[tonyvdb]

Well, our current laptop has gone by-by and we need a new one.
I priced out several and finally decided on going with a Dell. What do you guys think of these specifications?

My plan is to also use it with REW as it has a line input jack.

Studio 17 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)

System Color Option Jet Black

Memory 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

LCD Panel Glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440x900)

Video Card 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650

Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

Hard Drive Size: 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 64 Bit


Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0

Combo or DVD+RW Drive 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Sound Card Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled

Wireless Networking Cards Intel®WiFi Link 5100 802.11agn Half Mini-Card

Camera Module Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam

Battery Options 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)

Hardware Support Services 1 Year Limited Warranty w/1 Year Return To Depot Service

Direct Line Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

Processor Branding Intel® Centrino® Processor

Dell Remote Access Dell Remote Access, free basic service

 

[Sonnie]

Looks very robust. What kind of pricing?

I was able to do a lot better with an HP HDX 18t back when I purchased mine... since they had 30% off at the time. Not sure of the deals right now.

I would recommend looking at the Small Business side of Dell and getting Vista Business or Ultimate with the 64-bit. Generally the Small Business side is less expensive and offers better support.

 

[tonyvdb]

I am getting $250 off the regular price so I will pay $1100 CAD.
I will look into the business pricing and see if I qualify.

 

[Sonnie]

Oh yeah... I forgot you are in Canady. :sarcastic:

 

[tonyvdb]

Yup, Electronics are still far more up here (about 20%) than in the US I still cant figure out why. Our $$ is again catching up to yours.

 

[dradius]

looks like a nice system. don't know if you've ever used Windows Vista before but i know several people who have hated it and installed XP on their new computers. you might check out slickdeals.net people post some pretty good deals from time to time.

 

[tonyvdb]

It comes with a free upgrade to Windows 7 once it is available to Dell (next few weeks is my understanding) so that is what I will do.

 

[nova]

I'd say it looks like a fine system. My opinion, for value, quality and price, I'd go Dell or HP right now. Stay away from the Toshiba's, they are no where near what they once were. I also recommend Sager laptops, though they are generally a bit more expensive than the Dell's or HP's.

 

[tonyvdb]

Our IT director at the university where I work at says Dells for the money are a great value. He sees alot of Gateways and Compaq/HPs in his office with hardware failures from students. He likes Alianware but they are pricey and he says Toshiba's are ok if you buy the better ones not the $499 specials.
Acer seems to be one that is also getting better. The biggest thing I hear from people is to make sure that they have side ventilation not bottom as if you use them on your lap allot you block the vents and they over heat fast.

 

[RTS100x5]

My 2 cents worth . Buy a copy of WIN7 Ulitimate 64 . Format the drive . Install Win7 Ult 64.
Dell and other puts a massive amount of bloat ware trial programs etc that just take up space. A clean install will get you the best performance right up front...