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United States4991 Posts
Anyway, I've decided to get a new laptop, because my old one is shitty and can't even play Warcraft 3 without lagging due to too much going on in a 1v1.
<h2>Don't suggest a MacBook or shit like that; I'm not interested in a Mac! I'm looking for input on configuring this laptop, so unless you have valid reasoning for it rather than "I like X brand better lol", please don't start suggesting I look at Lenovo or HP or whatever else (and I welcome suggestions like that if they're more than just a rough personal preference)</h2>
I'm currently looking at the Dell Studio XPS 16 (the one on the left: here)
I'm gonna go through each thing and bold the things I'm unsure about what's going on! Also italics indicate the "recommended by Dell" option. (sometimes... I often forgot to do this, but whatever)
Color: The default one
Processor: Options:
+ Show Spoiler +Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P7350 (3MB cache/2.0GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [Included in Price]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $75 or $3/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $125 or $4/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9550 (6MB cache/2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $250 or $8/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9800 (6MB cache/2.93GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $525 or $16/month1]
So I don't really have any idea what the different options here are. I'd lean towards the recommended one just because it's recommended but *shrug*.
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit (I don't have much need for Vista Ultimate)
Office Software: None (I can get Office Cheaper through my company store)
Warranty: 3 year? 1 year? 2 year? 3 year = 300 bucks more than 1 year. It seems like a substantial portion of the price  What option would you guys recommend?
Screen: Options
+ Show Spoiler +Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen 16.0 inch RGBLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP [add $250 or $7/month1]
Dell Recommended
Edge-to-Edge HD+ Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1600x900) W/2.0 MP [Included in Price]
Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP [add $75 or $2/month1]
Uhhh  I don't really have any idea what the difference between these is. Certainly spending an extra 175 on an extra .4 inches seems like a waste to me. Is FHD really worth that extra money compared to HD+? I'd probably end up going with HD+ option unless there's some reason not to.
I'm not a big movie watcher on my laptop, I use it primarily for gaming sort of stuff.
RAM: Options
+ Show Spoiler +
3GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [Included in Price]
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $35 or $1/month1]
5GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $275 or $8/month1]
6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $300 or $9/month1]
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $600 or $18/month1]
I dunno what the difference is (besides the fact that more memory is good  ) So I'd probably default to going with the 6 GB DDR3 recommended one! Any reason not to?
Hard Drive: 250 GB (I'm not a big user of hard drive space since I don't pirate things, so I went for the smallest size)
Internal Optical Options: + Show Spoiler +
8X DVD+/- RW(DVD/CD read/write) Slot Load Drive [Included in Price]
BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive [add $150 or $4/month1]
CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW) +Roxio Creator 10 Premier-Ultimate Burn/Authoring [add $79 or $2/month1]
4X Slot Load Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD) [add $275 or $8/month1]
Hm oO
I don't watch many movies on my laptop, as I'd be more inclined to watch them on my TV! Is there any reason to spend extra money on it, or is the basic one above just fine for stuff?
Video Card: Options:
+ Show Spoiler + ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670 - 512MB [subtract $100]
ATI Mobility RADEON™ HD 4670 – 1GB [Included in Price]
Better video cards are better, right? :D I figured going for the better one would serve me well, or is it likely that by the time I'd need the better one the rest of the laptop would be outdated?
Wireless: Intel® 5100 WLAN Wireless-N (1x2) Half Mini Card [Included in Price] (cheapest one, I don't use wireless much)
Antivirus Options: + Show Spoiler +Norton Internet Security 2008, 15-Month add $0
Trend Micro Internet Security 15-months add $0
No Security add $0
McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months [Included in Price]
Which of those antiviruses is the best? No idea...
Bag Does this come with a default bag? Or do I have to pick one of the bags listed here? I tossed in the cheapest of the bags in case it doesn't come with one, but I'd rather just use the default one if it does come with one.
Preloaded Music: Rock Titans 50 MP3 Songs Playlist [$25 or $1/month1]
Yeah I'm sure I'll get flak for this, but I actually like most of that music, and as I said before I don't pirate things really 
Final Price: $1,714
Well? I'm woefully ignorant about stuff like this, so input is very welcome !
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If you're not telling us your budget, why not get the best options?
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Kentor
United States5784 Posts
The screen options also lists the native resolutions that you are getting. Personally I would get the upgrade to 1920x1080 on 15.6 inch screen. I really love high resolutions and there are a lot more space to work with. The font will be a lot smaller though but still readable.
Also for antivirus I would just choose nothing and install stuff myself later.
