Celeron M540 w. Intel X3100?

Hey.
I am about to buy a new laptop, and need some advice from you guys.
The laptop I am thinking of is the cheapest Dell available, Inspiron 1525.
The base configuration has got a Celeron M540 1,86 Ghz processor, and an Intel X3100 integrated graphics card. Additionally, I have opted for 2048 mb ram.

What I want to know is if the processor will severely compromise the performance of the X3100? I have read that a slower processor will reduce the bandwidth or something of integrated graphics card, just checking here to see if it's true, and to what extent in my case.

Thanks in advance
blueDepths

 

Well, the CPU won't bottleneck the graphics much. The X3100 will cover the bottlenecking. If you are looking to game at all, this simply won't work for anything semi-new. I would also ditch the 2G of RAM. Dell charges you $200 for something you can buy at Best Buy for $40. What are you using this laptop for?

 

The Celeron M is based off the core 2 duo core, so a that speed it's not a bad processor. Just lacks the second core. The IGP is what's gonna be holding you back in gaming, not the cpu holding back the IGP.

 

You should be able to pick up a Vostro 1000 cheaper than an Inspiron 1525. Also try to save money by getting the base ram then upgrading yourself, you'll save a lot of money that way, maybe you can afford a better cpu.

 

Will save $10 if you buy 2X1GB RAM from NewEgg and upgrade to Core 2 Duo T5450 1.6Ghz. If you buy 2GB stick save $5 more. Any ways as asked what do you plan on using it for because maybe Celeron is just fine (and save $140).

BestBuy has some laptops $499 with dual cores. One comes w/X3100.

 

I second that power pack! Best Buy is where i got my Compaq presario C714NR and for $450($509 grand) i dont regret the purchase one bit! me specs are in my sig and my laptop is my first taste of dual core processing and it handles my multi tasking at a satisfactory level

 

Thanks for your replies.
I have checked out Vostro, and they really seem to beat the Inspiron 1525 when it comes to cost and performance. As well very customizable w. good graphics. Great thanks, I only looked at the consumer range and would have missed this if you hadn't told me to look for it.

I am going to get a non-glossy screen though, at 1280 x 800. Anyone have got experience from Dell's regular matte low-res screens?

What I am going to use the computer for is:

Word
Web-browsing
Old games, the newest being HL2 and SWAT 4
Watch movies


Should I go for NVIDIA Geforce 8400M GS 128mb or 8600 GT 256mb? Is the difference worth the price?
BestBuy and NewEgg is not for me though, being a non-american, non-uk citizen. I will order straight from Dell.

 

I'm not a HL2 guru but I'd imagine the 8600M GT would be the best choice for that. You'll see a big leap from the X3100 to the 8400M GS and another big leap to the 8600M GT. I'd imagine HL2 should look very nice and get great fps with the 8600M GT. If you plan to do much gaming it's probably worth the extra.

As for Dell's screens I'd ask in the Dell section here, their current matte screens (like most manufacturers) tend to be pretty poor, with a grainy surface.

 

Alright, but is the grain really that bad, or something that one can live with?

 

Livable, but I found it annoying.

 

But it's not like it's ruining the whole image, or as annoying as a dead pixel at the center of the screen?

Is it comparable to something like this: http://bayimg.com/gAJAkaAbb
This: http://bayimg.com/gajaLAabB
Or this: http://bayimg.com/GaJAmaaBb

The first I think is good, the second I can accept, but the third is terrible.

I did the pictures myself with photoshop and gaussian noise.