8600 Inspiron or 9100 Inspiron or Sager 5690

LasombraB

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2000
2,879
0
0
I'm thinking to get a laptop that can play games, surf the web, and some word processing. The games I play are UT2004, BF Vietnam, FarCry, and Rise of Nations. Currently I have a Dell Latitude CPxJ 650MHz. I looked at the eMachine M6805, but I want more upgrades then it provides. One thing I want to know is how the Pentium M's match up to the Pentium 4's. Below are the specs of the laptops I'm thinking about.




Specs

Inspiron 9100
Pentium 4 - 2.8GHz
15.4" WSXGA+
512MB DDR 400MHz
60GB 7200rpms
ATI RADEON 9700 128MB
DVD/CD-RW Drive


Inspiron 8600
Pentium M - 1.5GHz
15.4" WSXGA+
512MB DDR 333MHz
60GB 7200rpms
ATI RADEON 9600 128MB
DVD/CD-RW Drive


Sager 5690
Pentium 4 - 2.8GHz
15.4" WSXGA+
512MB DDR 400MHz
60GB 7200rpms
ATI RADEON 9700 128MB
DVD/CD-RW Drive
 

Frightcrawler

Senior member
Oct 15, 2003
603
0
0
The 9100 has a slightly better processor (the pentium-m scaling is a bit lower than 2.8 ghz) and slightly better graphics processor.

However, the 8600 is more portable than the 9100. You decide which advantage you want.

If I recall correctly, the "scaling multiplier" for the pentium-m is 1.6-1.9, depending on the application.
 

Connoisseur

Platinum Member
Sep 14, 2002
2,470
1
81
The 9100 is definitely better as far as gaming goes. Err.... but it also weighs north of 9 lbs, is pretty thick, has very little battery life, and runs quite warm. Basically it's a desktop system that you can easily carry to LAN parties :). The 8600 is still pretty heavy but it's a bit more portable, will have longer battery life and will run a bit cooler. Your call.
 

BaboonGuy

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2002
4,125
0
0
the 8600 is definetly good enough. the 9700 isn't even a real 9700 it's a 9600XT. plus, you get almost as good gaming performacne with the 8600 for much much less weight/size and way MORE battery life. sounds like a great trade off to me
 

LasombraB

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2000
2,879
0
0
What about the LCD? should I stay with the WSXGA+, or get a XGA? From what I seen the video card performs better on the lower LCD.
 

Flashram

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2000
3,968
0
76
The Sager 5690 smokes everything on the market for gaming. Also, it does not come in wsxga+ resolution. It is either sxga+ or uxga.
 

Frightcrawler

Senior member
Oct 15, 2003
603
0
0
In terms of gaming, the 9100 and 5690 are nearly equal (Flashram's post).
The outside factor is build quality. If you are choosing between them, definitely get the 5690.
 

ShellGuy

Golden Member
Mar 1, 2004
1,343
0
0
Ya the *ell bulid quality of late has just blown monky chunks. I don't think i have read one happy story lately about one on here....

Will
 

bsoft

Junior Member
Jun 1, 2004
3
0
0
First Option: Get the Dell

I have several friends who have them.

  • Battery life is great (around 4-5 hours)
  • They don't get too hot
  • A Pentium-M @ 2.0GHz isn't exactly slow. It's not Athlon 64-FX fast (particularly because of the memory), but it's plenty to play any game
  • Get the WUXGA screen if you have good eyesight. You can wow your Apple-loving buddies when you tell them that your notebook's 15" screen has a higher resolution than their 23" Cinema Display HD. And they'll be even more impressed when you tell them that the entire system was less than their monitor.
  • The Mobility Radeon 9600 "Pro Turbo" 128M is the same chip as the Mobility Radeon 9700. It's clocked a little lower, but you can always overclock

I have a friend with the Sager 5680 (same as 5690 but with the Mobility Radeon 9600). That thing is a TANK. Trust me, this thing is HUGE. The power adaptor alone is the size of a large brick. The unit itself dwarfs the Dell. Moreover, the thing sucks batteries. You're lucky to get 1.5hrs out of the battery.

