Puchasing a Laptop - Take a look at these specs.

Oh, and good job on the 6800pro. Im actually buying the exact same system (with 1gb memory). Plan on having some fun with games.

[Wyers]

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Praise the world! 2gb will solve all problems... 2gb for poker is the worst bullshit I seen on this forum.


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If all OP wants to do with it is play poker, the entire machine is overkill. I didn't read that in the post.

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I'm looking to do a little more than play poker but it will not be used for the same intensive apps as my desktop. The desktop is a three monitor set up used regularly for video editing (in addition to poker and some gaming). In this system I'm using 1GB of RAM and I haven't found the need to upgrade to 2GB. The video work is a hobby - not professional.

The 9300 is not overkill as I will use it (to a lesser extent than the desktop) for mutimedia. It will primarily be for poker, web surfing, and some work related usage. I also wanted the UXGA display.

My concern was processor speed. 2GB of RAM is serious overkill and Windows XP Home will work fine.

I upgraded to 1GB and the order has been placed.

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

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2gb is super overkill. 1gb is more than fine and will do more than you need it too. Unless you plan on running memory intensive programs (examples include AutoCad, solidworks, and video/audio editing).

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Is this true? What if you're running a million hand Pokertracker mined DB?

[KenProspero]

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XP Home Edition - Yuck. Go Pro.
512MB RAM - Not enough (as you know).

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Why Yuck, unless he plans on networking his machine? Besides, Dell charges $114 to upgrade to XP Pro. If you ever need it you can pick up the upgrade on line for within a few dollars of that price, I think.

512 megs vs 1 gig.

I suspect that 512 is enough for most people unless they have a specific reason for more. (Example of reason -- I went with a gig, but I'm manipulating a 1gb database on my laptop from time to time and my software developer was pretty sure, but not positive that 512 was enough). Upgrading memory is easy if you should need it.

However, if you think you might want to upgrade memory in the future, it's probably worth it to make sure that the 512 that you're getting is on one chip, not two. This will cost a few extra dollars, but could save you money long run.

To the OP --

I'm not sure I'd buy the case from Dell. Look around and see if you can find one cheaper.

Also, with the latitude line, they have a package where they give you Microsoft Basic, plus Adobe Acrobat (full version, not the reader) for about $140 something. Since Acrobat goes more than this separately, if you feel you'll need this, it's worth doing the upgrade. It may only be there for latitude, or if you buy through the small business department for inspiron -- check it out. If you don't need Adobe, you can get MS Office cheaper (especially, if you're a student or a teacher or live in the same household as one).

Finally, with Dell, my advice, don't buy on line. Call their number and speak to a person.

1. No matter what the website says, the salespeople always match the price that you can get on line.

2. For the small business line, at least, salespeople have some authority to negotiate on the price (this isn't widely advertised, and may be limited to certain products). Ask.

3. If there's a delivery problem, you have a human to talk to.

[KenProspero]

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My concern was processor speed.

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I have a 610D with the 1.86 gh processor and 1gb of ram and I'm very happy with it's speed. As you may be aware, this uses the latest Pentium M chipset and has a faster FSB.

(Admittedly, I haven't been able to get anyone to come up with an easy translation of FSB vs faster chip, so take this for what it's worth). Anyway, I've been very happy with the performance.

[MyMindIsGoing]

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512 is enough for most people unless they have a specific reason for more

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[Wyers]

Thanks for the reply Ken. This (along with your other post) was exactly the type of info I was looking for.

As for the case, it was a freebie thrown in by Dell. Depending on how functional it is, I may or may not purchase another one.

Order has been placed and I'm quite excited . I have an office on the second floor of the house where I do work, play poker and generally lay low. However the wife gets a little irritated if I make like a hermit. Now I'll be able to sneak in a few extra hands in the den while enduring yet another episode of Desperate Housewives.