Looking to buy Portable Laptop

[govtcheez75]

I'm on the same boat. I want everything in a small package. The Asus W3J is pretty nice, but very pricey...and slightly heavier than what I wanted. I'm waiting to see specs and reviews of the New Dell XPS and the Macbook. I would be very interested in the Dell Inspiron 620 (14" widescreen) if they still offered the nVidia Quadro option. Apparently, there's a shortage of those video cards and Dell is only offering integrated graphics now. The Sony SZ is OK, but I've owned Sony S series before and they tend to be fairly noisy (fan goes off way too often).

After EXTENSIVE research, I would say that the best current option is the Toshiba Satellite M100 series. You can configure one with Core Duo and a 128mb X1400 with 14" widescreen to weigh about 5.5lbs. I may have to go with this option if nothing becomes available with similar specs in the next week or two. I'm not a big fan of the Toshiba styling or how heavy this is for a 14" laptop, but it's currently the best option out.

 

[Stokes]

Originally posted by: govtcheez75
I'm on the same boat. I want everything in a small package. The Asus W3J is pretty nice, but very pricey...and slightly heavier than what I wanted. I'm waiting to see specs and reviews of the New Dell XPS and the Macbook. I would be very interested in the Dell Inspiron 620 (14" widescreen) if they still offered the nVidia Quadro option. Apparently, there's a shortage of those video cards and Dell is only offering integrated graphics now. The Sony SZ is OK, but I've owned Sony S series before and they tend to be fairly noisy (fan goes off way too often).

After EXTENSIVE research, I would say that the best current option is the Toshiba Satellite M100 series. You can configure one with Core Duo and a 128mb X1400 with 14" widescreen to weigh about 5.5lbs. I may have to go with this option if nothing becomes available with similar specs in the next week or two. I'm not a big fan of the Toshiba styling or how heavy this is for a 14" laptop, but it's currently the best option out.

I just looked at the the Toshiba M100 Series and it does offer some nice options with a the 128MB X1400 Radeon. I don't know whats up with their color selction though Mist Gray seems purple? The other thing I have a problem with is they limit the hard drive to 5400 RPM,giving no option for a 7200 RPM, there is a significant difference in RPM for loading times, and just general speed of the laptop.

Now if I knew more about the video card and how it performs and if it was possible to put in a 7200 RPM then I may consider this, but I also agree that I'm not a Toshiba fan.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes

Originally posted by: govtcheez75
I'm on the same boat. I want everything in a small package. The Asus W3J is pretty nice, but very pricey...and slightly heavier than what I wanted. I'm waiting to see specs and reviews of the New Dell XPS and the Macbook. I would be very interested in the Dell Inspiron 620 (14" widescreen) if they still offered the nVidia Quadro option. Apparently, there's a shortage of those video cards and Dell is only offering integrated graphics now. The Sony SZ is OK, but I've owned Sony S series before and they tend to be fairly noisy (fan goes off way too often).

After EXTENSIVE research, I would say that the best current option is the Toshiba Satellite M100 series. You can configure one with Core Duo and a 128mb X1400 with 14" widescreen to weigh about 5.5lbs. I may have to go with this option if nothing becomes available with similar specs in the next week or two. I'm not a big fan of the Toshiba styling or how heavy this is for a 14" laptop, but it's currently the best option out.

I just looked at the the Toshiba M100 Series and it does offer some nice options with a the 128MB X1400 Radeon. I don't know whats up with their color selction though Mist Gray seems purple? The other thing I have a problem with is they limit the hard drive to 5400 RPM,giving no option for a 7200 RPM, there is a significant difference in RPM for loading times, and just general speed of the laptop.

Now if I knew more about the video card and how it performs and if it was possible to put in a 7200 RPM then I may consider this, but I also agree that I'm not a Toshiba fan.

You can upgrade the drive yourself. I went from a 4200 rpm drive to a 7200 rpm drive in my last notebook, but keep in mind that your palmrest (right above the drive) will get pretty hot.

