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Need opinions on Dell 9300 purchase

R

Redfoot

Member
Hey guys.

I searched and found mostly good reviews on the Dell 9300. I headed to the Dell gift game and a deal site and got a code for $750 off Inspiron 1999, and another $100 off from the Dell game.

Here is the current config, 1294.95 shipped.

Good deal, or can I do better?

Also, I opted for the better screen. I am no photoshopper, but a gamer and movie watcher. Upgrade to the 7200 RPM HD perhaps, is there that much of a benefit on laptops? I will be living out of a dorm room for 5 months, so this will be my primary entertainment and study guide. Perhaps add the TV tuner because of that? Or are there better/cheaper aftermarket, if at all?

Running lots of Word and Excel, with some CS:S, and Battlefield 2 thrown in for good measure.

I know that mem is cheaper outside of dell, but this is getting thrown on the Dell card for now. I can always Ebay the module later, right?

I bought the warranty after the myraid of Dells, Toshibas, Compaqs, and HP's I have seen die out of the blue, and with responsible users.

Thanks for your feedback.

Inspiron 9300 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Unit Price $2,106.00
Select Inspiron affiliate offer save $750 off $1999+ (Affiliate only)
LIMITED TIME OFFER! Remove Coupon
- $750.00
Catalog Number: 29

Inspiron 9300 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005

Display 17 inch UltraSharp? Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife?
Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
Video Card 256MB NVIDA® GeForce? Go 6800
Hard Drive 60GB 5400rpmHard Drive
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem

CD/DVD Drives 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Wireless Networking Card Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)


Primary Battery 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr)
Hardware Warranty 2Yr Ltd Warranty, 2Yr At-Home Service, and 2Yr HW Warranty Support
Accidental Damage Protection (Except in Florida) Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 2Yr Lim Warranty
 
I have a 9300 configured very similar expcept i have the 1.86 proc and 80 gig drive. You have a nice rig and with the 750 off deal you have a good price point. Go ahead...pull the trigger..you wont regret it. BTW ...many will say take the default 512 ram and upgrade after market..on the surface this seems smart but in reality its not that big of savings. What most fail to realize is that the 512 that comes with the system is 2x256 and to upgrade to 1 gig after purchase..you pull all that memory and through it up on the shelf..thus the value of the memory in the purchase is wasted. Now u go out and buy 1 gig aftermarket..your real memory investment is...value of 512 sitting on the shelf + 1gig of aftermarket memroy. when u look at it that way its not really that big of savings..although you could sell the pulled memory..but thats a hassle and you wont get much for it.
 
Thanks deathwalker. I am going to purchase an external drive to swap between the lappy and tower, or else I would have chosen the same.

Do you think I would benefit at all from the 7200 RPM drive? I am not to familiar on how big of a performance increase this equates to on a laptop versus a desktop.

Thanks again for your input!
 
No..dont bother with the increased cost of the 7200 rpm drive...there is very little if any performance improvement over the 5400 rpm models. The big improvement came when they went from 4200 rpm drives to 5400.
 
BTW.. i have a external USB drive and its a great way to go for storage and backup. You may want to consider building your own by buying the exteranl storage case and HD seperately. Its less expensive and helps future proof it buy alowing you to have ez access to replace the drive if it fails or if you want to increase the capacity. With many prepackaged external drive systems this can be next to impossible.
 
Originally posted by: deathwalker
No..dont bother with the increased cost of the 7200 rpm drive...there is very little if any performance improvement over the 5400 rpm models. The big improvement came when they went from 4200 rpm drives to 5400.
Click to expand...


I disagree with this statement. Can you game on a 5400 rpm drive? Yes (I have a 5400rpm fdrive in my notebook actually)! Will a 7200rpm drive make a difference? Yes! The main difference will be in level or zone load times. Also, if you decide you do want to video edit or photoshop later on the 7200 rom will perform better.

Read here...
http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/detail.php?id=92


Also on the memory thing. You don't order the notebook with with 512 if the only thing offered is 2x256. You order it with 256 in that case and then pick up a single 1gb stick to put in the second slot. You can get a transcend 1gb stick form newegg.com for like $70 now.


 
Well..if you owned a 9300 you would know they dont offer it with 256mb of memory. And..since you are a non-owner of this system..you may not be the be qualified to critisize my suggestion. I certainly didnt mean to infer zero performance differance between 5400/7200. My observation was that it wasnt worth the extra cost. Also since this is a dual channel system you want 2 sticks of the same memory for optimal performance. I have been building/repairing systems of over 12 years and my observations are generally biased towards cost vs. performance.
 