Not to mention the fact that the Sager heats up like a toaster on the bottom. The Sager is *not* a laptop. It's a portable desktop.

Second Option: Get neither

Personally, I own a Shuttle SFF system. With a FX 5900XT (soon Radeon 9800 Pro), 1GB DDR400, Athlon XP "3200+" (Overclocked mobile Barton), and a desktop 7200rpm HDD, it will out-game any notebook. Add the 16ms Hitachi CML174SXW, a nice Shuttle backpack, and a GearGrip LCD strap, and I can easily bring my system to any LAN party or event. Not to mention that the whole rig was around $1500 (including the monitor).

For typing documents, I use a Compaq Armada M300. It's 3.1lbs, nice and small, so I can carry it anywhere. It's only a PIII 500, but it's fine for watching DVDs, typing documents, and surfing the net. With an ATI Rage M1 4MB, you're not going to be playing any games except for Starcraft (although I was able to get UT to run semi-decently with the software renderer), but that's what you have your SFF system for.

Gaming notebooks tend to be too heavy to be ultraportable. And while the Mobility Radeon 9700 is pretty fast, nothing compares to Far Cry on a Radeon 9800 Pro (or, better yet, a Radeon X800 Pro / X800XT PE). Plus you get the benefits of full-size drive bay (I'd like to see an 8X DVD burner in a notebook) and a PCI/AGP slot to upgrade and expand.
 

Abhi

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2003
4,548
0
76
Dell 9100 : Huge, Heavy but VERY powerful. Portability is very little.
Dell 8600: Managable size and weight. Decent performance and better battery life...
 

Abhi

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2003
4,548
0
76
Originally posted by: ShellGuy
Ya the *ell bulid quality of late has just blown monky chunks. I don't think i have read one happy story lately about one on here....

Will

People with happy stories seldom post em :D

But i do agree with you ... their quality has plumitted...
 

LasombraB

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2000
2,879
0
0
Guys, I'm really leaning toward one of the Dell Laptops now. Mainly because of the battery life. Game is not the #1 pririoty on my list, if it was I would get one of the Sager's. But I have a Powerful Desktop that can play any game out there. I just want to be able to play a game or two on the laptop I get, if I have to turn the settings down, I will. Most of the time I will have access to an AC outlet that I can plug the laptop into.

Questions about the noise from the Dell Inspiron's. How much noise does the 9100 make? and the 8600?
 

Flashram

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2000
3,968
0
76
Well your title is misleading. You asked which is the best for gaming. The Dell is a good balance of everything, but the build quality is terrible, especially the keyboard.
 

Frightcrawler

Senior member
Oct 15, 2003
603
0
0
Originally posted by: bsoft
First Option: Get the Dell

I have several friends who have them.

  • Battery life is great (around 4-5 hours)
  • They don't get too hot
  • A Pentium-M @ 2.0GHz isn't exactly slow. It's not Athlon 64-FX fast (particularly because of the memory), but it's plenty to play any game
  • Get the WUXGA screen if you have good eyesight. You can wow your Apple-loving buddies when you tell them that your notebook's 15" screen has a higher resolution than their 23" Cinema Display HD. And they'll be even more impressed when you tell them that the entire system was less than their monitor.
  • The Mobility Radeon 9600 "Pro Turbo" 128M is the same chip as the Mobility Radeon 9700. It's clocked a little lower, but you can always overclock

I have a friend with the Sager 5680 (same as 5690 but with the Mobility Radeon 9600). That thing is a TANK. Trust me, this thing is HUGE. The power adaptor alone is the size of a large brick. The unit itself dwarfs the Dell. Moreover, the thing sucks batteries. You're lucky to get 1.5hrs out of the battery.

