Need help choosing the right Dell laptop

I may be going on a trip very soon and I would like to buy a laptop from Dell to use on my trip. I am just looking for a very basic, not to expensive and not to cheap configuration because I don't want to spend a lot of money. So I have configured the cheapest Dell laptop for the home user and here is what I came up with:

PROCESSOR Mobile AMD Sempron™ 3500+ (1.8GHz/512KB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife™(glossy)
MEMORY 2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
OPTICAL DRIVE 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
VIDEO CARD ATI RADEON® Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (Integrated)
WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)

With this config, would the laptop run Windows Vista well? If anyone has suggestions for the config I came up with, please let me know... I'm just trying to make it where it doesen't cost a lot of money (passed $1000) and basic enough to run Windows Vista well and multiple programs well.

-Gracie

 

Vista will run, but the hard drive will slow it down compared to the 7200RPM drives in desktops.

I think the rest should be fine. Also maybe the Athlon 64 TK-53 would be better. The dual cores would make running multiple programs smoother.

 

Definitely try to get a 7200rpm hard drive for that laptop if you're going to punish it with Vista.

 

The 5400rpm hdd's perform pretty well imo, thats what i use in my Inspiron 6400. I considered the 7200rpm hdd but i read that it generates more heat and uses more power which i definitely didn't want in a laptop.

Another thing to consider is the battery, if you are going to be using on the road a higher capacity will really help out.

I believe Dell may still have option of having XP on you laptop which would perform better than vista on a low spec system and you'd be able to get away with 1 gig of ram making the purchase slightly cheaper.

 

Hmmm... I've installed 72000rpm drives in two Compaq (14" and 15.4") laptops over a year ago and haven't had any problems with higher heat issues, and the speed difference is definitely noticeable in both. In a 15.4" form-factor as the OP will be using, heat won't be an issue. Using Seagate drives in both and getting *better* battery life too.

@gracie123 - you can read through the following reviews and decide for yourself:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150380 1035507776&name=7200 RPM

 

{In a 15.4" form-factor as the OP will be using, heat won't be an issue.}

Does the 15.4 generate less heat than a 14 inch?

[Using Seagate drives in both and getting *better* battery life too.]

Is there a choice in the Dell laptops?

Thanks,
Jerery

 

FYI, there is a good web site on notebooks.

http://www.notebookreview.com/

I believe that there are more experts there on notebooks to answer your questions.

(I do not have any business/personal relationship with the website mentioned. I just think that it may be of some help to you.)

Good luck!