About to jump the gun on the dv5t. I have a few questions though.

Hi all!

I'm thinking about getting the dv5t in the next couple of days, but have a few questions.

1. What is this $400 off coupon I hear about?
2. I plan to use the 30% off coupon code. When does this deal expire?
3. I plan on upgrading to the 9600m GT, but still need good battery life while in school. Does this laptop have a power saver mode?
4. I'm on a very limited budget and need to keep it under $850.

These are the parts I've upgraded from stock:
-Upgraded too 3gbs of memory
-Upgraded too the 9600m GT GPU

I can choose only one more upgrade from the following, which do you think I should upgrade?

1-Upgrade CPU to the P8400?
2-Upgrade the screen resolution to the 1680x1050?
3-Upgrade the battery to the high capacity 6-cell?

 

3. Yes, it should have a Power Saver mode. However, the 9600M GT will drain your battery faster than an X4500.

I think you should keep the RAM at 2 GB and upgrade it yourself by buying RAM through Newegg. Should be cheaper.

I would say both #1 and #2 are worthwhile upgrades, and perhaps #3 if you think you'll need it.

If you had to choose one though, I would say up the resolution to 1680x1050. Looks much nicer that way.

 

1) Yes if you have the extra 50$ just invest it into this because it can be more future proof
2) If your gaming the 1280x800 is fine, but if you are planning to watch a movie or design work 1680x1050 is very useful
3) With the 9600GT u chose, a high capacity battery will give you 2H30M according to the review without it you will only have 2 hours or less, so it is recommended

With the coupon, i think you will be around 850$ or under

good luck

 

The 9600m GT is a for sure upgrade. But with the power saving mode on, shouldn't I get better battery life? How much?

 

I get about 2:40 min in power saver mode with the high capacity 6 cell. I have the 9600m gt too.

 

Is there any way I can get this laptop to go over 3 hours of battery life, even with the 9600m GT upgrade? I really like this laptop but I can't buy it if I can't get the battery to last longer.

 

i have a battery monitoring thing that tells me how much time till its dead and sometimes it gets up to 3 hours. It really depends on what you are doing on it. With wi-fi off i bet it can be done. If you are jsut doing word processing then it might make it. Oh and you prolly need to take the brightness down below power saving level.

 

well you can always buy another battery for back up xD

 

isn't the $400 off coupon invalid now?

 

I believe that coupon expired on the 20th or 21st.

 

But there is a 30% off right now, for some folks its a better deal especially if you are putting more upgrades in