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Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9550 (6MB cache/2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $250 or $8/month1]
Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP [add $75 or $2/month1]
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $35 or $1/month1]
BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive [add $150 or $4/month1]
ATI Mobility RADEON™ HD 4670 – 1GB [Included in Price]
Here's what I would get though. Warranty is up to you
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United States4991 Posts
I have no specific budget Sadist. Ultimately I just want to get the laptop which is the "best" without wasting money on features that are overpriced.
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On August 08 2009 10:03 HnR)Insane wrote:Color: The default one Processor: Options: + Show Spoiler +Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P7350 (3MB cache/2.0GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [Included in Price]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $75 or $3/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $125 or $4/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9550 (6MB cache/2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $250 or $8/month1]
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9800 (6MB cache/2.93GHz/1066Mhz FSB) [add $525 or $16/month1]
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit (I don't have much need for Vista Ultimate) Vista still blows chunks, if you can change the HD type into "Compatible" mode then you can install XP on it if you have a copy of it around, if not, not much you can do but cope with Vista.Office Software: None (I can get Office Cheaper through my company store) Warranty: 3 year? 1 year? 2 year? 3 year = 300 bucks more than 1 year. It seems like a substantial portion of the price What option would you guys recommend? Warranty is useless, always breaks right after your warranty expires, and there are VERY FEW companies that actually make going through the process a breeze. How much is it exactly?Screen: Options + Show Spoiler +Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen 16.0 inch RGBLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP [add $250 or $7/month1]
Dell Recommended
Edge-to-Edge HD+ Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1600x900) W/2.0 MP [Included in Price]
Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP [add $75 or $2/month1] : Options + Show Spoiler +3GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [Included in Price]
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $35 or $1/month1]
5GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $275 or $8/month1]
6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $300 or $9/month1]
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) [add $600 or $18/month1]
Hard Drive: 250 GB (I'm not a big user of hard drive space since I don't pirate things, so I went for the smallest size) HD, yeah you don't need something gigantic so 250GB is perfectInternal Optical Options: + Show Spoiler +
8X DVD+/- RW(DVD/CD read/write) Slot Load Drive [Included in Price]
BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive [add $150 or $4/month1]
CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW) +Roxio Creator 10 Premier-Ultimate Burn/Authoring [add $79 or $2/month1]
4X Slot Load Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD) [add $275 or $8/month1]
: Options: + Show Spoiler + ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670 - 512MB [subtract $100]
ATI Mobility RADEON™ HD 4670 – 1GB [Included in Price]
 Antivirus Options: + Show Spoiler +Norton Internet Security 2008, 15-Month add $0
Trend Micro Internet Security 15-months add $0
No Security add $0
McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months [Included in Price] Does this come with a default bag? Or do I have to pick one of the bags listed here? I tossed in the cheapest of the bags in case it doesn't come with one, but I'd rather just use the default one if it does come with one. You can buy bags for $20 CAD or around $17 USD at a ton of places.
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51593 Posts
I should just blog it haha.
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The cpus with the p in the front runs on less watts which makes the cpu cooler. (im pretty sure) I would go for the P8700. The screens are preference, not sure what the hd stuff are but its the resolutions you should focus on.
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does this mean ill see you on dota soon petey?! : )
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United States4991 Posts
(My comments in blue, his in red)
On August 08 2009 10:14 kOre wrote:Vista still blows chunks, if you can change the HD type into "Compatible" mode then you can install XP on it if you have a copy of it around, if not, not much you can do but cope with Vista.I never had problems with Vista personally, although I am aware some people dislike it. I'm sure I can get tech support help if I do have problems with it, and I know people who have gotten it working with Vista/Windows 7 so I'm sure I'll manage Warranty is useless, always breaks right after your warranty expires, and there are VERY FEW companies that actually make going through the process a breeze. How much is it exactly?I think $69, but the site doesn't make it easy to tell absolute price, just relative prices
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United States4991 Posts
Sadist: what about the blu ray optical makes it worth the extra money?
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Dell is good about coming through on their warranties.
I've had several Dell's and having a minimum 2 year warranty is a good idea. The things that have broken: 19" flat screen x2, ATI video card, laptop HD, network card - were replaced within 2-3 business days.
In the case of the monitors - I was shipped a new monitor w/o questions asked, and received a box + shipment paid to send the broken ones back. The internal components Dell replaced themselves @ one of the local Dell stores.
You'll regret not getting a warranty.
edit:
Forgot about the laptop power cord + laptop battery. The warranty covered those as well!
