$2600 dell.com Gift Card. Help!

Hi All,

I have a Dell $2,600 gift card for use only at dell.com. I would like to get a better computer for photo editing. I mainly use LR3 and CS4.

I currently use:
Dell Precision M4400
Core 2 Due T9400 @2.53 Ghz
15.4", NVIDIA Quadro FX770M, 1440x900
4 GB Ram
500 Gig HD, 8X DVD+/-RW
Windows XP Pro

I am overwhelmed at all the different choices and customization options availible on the dell web site for similar laptops listed in For Home, For Small Business, and For Public Sector categories.

I have spent hours on the dell website, and simply cannot decide (know?) what would make the best system for the money, and which laptop would represent a significant upgrade from what I already have.

For example, for just under $2,600 (In the Small Business Category of dell.com) I can get the following system:
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-640M Dual Core 2.80GHz 4MB
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64-bit, no media
OFFICE SOFTWARE No Productivity Software edit
SERVICES & WARRANTY 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year Next Business Day On-Site Service ("Included" in price)
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1800M Graphics with 1GB dedicated memory
MEMORY 8.0GB, DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS edit
LCD 15.6" HD+ (1600 x 900) Wide View Anti-Glare LED Display with Premium Panel Guarantee
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™,
BATTERY OPTIONS 9-cell (90Wh) Lithium Ion Battery edit
WIRELESS CARD Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 802.11a/b/g/n Half Mini Card
WIRELESS-PAN Dell Wireless® 375 Bluetooth Module
CAMERA/MICROPHONE Integrated webcam with microphone
Plus a few other miscelanious extras.

Do you think this represents a good value and a significant upgrade over what I laready have? What about the LCD? Will it be OK for editing while on the road? (I already have an external monitor for critical work.)

Thanks for your suggestions/feedback!
~Dom

$2600 is a BUNCH of money for a computer. Would it be practical for you to keep using your laptop while you're mobile and spending $1000 on a really fast desktop for home? That way you have $1600 to spend in the future, say on a decent laptop some time.

See if you can get the Win7 media, it could come in handy one day.

Here's my burning question.....where did you get a $2600 gift card from Dell? A class-action lawsuit?

Seriously though, I agree with Tim....$2600 is a HUGE amount to blow on one high-end laptop. At that price tag, you're frankly up in the 'portable gaming' territory....which means you're paying for A LOT of stuff you don't really need.

Frankly, if you really need something that goes mobile, an XPS 15 refurbished gets you virtually the same i7 mobile processor, identical RAM, a perfectly good video card for photo editing, the same LED display (I think), AND a 3-year warranty.....for only about $1200. Processing wise, you're sacrificing virtually nothing from your $2600 machine.

Tim's suggestion to get a killer desktop i7 system for $900-1000 would probably be ideal, if you need maximum bang for your buck. Plus, that still leaves you with a large amount to buy a nice 24-inch IPS monitor. Even with a killer desktop and IPS monitor, you're still looking at $1000+ to spend on something else (a mobile laptop option?) now or down the road.

Finally, remember that Dell sells more than just computers....if you are really itching to spend that money! Dealnews.com keeps a pretty nice list of the best daily deals, many of which come from Dell. Lots of good deals if you need thinks like an HDTV, an external hard drive, video projector, etc.

Computers degrade in value rapidly -- something along the lines of 40%+ per year.

Monitors, on the other hand, are like lenses in that they are typically resold for less than 20% off of retail. Dell also happens to be one of the premier IPS monitor manufacturers. I would look into a Dell U3011 or U2711h and spend the rest on a decent desktop.

BeritOlam wrote in post #11694572
Seriously though, I agree with Tim....$2600 is a HUGE amount to blow on one high-end laptop. At that price tag, you're frankly up in the 'portable gaming' territory....which means you're paying for A LOT of stuff you don't really need.

Gaming isn't the only use for a high-end computer. Precisions are workstations.

OP: I would go with the i5-560m instead...I don't think the i7 is worth the cost. Get the "Wide View" display. The M4500 has a cheaper 880M graphics option, so get that. There's no point having an expensive GPU when doing 2D work.

$2600 could get you a great desktop and a good laptop, though...I think that's a better idea buying one expensive laptop.

What problems or "drawbacks" in image editing are you currently having with the Dell Precision M4400? Does it slow you down significantly in your workflow? High-end or fully loaded laptop is not for everyone and usually not needed for basic image editing, depending on your workflow. Most of the time, if you have to ask, you probably do not need it.

I would consider upgrading the memory, 64-bit OS, and maybe SSD if your heart desired before retiring the M4400, and spend the rest of the money for something else; maybe get a new Canon lens, etc.

If the M4400 really slow you down in your workflow, then it is time to retire that baby; but ~$2600 for the specs you listed in not a good value even though it is a significant upgrade compared with the M4400. You can get much more better specs for $2600; even better specs if you choose a desktop.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Can we share the gift card?

Canon10D wrote in post #11696286
I would consider upgrading the memory, 64-bit OS, and maybe SSD if your heart desired before retiring the M4400, and spend the rest of the money for something else; maybe get a new Canon lens, etc.

Your M4400 is probably 2+ years old now, and that's usually right around borderline for most peopleof going with something newer. Assuming your laptop can take more memory, that's certainly one option...but that's usually for people that can't afford to buy a new computer just yet and just want to try and milk their current system as long as they can.

But you don't have that problem with that Dell gift card, do you?

My advice would be to get a new desktop and a nice IPS monitor, and then keep your current laptop as a mobile option.

However, Canon10D does raise a point I forgot about -- Dell does have a decent run of Canon lenses that your gift card should be good for. Of course, Dell rarely has the best prices on lenses...so your money might be better off spent on a computer, monitor, or printer. Still, $2600, even at Dell's prices, will bag you some pretty nice lenses!!!

A lot of good advice here! I like the idea of upgrading my OS. I have 4 Gigs of Ram, but my HD is getting rather cramped so I may upgrade to a 750 Gig. from what I have read here, and on the net, upgrading to Windows 7 and having some hard drive space for the Swap File to work will make a difference to the speed of an older, but still useable laptop.

I didn't know that Dell sold lenses! The 70-200L 2.8 II is looking quite tempting and as been on my "must buy" list for a while now. That may me the way to go.

Thanks!
~Dom