however, as you can't upgrade the graphics card easily at a later date.

Any modern dual core will suffice as a good processor, however, an upgrade to a 1.83 GHz may be useful. If the price isn't to much for the upgrade, you may want to consider it. If not, then keep the 1.6 GHz, as it is still a fast processor.