Getting an Inspiron 5100 - Some questions

[Kenny]

My generous sister has saved her hard earned money and is helping me obtain an Inspiron 5100 for Christmas.

There weren't any upgrades to the system other than the free DVD / CD-RW combo drive.

Here are some general specs:
P4 2.66ghz
256MB RAM (1 slot)
30GB HD
Radeon 7500 - 32MB
Windows XP Home

I am interested in making some personal upgrades to the laptop, such as RAM, installing XP Pro and having a wireless network card.

For the RAM, I plan to purchase an additional 256MB of sodimm (Buffalo or Kingston, not sure yet) from NewEgg.

For the operating system, I have an academic version of Windows XP Pro I'm hoping to install.

Here's some questions I have:

Would I be voiding any sort of Dell warranty by installing my own RAM? (Assuming they won't know; If I ever send it to them I'll send it back the way I originally received it)

I have seen Dells with recovery CDs (to bring the computer back to its original state). Do all of Dell's computers come with it?

Also, I would like to get a wireless network card, should I be getting an 802.11b or 802.11g? I don't care too much about speed, unless its definitely noticable.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bekker]

I am not a computer expert but might offer some insights on a few things. First, I have an Inspiron 1100 which should be set up about like yours will be. If so, it is extremely easy to change the memory as it requires removing only one screw and then a couple of tabs out of the way. Second, I wondered the same re the warranty and was advised by Dell rep to contact Dell support to ask before doing so. I did not, but figured if need be, I can place the original back in when service is needed. Probably ought to check for sure though. But, you might not find memory for that much less than Dell sells it for as part of a system. I thought I would and then found out that Crucial and Kingmax (I think) and others were as or almost as expensive. For example, if I recall correctly, Crucial was about $130 for 256 megs and you cannot go with just any memory because Dell Notebooks are really picky about which they will work with. Finally, as to the wireless being b or g, I use b and am happy with speed, etc. Seeems I read a review somewhere that said that g has less range, so if range is an issue, you might find b better. Hope you like your new toy!

Bekker

 

[JETninja]

On the wireless.....G is much faster! Much! And the range is comparible with B...either are fine for most homes.

While 802.11b is advertised at 11mb speed...in reality due to signal, encryption, etc....your lucky to see 5mbps....

802.11g is the same...50+Mb's...in reality your lucky to get 20mbps....but 20mb wails over 5mb!!! And G will work with any B signal also....(at B's speed)

 

[TheToOTaLL]

I've had my 5100 for about 2 months now, and I'm extremely pleased with it. The battery life is awesome, not to mention I was able to get it with the DVD/CDRW combo, so I'm set - all I need is more memory!

I did a last minute upgrade to the internal B/G combo. I figured how many 802.11a WAPs will I be running across that I'll need access to, so I saved about $10. If you look on eBay, you can find the miniPCI card (TrueMobile 1300) for about as much as you might be able to find the PCMCIA card, if you're up to installing it yourself.

As for the memory, unless you forsee yourself damaging the motherboard by installing memory, I wouldn't care what Dell has to say. They can't make you buy the same memory you can get elsewhere for cheaper.

Enjoy your lappy!

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: JETninja
On the wireless.....G is much faster! Much! And the range is comparible with B...either are fine for most homes.

While 802.11b is advertised at 11mb speed...in reality due to signal, encryption, etc....your lucky to see 5mbps....

802.11g is the same...50+Mb's...in reality your lucky to get 20mbps....but 20mb wails over 5mb!!! And G will work with any B signal also....(at B's speed)

This is how most people feel, but that most be that they aren't thinking about someone who just surfs and has no network. Unless you are running a network, the B or G arguement is nil. If you are on a network then you will see some big differences, but for web surfing you will be surfing nowhere near the max speeds for B, and G is just plain overkill.

G does have a little bit better range though.

 

[Strykerz1]

My fiance bought a 5100 back in July and is VERY happy with it. It replaced and old P3 800mhz system that I cobbled together for her quite a while ago. I also have the DVD/CD burner combo with 512mb of 2100DDR. Using 802.11B wireless router for the network, no problems. Wireless always has excellent strenght on the meter. I am going to wait until the warranty is up to install XP PRO on it. Good product, great customer service!!! I stay away from the DELL and GATEWAY route for my systems, but as far as laptops go, I highly recommed DELL.......Have fun!!!!!

:beer: