DU computer geeks! I need your advice...

[SallyMander]

I am thinking about getting a new laptop. I have a Dell Inspiron right now, and I like it, so i am looking at Dells. My research involves a lot of GIS (geographic information systems) analyses which involve/generate HUUUUGE files -- satellite imagery, etc -- and my current computer is really slow and freezes up sometimes.

So i'm playing around on Dell.com making myself an XPS 1330 (we will see if i can actually end up affording this -- but i have a coupon for 25% off!). Right now it has:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
LCD AND CAMERA Slim and Light LED Display with VGA Webcam
MEMORY 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz (2 Dimms)
HARD DRIVE Speed: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
VIDEO CARD Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card
BLUETOOTH AND WIRELESS USB Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
BATTERY OPTIONS 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0

And it's pretty expensive! But maybe still doable with the coupon. What do you think? Will this be fast and able to handle ArcMap?? Should i worry more about the size of the hard drive, the amount of memory, or the speed of the hard drive (I could downgrade to 320gb/5400rpm and save $150, for example).

Advice much appreciated! :D

[DarkTirade]

1. For what you do I'd say processor speed and memory are more important than harddrive space

and besides, you can always buy a second drive later when you start to run low on room. Just check online and at local stores every week or so when you're running low on room and you're bound to find a sale on a harddrive. I got a new one for about a third of the regular price just because the store decided to stop carrying that particular model so they were getting rid of the last ten or so. :)

[SallyMander]

2. Thanks DT!

So you think it's worth it to stick with the 7200rpm rather than the 5400? I sort of figured that. I guess i'd rather spend a little more money and not want to throw the computer out the window when it spends 6 hours running an analysis and then crashes. :P

Thanks also for the advice on the hd! I guess another option for me would be to upgrade my current computer... :think:

[hobbit709]

3. Whatever you get, run PC Decrapifier on it

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

This will get rid of all the "trial offers" and garbage that Dell is notorious for bogging systems down with.

[SallyMander]

4. Haha - that's great!

Thanks for the tip. I hate all that stuff they load on there.

[NJmaverick]

5. I suggest if you are going to run Windows Vista you have 2 things

1) Seperate video memory (not shared)

2) At least 3 gigs of RAM

[Ohio Joe]

6. That should be plenty but...

Before you go ahead and get a new computer, let me ask. Do you know if your current computer meets the requirements for the software? Are you running all of the correct patches(software often releases patches for compatibility issues, check the makers website) and versions of software it may use (such as JAVA)? Will adding some more RAM solve your issues? I would suggest checking with the software manufacturer before buying new, they often have help available and it could be a lot cheaper.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. I wouldn't downgrade to a 5400 HD. After spending all...

that money on a new machine you don't want to throw a bottleneck in there-- the drive will be used for the swap file and a lot of reading and writing of data files, so should be as fast as possible. I wouldn't skimp on memory, either.

You gonna use this thing onsite so you need a laptop? A good desktop would be a lot cheaper and easier to add goodies to.

(Will ArcMap run on Vista?)