Is this a good laptop deal? DUDE, should I get a DELL!?!?

[iamme]

Dammit, I resisted temptation, but now my current laptop is showing its age. Does this sound like a good deal:

Dell Inspiron 4150:

Mobile Pentium 4 1.7GHz-M
14.1" XGA TFT
32MB DDR ATI Radeon 7500
256MB DDR RAM
40GB 5400RPM HD
WinXP Home
24X CD-ROM
1YR Warranty
weighs about 5.6lbs

CNet review (8/10 stars 73% user recommended)

$1389 shipped - $100 MIR = $1289

Whatcha guys think?

 

[iamme]

I forgot about another 2% off w/ eBates

 

[iamwiz82]

small business or home? Small business has those 10% off coupons and home has a few coupons too.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
small business or home? Small business has those 10% off coupons and home has a few coupons too.

yeah, it's small business. the price is after $100 off coupon and 10% off coupon.

 

[iamwiz82]

i think there are better deals out there, then. HP has been liquidating their laptops pretty nicely lately.

 

[ndee]

In my books, Dell just sucks when it comes to notebooks. They always have the newest thingies and stuff but they're not solid built.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: ndee
In my books, Dell just sucks when it comes to notebooks. They always have the newest thingies and stuff but they're not solid built.

i disagree. We have a bunch of them here and they all work fine. Their warranty is what sets them apart. Someone dropped their notebook destroying the screen and dell had a person out here the next day.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
i think there are better deals out there, then. HP has been liquidating their laptops pretty nicely lately.

The only thing is, I wanted a laptop that could handle playing some games. The 32MB ATI Radeon 7500 card in the Inspiron 4150 is pretty nice. The equivalent in the HP's line up was about $200 more expensive, I think...

 

[ElFenix]

i'm not convinced its a 7500...

 

[iamwiz82]

If you want to play games, i do not suggest a laptop. If so, there is a laptop in HD with a price slightly higher than yours with a radeon 9000 w/ 64MB DDR

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
i'm not convinced its a 7500...

do you mean the Inspiron 4150? unless the detail in my cart are wrong, it should be...also, the CNet review lists it as such.

 

[ndee]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: ndee
In my books, Dell just sucks when it comes to notebooks. They always have the newest thingies and stuff but they're not solid built.

i disagree. We have a bunch of them here and they all work fine. Their warranty is what sets them apart. Someone dropped their notebook destroying the screen and dell had a person out here the next day.

Well I think I just had too much troubles with them. At my work, after about 1 year, the Screen starts to "fall apart" somehow, screws loosen, etc. I think it's just the Inspirons who aren't built very good. I don't know the English word for it.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: ndee

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: ndee
In my books, Dell just sucks when it comes to notebooks. They always have the newest thingies and stuff but they're not solid built.

i disagree. We have a bunch of them here and they all work fine. Their warranty is what sets them apart. Someone dropped their notebook destroying the screen and dell had a person out here the next day.

Well I think I just had too much troubles with them. At my work, after about 1 year, the Screen starts to "fall apart" somehow, screws loosen, etc. I think it's just the Inspirons who aren't built very good. I don't know the English word for it.

Well, i mostly have experience with Latitudes, so i cant say for sure on Inspirons. I would get a latitude, though.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
If you want to play games, i do not suggest a laptop. If so, there is a laptop in HD with a price slightly higher than yours with a radeon 9000 w/ 64MB DDR

well, i'm not looking to use it as my primary gaming machine. i use my desktop for that. now that school's starting i'm on campus about 8 hours a day. i was just hoping to squeeze in a game or two, while at the library or something.

which laptop w/ the Radeon 9000 are you talking about? This one?

 

[iamwiz82]

yep. Get it at costco and return it in 2 years for something nicer

 

[iamme]

Here's a Compaq 1500T I configured:

Presario 1500T Series
Mobile Intel ® Celeron? 1.40Ghz Processor
128MB 266MHz DDR SDRAM (1 DIMM)
20.0 GB UDMA Hard Drive
24X CD-ROM
15.0" TFT XGA Display
Microsoft Productivity Suite
56K V.92 PCI Modem
ATI RADEON 7500 with 32MB DDR memory
1.44 MB Floppy Drive
8 cell LiIon Battery 57.6 WHr
Integrated 10/100 NIC
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
1yr Parts / 1 yr labor/1yr mail-in
FREE 802.11b module

Advantages: 15" screen, WinXP Pro, floppy drive, 802.11b module, no MIR
Disadvantages: slower CPU, slower and smaller HD, less RAM, biggger and heavier than Inspiron, no pointing stick!

$1249 shipped

edit: this is from Compaq's website....

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
yep. Get it at costco and return it in 2 years for something nicer

how does CostCo's return policy work for laptops?

 

[iamwiz82]

bring it back, get a new one.

Equally astounding was Costco's return policy, which states you can return any item with a receipt at any time for a full refund. Refusing to believe this, we asked Costco clerks in three cities if this meant that we could buy a PC, use it for a year, then return it and get our money back. That's right, they all said, provided we returned it with all parts. (Yes, Virginia, apparently there is a Santa Claus.)

link

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
bring it back, get a new one.

lol, no questions asked? it doesn't have to be broken or anything like that?

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
bring it back, get a new one.

lol, no questions asked? it doesn't have to be broken or anything like that?

nope, as long as you have all the original parts.

 

[RossMAN]

I was also looking at a loaded Dell Inspiron 4150 for around $1,250 after MIR and it had everything P4 1.7-M, 14.1 XGA, 256MB RAM, 30GB, combo CD-RW/DVD not a bad price.

But it only has 1 USB (1.1 not 2.0), no FireWire, old design, etc.

I'd much rather have a Compaq Presario 1500 and CostCo has a very liberal return policy, the best.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I was also looking at a loaded Dell Inspiron 4150 for around $1,250 after MIR and it had everything P4 1.7-M, 14.1 XGA, 256MB RAM, 30GB, combo CD-RW/DVD not a bad price.

But it only has 1 USB (1.1 not 2.0), no FireWire, old design, etc.

I'd much rather have a Compaq Presario 1500 and CostCo has a very liberal return policy, the best.

not better than structure

 

[Kaervak]

I just got myself a loaded Inspiron 8200. I was contemplating between the 2800t & the 8200. I went with the 8200 because I didn't want to wait a month for the m9000. The compaq was a couple hundred cheaper, but It was with cd-rom, slower and smaller hard drive and less memory. It really comes down to personal preference really, I went with the Dell because it was a better deal and had what I wanted. The Compaq one is nice also, just couldn't deliver when I was ready to buy.

 

[iamme]

Costco doesn't do any sort of pricematching, do they? I couldn't find any policy on their website..

 

[ndee]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: ndee

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: ndee
In my books, Dell just sucks when it comes to notebooks. They always have the newest thingies and stuff but they're not solid built.

i disagree. We have a bunch of them here and they all work fine. Their warranty is what sets them apart. Someone dropped their notebook destroying the screen and dell had a person out here the next day.

Well I think I just had too much troubles with them. At my work, after about 1 year, the Screen starts to "fall apart" somehow, screws loosen, etc. I think it's just the Inspirons who aren't built very good. I don't know the English word for it.

Well, i mostly have experience with Latitudes, so i cant say for sure on Inspirons. I would get a latitude, though.

Well at work we had 1 Latitude and about 5 Inspirons. The Inspirons started to fall apart after 1 year.