 

[Stokes]

Well I looked further into the Toshiba, the 128 MB graphics is ok, but not 256 like I want. I wish there was a cheaper alternative to the W3J, but its not looking that way. It's looking like a $2,000 laptop with a 80GB 7200 RPM Hardrive and 1.83 Ghz Duo processor from one retailer that appears to have them in stock and going. That does seem like a lot for that, but for what you are getting its good, but not great.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
Well I looked further into the Toshiba, the 128 MB graphics is ok, but not 256 like I want. I wish there was a cheaper alternative to the W3J, but its not looking that way. It's looking like a $2,000 laptop with a 80GB 7200 RPM Hardrive and 1.83 Ghz Duo processor from one retailer that appears to have them in stock and going. That does seem like a lot for that, but for what you are getting its good, but not great.

I like the W3J a lot, but I realized that most laptops that have good video cards (better than a X1400/7400) is going to suffer on battery life. There's a decent review from a person who already has his W3J on notebookforums and he claims about 2 hours with wifi on, and about 3 with everything off and brightness reduced. Call me spoiled, but most of my laptops have all lasted over 3 hours with everything on, and at comfortable brightness. I'm certain that the X1600 in it is drawing much more power than a X1400 or integrated graphics...but since I travel a lot, battery life is very important to me.

I'm going to look around another week or two to see what else pops up.

 

[Stokes]

Originally posted by: govtcheez75

Originally posted by: Stokes
Well I looked further into the Toshiba, the 128 MB graphics is ok, but not 256 like I want. I wish there was a cheaper alternative to the W3J, but its not looking that way. It's looking like a $2,000 laptop with a 80GB 7200 RPM Hardrive and 1.83 Ghz Duo processor from one retailer that appears to have them in stock and going. That does seem like a lot for that, but for what you are getting its good, but not great.

I like the W3J a lot, but I realized that most laptops that have good video cards (better than a X1400/7400) is going to suffer on battery life. There's a decent review from a person who already has his W3J on notebookforums and he claims about 2 hours with wifi on, and about 3 with everything off and brightness reduced. Call me spoiled, but most of my laptops have all lasted over 3 hours with everything on, and at comfortable brightness. I'm certain that the X1600 in it is drawing much more power than a X1400 or integrated graphics...but since I travel a lot, battery life is very important to me.

I'm going to look around another week or two to see what else pops up.

I thought I read in that article that he got 3 hours out of his laptop with wifi and 80% brightness or whatever he mentioned.

Keep me informed if you find another alternative to the situation. Definately something that is portable no larger then 14" WXGA, 7200 RPM drive, and dedicated graphics that is good. Message me or put something up here, i've been checking it daily.

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: govtcheez75

Originally posted by: Stokes
Well I looked further into the Toshiba, the 128 MB graphics is ok, but not 256 like I want. I wish there was a cheaper alternative to the W3J, but its not looking that way. It's looking like a $2,000 laptop with a 80GB 7200 RPM Hardrive and 1.83 Ghz Duo processor from one retailer that appears to have them in stock and going. That does seem like a lot for that, but for what you are getting its good, but not great.

I like the W3J a lot, but I realized that most laptops that have good video cards (better than a X1400/7400) is going to suffer on battery life. There's a decent review from a person who already has his W3J on notebookforums and he claims about 2 hours with wifi on, and about 3 with everything off and brightness reduced. Call me spoiled, but most of my laptops have all lasted over 3 hours with everything on, and at comfortable brightness. I'm certain that the X1600 in it is drawing much more power than a X1400 or integrated graphics...but since I travel a lot, battery life is very important to me.

I'm going to look around another week or two to see what else pops up.

Although it's an extra expense, you can buy the modular-bay battery.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: 6000SUX

Originally posted by: govtcheez75

Originally posted by: Stokes
Well I looked further into the Toshiba, the 128 MB graphics is ok, but not 256 like I want. I wish there was a cheaper alternative to the W3J, but its not looking that way. It's looking like a $2,000 laptop with a 80GB 7200 RPM Hardrive and 1.83 Ghz Duo processor from one retailer that appears to have them in stock and going. That does seem like a lot for that, but for what you are getting its good, but not great.

I like the W3J a lot, but I realized that most laptops that have good video cards (better than a X1400/7400) is going to suffer on battery life. There's a decent review from a person who already has his W3J on notebookforums and he claims about 2 hours with wifi on, and about 3 with everything off and brightness reduced. Call me spoiled, but most of my laptops have all lasted over 3 hours with everything on, and at comfortable brightness. I'm certain that the X1600 in it is drawing much more power than a X1400 or integrated graphics...but since I travel a lot, battery life is very important to me.

I'm going to look around another week or two to see what else pops up.

Although it's an extra expense, you can buy the modular-bay battery.

The laptop is fairly heavy for a 14 incher to start with...you add the modular battery and it gets to be over >6lbs. If I wanted to lug around 6+ pounds, I would get a 15.4" laptop.

 

[Stokes]

I did some further research and the next best thing is probably from IBM and their T60 series. Except you are still paying a premium price even for a 128MB dedicated 14.1" LCD.

I love their T60P line, because it comes with dedicated 256MB ram, all the works with the 7200 RPM hard drive, but it comes with the top of the line price too.

I may go for the 128MB because it will be able to handle things I want and I'm not sure if for my use its worth the premium for the 256.

I may end up purchasing one on ebay with so so specs and buying myself a 7200 RPM hard drive and upgrade the ram and bam I got my laptop with a 128MB X1400 (or was it x1300?)

EDIT: Dell D620 with Quadro 256MB Graphics

 

[Stokes]

I Think I may bite my lips on this one and take a nose dive with the Dell D620 because of their $350 Savings on the D620 until the 10th.

Latitude D620 Intel® Core? Duo T2500 (2.00GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, no media
LCDs 14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD Panel
Memory 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Graphics 256MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache?
Hard Drives 80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
Fingerprint Reader for Added Security Standard Touchpad
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
Bluetooth Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter 65W A/C Adapter
Optical Drive - Modular 8X DVD with Cyberlink Power DVD?
Wireless LAN (802.11) Dell Wireless? 1490 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini Card
Resource CD No Resource CD
Batteries 9 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year Mail-In Economy Plan
Onsite System Setup No Onsite System Setup
Miscellaneous Latitude D620
Purchase Intent Purchase is not intended for resale.
TOTAL:$1,464.00

Not sure how that is going to come out. If you are wondering, am going to buy another 512MB ram at least and found it for half the price dell is asking online, so I will pursue that option. I plan maybe to make this purchase later today, so please make any comments asap if you have any.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
I Think I may bite my lips on this one and take a nose dive with the Dell D620 because of their $350 Savings on the D620 until the 10th.

Latitude D620 Intel® Core? Duo T2500 (2.00GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, no media
LCDs 14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD Panel
Memory 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Graphics 256MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache?
Hard Drives 80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
Fingerprint Reader for Added Security Standard Touchpad
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
Bluetooth Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter 65W A/C Adapter
Optical Drive - Modular 8X DVD with Cyberlink Power DVD?
Wireless LAN (802.11) Dell Wireless? 1490 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini Card
Resource CD No Resource CD
Batteries 9 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year Mail-In Economy Plan
Onsite System Setup No Onsite System Setup
Miscellaneous Latitude D620
Purchase Intent Purchase is not intended for resale.
TOTAL:$1,464.00

Not sure how that is going to come out. If you are wondering, am going to buy another 512MB ram at least and found it for half the price dell is asking online, so I will pursue that option. I plan maybe to make this purchase later today, so please make any comments asap if you have any.

I just placed an order for mine. They just started offering the dedicated graphics option again today after only offering the integrated intel for a while... Something about a shortage of the Quadro cards. Just a heads up...I ordered two batteries. The 9 cell sticks out a little in the front, while the 6 cell sits flush. I figure I'll use the 9 cell on the road, and the 6 cell at other times.

 

[6000SUX]

Sweet price, guys. Those will be killer machines. I found this thread because I was curious about the Quadro cards:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=46913

Nobody tried the obvious, installing 7300/7400 drivers. It looks like those parts might be comparable or even the same part. When you get your machines, please post back here with some performance numbers.

