video card and HD suggestion for dell laptop...PLEASE
TheKeith
components. This system will have the new 1.83Ghz duo core dual blah
blah chip and 1GB of memory.
I'm torn over whether the 100GB 7200 RPM is worth $250 more than the
5400rpm version. If there's a huge difference, then I'd be willing to
pay, but the dell site says the only difference is that the 7200 rpm one
has 1 millisecond less of seek time, both have an 8MB buffer. Is this
significant?
The other issue is the video card. I'm not a gamer, but I'm a multimedia
designer who works with photoshop and flash a lot. You basically have
three options for video card. One is the standard Intel Graphics Media
accelerator 950 (which I assume uses system memory), the others are ATI
Mobility Radeons, one with 128MB video memory and the other with 256MB.
I really need to get this ordered today since my toshiba was a recent
victim of wine spillage. Anyway, any help would be greatly
appreciated--thanks.
Keith
dave_b...@hotmail.com
I just ordered a similar system (Dell 6400, 1.83 GHz, 1 GB DDR2, etc.)
Where I live, the upgrade from 80 GB (5400?) to 100 GB 7200 was much
less than $250. I believe it worked out to about $150 in the
difference when I ordered on Thursday. This is in CDN dollars, mind
you, and the Dell Canada website has some very different pricing
compared to the US site.
If the difference is $250, I'd say it's definitely not worth it. If it
were an extra $50-$75, I (personally) would consider it. For starters,
the added performance boost is really only applicable in situations
where you are transferring large blocks of data (such as loading
games!). As you said, the access time is similar. In theory, you've
got an additional 33% speed boost with a 7200 RPM. I read an older
review (2004) with a comparison between 4200/5400/7200 RPM drives. The
difference in transfer speed was on the order of 8%, not 33%. The
performance gap may have widened, but I have no data to support that.
Conversely, a 7200 RPM drive is detrimental in a few ways:
1) Increased power consumption (lower battery life)
2) Higher heat dissipation (not so good for the lap or any other
surface)
3) Shorter notebook lifespan. With increased temperatures, component
failure rates are accelerated. Again, I have no data for this, but you
may see drive failure after 5 years with a 7200 RPM when a 5400 RPM may
last 10 years. Temperature affects the failure rate of all electronics
(hard drive, CPU, etc.).
4) Higher noise levels. 33% faster may mean more than a 33% boost in
noise from the drive rotation...and the system fans may have to operate
more frequently due to higher temperatures.
Damn. I just convinced myself that I shouldn't have gotten the 7200 RPM
drive! Too late now....
As for the video card, I would recommend that you get dedicated
graphics. The GMA 950 is better than most integrated notebook
solutions. However, if you're doing any sort of graphical work I
highly recommend the X1400. I don't think this is a true 256 MB
card....it has 128 MB of GDDR and another (potential) 128 MB of
"hypermemory" or something like that. The additional memory is shared
with your system memory, so you may want to disable it.
The drawback of dedicated graphics is (1) higher cost and (2) increased
power consumption...higher temps, etc., etc.
Summary based on my personal opinion: Go for the X1400, dump the 7200
RPM drive.
Cheers,
Dave
TheKeith
Hey Dave, thanks for your help. I've decided on the 5400 rpm drive, I'm
still not sure about the video though. I know what youre saying but the
machine does have 1GB of memory--do I really need separate video
memory?, not to mention teh increased power consumption and higher
temps. Do you think I'll really notice any improvement in performance
when working with mostly static graphics and little animations in flash,
and teh occasional video?
TheKeith
Hey Dave, thanks for your help. I've decided on the 5400 rpm drive, I'm
still not sure about the video though. I know what youre saying but the
machine does have 1GB of memory--do I really need separate video
memory?, not to mention teh increased power consumption and higher
temps. Do you think I'll really notice any improvement in performance
when working with mostly static graphics and little animations in flash,
and teh occasional video?