1920x1200 res on a 15.4 screen. Is it too small?

Guys,
I am ordering a dell xps m1530 and the only resolution options are 1440x900 or 1920x1200.
The 1440x900 is only $50 cheaper, so no big deal as far as price goes.

I have been using 1280x1024 at work and I have a feeling that I won't like 1440x900 since I will have even less space.

I am leaning towards the 1920x1200 but I am worried about the small fonts & icons.

- I know I can change DPI. But it messes the quality of the image
I Could scale down to 1680x1050, but will mess the quality


I am not a gamer. I use a lot of dreamweaver, photoshop, heavy browsing, watching video streams

I would appreciate your suggestions or if you share your own experiences about this.

Thanks so much

you would have to put your face right up the the screen at 1920x1200. i personally think 1440x900 is perfect for 15.4".

I'll go against the grain, and advocate 1920x1200. IMHO, more resolution is always better, and you can always up the DPI setting.

Hi guys,
thanks. I actually have checked out. The 1440 I would be loosing some space as I currently use a 1280x1024.

Right now as I am typing this I am at 1920x1200 with 120 DPI. Most things are very readable, I have good eyesight. The distance I am from the screen is pretty much always the same. I literally use the laptop on my lap.

So right now it seems good. But I am not sure if it can have a long term effect on my eyes. Or if I use it for several hours in a day.

At work I use the 1280x1024, so I would use the hi-res one only at home, weekends and travelling.

I think that 1680 x 1050 would be nice, but dell doesn't offer those anymore. I wonder why.