 

[Stokes]

Just ordered mine as well after hearing from you . I also went for the extra 9 cell. How much does it stick out? I wish I could see a picture of it somewhere if it was possible.

I read up a little about the Quadro, while its not a true gaming card, it will/should be able to handle some gaming, don't push it with games like Doom 3 or anything like that. But I'm confident something like AoE3 or Civ 4 will be just fine on it. Plus gaming is not the primary purpose of this laptop anyways.

I'm happy with my decision to go with this model as it is semi lightweight (nothing to write home about), and I know people bash on Dell, but they are hard to compete with in some of their pricing and selection options when it comes to computers.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
Just ordered mine as well after hearing from you . I also went for the extra 9 cell. How much does it stick out? I wish I could see a picture of it somewhere if it was possible.

I read up a little about the Quadro, while its not a true gaming card, it will/should be able to handle some gaming, don't push it with games like Doom 3 or anything like that. But I'm confident something like AoE3 or Civ 4 will be just fine on it. Plus gaming is not the primary purpose of this laptop anyways.

I'm happy with my decision to go with this model as it is semi lightweight (nothing to write home about), and I know people bash on Dell, but they are hard to compete with in some of their pricing and selection options when it comes to computers.

go check out this guy's review. He posted some pictures up with the 9 cell battery. Notice the little ledge sticking out in front? That's the 9 cell. 4 and 6 cell sits flush.

 

[6000SUX]

I think it was a neat design decision to essentially make a wrist rest out of the battery! Literally forward-thinking. That's a sharp-looking machine.

 

[Stokes]

Thanks for the link with the pictures govtcheez!

Yea, that little extra popping out in front doesn't bother me. I'm amazed though that the guy mentioned with the 9 cell he was able to get about 4:30 of life with wifi on! Thats pretty impressive if that holds true.

My laptop isn't stated to ship until the 22nd of May, but I'm hoping they will speed through production (but still do a good job), and go earlier. I haven't ordered a dell in awhile so I don't know how accurate their estimates are. I can't wait for the laptop to arrive.

I'm thinking about reformating it from the start (after ghosting the out of box setup), then installing dells drivers from the resource cd and having a fresh install of windows without all of Dells little software add-ons they bring in, I'm wondering If i'll run into any complications by doing this or if its necessary.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
Thanks for the link with the pictures govtcheez!

Yea, that little extra popping out in front doesn't bother me. I'm amazed though that the guy mentioned with the 9 cell he was able to get about 4:30 of life with wifi on! Thats pretty impressive if that holds true.

My laptop isn't stated to ship until the 22nd of May, but I'm hoping they will speed through production (but still do a good job), and go earlier. I haven't ordered a dell in awhile so I don't know how accurate their estimates are. I can't wait for the laptop to arrive.

I'm thinking about reformating it from the start (after ghosting the out of box setup), then installing dells drivers from the resource cd and having a fresh install of windows without all of Dells little software add-ons they bring in, I'm wondering If i'll run into any complications by doing this or if its necessary.

You don't really have to go through all that trouble with the Latitudes. They're geared for the business user, so Dell does a much better job of keeping crapware off of them. The Inspirons are a completely different. I've ordered a number of systems from both Dell home and Dell Small business and they tend to be fairly close in their expected shipping times. They may be a day or two early at times. Mine is supposed to ship on the 18th. I'm guessing that the processor or hdd option for you may delay your shipping as I opted for the 1.87ghz processor and a normal 5400rpm hdd.


This reviewer got 4 hours and 25 minutes on the standard 6 cell battery...but that was with integrated intel graphics.

 

[Stokes]

Yea, I went with the 80GB 7200RPM drive which said a 2 day delay which didn't bother me for the boost in RPM . I also went for the 2Ghz Duo as well. My total, with the standard 6 cell and an additional 9 cell, and tax (this always gets ya), was about $1,600, which was right in my budget and comes with a three year warranty which is always good to have with laptops.

