Urgent Nvidia 7800Go help

I recently ordered an Inspiron e1705 with a 17" WUXGA. After much research, I convinced myself to get the $200 upgrade to the Nvidia 7800Go graphics. I was led to believe that 1) The graphics can't be upgraded later 2) This would future-proof me for Windows Vista and 3) It would help me get the most out of my upgraded 1980x1020 LCD, esp when it comes to watching DVDs and eventually HD-DVDs etc. I may not do any serious gaming.

Am having second thoughts now. Did I get myself and unnecessary and expensive upgrade? Would the Intel GMA950 have been more than adequate for my needs? Is it truly upgradeable down the road? If I hear back soon I may change my order if that's the best option.

I tried looking for a manual for the 7800Go to see if it there are tweaks to optimize its performace, i.e. improve DVD playback and minimize power usage, but couldn't find any info. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

If you need that ultra high resolution then keep the 7800go. Remember that kind of resolution everything will appear quite small. DPI in windows help but its far from perfect... MAny software and browser does not resize text properly.

 

Yes, you did - the Go7800 has no advantages over the X1400 if you aren't gaming. It will produce more heat and deliver less battery life as a result of increased power consumption.

The X1400 is fully compatible with Windows Vista, and has no problems handling a WUXGA display or HD content (the latter is more CPU-intensive than anything).

I'd return that and save yourself some money by getting the X1400. Skip over the GMA950, that takes up your system memory and I don't think it's entirely compatible with Vista (the full Aero Glass interface).

There's an option for the ATI X1400 on the E1705, and it's standard on the higher-end models.
http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/entnb_e1705?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

 

Is it an x1400 or Intel GMA 950?

If its an Intel definitely keep the 7800 if not the x1400 is more than sufficient.

NVM read your response. So choose the x1400 instead...

 

I concur with Chaz, the X1400 is exactly what you need. it will give u great resolutions with Truelife and runs pretty cool for the most part. If you find yourself getting into gaming it will run any game you throw at it for now. And yes, it is upgradeable in the future.

 

You guys rock. Thanks for the amazingly prompt replies. I wish I'd checked before placing my order.

By the way the default on the e1705 is the Intel GMA950, next up is the $150 for the X1400 and $200 for the nVidia Go 7800. I figured that if I was upgrading anyway, I'd plonk down the extra $50 for the 7800. But looks like I'm buying more headaches instead of a performance advantage.

I also upgraded my 1GB ram to 667MHz to exploit CPU. Was that a mistake as well?

Thanks a lot for your timely advice! Much appreciated!

 

Upgrading the RAM to 1 GB was a good idea. The only thing was you prolly could have got the stock 512 MB from Dell and then got a 1 GB stick from NewEgg cheaper. If you need to upgrade in the future consider Newegg for RAM, HDD, etc.

Enjoy your new laptop! Buy a couple games to try out that 7800! You'll like it for sure, but the laptop does run quite warm when you are using it.

 

1GB of RAM is definitely a good idea these days.

Did you use the Dell coupons when you bought your laptop?

 

Thanks again. I just talked to Dell and exchanged the 7800 for the x1400. Your comments about the laptop heating up really helped. Since I'm not a serious gamer, the heating issue would have been a major compromise.

I not only upgraded the RAM, I also put down a few more $$ for the 667 vs 533, since the dual core is capable of 667. Thanks for the tip on newegg.com

And chaz, yes I did use the $750 coupon for the purchase!

You guys rock, thanks for bailing me out - my order was nearly complete and had I waited till tomorrow it might have been a tad late.

 

That's great - can't buy a Dell without them.

Glad to see everything worked out; I think you made the right decision.

 

So would having the Go 7800 be ill advised in the e1705? Are there overheating issues, above and beyond the normal influx with a card like the Go7800?

 

You might want to look in our Dell forum here and see if people are reporting any issues.
If you're going to be gaming, opt for the Go7800 without a doubt.

Chaz

 

I had mistakenly picked the 7800 thinking it would help me make the most of the high-res screen quality of my e1705 during DVD playback and for general use. I get the impression now that I'd be over-served by the 7800 unless I wanted to do some serious gaming which I don't, plus the card has the tendency to run warm. Looks like the x1400 gives an adequate punch to the graphics capability, and most importantly for me, runs cool in the process.

 

I don't know if my notebook's just an oddball, but I'm having no heat issues whatsoever - my notebook's GPU sits around 60 degrees centigrade most of the time.

 

well my GPU runs around 48 most of the time even while gaming

 

After much flip-flopping, I decided to go back to the go 7800 for my e1705 over the x1400 For $50 more, it was too good of a deal to pass up, despite the heat problems and the fact that I'm not a hardcore gamer.

Anyway, I now need your help to justify my purchase. Can you guys recommend some cool 3D games/software that will tap the graphics horsepower of the nvidia? I'd prefer games that task the intellect, plus where I can pace myself over months playing a couple of hours a week or so.

Thanks much!