Legit Reviews

Hello, i'm new around here and definitely NOT that knowledgeable about computers & their components...so I'm hoping i can get some help. I pretty much know the basics..but I'm looking to purchase a notebook and have discovered that the basics just won't cut it. Anyway, through my company, we get a discount with Dell (approx 5-12%, depending on $ spent) I've been looking at the following:

Dell Inspirion 640m - it offers multiple configuration options and this is where I'm having a problem making a decision. They are offering it with the configuration below:

Intel® Core™ processor DUO T2050 (2MB Cache/1.60GHz/533MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
120GB Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharpâ„¢ TFT Display with TrueLife
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell Wireless 1390 Mini Card (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

Total - $899 Canadian Dollars (not including whatever discount I get)

So...my questions are....

1. Is there a major difference between the Duo and the Core 2 Duo processor? I will not be gaming on this unit, mostly for work related stuff -(which is primarily word processing), and music & movie downloading & burning...etc.

2. Is is better to go with 1 GB, 1 Dimm instead?

3. I can choose a smaller HD (100GB) but at 7200RPM...($120 difference), Would this be worth it?

and finally

4. I can choose the 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery for an extra $40. Would this be worth the investment?

I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you have...Thanks (sorry for the long post)

1. If you are burning music and movies, I would certainly go with the Core 2 Duo, as you will see better performance.

2. I would get the least amount of ram and upgrade it yourself. Dell charges WAY to much for ram.

3. For $120, I would get the smaller drive and buy a bigger drive myself, then sell the 100GB drive and you will probably save some money.

4. If you use the battery a lot, then I would upgrade it. If not, then do not worry about it. You can get them on Ebay as well later if you need to.

hope that helps!

PJ

Thanks...that does help. I do have a few more questions though...

1) Is there an noticeable difference between say the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5200 (2MB Cache/1.6GHz/533MHz FSB) and the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5500 (2MB Cache/1.66GHz/667MHz FSB)? Dell is charging $50 for the upgrade

2) Does any one know if now is a good time to purchase or should i wait a bit longer? These are Dell 'boxing week' sale prices which in my limited searching (last 2 months) seem to go up or down with some minor spec changes

3) Does anyone know what other similar equipped/priced notebooks i can get for under $1,000?

Thanks

1. Not really in benchmarks maybe, but nothing you'll notice in day to day use
2. Its a good time to purchase. There is nothing new on the horizon and in my opinion that's a very good notebook your looking at
3. See 2