DU computer geeks! I need your advice... [View All]

[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