Vista Post 1: Non-Profit Proposal of Vista Premium on a Dell Inspiron E1705

scottscanlon — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:17:48 +0000

When a non-profit organization asked me to consult on a laptop purchase, I suggested the Dell Inspiron E1705.

What separates the Inspiron E1705 from other laptops: The 17 inch screen.

Smaller size screens make for a clumsy experience. Users have to resize application windows and they must use the scroll bar extensively. A larger screen makes for a more comfortable and effective experience. In addition, users with poor eye sight will benefit from the larger screen, which can better accommodate larger fonts. The base configuration sells for around $850. The major drawback of the base configuration is its onboard video, which is really underpowered to drive a 17 inch monitor. It can do it, but not as well as it should.

Why buy a 17? screen without a solid video card to power it?

The mid range configuration that I am suggesting sells for $1013. It has the upgraded video card for $99. It also has upgraded sound for $25. A CD/DVD burner adds $40. The OS is upgraded from the Vista Basic Edition to the Premium Edition for free. Again, if you?re going to have great video, why not have a decent sound card and the ability to burn?

Upgrades Summary:

Video Card:

256MB ATI MOBILITY? RADEON� X1400.

$99

Reasons to take Premium Edition:

	Home Basic	Home Premium
Windows Photo Gallery	Yes	Yes
Themed photo slide shows	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player 11	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Center		Yes
Windows Media Center HDTV and CableCard		Yes
Windows DVD Maker		Yes

Detailed Information of the DELL Inspiron E1705 configuration:

Module	Description
Inspiron E1705	Intel� Pentium� dual-core T2060(1MB Cache/1.6GHz/533MHz FSB)
Operating System	Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium + Belkin Easy Transfer Cable
LCD Panel	17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ Display
Memory	1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
Video Card	256MB ATI MOBILITY? RADEON� X1400 HyperMemory
Hard Drive	80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Network Card	Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Combo or DVD+RW Drive	8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Sound Options	Integrated Sound Blaster� Audigy?HD Software Edition
Wireless Networking Cards	Dell Wireless 1390b/g (54Mbps)
Primary Battery	53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

SCOTT SCANLON

Vista Post 1: Non-Profit Proposal of Vista Premium on a Dell Inspiron E1705

What separates the Inspiron E1705 from other laptops: The 17 inch screen.

Why buy a 17? screen without a solid video card to power it?

Reasons to take Premium Edition:

Detailed Information of the DELL Inspiron E1705 configuration: