Dell Inspiron 8100 vs 4100: Anyone have any experiences?

[Athlon4all]

I've been thinking about getting a Dell Laptop through their Financing program and I was looking at a Inspiron 8100. The model I was looking at getting (Customized) would look something like this:

1GHz P3-M
256MB PC133 SDRAM
30Gig HD
8X DVD
16MB DDR GF2Go
2nd battery (I can put it in the modular Bay for dual batteries correct?)
1yr Warranty
XP Pro
10/100Mbps Ethernet, 56K Modem and Dell 802.11b Wireless PC Card (should I wait on the PC Card and get it when I get a Wireless Hub/Router down the road?)
15" SuperXGA+ Monitor

Hows that look? It's $1896 ($57/month 48 months) in the end. This is prolly waaaayyyy overkill (This is prolly better than my main PC!) for what I've got in mind. i guess for you Insipiror 8100 users I have a couple questions:

1. How bulky is it?
2. How's battery life (while using Speedstep, I figure that even in speedstep, that should be plenty of CPU power for anything except for Gaming (GF2 Go BABY!!!))? Would I be able to on a full charge on one batteyr be able to watch a DVD movie (reminds me, would I be better off with a Mobility Radeon for DVD playback? I'd think so but on the 8100 they're only offering GF2 Go and Radeon 7500 which is too expensive I'm afraid)? What about 2 batteries?

That's about it, thanks fellows (and if anyone could point me to a review, I'd appreciate it)

edit: I put together as well a 4100 model that is close in performance to the 8100. What are your thoughts to this comparision in terms of the 2 above questions?

1GHz P3-M
256MB PC133 SDRAM
20Gig HD
8X DVD
16MB Mobility Radeon
2nd battery (can I put in 2 batteries at the same time?)
1yr Warranty
XP Pro
10/100Mbps Ethernet, 56K Modem (Mini-PCI) and Dell 802.11b Wireless PC Card (should I wait on the PC Card and get it when I get a Wireless Hub/Router down the road?)
14" SuperXGA+ Monitor
Price: $1756 ($53/month

 

[ojai00]

<< Hows that look? It's $1896 ($57/month 48 months) in the end. This is prolly waaaayyyy overkill (This is prolly better than my main PC!) for what I've got in mind. i guess for you Insipiror 8100 users I have a couple questions:

1. How bulky is it?
2. How's battery life (while using Speedstep, I figure that even in speedstep, that should be plenty of CPU power for anything except for Gaming (GF2 Go BABY!!!))? Would I be able to on a full charge on one batteyr be able to watch a DVD movie (reminds me, would I be better off with a Mobility Radeon for DVD playback? I'd think so)? What about 2 batteries?

That's about it, thanks fellows (and if anyone could point me to a review, I'd appreciate it) >>



The part about the laptop being better than your main PC is the general idea of the Inspiron 8100 line. It is meant as a desktop replacement, so the answer to your first question is that it is pretty bulky. It's about 1 1/2 inches thick, and weighs about 10 pounds (maybe less). I'm not sure about battery life, but if you can get a hold of some laptop reviews, they will tell you how the batteries perform. According to a PC World review of the top 15 laptops (December 2001), battery life was "Good 3 hours and 01 minutes". Hope this helps.

 

[ojai00]

Here's the actual link to that review: Top 15 Notebook PCs: Dell's Inspiron 8100 tops a power chart with four newcomers.

I'm pretty sure you're glad to see the Inspiron at the top!

 

[Athlon4all]

Thanks ojai00. Anyone else?

 

[underpaid]

I just bought an inspiron 8100 3 weeks ago. Here's my specs...

p3 1.2ghz m
320mb ram, 256mb stick bought off crucial...
32mb geforce 2go
15.1" sxga lcd
16x fixed cdrw
30gb drive
1.44mb modular floppy


I'm extremely pleased with this laptop. It is a little heavy, but not too bad for the amount of power it has.
As far as battery life is concerned. My gf had been downloading mp3's for an hour and a half, and then i kicked her off and started playin rtcw
(return to castle wolfenstein) full out with sound, graphics, etc. The game ran for a good hour and a half before it sent itself into hibernation
and shut down. I didn't realize it wasn't plugged in. Plugged it back in to ac power and kept on playin So far its been really solid
and i've had no problems with it. I got mine financed, $2400 for my config. Its a really sleek laptop, one of the best looking i've ever seen.
I also got the 3 year warranty, but no wireless card. I recommend this laptop highly.

As far as using 2 batteries, you can do it. Anything will go in the modular bay.

 

[Atrail]

1ghz P3
30gb HD
32mb GF2
8X DVD
15inSXGA
256mb RAM
$1320+tax and shipping
I also went to the 3yr. warranty so that was like an extra $120
I bought off the Dell Refurb site. If you are looking to save some cash I highly recommed you check it out.
The laptop is in perfect shape, not a finger smudge or anything on it.
That 2nd battery will make it even more heavy, maybe too heavy. I carry mine in a backpack so it would not really bother me.
I think you will miss the extra inch of screen with the 4100. You can watch a full DVD on one charge.
Get the 8100 and get the extended warranty if you plan on needing it for more than a year, it is a worthwhile cost.

 

[Athlon4all]

Thanks for your input Atrail and underpaid. Anyone else? Truthfully, I am leaning towards the 8100 because, what got this idea going is that I bought a old 386 Laptop here on the Forums from someone and I'd bet that the 8100 is barely any more heavy that this old 386 lappy so, 8100 will be most likely. I will look into the refubished option as well. Anyone else?

 

[Eug]

I'm the dissenting opinion.

The 15" 8100 is a monster, the firewire port is non-powered, and I don't like the nVidia drivers if you plan on using the VGA port. Several people I know with it wished they would have bought a lighter machine with better control of the VGA port. (The Radeon version might be better, but I dunno what the drivers are like for laptop Radeons.)

 

[SteelCityFan]

I have the 8100

Here are the Specs

P3 1 Ghz
256 MB CL2 from Crucial
8X DVD
20GB IBM Travelstar
15" UXGA Screen (Made by IBM)
32MB GeForce2Go


I have been very pleased with this laptop. It is heavy (around 8 lbs I think), but all laptops in this class are heavy. Here are a couple differences in the 4100 vs the 8100...

8100 Pros:

Fixed CD drive ... you don't need to take out the floppy to use the DVD
Larger available screen I think
Better Video Card selection
2 USB ports / 1 Firewire port

8100 Cons:

Heavy
Uses a older chipset. It does not support "Enhanced" Speed Step, and maxes at 2x256MB of RAM
- Enhanced speed step not only adjust for power source, but for need


4100 Pros:

Lighter, more mobile
newer chipset.. supports 1 Gig of Ram and Enhanced Speed Step

Cons:

Only 1 USB port.. not sure about Firewire.



I got mine for about $1550 when they were having some free upgrade promotions. I would suggest ordering with the lowest possible RAM config then upgrading to some CL2 Crucial. You are pretty much assured of getting CL3 from Dell... although I think you can call and specifically ask for CL2.

One thing nice about the Dell laptops (8100 anyway... not sure on the 4100) is that you can swap out the video cards etc at a later date if they release a BIOS for it... Dell sells the ATI 7500 for $170 from their spare parts dept. The ATI out performs the 32 MB GeForce by about 40-50%... www.tomshardware.com just did a comparison.

Battery life is about 2 hours while watching a DVD.. ATI's power management adds about 30 minutes to that.

My 3dMark score is around 2100-2200 at 1024x768x32. Every game I have put into it has been more than playable.

FYI - Hard drives smaller than the 48GB drive they offer are 4200 RPM. THe 48 and above are 5400. It is my understanding that most of the drives they ship are IBM with a few Toshiba drives thrown in.


They also have a good online support forum... you may want to check it out. Most of the people there are there to complain.. it is after all a support forum, so don't think they make up a large percentage of users.

I would buy again.. I have no complaints.

 

[BarneyFife]

I bought an Inspiron 8100 before xmas
1 ghz cpu
15" uxga
256 ram
20 gig hd
32 meg geforce
I bought a d-link wireless card with an access point from buy.com and love it. I can take my noteball all around the house and be online. The only problem with this notebook is the weight and battery. This thing weighs close to 10 lbs and sucks a battery dry within 2 hours. I really don't care much because I mostly use it around the house so I can plug it into the wall. I would recommend a uxga screen if you can afford it. 1600x1200 is awesome.

