Hi,
I am looking to pick up a laptop and was looking for a little advice. I am in an MBA program and it has progressed to the point wherein I really need a laptop for class and to be able to work where and whenever I have time.
Most of the usage will be on the internet using sites like CapitalIQ, Incestect, S&P NetAdvantage etc along with a lot of work in MS Office. I might run a DVD or play some music on it now and then.
I put this together on the Dell site for $599. It is an Inspiron 1520. Does this look like it can handle my needs while running smotthly and crisply? Should I add another gig of Ram for $100? Do you have an alternate suggestion? Cheaper is always better in my book. Oh, laptop looks count too. I like the black glossy Dell finish. ;-) Also, glossy screen or anti glare? (I use an NEC LCD at home with the gloss finish and I love it.)
Also, whats the story with internet from cell phone providers? Is it pricey and how well does it work? It would be nice to have internet anywhere and everywhere. Do I need to add a part for it?
Thanks so much!
SYSTEM COLOR Jet Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Pentium(R) Dual Core? T2330 (1.60GHz/533Mhz FSB/1MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista ® Home Basic Edition edit
HD DISPLAY Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800) edit
VIDEO CARD Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 edit
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
Edit: I just found another condaidate. I can get XP for free on this one. I don't need Vista right? Not even to run MS Office 07?
My System Details
PROCESSOR Intel® Core? 2 Duo T5270 (1.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD+RW Read and Burn CD and DVD edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce? 8400M GS edit
MEDIA DIRECT Dell Exclusive MediaDirect? Instant Play Software Application edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card edit
WEBCAM No Webcam Option edit
My Accessories
BATTERIES 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
I am looking to pick up a laptop and was looking for a little advice. I am in an MBA program and it has progressed to the point wherein I really need a laptop for class and to be able to work where and whenever I have time.
Most of the usage will be on the internet using sites like CapitalIQ, Incestect, S&P NetAdvantage etc along with a lot of work in MS Office. I might run a DVD or play some music on it now and then.
I put this together on the Dell site for $599. It is an Inspiron 1520. Does this look like it can handle my needs while running smotthly and crisply? Should I add another gig of Ram for $100? Do you have an alternate suggestion? Cheaper is always better in my book. Oh, laptop looks count too. I like the black glossy Dell finish. ;-) Also, glossy screen or anti glare? (I use an NEC LCD at home with the gloss finish and I love it.)
Also, whats the story with internet from cell phone providers? Is it pricey and how well does it work? It would be nice to have internet anywhere and everywhere. Do I need to add a part for it?
Thanks so much!
SYSTEM COLOR Jet Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Pentium(R) Dual Core? T2330 (1.60GHz/533Mhz FSB/1MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista ® Home Basic Edition edit
HD DISPLAY Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800) edit
VIDEO CARD Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 edit
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
Edit: I just found another condaidate. I can get XP for free on this one. I don't need Vista right? Not even to run MS Office 07?
My System Details
PROCESSOR Intel® Core? 2 Duo T5270 (1.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD+RW Read and Burn CD and DVD edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce? 8400M GS edit
MEDIA DIRECT Dell Exclusive MediaDirect? Instant Play Software Application edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card edit
WEBCAM No Webcam Option edit
My Accessories
BATTERIES 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery