E1505I6400 Comments Please 1810

Hi Clark,

Maybe you can help me understand this -- why go with a 6400 when the E1505 is basically the same laptop, and it has frequent $750 off coupons?

See you below under your quoted text ...

I love it. I wouldn't do anything differently. It is speedy, responsive, and the battery life is acceptable. I recommend that you check out the following, especially the user reviews on the CNET link:

(46 user reviews)

I am irritated at CNET. Their review page says "We're eagerly awaiting a model of our own in CNET Labs, so stay tuned for a full review". Hello, where is your review?

The E1505 should easily be able to do handle your intended uses. For that matter, even a Pentium M should. So you'll be very happy IMO with response time.

What speed is this at. Are you paying a premium for one small notch? This is an area where you can save if $ is a factor.

See below under your MCE question.

Why not SXGA. Does anyone know if SXGA vs XGA results in a better picture when playing DVDs?

XGA might be the right choice for you if you need reading glbuttes. I am just at that point but am holding out :-) I like SXGA because I can get so much more on the screen, and the Truebrite screen is great.

See below.

You mentioned Paint Shop Pro above. Why go with integrated when you can have dedicated hypermemory? I still get good battery live with dedicated.

That's what I have and it's find. I would have considered a lower capacit at 7200, but I was afraid that it would impact battery life. I am glad that I got 5400 because the system is very responsive -- waiting is never an issue. Maybe if you're dealing with a huge file in Photoshop.

It's niced that DVD RW double layer is pretty much standard these days. I wonder when the DL media will be affordable -- probably by the time the next technology is coming out! I got 50 for $100 on a special coupon deal so I have enough probably for the lifetime of that technololgy.

See below.

I always go with the most expensive wireless card upgrade. The only logic is that if it's more expensive it might be better. I also get bluetooth because I have several Palm pilots (2 for sale, a TX and Zire 72, priced to sell, end of advertisement). With ActiveSync 4.2, the Pocket PC's can once again sync using bluetooth (Axim X51v loaded

See below.

It allows you to receive Remote Desktop sessions (someone correct me if I am wrong). Tom can answer more how MCE is similar to XP Pro. I thought it was similar to Home but I think Tom said it's similar to XP Pro, so maybe MCE allows IIS web serving, blah blah blah.

Other than remote desktop, it enables you to take advantage of the Media Center functionality, such as recording a TV series, etc. I think Tom can help here too -- I use MCE on my desktop, but I wonder if it's not much better than a good USB 2 Tuner with Beyond TV?

Yes, this is good logic. Does anyone know if having two memory DIMMs of different capacity slows the computer down more than two DIMMs with the same capacity?

I think so -- definitely, esp, if you will be doing things with photos.

Is this an internal card or does it fit into the express slot? Soundblaster Live gives you much more control over the audio if it's the same as on the desktop. I don't know if there are any battery life implications. I use my desktop mostly for sound so I go with integrated on my laptops.

As stated above, I go with the most expensive since it's not that much more expensive anyway and I go with bluetooth. I want to run a dual-boot with Linux and I think the Intel cards have better Linux drivers (for some reason Broadcom doesn't). I will probably crash my machine installing Linux on it because I don't know what I'm doing ...

I wouldn't be happy with the 6 cell. The 9 cell is just right for me -- maybe 4-6 hours, depending on what I do with it but I am pretty aggressive with my settings to conserve battery.

Instead of spending $99 for a 9 cell battery upgrade, I recommend getting the 6 cell and paying $129 for the additional 9 cell. (prices may vary, that's what they were when I was buying). That way you get the extra 6-cell you can use in a pinch if you need it.

Also, maybe someone can help me understand this -- I have a 9 cell and a 6 cell -- if I am not going to be using my laptop portably, should I keep my 6 cell in it? -- i.e. does having the battery in even while only on AC all the time wear it down? If so, maybe I should keep the 6 cell in it until I plan to go portable, so I would be running down the less important battery.

I don't think you can go wrong with the E1505. I'd consider the screen resolution, and I'd go with dedicated hypermemory video. I'd also get MCE. I wouldn't pay a premium for the highest CPU speed. I'd get both batteries, get the best wirless card bluetooth, and if it's your only PC then I'd definitely consider Soundblaster Live if that's important to you, but I don't know the effect of that on battery life.

One other thing to consider -- if you are going XGA video resolution, maybe look at the 14" XPS 140 630m after they are upgraded to Core Duo (should be coming up sometime soon but I know how hard it is to wait). You would get much better battery life and the laptop would be more portable.

However, there is a good laptop bag I am going to post about that distributes the weight very well so either should be OK.

Journey