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Hi, So I'm off to graduate school in chemistry (in the US) next month and I'm going to be purchasing a laptop/desktop for my new place. In terms of computer needs, nothing special since I probably won't have much time for gaming and I don't believe I will be using any processor intense software. After scouring the many blogs/threads about laptops I decided to go for a Dell (Latitude E6510) since my university offers a Dell affiliate discount. I am not the greatest with computers so I have a few questions at the bottom regarding customization of this laptop. No fixed budget, however, I do not want to pay for features I will not need/or that will be of little benefit.
I also plan to purchase a desktop as well. There appear to be less threads about this since it seems most people are into building there own computer. That's pretty awesome, however, I am lacking the time/expertise for that and plan to purchase a built one. I'm sort of looking for general recommendations for good desktop brands. I'm not sure if companies that make good quality laptops are also known for their desktop qualities eg. Lenovo? As with the laptop, I can purchase a desktop through Dell, or as an affiliate through GovConnection, or from a store eg. Best Buy.
Laptop Questions:
a) Windows 7 Professional 32 bit vs 64 bit?
I really have no clue which is better to get
b) Processor is i5-520M (2.4Ghz 3M cache)
I can upgrade to 540M (2.53Ghz) $37 or i7-620M, i7-720QM for $90, $135 respectively. I'm guessing based on my needs, its not really worth an upgrade here?
c) Display is HD+ (1600x900) Wide View LED
I can upgrade to FHD (1920x1080) for $37. I like the higher resolution, so I might go for this upgrade.
d) Graphics: 512MB NVIDIA NVS 3100M
It offers free upgrade to 512MB NVIDIA NVS 3100M for quad core. I'm not sure what that means??
e) Memory: 4Gb
I can upgrade to 8Gb for $280 (I'm guessing this is not worth it)
f)Storage: 250GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
I will probably upgrade to 350GB for $22, any thoughts on SSD 128GB for $225?
g) Wireless Lan: Intel Centrino Adv-N 6200 802.11a/b/g/n
I can upgrade to Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 or Intel Centrino Adv-N WiMAx 6250 for $15 and $26 respectively. I really know nothing about this. Will upgrading increase my wireless speed?
h) Battery: 9 Cell Battery
I can upgrade to get a 3yr warranty on this for $53. Is this a worthwhile thing to do? From my understanding battery problems seem pretty common.
i) Warranty: Right now it comes with 3 Yr Next Business Day Onsite service. For $20 i can keep my HDD, I will probably pay for this. But is it worth it to increase to 4 or 5 yrs for a laptop like this (costs $70 and $186 respectively)? Any thoughts on Dell Complete Care (extra $100 for the 3yr)?
j) I will also upgrade to the fingerprint/smartcard reader and backlit keyboard unless there are flaws/disadvantages to these features.
Thank you.
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So many tech threads not enough ..... hoes.
I don't want to spray doo doo all over you because the imagery is just unpleasant, but there is people in real life who get paid for this ; )
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yeah, people like me, but for some reason we still do it for free
A)get windows7-64bit, it means you can use more then 3 GB of memory, if you went 32 bit you would be wasting some of your memory.
B) the i7s are sexy, but if you are getting a desktop too I would go with the cheap one, its pretty good anyway
C) higher resolutions require more power(electricity) and computing power so you are taking a notch off battery life with a bigger screen(not much, but noticable) and if you wanna play games at those higher resolutions I would suggest upgrading the video card
D) eh I dont really understand what you are saying, but the "upgrade" seems to be for the same card
E) Some ram is good, more is better, but if you are looking to save money 4GB is prob enough for you
f) I would go for the 350 gig, 22 bucks for a lot more storage is nice. SSDs are moderatly faster but not worth the huge price difference imo
G) As for wireless they all support the latest (N) and most common(G) formats so the difference between them is pretty minor
h)battery problems are common, but read the warrenty, if it doesnt cover general use and only covers blowing up I wouldnt bother, but if you can get a new battery after 3 years then go for it
i)for me its not worth it cause I fix my own computers, but its up to you to decide
j) backlit keyboards kick ass and the other stuff is useful too
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mrmin123
Korea (South)2971 Posts
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EPT
