Question:
9400 vs 6400/ chip vs Vid card
So I am getting a laptop and have a top spending level of about 1200. so far I have decided between the inspiron 9400 & 6400. I am a light gamer, things like bf1942 & hl2 etc. here are the specs for each one at my price range, I know the 9400 has a WAY better card, but then I give up other amenities like a faster processor and faster wireless card, that will come in handy in college, which should I pick? Or what other laptop should I consider?
ohh and is the memory on the video cards all dedicated or is it like a 1/2 combination?
things given up = *
things added = +
9400
1 core 2 duo 1.6
2 17" w/o truelife
3 1 gb 533mhz 2 dimm
4 120 gb Hard drive 5400rpm
5 8x cd/dvd burner
6 256 NVIDIA 7900gs +
7 slower wierless (1390)
8 integrated sound blaster
9 9-cell lithium
6400
1 core 2 duo 2.0 *
2 15.4" w/ truelife
3 1gb 533mhz 2 dimm
4 100gb hard drive 7200rpm *
5 8x cd/dvd burner
6.256 ati x1400
7 pro wireless 3945 *
8 internal bluetooth *
9 integrated sound blaster
10 9-cell lithium
11 carrying case *
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
I thought all wireless cards used the same basic principals; 802.11 a /g at 54Mbps or b at 11Mbps - and there's a new 802.11 n at ? mbps.
I presume there is an advantage of paying an extra £9 for the Dell Wireless card over the Intel PROSet Wireless? The only difference I've seen (bearing in mind I don't have a Dell Wireless card) is you get an "Intel Core Duo Inside" sticker for the Dell card and "Intel Centrino Duo" for the Intel card.
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
Fill out the FAQ
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
So I am getting a laptop and have a top spending level of about 1200. so far I have decided between the inspiron 9400 & 6400. I am a light gamer, things like bf1942 & hl2 etc. here are the specs for each one at my price range, I know the 9400 has a WAY better card, but then I give up other amenities like a faster processor and faster wireless card, that will come in handy in college, which should I pick? Or what other laptop should I consider?
ohh and is the memory on the video cards all dedicated or is it like a 1/2 combination?
things given up = *
things added = +
9400
1 core 2 duo 1.6
2 17" w/o truelife
3 1 gb 533mhz 2 dimm
4 120 gb Hard drive 5400rpm
5 8x cd/dvd burner
6 256 NVIDIA 7900gs +
7 slower wierless (1390)
8 integrated sound blaster
9 9-cell lithium
6400
1 core 2 duo 2.0 *
2 15.4" w/ truelife
3 1gb 533mhz 2 dimm
4 100gb hard drive 7200rpm *
5 8x cd/dvd burner
6.256 ati x1400
7 pro wireless 3945 *
8 internal bluetooth *
9 integrated sound blaster
10 9-cell lithium
11 carrying case *
The 7900gs is 256MB of dedicated awesomeness. The x1400 is 128MB dedicated, up to 128 shared from system memory. For more information on graphics cards, check out the GPU Guide. The x1400 will run the games you mentioned.
Any modern processor will be plenty fast, the only thing is that the T7x00 series has 4MB of L2 cache while the T5xx0 has 2MB. This likely will not be noticeable unless you will be doing processor intensive tasks often.
If you will be moving around often, and as a college student I expect you will be, (I am ;) ) you will not want a 17 inch notebook--you may not even want a 15.4 inch laptop. I had an e1505 for a while and I switched to a 14.1 T60 because it's much more portable.
As stated, the FAQ would be helpful.
Welcome :)
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
The games you mentioned would be handled by the x1400, but the go 7900 GS is really a powerful GPU. So if you're going to be heavy into gaming, you will probably want more than the x1400. But if it will only be a casual thing from time to time and getting maximum settings and framerates are not your biggest concern, then the 6400 will be fine.
Are you pretty much set on getting a Dell? If not, as stated, answers to your FAQ could perhaps bring to light some systems you haven't considered as options yet. It's really easy to do and only takes a minute or two.
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
9400 kills 6400
7900 murders, slaughters and rapes x1400
theres no comparison b/w the two
as far as the wi-fi you wont notice any difference in real life
and i mean it: NO DIFFERENCE
buy the 9400 with you eyes closed
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
here are the FAQ:
1) What is your budget?
1200-1300
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
not sure, semi portable (college)
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
light gaming, LOTS of typing, internet surfing
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
taking with me
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
HL2, bf1942, rome total war
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
i like the outside speakers and keys of the inspirons, and don't like the muffled ones of the dv600
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
not sure, as much as i can get
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
in person is good, but not necissary
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
US
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
glossy makes the colors more vibrant
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
somewhat, more in terms of form meets function
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
buying probally online, as long as it can. Wont have much money once school starts
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
60 minimum but from 80-100 is fine
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
i need to be able to burn cds but dvd's would be nice too
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
is there going to be a big difference between the slower hard drive, blue tooth and the
6400's Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
and the
9400's Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5200 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB) ?
(i can upgrade the wireless card)
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
There will be a difference in performance between the two processors. But you don't look like you'll be pushing either one much, so you probably wouldn't notice the difference. Most people don't max out their processors anyway. I would suggest getting the T5500 if you can squeeze it though.
The faster HD speed is a nice upgrade to have. It speeds up boot/seek/load times. But if money is an issue, the 5400 RPM is sufficient.
Read through the "Finding the Right Notebook" sticky at the top of this forum. It covers some of the basic component decisions.
Although the 9400 will give you more gaming power, it is significantly bigger and more of a chore to carry around. I had one.
Answer:
Re: 9400 vs 6400
ok so i've decided that 17" is a little too big for what i'm going to be using, but since i'm going to be typing, probally excessively, i'll need a lap top with a nice keyboard (i've read the review, but does anyone know how the typing is on the 6400/e1505?), i'll also be playing lots of music so multimedia keys are good, especially w/o booting windows, And i'll probally need a mid-performace range card since the 7900 gs is faster than what i need, more like a x1600+. so does any one know of any laptops that fit this description? again i like the fuctions of the 6400, but don't know how well it runs.