 

[BarneyFife]

<< I bought an Inspiron 8100 before xmas
1 ghz cpu
15" uxga
256 ram
20 gig hd
32 meg geforce
I bought a d-link wireless card with an access point from buy.com and love it. I can take my noteball all around the house and be online. The only problem with this notebook is the weight and battery. This thing weighs close to 10 lbs and sucks a battery dry within 2 hours. I really don't care much because I mostly use it around the house so I can plug it into the wall. I would recommend a uxga screen if you can afford it. 1600x1200 is awesome. >>



Oops I also forgot. I have a 8x dvd and it cost me around $1600.

 

[Athlon4all]

Thanks everyone for the input.

SteelCityFan - I have one question about the Speedstep/chipset. Am I correct in assuming that the 8100 uses the older 815M chipset while the 4100 uses 830M? Is this why 8100 doesn't support SpeedStep Enhanced? What's the difference anyway? When I looked at Dell's site, I think it said that for a 1GHz P3-M, in speedstep mode for the 8100, it will run at 733MHz which is more than enough for most apps. Can anyone fill me in on this? Thanks

Also, you experts. What is the difference between Ultra XGA and Super XGA+? I will only be running at 1024x768 at the highest on this laptop and I am jw. Thanks!

 

[Eug]

Hmmm... Just remember that laptop screens only look good at native resolution. It would be a huge mistake to buy a 1400x1050 screen and run it at 1024x768. Everything looks like somebody smeared spit all over your glasses.

Furthermore, do not buy a 15" 1024x768 screen. Pixels are too big (IMO). You're much better off saving the dough and buying a better looking 13 or 14" screen. 13" is NOT too small for 1024x768, trust me. I actually prefer it to 14" at that resolution. (I'm running a 12" 1024x768, which is a touch small though.)

 

[sirfergy]

If you are getting an inspiron 8100, go for the UXGA screen with the mobility radeon. The extra 30 min of battery life is worth it.

 

[SteelCityFan]

<<
SteelCityFan - I have one question about the Speedstep/chipset. Am I correct in assuming that the 8100 uses the older 815M chipset while the 4100 uses 830M? Is this why 8100 doesn't support SpeedStep Enhanced? What's the difference anyway? When I looked at Dell's site, I think it said that for a 1GHz P3-M, in speedstep mode for the 8100, it will run at 733MHz which is more than enough for most apps. Can anyone fill me in on this? Thanks

Also, you experts. What is the difference between Ultra XGA and Super XGA+? I will only be running at 1024x768 at the highest on this laptop and I am jw. Thanks! >>




You are correct. The 8100 for whatever reason is using the 815 while the 4100 is using the 830. The only real differences I know of are the Speed Step and the Max Ram. (1024 MB for the 4100 and 512 MB for the 8100). Both ram slots are user accessable by the way.

Enhanced SpeedStep allows the machine to alter the speed of the CPU not only based on wether or not iit is plugged in, but also on what demand is being placed on the CPU. There are additional settings. For Example... my 1 Gig runs at 1 Gig on AC power and 733 on battery. If it was a 4100, it would have more options.. like 533, 733 and 1000 depending on whether I was playing a 3D game, or surfing the web. I don't find myself needing battery life too often, so I generally run it in "Always On" mode which is how you turn off Speedstep in XP since it is built in (no seperate App).

For your second question...

UXGA is 1600x1200 = 1.92 MegaPixel display
SXGA is 1400x1050 = 1.47 MegaPixel display

The UXGA is going to look better, and if you are going to drop the resolution down, the UXGA will do that better since it has more pixels to work with. However, like the person earlier mentioned... you will lose some clearness when doing this because of the fixed physical nature of the pixel layout in a LCD... However, my UXGA is very usable at just about any resolution, and especially at 800x600 since it divides into 1600x1200 exactly. I would reccomend using it at it's native resolution. 1600x1200 is not that small. I simply increase the icon and font sizes within Windows and all is well... and I LOVE the huge amount of screen space. The SXGA will save you money, and I don't think you will have any problem viewing it at 1400x1050...if you don't want to spend the extra for the UXGA. My best advice here would be to look around your area for SXGA and UXGA laptop screens in the stores to get a beter idea.. adjust the fonts, play around etc. When I bought mine, I had to just choose since there were not any stores carrying the UXGA screens then. FYI. IBM makes most of Dell's UXGA screens, and Sharp makes the rest.

If there is anything else I can answer for you just let me know...

 

[Athlon4all]

Thanks SteelCityFan. So basically, Speedstep Enhanced is more like AMD's Powernow! Ok. Well thanks for your help. Anyone else have any input on the UXGA vs. SXGA?