Dell 700m or 8600?

[Nutdotnet]

I've been wanting to updgrade for a while, and with the pretty sick deal goin on @ Dell right it's the right time. I'll be using this to record audio, type papers, surf the web, burn CDs...etc.

But, I'm torn between the 700m and the 8600. I know, two totally different machines.

I like the 700m because, it's small, and it's fairly powerful, and it's widescreen.
I don't like it because it has shared memory, and I can't upgrade to a 7200rpm HD. Although I can buy a external. I don't play games, although I would like to check out The Sims 2.

I like the 8600 because it's powerful, can have a 7200rpm HD, and have dedicated video memory.
I don't like it because it's big and bulky. I like using a laptop as just that, having it on my lap.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[zodder]

Would you travel with it a lot? Car or Airport? Will it be used at a stationary place most of the time? If you aren't going to have to haul it around airports and on business trips, I'd definitely go with the 8600. The 7200 hdd and the 9600 Pro graphics will make it feel much closer to a destop replacement system. I bought the 8600 because I'll be using it primarily as a DRS at work. I'll have to travel with it a few times, but it's mostly going to sit on my desk or on my lap.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: zodder
Would you travel with it a lot? Car or Airport? Will it be used at a stationary place most of the time? If you aren't going to have to haul it around airports and on business trips, I'd definitely go with the 8600. The 7200 hdd and the 9600 Pro graphics will make it feel much closer to a destop replacement system. I bought the 8600 because I'll be using it primarily as a DRS at work. I'll have to travel with it a few times, but it's mostly going to sit on my desk or on my lap.

Yeah, I'll probably use it to travel once or twice a year. I've been using an older Compaq for a while now and with it's 14.1 in. screen it just fits nicely on my lap. But yeah, I think the 8600 is probably a better deal for what I want to do.

Oh yeah, is the 9600 worth the additional $60 over the 64mb GeForce?