New Dell laptop 1920 x 1200

[Dennisa]

I am shopping for a new laptop right now. Based on previous comments here, I am looking at Dell as it seems to be the best bang for my buck and I can customize it for playing poker. Can someone tell my how the Dell 1920 x 1200 display looks? I have been runing on a Compaq 1280x1024 17" laptop screen for 3 years. I have 40 year old eyes. Will I be confortable using this resolution for 2 hours straight or 8-10 hours in a day?

For the price it seems like the E1705 is the best deal out for a poker laptop. Also which graphics card upgrade is best for this model? I do not play very many games except poker. I want to 4 table with no overlap. I want to be able to run with a 7200RPM hard drive and dual core for pt/hud as they have been very demanding on my current laptop. Any help will be appreciated.

These are the graphic cards offered from Dell for the E1705:

Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics
256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS

Dennisa

[flash8pro]

I have two Dell 9300s (basically the same as the E1705s) with the TrueLife screens and love them. I have no problem using them all day and have no problem with the sizing of things, but rating monitors is very subjective. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, check out the Dell Direct Store Listing . These are stands in malls that Dell establishes to showcase their products. Hopefully there is one near you - nothing beats being able to actually see the screen for yourself before you buy.

Something to keep in mind: I've been hearing that the newer laptops with dual core processors and killer video cards are putting out a lot of heat, to the point where some people can't stand to have them on their laps. To be honest, I rarely ever use my laptops on anything other than a desk or table, but just be aware that it may not be as portable as one would assume.

Let us know if it's possible for you to check out the laptops for yourself at your local mall; if not, we can take things from there. Regarding the video card, if you are only going to play poker, you can get away with the integrated graphics, but graphics cards can be difficult for non-tech users to change in laptops. I personally would never go with integrated graphics, but I also game a lot too. It really depends on what the "other games" are; there's a big difference between Minesweeper and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

[Dennisa]

Flash,

Thank you so much for the information on the Dell Kiosks. There is a kiosk within a mile from where I live. That was fantastic advice and will go overthere before I order the machine.

As for the heat, I had a compaq laptop with a 2.8 GHZ P4 chip. That beast put out so much heat, I had a dedicated house fan in the back of it so it would not overheat. I also have a laptop fan stand so if this E1705 puts too much heat out, I should be able to use existing devices to make it workable. I use the puter mostly as a desktop machine. It is nice to take it on trips.

After writing this I forgot that I do some Photoshop work from time to time. I can justify ATI mobility Radeon 1400 video card. Its another $119 and worth it just so I dont have to change it in the future. Thank you again Flash for your detailed reply

Dennisa

[flash8pro]

No problem! That's what the 2+2 forums are here for - to solve all of life's problems (ever notice the range of advice outside of poker that is available here?).

One more recommendation I have for you: Be sure to check out the NotebookForums.com - Dell 17" Section . This forum is great for finding out everything you'd want to know about laptops.

In fact, I see a post about the E1705 Screens right now. Don't take subjective advice to heart though - like I said, it's best to see for yourself (read the thread to see what I mean - some hate it and some love it).

Also, be advised that the same model of laptop can have different screen manufacturers. I have two "identical" Dell 9300s, but one has a Samsung screen and one has an LG. The LG initially had a blue tint to it, but once I corrected it, it is slightly more vibrant than the Samsung.

Also feel free to PM me if you have any questions about any part of the buying process. Be sure to check out Slickdeals and Fatwallet for the current deals dell is offering. Their end-of-year is coming up and there are/will be good deals to be had.

[terrellk11]

I'm looking into getting the same model Dell laptop (E1705), and am curious about what other specs I should be watching out for. I guess my two primary questions are (1) Is it safe to assume that the 1.66g duo processor is enough?; and (2) How much RAM would you recommend?

I know these may seem like basic questions, but I'm the Forrest Gump of computers.

[flash8pro]

Don't be worried about asking basic questions - that is how you learn.

My question to you is: What do you intend on using your computer for? Also, do you plan on jumping on the Windows Vista bandwagon when it comes, or do you think you'll stick with XP?

Keep in mind that the Centrino processors (Intel's laptop CPUs) are rated differently than the Pentium 4 CPUs (desktops). The 1.66 GHz chip you mention is the rough equivalent to a 2.66 GHz P4 chip. You should be ok unless you are a heavy gamer and/or want to seriously run Windows Vista.

If you are going to stick with XP, then 1 GB to 1.5 GB of RAM is great for a laptop. Over 1.5 GB and you'll no longer be able to hibernate your machine, which can be a cool feature (it allows you to shut down your computer and restart it exactly where you left off, with programs still open, etc.).

[terrellk11]

flash - I sent you a PM with the basic overview of what I'm looking for. Any feedback (here or PM) would be greatly appreciated.

[McNutty]

sorry to piggyback on this thread but...i was looking at getting this laptop and was wondering how many tables this 17" screen can reasonably accomdate with no overlap..anyone know?

[Freakin]

[ QUOTE ]
sorry to piggyback on this thread but...i was looking at getting this laptop and was wondering how many tables this 17" screen can reasonably accomdate with no overlap..anyone know?

[/ QUOTE ]

1920x1200 can handle 4 800x600 tables with no overlap.

[Dennisa]

Currently if you choose the top of the line model they are giving a 34% discount which will run more than the $750 affiliate discount. I also wanted a 3 yr warrently with accident coverage. I am not in a position to buy another machines in 18 months if this breaks. They did not have a combo warrently like this one, so he upgraded me the the top 4 yr warrently which included accident coverage and then took another $125 off of the laptop if I purchased it right then. So the net on the warrently was $30 bucks less than the 3 yr plus got the 4th year and accident coverage thrown in. Yipppe.


I went with t2400 1.83 GHZ since it was only 50 bucks more expensive. Im hoping it may give me a few more months on the back end.

I upgraded to the 7200 RPM 60GB hard drive. I run pokertracker and hud. Wanted a very fast drive. I have a portable USB already so I just will learn to offload data and music to that drive.

1 GB of ram is sufficient. When I am ready to go to 2GB/4GB I will just purchase aftermarket ram.

I want wireless headphones so I got the bluetooth add on for 30. They are throwing in free shipping and a lighscribe dvd writer in the deal.

I added an additional powercord and 9 cell battery. The power cord is just so I keep one at my desk and the additional in the carrying case. The additional battery should give me up to 5 hours without one.

The one issue that I have with the e1705 is that Dell is no longer putting PCMCIA cards into the machine. I think its called enhanced card technology. It means my Broadband air card will not work in this machine and I will have to purchase a new one. Not happy, but its about $800 cheaper than a comparable gateway. Ship date is June 15th. Thanks for your help

Dennisa