Which Dell Laptop?

[Fors30]

Hey guys, I have a nice desktop but I have some health issues right now and cant sit up for long at it, and I been wanting a nice laptop for a while now. I will be gaming on the laptop it dont have to be perfect and the BEST graphics. My only choice is dell right now because I will be buying this on credit from them. I have $1500 credit. Here are two options I have configured on their site.

#1 $1364 close to $1500 with tax and shipping.
Software & Services
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.40GHz (2.93Ghz Turbo Mode, 3M cache)
2 Year Basic Service Plan
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200
56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Standard Keyboard
17.3” HD+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
High Definition Audio 2.0
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650, 1GB with TV Tuner
No Internal Mobile Broadband
Black Chainlink


Option 2. $1254 so almost $1400 with tax/shipping.
Software & Services
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
2 Year Basic Service Plan
500GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Dell 1397 Wireless-G
Standard Keyboard
17.3” HD+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
High Definition Audio 2.0
No Internal Mobile Broadband
Black Chainlink


Also Includes
Studio 17 Laptop
85 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
No Touch Software
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650


Now #1 has the better video card from what I have read, but it only has the core i5 processor. Also it has a TV tuner but I doubt I would use it much.

#2 has the a worse video card, but better battery (which wont matter too much I will keep it plugged in most of the time) but it has the i7 processor.

What would you guys recommend? Or would you recommend some other dell? I can live with a 15.6" screen but the 17.3" would be nice. Also I want 6gb of ram atleast.

How much better is the Mobility HD 5650 compared to the 4650? Also how much better is the i7 compared to the i5?

[zanzabar]

what are u doing unless u need the quad core for something doing float as the i5 has hyper threading so it will be close for int work and with the little higher clocks it should do better, so #1 would be better

[Fors30]

Hmm I cant think of anything I really need quad core for. As far as dell having better on their site...the best video card I have seen is the 5650 if I want 6 gigs of ram and stay under $1500. I did manage to put together this XPS system which is about the same price as option #1 in my earlier post. How does the 4670 compare to the 5650? From what I am seeing it still isnt as good.

Software & Services
Genuine Windows 7® Home Premium Edition
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-430M (2.26GHz, 4Threads, turbo boost up to 2.53Ghz, 3M cache)
2 Year Basic Service Plan
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3
Edge-to-Edge HD+ Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1600x900) W/2.0 MP
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
9-cell Battery
Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200
Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
Obsidian Black High Gloss Finish
My Accessories
Microsoft Works
McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
Also Includes
Studio XPS 16 Notebook
ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 – 1GB
Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, Multiple Languages
1Yr LoJack for Laptops Theft Protection

[zanzabar]

getting the cheapest ram and HDD then buying a good HDD and ram from newegg will save u money (but then u have the dell card,) why 6GB of ram that will not be identical sized sticks, and i would not want anything from mcafee on my computer most of their security software is worse than nothing. the 1st pick in the OP looks better than your last one, or the 3rd teir xps 16
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...-studio-xps-16

for the gpu im not sure whats better i assume the 5650 is better since it has 400 shaders isntead of 320 with the same memory bandwidth and the 5650 is lower wattage

[Locke]

Have you checked their outlet site? You get a scratch and dent or a reburb for crazy cheap with a full warranty. I would get a business model and if it breaks they will come to your work and fix it!! Then you can get more and don't have to worry about the details.

[vrchards]

Hi Fors30
Your both the option has good. See If I have to purchase I will go with the option no-2 because configuration and speed both are quiet same only difference is of price.and I have observe that speed does not matter for the user who is not professional.

[wragh]

I like the look of option 2.

[shoota]

i'm wondering why you need six gb of ram but not a quad? what are you using 6 gb ram for, i'm assuming maybe photoshop or equivalent?

edit: nevermind this thread is old