Is this Dell Laptop deal gonna get any better?

[ajpa123]

Hey guys,

I love the idea about this forum, the way it helps us save especially in this sucky economy.

Just a question about this Dell laptop deal and whether any of ou think it will get any better in the future

Inspiron 8500 notebook w/ P4-2GHz-M,
free 15.4" WSXGA+,
256MB DDR,
32MB ATI mobility Radeon 9000,
free 30GB, DVD/CDRW combo,
Modem, NIC, XP Home

for $1699
- $100 instant discount
- 5% dell coupon
- $250 rebate

= $1269 w/ free shipping.

It's from the small business division, so there is Tax added to this total, but it sounds like a great deal to me.

If you guys had to choose between upgrading to 512 mb of RAM or a 64 MB graphics chip, what would you do. Im not really a gamer, but love doing graphics stuff that need lots of processing power for rendering. And the screen is huge, so i think gettng the better graphics chip may be better cuz i can get the best of both worlds because im sure 256 MB of RAM is enough for most gaming. I dunno.

I am clueless becuase my current computer is over 4 years old, so i haven't bought any hardware in years so i need guidance.

Thanks everyone,
AJ.

i would go for the 64 meg card. that way down the road you can upgrade the ram when ever you want. Its as simple as popping off the back sliding the ram in and your done.

Sounds like a good deal. i would wait till the very last day to order the laptop, then see what they come out with the next day. if they have a better deal the day after you have time to cancel your laptop order and re order. Personally i would jump on it.

[Richard Cranium]

If it's available on that unit, make sure to get the 5400rpm drive upgrade.
It costs like $79.00 and has the 16mb cache, a real performance upgrade for little coin.

Get Kingston or Crucial 200 pin SODIMM's and save tons.
256 sticks can be had for as little as $32
512 Sticks are up to $157 at crucial.

I posted a deal in Steals & Deals on some Sodimm 200 pin memory.http://www.techimo.com/forum/t59716.html

Is the price gonna get cheaper,, who knows ?

If your usage is gonna be on battery, better opt for the mobile CPU instead of the Hog P4

[ajpa123]

Thanks for the replies.

I am going to go with GroundZero3's recommendation of upgrading to the graphics chip and seriously thinking about that hardrive upgrade suggested by Richard Cranium. I am a little over-budget as it is so that's why im not sure. Does 5400 rpm really make a heck of a difference over 4200 rpm?

I'm a hardcore programmer and got tired of sitting down at my desktop. My rear end and my chair spend too much quality time together, so i need to get a laptop.

Still wondering if i am spending too much. I might even get a lower-end one for now... Maybe if i win the lottery tonite i might change my mind. Who knows..?

AJ.