Dell Inspiron 4150...Aye or Nay?

[DaLeroy]

Hi guys

My mate is looking at getting a laptop. Wants to spend about $4000 AUD on it (~$2000US). The general vibe seems to be that Dell's are one of the best. Is this correct? Machine he is looking at is:

P4 1.6Ghz
256 DDR Ram
Onboard LAN/Modem
S-Vid Out
14.1 SXGA Screen
32 DDR ATI Radeon 7500 AGP
20 GB HDD
CD-RW
Onboard Audio etc

It's in Australia, so everything is more expensive than in the US.... This look to be ok?

Thanks

 

[VBboy]

I assume this is their "think" laptop? Otherwise, it's overpriced

 

[Derango]

Unless you're getting that 256MB of ram free or somthing, get as little memory as you can and buy the rest from someone who isn't dell. They really rip you off with memory prices. I would recommend getting 128MB (1 DIMM), and then ordering the ohter 128MB from another place.

 

[Zugzwang152]

Personally I would recommend against opening up a notebook. They are much more sensitive than a desktop, and you could unwittingly break a key component that would cost a lot of money to fix. There are numerous alternatives to Dell for notebooks, but if you're on a budget then Dell imo is the best price vs. what you get + warranty/support. If you need a powerhouse, look at Toshiba or IBM as alternatives.

 

[VBboy]

Originally posted by: Zugzwang152
Personally I would recommend against opening up a notebook. They are much more sensitive than a desktop, and you could unwittingly break a key component that would cost a lot of money to fix. There are numerous alternatives to Dell for notebooks, but if you're on a budget then Dell imo is the best price vs. what you get + warranty/support. If you need a powerhouse, look at Toshiba or IBM as alternatives.

Hmm.

1. Dell has "powerhouse". IBM is an extreme $$$ ripoff, they are generally $500-1000 more expensive (trust me, I had 4 of them). If you REALLY want "fast", get a 2.4 Ghz desktop CPU in a laptop, e.g. www.WinBook.com. Other than that, it doesn't matter who makes it as long as you get a fast CPU, big HD, lots of RAM, a good videocard and a nice LCD. All manufacturers do that now.

2. All/most laptops are now very easily upgradeable by the end user. HD and RAM, most importantly. He is not going to break anything if he opens the little bay marked "memory upgrades". On a related note, I completely disassembled 3 IBM laptops and 2 Sony laptops, and put them back. It's easy as long as you have some common sense.

3. Derango is right, they do charge a lot for RAM. Crucial.com sells it a lot cheaper. I would recommend the same: get as little as you can, and upgrade, maybe even to 512 MB.

 

[Biznatcho]

It was rediculously to install a 256 MB stick in the refurbed Dell 2600 I just got. Under two minutes including reading the directions, so go for it.

I got my stick from Crucial, but Dell is supposed to have good deals if you get extra RAM through the Accessory store and install it yourself. There's some crazy deal now where you jump through some hoops, spin around a bat a couple times, and get 512 MB for $88 through Dell.

 

[majewski9]

nay!!!!


DELL and all other big oem pc makers are ripoffs! Although I give compaq props, but Dell especially sucks!

 

[jstultz]

majewski, he doesn't have much of a choice, he has to go with a major OEM...what's he supposed to do, build his own laptop?

 

[DaLeroy]

Originally posted by: Derango
Unless you're getting that 256MB of ram free or somthing, get as little memory as you can and buy the rest from someone who isn't dell. They really rip you off with memory prices. I would recommend getting 128MB (1 DIMM), and then ordering the ohter 128MB from another place.

They've got a deal on, they throw in 128mb for free... So comes with a minimum of 256MB. I know it's expensive, but it's a laptop!

He doesn't need a powerhouse, just something reliable for work. Is Dell the best Laptop manufacturer out there?

 

[MWink]

Is Dell the best Laptop manufacturer out there?

Well, yes, no, and maybe. Technically Dell does not manufacture laptops. The laptops are manufactured by some brand you have probably never heard of. In fact IIRC the Inspiron's and Latitude's are manufactured by different companies (not sure if it is still true). I just remembered that the Dell Latitude X200 is the exact same laptop as the Gateway Solo 200.

To answer the question you are really asking, IMO yes they are pretty much the best overall. They have high end, quality laptops with good support. I bought a Dell because I KNOW they will be around to fix it if something costly decides to die (MB, LCD, etc.). I actually try to do all the service I can to my Inspiron 8200 because the last time I sent a laptop in to them for repair it came back in less than stellar condition. In fact I just paid $20 for some replacement fans that Dell would probably have replaced free under the warranty.

To sum up my post, yes I recommend Dell over most other brands. (RossMan, don't even say it!)

 

[ElFenix]

4150 is nice as long as thats actually a 7500 in there. though i would like it better if it included 64 megs of ram.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: MWink
To sum up my post, yes I recommend Dell over most other brands. (RossMan, don't even say it!)

Hehe I'm still in shock to see you as a Dell laptop supporter

 

[Derango]

Originally posted by: DaLeroy

Originally posted by: Derango
Unless you're getting that 256MB of ram free or somthing, get as little memory as you can and buy the rest from someone who isn't dell. They really rip you off with memory prices. I would recommend getting 128MB (1 DIMM), and then ordering the ohter 128MB from another place.

They've got a deal on, they throw in 128mb for free... So comes with a minimum of 256MB. I know it's expensive, but it's a laptop!

He doesn't need a powerhouse, just something reliable for work. Is Dell the best Laptop manufacturer out there?

Ah...As long as there's a deal going on, go for it.

 

[LikeLinus]

Don't listen to Zugzwang152. You'd have to be a very careless to mess something up changing your ram in the Inspiron notebooks. They have their own panel and you can only access two sticks of ram from it. Just be gentle and it's very easy to do. I changed the graphics card, HD, and added ram to my notebook. Piece of cake.

 

[MWink]

Personally I would recommend against opening up a notebook. They are much more sensitive than a desktop, and you could unwittingly break a key component that would cost a lot of money to fix.

It could be argued that they are more durable as they are designed to take more abuse... But we won't get into that. I have taken apart plenty of laptops and never broken anything (that I can remember ). I've had my Inspiron 8200 ALL THE WAY APART! I had the mother board and everything out. (I have the pics to prove it) It still works fine.