Q: 800Mhz FSB, w/ DDR2 SDRAM @667MHz (& laptop compare!)

[Lotus49]

So, I'm still shoppin' around for my laptop - trying to zero in. Anyway, look at this machine, the high end Dell model, and I note that the memory is slower than the CPU (and no, you can't upgrade to 800MHz memory with this model).

But get this, you can with others! So, I've 'built' 4 laptops here on Dell's website, all with relatively comparative stats (within the bounds of what you can do) -- tell me what you think:

Laptop I
Inspiron 1720
PRICED: $2,364

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7700 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920 x 1200)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
Size: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Card
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition



Laptop II
Inspiron 1721
PRICED: $1,574

AMD Turion and#153 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-66 (2.3GHz/1MB)
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920 x 1200)
ATI RADEON® Xpress1270 HyperMemory™
Size: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini-Card
85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD



Laptop III
XPS M1710
PRICED: $3,474

****Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7600 (2.33GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB)
4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM
Speed: 100GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
512MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 7950 GTX
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945a/g
9-cell Primary Battery and 9-cell additional Lithium Ion Battery
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD


****Note, I have the option of getting the T7600G CPU (all other stats identical) for an additional $275. What's the difference?



Laptop IV
XPS M1730
PRICED: $4,724

Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache)
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Speed: 200GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Blu-ray / DVD / CD Burner (Blu-ray Disc Drive)
NVIDIA®SLI™Dual GeForce®8700MGT with 512MB GDDR3 Memory
Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965a/g/n Mini Card
9-cell Primary Battery and 9-cell additional Lithium Ion Battery
Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD



I've taken out all the nonsense... the HDDs are flexible, I just picked the ones I would probably get based on what was available (do I really need 7200 rpm, or is space more important?). Other than that, I went with max specs. No fancy extras as of yet - just need to nail down the fundamentals first. Anyway notice the CPU/MB speeds (MHz) don't always match w/ the RAM speeds. I thought that was important... if you want to actually get what you pay for.

Anyway, this can't be rocket science... tell me where they're trying to rip me off. Somehow these stats don't seem nearly as different as the prices...

...also why is the AMD priced so low? Is it CRAP? Or, is it the mandatory ATI video card that makes it CRAP? I thought ATI was CRAP compared to NVIDIA. CRAP I don't know.

Anyway, I know some of the experts can just breeze down that list, and tell where the good deal is... please do tell.


P.S. There's probably no way I'm getting laptop IV - I'm not going to pay up for all that post-modern, space age, Bluetooth, Blueray, BlueSky, multitask video conference while trading stocks & receiving a fax with wireless peripherals while you sit in the middle of a swamp & the Dell service guy swims out to help you & serve a martini... CRAP! -I just put it there for comparison.

 

[taper]

Clock speeds, you won't get maximum performance using slower RAM, but it'll still work just fine, and 667 is no slouch. At the moment, I would stick with a Core2 Duo, the Turion doesn't really match up, much as I'd like to promote AMD. Don't waste your money on the Core2 Extreme. Don't waste your money on 4 GB RAM either, your computer can't physically use all of it anyway, and you really only need more than 2 if you do heavy media editing. Hard drives, 7200rpms draw a little more power than slower ones, but have better performance. Personal preference on what you need.

 

[Quintillus]

Three reasons the AMD (1721) is priced so low: (1) You have it configured with 2 GB memory instead of 4 GB, (2) The ATI Xpress 1270 graphics card is a low-end card compared to the 8600M GT, which is a high-end one (scoring approximately 5 times as high in the newest benchmarks), (3) Intel's processors cost slightly more than AMD right now because they are perceived as having (and generally do have) slightly better performance.

I'd recommend Laptop 1 with 2 GB RAM instead of 4 (save $375), and possibly the T7500 instead of T7700 (save $125 and lose only 200 MHz). For both III and IV you'd be paying a heavy premium for somewhat higher performance that you don't need now and that won't increase the lifespan of it that much over option I anyways. Option I isn't the flashiest option, but, at least after you reduce the memory to 2 GB, does deliver the most bang for the buck.

 

[GVBN]

Vostro 1700
$1,549

Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2ghz
17'' LCD Display
2gb RAM 667mhz
160gb 5400rpm
Geforce 8600M GT 256mb
Sound Blaster Audigy HD