Dell Studio 15 LCD

Hi =)
I think I've made my final decision on getting a Dell Studio 15
The only thing I'm still wondering about is if I should get the normal screen or the high resolution screen

These are the options available on their website:

-Bright, glossy widescreen 15.4 WLED display (1280x800) [Included in Price]
-Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1920x1200) [add $200 or $5/month1]

I will be using the laptop for graphic design, web design, lots of photoshop, and obviously web browsing xD.
I've always liked my icons to be small on my desktop. I mean, I can always zoom in if I need to see something right? Plus I got 20/20 vision... haha
Well I'm just wondering if the extra $200 is worth it.
My brother says there isn't much of a difference and that I could use my old external monitor when I'm doing graphic work.

Also... I was wondering about the weight of the Studio 15. I'm going to be bringing this around a lot. Around the city and around my house. I'm a girl and I don't do weight training. I really want this laptop... I'm just afraid of the weight of it though >.<

 

Personally, I think the extra $200 (CAD) is worth it. In the U.S., there is also an option for WXGA+ (1440x900) LED that a perfect in-between resolution, but Dell Canada doesn't seem to offer it.

The WUXGA (1920x1200) will give you a lot more space to work with...more than double the WXGA (1280x800) actually! Do the math and you'll see the numbers to support this- the WXGA display's pixel count is 1,024,000 and the WUXGA's is 2,304,000..literally more than double. The image quality will be substantially superior with WUXGA. The trade-off is that icons and text will be quite a bit smaller, but Windows allows you to tweak the DPI to increase the size of those (if needed).

If you haven't already chosen the optional ATI Radeon Mobility HD 3450 dedicated graphics card, I highly recommend it...especially with the WUXGA display.

As for the weight- the Studio 1537 will weigh about 6.2lbs (2.8kg) with the standard 6-cell battery. That's pretty average for a 15.4" notebook in this price range.

There are two other Dell models you might want to check out before making a final decision. They're both from Dell's Small Business line and are a great value!

One is the Vostro 2510- starting at $899- weighs 5.7lbs (2.6kg) and only available in Cherry Red; includes XP Pro/Vista Business, 1.8GHz Intel T5670, 15.4" WXGA+ (1440x900) TruLife display, 256mb nVIDIA 8400M GS graphics card, 3GB RAM and 320GB hard drive for $899. It also offers the upgrade to WUXGA (1920x1200) display, but it's only $100. LINK

The other is the Vostro 1310. It's significantly smaller (13.3") and lighter at only 4.5lbs (2kg), which might appeal to you. LAPTOP Magazine named it one of the Best Notebooks of the Year and gave it their Editor's Choice Award! A nicely configured model currently starts at $949 and is only $1048 with the nVIDIA 8400M GS added. LINK

 

Personally I don’t think it is worth it. All notebooks have limited gamut TN panels, which are not ideal for Photoshop anyway. Personally I think 1920x1200 on a 15.4” is an overkill (and it is not WLED either, right ?). You can buy an external 22” for around $200 which will be far better, not only because of the size, but also because of the quality.