Not to mention the fact that the Sager heats up like a toaster on the bottom. The Sager is *not* a laptop. It's a portable desktop.


You're comparing apples and oranges. The 8600 is not the only dell he stated. The only comparison to the 5690 in his options is the 9100. And trust me, they're both bricks. In terms of overall superiority, the Sage r wins.
 

Firus

Senior member
Nov 16, 2001
525
0
0
Definately get the best screen you can afford. It is the direct interface between you and the laptop. No matter how good your Vid card is, if your screen sucks, you will hate it. I got a UXGA and I love it, oh and make sure to go for wide viewing angle so you don't get that inverse effect on some of the colours from on an angle
 

LasombraB

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2000
2,879
0
0
How are the Mobile Athlon 64's as far as battery life, and gaming? I see that BestBuy has an eMachine for around $1250 AR.
 

bsoft

Junior Member
Jun 1, 2004
3
0
0
"You're comparing apples and oranges. The 8600 is not the only dell he stated. The only comparison to the 5690 in his options is the 9100. And trust me, they're both bricks. In terms of overall superiority, the Sage r wins."

Sorry, but the 8600 with the Mobility Radeon 9600 "Pro Turbo" and the 2GHz Pentium-M is a fine gaming system.

You don't need a P4 EE 3.4GHz to play the latest games. Particularly not when your graphics card is essentially a Radeon 9600XT (which the Mobility Radeon 9700 is).

The keyboard on the Dell is what I'd call "clanky". I had the same issue on my old CSx. It never bothered me, but it may bug you.

Frankly, a desktop P4 doesn't belong in a notebook. The 3.4GHz EE is over 100W, and it doesn't have any clock throttling. That's why the thing gets so hot (and why the battery only lasts 1.5 hours).

The Sager does have some nice options (dual HDD bays, 800fsb, etc) but it's really not a notebook. The Sager is a portable desktop. If that's what you want, then the Sager is the better system.

If, on the other hand, you want a reasonably portable system with a great screen (not that the UXGA screen on the Sager is bad, but a 1920x1200 widescreen is just more impressive) and decent battery life that can still be a great machine for gaming, the 8600 is for you.

(Far Cry is a bit of a stretch - think No AA/No AF at 800x600 if you want to stay close to 60fps - even with the Mobility Radeon 9700 - you really want a Radeon 9800 Pro/XT or Radeon X800 Pro/XT for the best experience)
 

alexruiz

Platinum Member
Sep 21, 2001
2,836
556
126
Originally posted by: LasombraB
How are the Mobile Athlon 64's as far as battery life, and gaming? I see that BestBuy has an eMachine for around $1250 AR.

I am confused.. On your first post you said you didn't like the M6805, and now you are asking about the Athlon 64.

The M6805 is a wonderful machine for the price. 3 hours of battery life at screen intensity 5 doing light stuff. The battery is a wimpy 8 cells 1440 mAH @ 19.8 V (aprox 65 W-hr) so it is frugal. The CPU is the mainstream mobile Athlon 64 (62 W max TDP, 45 W typical on moderate loads, 13 W at lowest speed) About gaming, any review on the web should clear the question about the gaming capabilities of an Athlon 64. However, a gaming machine is a combo of CPU-GPU, and despite the superior CPU the constraint here is the video card: It is clocked 297/200, the lowest of all the M10 out there. Overclocking the GPU to 400 and above is not hard, but you will be lucky to get the memory above 230..... But even at stock speeds it is a potent machine. I still don't see the 64 MB of RAM as shortcoming because even the M11 lacks the firepower to use 128 MB in most of the games, let alone 256 (high resolution, high detail, AA, AF)

Still loving mine after 4.5 months!


Alex
 

LasombraB

Platinum Member
Feb 7, 2000
2,879
0
0
The more I look at other options, I still end up going back to the eMachine's. For the price I believe they will do everything I need to do. I most likely will upgrade the hard drive to a 7200rpm drive after I get it. Thanks for all the input guys.