Thanks for the article. I glanced through, and all in all what the articale told me is...don't get that WD drive in your laptop if at all possible!

Here is a good look at the load times.

Half Life 2 Load Times

The upgrade to a 7200 rpm drive would be cost prohibitive for the price in my opinion, at least for what Dell is selling them for. No photoshopping or video for me, but thanks for the info though!

Anyone know the make an model of the Hard Drive in the Dell 9300 is? If it is what WD one, I might just have to upgrade!

Dell offers only the 512 x 2 dimms and 1 GB x 2 dimms. $125 difference, but to get that money back I need to hawk the 256 DDR2 SODIMM, which in reality I cannot think of many people buying, since that (most probably) is what is currently occupying their expansion slot. I could be wrong though. In the future, i think I could more easily unload a 512 stick than a 256 one.

2 gig x 2 dimms is $275 more than the 1 gig option, now that is a rip off.

Thanks for the help people.
 
Originally posted by: deathwalker
Well..if you owned a 9300 you would know they dont offer it with 256mb of memory. And..since you are a non-owner of this system..you may not be the be qualified to critisize my suggestion. I certainly didnt mean to infer zero performance differance between 5400/7200. My observation was that it wasnt worth the extra cost. Also since this is a dual channel system you want 2 sticks of the same memory for optimal performance. I have been building/repairing systems of over 12 years and my observations are generally biased towards cost vs. performance.
Click to expand...

They offered it with 1x256MB stick when I bought mine this summer. I swapped it out for 2x1GB sticks. Some people swear by dual channel, but the performance difference is only a few percent. 3% or so.
 
Aye, up until about this past summer Dell offered 1x256 on every notebook except the XPS. I bought my 6000 in August with 1x256, and it seems now the base config is 2x256.
 
Originally posted by: deathwalker
Well..if you owned a 9300 you would know they dont offer it with 256mb of memory. And..since you are a non-owner of this system..you may not be the be qualified to critisize my suggestion. I certainly didnt mean to infer zero performance differance between 5400/7200. My observation was that it wasnt worth the extra cost. Also since this is a dual channel system you want 2 sticks of the same memory for optimal performance. I have been building/repairing systems of over 12 years and my observations are generally biased towards cost vs. performance.
Click to expand...


Wow you need to take a deep breath and suck down a cafe late or something. You happened to have picked the wrong person to call out about knowing about Dells. I work in an all Dell shop. I would venture to say I have touched more Dell PCs then most everyone on this forum unless someone works at the factory (Been there to by the way...). So get off your high horse and stop whining about how I don't own a Dell. Just because I don't own one personally doesn?t mean I can't make recommendations. Also, you are correct I didn?t realize that I9300s currently do not offer an option for a single 256mb chip. This is because I order all of my servers, notebooks, and desktops through a Dell rep that gives me enterprise pricing and have very little time to keep tabs on what changes on Dells website. The option was there before and I'm willing to bet it will come back.

Configure your pc however you wish. Some people want absolute performance while some want budget and others still want a combination by using a cost to performance ratio. The fact still remains that a 7200 rpm drive is faster then a 5400rpm drive (especially in video editing, game load times, photo editing, etc). Whether or not you think its worth it in your build is your opinion and is of course up to you.

As far as Dual channel goes: yes you will get optimal performance with two of the same sticks. So buy two of the 1 GB transcend sticks then. Probably still cheaper then buying the memory from dell. The performance difference running mismatched sticks (Size wise) isn?t that much slower anyway. The key is making sure that the speed and timing are the same or as close as possible. You can only run as fast as the slowest chip.

Here?s how I would do the memory if this was my order:

1.) I?d call Dell and ask if they can give me a single chip config. I?m willing to bet that a salesman looking to make a buck will do it for you if he thinks that is all that?s preventing the sale.
2.) If I could afford 2x1gb I would ditch the single and order two?if not I would order a single 1gb and pop it in with the 256mb.


You however can do what you like 🙂.

 
Geeze..sinsitive aren't we? Talking about taking a deep breath...lord child. At 58 I can't get nearly as worked up as you. But, none the less...have a happy holiday.
 
Originally posted by: deathwalker
Geeze..sinsitive aren't we? Talking about taking a deep breath...lord child. At 58 I can't get nearly as worked up as you. But, none the less...have a happy holiday.
Click to expand...


hmm...

