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Might buy a Dell 8100 laptop today... I need suggestions... (Updated: I ordered it :D)

aphex

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
This is the lappy im thinking about buying...

Dell 8100

Mobile Pentium® III Processor 1.0GHz-M 15in UltraXGA Qty: 1
Memory: 128MB,SDRAM,133M,1DIMM (256 after i upgrade from Crucial)
Video Card: 64MB 4X AGP ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
Primary Hard Drive: 30GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
Floppy Drive: Modular Floppy Drive
Operating System Software: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Modem: 56K Internal Modem w/NIC
Fixed CD/DVD Drives: 8X DVD Drive
Bundle: Microsoft®Works Suite 2002 with Money 2002 Standard
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 3Yr Ltd. Warranty- 3Yr Mail-In Service + Lifetime Phone Support
Internet Access Service at no additional charge: 6 Mths of DellNet® by MSN Internet Access for Windows®XP Included
Special Offers: Free Palm m105! ($149 retail value)

Total: $1330 + tax (After rebate & free shipping)

First off, this lappy is going to be going with me to Europe in the fall, so i wanted something powerful. I have a few questions though...

1. Do you think the mobile P4 will come down in price anytime in the next 3 months (near the same price range)??
2. Should i drop the HD to 20gb and use the extra money to get a DVD/CDRW combo drive instead??
3. Anyone have this lappy and care to comment on its weight and quality??
4. I dont need it till August, so would waiting be worth it?? Im worried i wont be able to get a deal like this when i need it...

Thanks, any help is appreciated... 😀
 
I have this laptop with a 32M Geforce2 video card. The only conplaint I have with it is the weight. So make sure you buy a laptop bag with a good shoulder strap. I opted to buy the modular CDRW drive from Ebay for about $100.00. Prefer the 2 CD drives. It plays games really well (Medal of Honor, Max Payne) and is fast enough for most applications. PC World just did a review on the P4 laptop's and were rated a little slower than the PIII's. PC World article
 
I'd cut the HD down and add some RAM. I don't know if you can/are planning to get it cheaper aftermarket, but 128 is NOT enough RAM for this laptop. I've got an 8100 with an 807MHz chip and XP and I could definitely tell the difference when I dropped another 64 in.

I don't know tht waiting would be ideal, even if prices are always going down. Thing is, unless you're gaming with your laptop, there really isn't anything in the forseeable future that this laptop can't handle with ease.
 


<< I'd cut the HD down and add some RAM. I don't know if you can/are planning to get it cheaper aftermarket, but 128 is NOT enough RAM for this laptop. I've got an 8100 with an 807MHz chip and XP and I could definitely tell the difference when I dropped another 64 in.

I don't know tht waiting would be ideal, even if prices are always going down. Thing is, unless you're gaming with your laptop, there really isn't anything in the forseeable future that this laptop can't handle with ease. >>

\

Well im gonna be getting another 128 stick from Crucial... Much cheaper to get ram from anyone but dell...
 


<< I'd cut the HD down and add some RAM. I don't know if you can/are planning to get it cheaper aftermarket, but 128 is NOT enough RAM for this laptop. I've got an 8100 with an 807MHz chip and XP and I could definitely tell the difference when I dropped another 64 in.

I don't know tht waiting would be ideal, even if prices are always going down. Thing is, unless you're gaming with your laptop, there really isn't anything in the forseeable future that this laptop can't handle with ease. >>



I would get the minimal 128MB RAM and buy 256MB from Crucial.com for $115.
 
128 wont be enough... see if you can get another 128, esp if you're gonna run win2k... my dad has a work laptop that runs win2k pro with only 128 ram, and it loads really slow (but maybe im spoiled iwth my 512mb ram 😛)
 
2. Max of 512MB of ram. Dosen't address a 512MB stick, so you need to have 2 256MB sticks to max it out.
 
Looks like i'll spend the extra $50 to get that 128 from dell in One Slot.
 
I remember hearing someone say if you order with a premium credit card, they upgrade to the 3 year warranty for free... Anyone have specifics on this??
 
Its a very nice laptop. However, If you're going to use it to share files with a desktop computer (IE, you're going to be working on files that you want availible on your desktop and your laptop, I would recommend going with XP pro or 2k. They both have this nifty little feature that lets you make a network share availible when you're not connected to the network. Once you reconnect to the network, it resyncs your files, so that any changes you made while on the road get saved to the desktop. Very handy feature. I paid the extra money for XP Pro for that feature alone, and its worth every penny I spent for it. Much nicer than using a briefcase or somthing.
 
i really want to know if the radeon 7500 in the 8100 is faster than the gf4go in the 8200. since the two are so similar at everything else i'd like to see a good gaming bench thrown on there.

of course... the 8100 is cheaper...
 