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United States22883 Posts
From the bottom (since I'm scrolling up)
1. I think the bag is separate unless it explicitly says it. Either way, I probably wouldn't get one from Dell. I'd go to a store like BB or Frys and find a bag you like.
2. Don't buy any. Get a free AV package like Avast! or Avira (AVG has gone to shit recently.) I use Avast! and I'm happy with it. No noticeable performance hit and it only bugs me to renew my free subscription once every 90 days or something. I think Avira does it more often.
3. 4670 is a good card. 3670 is not (it'd be fine for WC3, but not newer games)
4. It's up to you, either option 1 or 2. Does the laptop have HDMI? If so, you could hook it up to an HD TV and use the Bluray player in the laptop. If you don't have an HD tv and all that, I'd probably just get option 1.
5. More is better, but they're charging you an assload more for an increase you probably won't need. If you're not doing lots of video editing and rendering, you probably won't need more than 4GB. Even 4GB is probably overkill, but it's cheap enough to justify the price.
6. Wow, they give you really nice resolution options. I assume the 16" is going to add to weight and everything else, so consider that. Still, for a 15.6" screen, the default max resolution they give is really good. I'd probably go with that (15.6"/1600x900.) That's super widescreen though.
7. Warranty is up to you. Does it come with a basic warranty like for parts and labor? It probably does. Extended warranties are usually just for accidental damage (you break it), not the computer failing on its own, which should already be covered.
8. I'd either get the P8600 or T9550. The biggest difference is the cache, and tbh I don't know how that differentiates their performance in most games.
I'd consider a bigger HD though, depending on the prices. Even if you don't pirate stuff, it's easy to find ways to waste hd space. o.o
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Processor: Leave it at the first one for better battery life. If you want better gaming performance get the Dell recommended.
Warranty: Depends on how much you value your investment. For almost a quarter of the total cost I would say it's not worth it as long as you don't treat it like shit.
Screen: The 1080p looks really nice, definitely worth the upgrade. 15.6 to save your wallet.
RAM: Get 4GB you don't need more than that for gaming or anything else you would be doing on a laptop.
Internal Optical: Default, no point getting blu-ray if you're not going to use it. They're too expensive anyway imo.
Video Card: Stick with the default.
Antivirus: I'd say none and get a free one like Kapersky if you really want one. Trend micro as a second choice.
Bag: Likely doesn't come with one.
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CPU speed means jack shit for games therefore cache means jack shit.
Don't get confused. Cache size is obviously useful but it's not something that you would notice.
As long as you don't get some crappy Celeron you should be fine.
P8600 is a 2.4, T9550 is a 2.55
lol
see? not even a 10% increase what is the point?
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On August 08 2009 10:29 yenta wrote:
Dell is good about coming through on their warranties.
I've had several Dell's and having a minimum 2 year warranty is a good idea. The things that have broken: 19" flat screen x2, ATI video card, laptop HD, network card - were replaced within 2-3 business days.
In the case of the monitors - I was shipped a new monitor w/o questions asked, and received a box + shipment paid to send the broken ones back. The internal components Dell replaced themselves @ one of the local Dell stores.
You'll regret not getting a warranty.
edit:
Forgot about the laptop power cord + laptop battery. The warranty covered those as well!
+1 on this, Dell's customer service dept. is top notch.
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United States22883 Posts
On August 08 2009 11:52 haduken wrote:
CPU speed means jack shit for games therefore cache means jack shit.
Don't get confused. Cache size is obviously useful but it's not something that you would notice.
As long as you don't get some crappy Celeron you should be fine.
P8600 is a 2.4, T9550 is a 2.55
lol
see? not even a 10% increase what is the point?
Depends on the game. TF2 is almost entirely CPU driven. I've got a 8800GT but get worse FPS with a 1.8c2d than I do with a Athlon 2400+ and a 6800GT.
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On August 08 2009 10:24 HnR)Insane wrote:
Sadist: what about the blu ray optical makes it worth the extra money?
I was assuming you wanted to play blu-ray movies on it eventually
If you aren't though, forget about blu-ray - you can download 1080p rips for free off the torrents with comparable quality to the original and watch them without any drive
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For your warranty, I don't reccommend getting 3 years. 1 year is generally put as "come with" the computer...if you have any problems, 99% of the time in my experience occurs within the first 3 months. plus by 3, 4, 5 years you may already have switched on, technology moves so fast.
Although there are always unlucky stories
If you're tight on cash, well...
If you're not, and peace of mind is valuable
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EPT
