Just bought NP5760, having doubts

Hi guys,

I just bought 5760.. I've been reading about 5760 for a bit, and for the price/specs this seems like the one for me. But I've never owned a laptop before.

But here are some questions, and if you could answer them for me I would appreciate it very much.

1) I've ordered already from www.discountlaptops.com and the current status is "Unprocessed". I've realized that I do NOT need Operating System or 160GB HardDrive, so I want to change it to have "No Operating System" and "100GB".. is this possible to do so? I can use the "100% Refund" thing.. but I don't want to spend so much time of shipping.

2) WUXGA or WSXGA : I am used to viewing on my desktop monitor at 1600x1200. Is WUXGA what I want?

3) I use a quad-core 3.0GHz at my work for a "company only" software for computer graphics (particle, dynamics, realtime calculations), a dual-core 3.0GHz runs the program slightly slow, and dual-core 2.0GHz was running slower.. So I got the 2.33GHz (T7600), could this be over-clocked? If so, are there any cons on over-clocking?

4) How is the battery-life in 5760, if you were just browsing without any heavy processing?

5) It says it has " Built-in Analog TV-Tuner Mini-PCI interface Bluetooth Module" what is this thing for?

6) It says it has "1x Infrared Communication, FIR, SIR and ASK Compliant" what is this thing for?

7) It says it has "1 Express Card 54 Slot" what is this thing for?

8) I will not be getting the "3-year extended warranty". If I accidentally drop my laptop and break it, does the "1-year warranty" it comes with cover such? Where do I find the default warranty information? I looked into one but it is not clear on what exactly the warranty covers, I've read "6 pixels or over" is covered from the forum, where is such information I can read about?

9) I will be using Windows XP Pro. Is Windows installation same as a desktop? (I sound so stupid, but I've never had laptop).

10) Since I'm not using Vista, am I not taking the full advantage of my hardware? (I can't run Vista due to some custom company applications, I'm just curious)

Thank you!

 

2) I think the best way is go to a shop and see whether you like it or not.

3) Only the T7600G can be overclocked.But what are the CPU's you are talking about ? The Core 2 Duo CPU's are very able when it comes to floating point calculations.You can read the article on the overclocking of T7600G on the main page.A DELL representative posted an answer there, stating that the T7600 should be only overclocked to 2.66, not more.So I don't think it's worth the price.Plus, I don't know whether you can get your hands on it (for this Sager).

6)
SIR -> Serial infrared
FIR -> Far infrared
ASK -> also seem to be a kind/format of infrared
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_infrared
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIR

7) It's a PCI Express x1 link.Suitable for TV Tuner and Docking station (as an alternative port if the laptop doesn't have one) and this sort of stuff.Putting the XG-Station and IBM's PCI-Express dock, there are no known methods for using GPUs with this thing.And even if you use them, it's not worth the performance hit.(The current GPUs use x16 link)

9) You should use the SP2 to get it installed properly.And apart from installing the drivers, you should download some other drivers (like wireless and ACPI)

10) The XP brings more performance than Vista at the moment, unless you are thinking of using DX10 (which the current laptops GPUs all lack - including the X2300).)(And there are some projects that are trying to port DX10 to XP)

 

1. Call them. They can most likely adjust your order if it has only been a day or two. This is one big advantage of Resellers like DL.

2. If you're running 1600x1200 on your current monitor, then 1920x1200 is probably what you want. Think of it as a wider version of what you're looking at now.

3. It's hard to answer this accurately without know if you're talking about Intel or AMD. The Intel Core 2 Duo chips are currently the most powerful CPUs out there. But you are never going to get the performance of a premium desktop out of a laptop. Desktop technologies are always ahead of laptops. But I would be very surprised if you noticed that much difference.

4. Around just under 2 hours with browsing or light document use.

5. Internal TV Tuner is optional. You can hook up cable and watch TV on your PC. Don't want it, don't get it. Same with the bluetooth module. Do you have bluetooth devices that you will want to access via your laptop? If no, then leave this off. With either of these two devices, you can always purchase and install them later.

6. That's the infrared port. Pretty standard on every laptop. Built in and not optional. Used to communicate with other devices via infrared.

7. This is the card slot. It's not optional. Expresscard is the new technology that replaces PCMCIA. Used for external devices.

8. Warranty is a personal preference. Many people don't think it's worth it. But if you travel or move around a lot, it may be worth it for you. If you damage it during the first year, the 1-year warranty should cover it. This is also something you should ask the reseller directly. They can answer any questions you have.

9. Installing an OS on a laptop is exactly the same as a desktop. You will receive a CD with all the standard drivers on it that you can install after the OS.

10. You are not losing anything by not using Vista. XP performs perfectly well and will use all your hardware, in many cases faster and more efficient than Vista.

 

Elminst, thank you very much for your answer. Wonderful answer.