I have used both the 8100 and 4100 and let me tell you from first hand experience, the 8100 is a monster of a laptop, in terms of size and weight, and is intended as a desktop replacement.
If you absolutely need the extra inch on the LCD, then 8100 is the only way to go.

The 4100 is slightly yet noticeably smaller and more portable, but only available in 14".
Get this one if you need to lug a laptop around a lot.
Fits perfectly in my targus case ($30 shipped from buy.com)

Both of them have the 32 meg GF2 Go and is more than sufficient for any games/programs.

Whatever you do, absolutely do not upgrade the RAM from dell... they rip you off.
Both 4100 and 8100 have 2 slots max.
I opted for the cheapest memory config (2 64's), slow as hell, but once you pop in the 256 from crucial (I bought for $60 shipped, now going for around $80 shipped) + 64 original = 320 megs total, it's more than enough. I think 256 is sufficient but if you're power hungry, go for 384.... 512 is overkill. The bottleneck of the system is the hard drive.

You will NEVER have enough hard drive space so keep the 30 gig.

The combo drive is your call, and it's pricey so....

Quality seems to be very well put together, and to last
At my workplace, we all use Dell Latitudes (very similar to Inspirons), and they are quite rugged.
Used by our field engineers on the go, and in their Explorers.
 


<< I remember hearing someone say if you order with a premium credit card, they upgrade to the 3 year warranty for free... Anyone have specifics on this?? >>



It doesn't necessarily require a premium credit card, most Gold/Platinum or higher credit cards issued with the VISA, MasterCard and American Express logo's offer either double manufacturer's warranty or an extra year (probably the latter). Try searching VISA.com for this perk. I would strongly recommend upgrading to the 3 year mail-in warranty (not the complete care) but check the restrictions since you're going to be outside of the USA.
 
Cool, thanks for all the great responces so far guys...

As for XP Pro, being a student here at UF we get it for free, so im not worried about that. Im going to be watching alot of DVD's and whatnot on it, so the extra inch in the screen is important to me. Ram right now from crucial is $54 for a 128 stick and $104 for a 256 stick. With that in mind, i'll probably opt for the $50 upgrade to 1dimm 128 from DELL and purchase a second 128 from crucial. As for the warranty, im not gonna go with anything less than 3 year, cause personally i dont trust lappys 🙂

BTW: Price just dropped 5%, found a nice coupon 🙂
 
Are you ordering from Dell Home or Dell Small Business? Dell Small Business charges sales tax in all states where as I think Dell Home only charges tax in certain states.

I think there is a 5% off coupon but it's only for Dell Small Business?

There is however a $50 off Inspiron 8100 coupon which expires 4/30/2002 and it's valid for Dell Home purchases.
 


<< Are you ordering from Dell Home or Dell Small Business? Dell Small Business charges sales tax in all states where as I think Dell Home only charges tax in certain states.

I think there is a 5% off coupon but it's only for Dell Small Business?

There is however a $50 off Inspiron 8100 coupon which expires 4/30/2002 and it's valid for Dell Home purchases. >>



Im ordering through Small Business. Dell charges tax to Florida in both departments from what ive heard. The price im getting is using the 5% off from Small Business and after a $200 rebate on the 8100 from Small Business.
 
I think i finally get what you were saying above...

These are my options:

128 2dimm from dell - Buy 256 chip from Crucial for $105 = Total Ram of 320 (Extra cost $105)
128 1dimm from dell - Buy 128 chip from Crucual for $54 = Total Ram of 256 (Extra cost $104)

😀 I think i just made my choice...

Think the $75 upgrade from 20gb to 30gb is worth it??
 


<< just buy the lappy already ya damn n00b!


😛 >>



Screw you hippy 😀
 


<<

<< just buy the lappy already ya damn n00b!


😛 >>



Screw you hippy 😀 >>


just because i like ty -dye, doesn't mean i am a hippy.....ya pinko...😀
 
FWIW, I've had very good luck with Dell laptops (I know others haven't). I have used Crucial ram, though, as others have suggested, since the Dell prices were way out of line.
 


<< FWIW, I've had very good luck with Dell laptops (I know others haven't). I have used Crucial ram, though, as others have suggested, since the Dell prices were way out of line. >>



Yea, just to be careful im gettin the 3 year warranty so i wont have any worries...
 
complete care is accident coverage, say you leave it on top of your car and it falls off as you're pulling out of the space, complete care will fix that. maybe your renter's or home owners insurance could cover that, not sure.

whats the total on that after 5% coupon and $200 rebate?
 
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