I think we lucked out with them adding the Quadro yesterday, because there were not too many other options avaliable. Also the more and more I read about this laptop the more impressive it sounds, especially its dimensions and just about 5lbs claimed by a reviewer.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
Yea, I went with the 80GB 7200RPM drive which said a 2 day delay which didn't bother me for the boost in RPM . I also went for the 2Ghz Duo as well. My total, with the standard 6 cell and an additional 9 cell, and tax (this always gets ya), was about $1,600, which was right in my budget and comes with a three year warranty which is always good to have with laptops.

I think we lucked out with them adding the Quadro yesterday, because there were not too many other options avaliable. Also the more and more I read about this laptop the more impressive it sounds, especially its dimensions and just about 5lbs claimed by a reviewer.

Yep. I can't wait until I get it. I'll post a full review. I did one for the 700m when they first came out that people seemed to find informative. Mine seems like it was built overnight and will go into the boxing stage and maybe be shipped out today or tomorrow!

 

[Stokes]

Originally posted by: govtcheez75

Originally posted by: Stokes
Yea, I went with the 80GB 7200RPM drive which said a 2 day delay which didn't bother me for the boost in RPM . I also went for the 2Ghz Duo as well. My total, with the standard 6 cell and an additional 9 cell, and tax (this always gets ya), was about $1,600, which was right in my budget and comes with a three year warranty which is always good to have with laptops.

I think we lucked out with them adding the Quadro yesterday, because there were not too many other options avaliable. Also the more and more I read about this laptop the more impressive it sounds, especially its dimensions and just about 5lbs claimed by a reviewer.

Yep. I can't wait until I get it. I'll post a full review. I did one for the 700m when they first came out that people seemed to find informative. Mine seems like it was built overnight and will go into the boxing stage and maybe be shipped out today or tomorrow!

Wow, that must have made you happy! I'm stilll sitting with pre-production being completed and In Production without it saying where they are in production .

Let me know in your first look over the laptop if you find anything like settings or so on that are not as they should be either for longer battery life, etc. Btw, I wonder if there are different drivers for us to install that will help in gaming performance? Since the Quadro is aimed towards workstation graphics and not gaming?

 

[Stokes]

I found something interesting you should definately consider:

"Also, be sure to continue to check their site AFTER you receive your machine. About 25 days after I received my new Inspiron I needed research a new laptop for a client, and out of curiosity I re-priced the configuration I bought. It was almost $300 less! I called Dell's customer service, and they credited me for the difference. You have to do this within 30 days of purchase."

And while I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere, adding more ram wont void my warranty correct?

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Stokes
I found something interesting you should definately consider:

"Also, be sure to continue to check their site AFTER you receive your machine. About 25 days after I received my new Inspiron I needed research a new laptop for a client, and out of curiosity I re-priced the configuration I bought. It was almost $300 less! I called Dell's customer service, and they credited me for the difference. You have to do this within 30 days of purchase."

And while I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere, adding more ram wont void my warranty correct?

Correct. There's a list of things that you can do that doesn't void the warranty. Adding RAM is one of them. I've bought a number of systems from Dell before. They may adjust your price or offer other incentives if you see a similar configuration for less soon after your purchase.

 

[fbrdphreak]

You'll enjoy the D620. Got one in here for a user and I was really shocked at how nice it is. The D620 has come a long way from all the previous Latitudes, none of which I was impressed with.

 

[Stokes]

My laptop has moved way ahead of schedule and is in the boxing phase, I don't think it will ship on May 22nd .

While looking for ram I came across this from newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231042

It has the specifications that will work in the Dell, and comes with lifetime warranty, plus we all know newegg has a good return policy if for some reason it doesnt work. G.Skill is also a good RAM dealer, as matter of fact I have some running in my system now . The price seems amazing for 1 GB. Anything you guys can spot that I shouldn't go with 2 GB of this stuff?

The reviews on NewEgg seem for the most part positive.

I think I may go ahead with 2 sticks and if problems can always return it. I'll give memtest a few runs at it.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Holy christ that is cheap! I'd jump on it.