Worked up? I was not worked up. I was merely responding to this...

Originally posted by: deathwalker
Well..if you owned a 9300 you would know they dont offer it with 256mb of memory. And..since you are a non-owner of this system..you may not be the be qualified to critisize my suggestion.
Click to expand...

You haven?t a clue about me or my background so I figured I would let you know that I am indeed "qualified" to criticize your suggestion. If you don't want responses like mine then try not to craft posts like the one I quoted above.

Happy Holidays 🙂




 

Having bought a 9300 last August, I know that at least at that time Dell did allow you to configure it with a single 256 Mb stick (although you couldn't get XP Media Center version with less than 512 Mb). I have noticed, however, that the customization options seem to change over time.
 
Well I work as Michael Dell's secretary, so therefore my opinion is FAR more valid than yours.

Btw, I pulled the trigger on the same deal, my roommate just did the same thing, it seems like a good deal.
 
Originally posted by: HermDogg
Well I work as Michael Dell's secretary, so therefore my opinion is FAR more valid than yours.
Click to expand...

lol

The validity of your opinion is not defined by your position or title; it is however defined by your knowledge of the given subject. 😉

On that note I've put way to much time into this post. I'm done in this one.

EDIT:
Originally posted by: HermDogg
Btw, I pulled the trigger on the same deal, my roommate just did the same thing, it seems like a good deal.
Click to expand...

Grats! These are pretty nice laptops if 17" is what floats your boat.
 
Originally posted by: deathwalker
I have a 9300 configured very similar expcept i have the 1.86 proc and 80 gig drive. You have a nice rig and with the 750 off deal you have a good price point. Go ahead...pull the trigger..you wont regret it. BTW ...many will say take the default 512 ram and upgrade after market..on the surface this seems smart but in reality its not that big of savings. What most fail to realize is that the 512 that comes with the system is 2x256 and to upgrade to 1 gig after purchase..you pull all that memory and through it up on the shelf..thus the value of the memory in the purchase is wasted. Now u go out and buy 1 gig aftermarket..your real memory investment is...value of 512 sitting on the shelf + 1gig of aftermarket memroy. when u look at it that way its not really that big of savings..although you could sell the pulled memory..but thats a hassle and you wont get much for it.
Click to expand...

I did the the RAM comparison myself. A 1GB dual channel kit from Crucial is the same price as the 512 to 1024MB upgrade from Dell, about $125. Plus the Crucial RAM is guaranteed compatible with the Dell 9300. I think it's more worth it to buy it with 512MB and get the Crucial RAM later if you need it.

BTW congrats to OP for ordering.
 
Whether to buy the extra ram from Dell or not seems like a no brainer. I ordered my 9300 with 2 x 256mb and replaced them with a 1gb chip of Transcend Samsung ram from Newegg for about $64. AR shipped, runs fine. Newegg
Dell wants an extra $125. for 2 x 512mb and, ouch, $400. for 2 x 1gb. If I can scrape up another $64. I'll have my brother order another 1gb to get the rebate.
$128. for 2gb from Newegg versus $400. for 2gb from Dell.
 
for the money i think you could have gotten a better deal

here's my order:

nspiron 9300 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 760 (2 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)

LCD Panel 17 inch UltraSharp? Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife?

Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm

Primary Battery 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)

Video Card ATI MOBILITY? RADEON® X300 64MB HyperMemory?

Hard Drive 80GB 7200rpm Hard Drive

Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005

Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem

Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0

Combo/DVD+RW Drives FREE! 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer write capability

Wireless Networking Cardd Intel® PRO 2200 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards

Dell EPP/FSS Customers: 30% off Dimension and Inspiron Systems $999 or more!
Expires on 2005-12-15 05:59:59 - $681.30

Dell EPP/FSS customers: $200 off systems priced $1999 and above!
Expires on 2005-12-15 05:59:59 - $200.00

Dell EPP/FSS customers: $25 off Dimension and Inspiron systems over $499!
Expires on 2005-12-15 13:00:00 - $25.00

Dell program members receive 12% off systems priced $1600 and up with 3/4 yr At-Home service. Congratulations, you are receiving the maximum member discount.
Expires on 2006-09-26 22:59:59 - $194.36

total after tax and shipping is $1,327.26 and i got 3yr warrnty + all-in-one printer included too with that price.

I also ordered a 7800 gtx for $276 shipped to replace that crappy vid card
also going to buy 2gbs of transcend memory for $150 shipped

God bless notebookforum 🙂
 
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