Dell Inspiron E1705 laptop

[JSchnett]

I'm looking to buy a new laptop mostly for poker and maybe some video games/movies ect. I'm about ready to buy this laptop and have a few questions. Is the $200 upgrade in processor worth it? I was also considering upgrading the video card as well for $200.

Intel® Core™ Duo T2250 (1.73GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB)
vs.
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB) <--- (add $200)



256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory
vs.
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS <--- (add $200)


Does anybody have any deals, or coupons I can use when I order this?

Thanks
Ogre

[Neuge]

The processor upgrade is absolutely worth it. As for the graphics card, what games do you plan on playing?

Also I have a Dell coupon code they sent me last week that I don't plan on using. PM me if you want it.

[Low Key]

Do a search for Dell Coupon Codes, you can usually come up with something. I ended up paying $50 less for my laptop than I would have had I got a cheaper processor and less nice screen. God bless coupons.

[Beavis68]

the core duo is a good chip but the core2 is quite a bit better. it is also 64bit capable if that ever catches on.

[phu_dawg]

Something to keep in mind is that the E1705 is a tank of a laptop at 17". It is a fine machine, just that 17" laptops in general are huge. I'd recommend getting a 15.4" screen with WUXGA which will limit your options a bit, but Alienware makes a good one that is suited for gaming. If going with the Alienware, then I would recommend the upgrade to the Nvidia graphics board. The 4mb L2 cache is pretty much created for gaming, so just make sure you get a processor that has a 4mb L2 cache. The lowest clock cycle processor with a 4mb cache will do you just fine.

My two cents.

[bort411]

If you're going to get these upgrades, I'd strongly advise looking at a 7200RPM hard drive. When I was using a similar Core Duo chip to the one you have listed, my bottleneck was already the hard drive speed for most applications. I'm now using a Core 2 chip and honestly I don't see any difference, as I never really got to 100% CPU usage to begin with.

Also, it still doesn't seem like 64 bit processing is really going to take of for a few more years.

[TheNoodleMan]

I have e1705 (btw the 9400 is the same laptop) and I'm very happy with it.

I went with the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB)

and the 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory.

Extra processor speed is always good. Mine can handle everything I throw at it with ease.

As far as the video card goes, I don't do a whole lot of gaming but I have played World of Warcraft on my laptop and it doesn't look any different than my desktop that has a 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS.

The one MUST upgrade is the high resolution (1920x1200) screen. Without this upgrade you will not be able to 4-table standard sized poker without overlap.

I also got the bluetooth, which I love because I can use a wireless mouse without having to plug in a usb receiver.

Whenever you are ordering from Dell, coupons are a must.
Try:
www.gotapex.com
and
www.fatwallet.com

Mine was 30% off and ended up being $1300 shipped but that also included a printer. The coupons are constantly changing, if you are willing to wait for a good one you should be able to get the 30%.

Remember that the 9400 and the e1705 are the exact same laptop, the only difference is that the 9400 is sold through Dell small business and the e1705 is sold through dell home. Just get whichever one has the better coupon.

Dell and their website are notorious for giving you many different prices for the same specs depending on how you navigate their website, so play around until you find the best one.