Is this Dell Notebook a good deal?

[jesset]

Im planning on buying a laptop now or in the next month and was wondering if this would be a good deal to go ahead and order or should i wait, the intel core 2 duo price cuts april 22nd shouldnt effect notebook cpu's right?

Inspiron 6400 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows Vista™ Business
LCD Panel 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
Memory 512MB Shared Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
Video Card 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
Hard Drive 120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Optical Drive 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Sound Options Integrated Audio
Wireless Networking Cards Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless

I plan on buying 2 gb of ram off newegg for $120. I can get the actual notebook - new ram for $1071 after $300 in instant rebates. I am willing to buy right now unless you guys find anything wrong with it.

I don't want to play any games, mostly just work with Microsoft Office, Photoshop and music and video stuff and recoding and burning dvd's.

 

[lostandwandering]

No, I don't think you will find a better deal. I looked at HP and Gateway and compared them to that Dell. The Dell ended up being cheaper than either of HP's or Gateway's offerings. I don't think that today's cuts will affect laptops. I say go for it.

On a side note, I would recommend getting a 7200 rpm hard drive. You will be able to access your files a lot faster.

 

[jesset]

thanks for the reply, i thought about the 7200 rpm hdd but everyone on forums said that it caused your notebook to be a lot hotter and uses a lot more power so i decided not to go for it.

 

[lostandwandering]

Not a bad decision if you need the extended life. Worst case scenario, you do what my brother did and buy faster external drive. Portability and longevity when it counts and speed when you need it. Even without the faster drive, I still say go for it.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

This should be factor in your decision

http/www.resellerratings.com/store/Dell

 

[lostandwandering]

Yeah, but what other company would you suggest, besides a Mac, that would be better. Personally, I have never had a bad experience with Dell (2 laptops, 3 desktops and 2 monitors). Sony is much worse and HP and Gateway are about even, with customer service, with Dell. At the moment, Dell also offers the best price/performance, only rivaled by gateway who's notebooks offer almost the exact same options for a similar price. I'm not doubting that Dell has some issues, but must add that they are getting better and not many other companies are better.