I'm buying a notebook soon. It's for advanced educational uses (graduate school) and will have do the typical word processing/Internet stuff plus a little more. Right now, the Dell i4000 seems like the best balance between features, portability, and price (especially with the specials right now). The system I'm looking at is as follows:
P-3 900 MHz
14.1" SXGA+ TFT
64MB SDRAM DIMM x2
10 GB Ultra ATA HD
Internal 56K + 10/100 Mini-PCI Combo
59 WHr Li-Ion Batt
Modular Floppy
Modular CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo
Minimal software
Minimal Warranty
~$2000 at dell4me.com
The only things that I'm willing to go lower on are the SDRAM (since it's cheap right now) and the processor speed, provided it doesn't go below 800 MHz. I'm actually leaning towards a 20 GB HD too.
The two major complaints I've read is that the speaker volume is too low and the build quality is poor. The main advantages: "bang for buck" and weight (7-7.5 lb travel weight depending on who you believe).
If you have this machine, can you please comment on those two disadvantages? Or for you experienced notebook buyers, what other machines should I compare? I don't want to go above $2200. Assuming that the Dell specials didn't exist, that would be the approximate price of the Inspiron I want.
So far, I'm not considering the Inspiron 8000 because of weight. I'm not considering ultraportables because of screen size and hassle of plugging in drives. This is going to be blasphamous on this MB, but I'm very reluctant to consider a Think Pad because it doesn't have a touchpad. I had to use one at work for a few months and I couldn't get used to the pointing stick for the life or me. (Even though I'd only use the touchpad, I really like that Inspirons have both...that's a nice touch.)
What are the comperable notebook models from Gateway, Compaq, Fujitsu, Toshiba, etc. in terms of price, weight, and specs?
Anyways, free shipping from Dell ends at midnight tomorrow, so a quick reply is best. I think $100 off a DVD/CD-RW ends on July 23 too. I hope this is productive...Thanks!
P-3 900 MHz
14.1" SXGA+ TFT
64MB SDRAM DIMM x2
10 GB Ultra ATA HD
Internal 56K + 10/100 Mini-PCI Combo
59 WHr Li-Ion Batt
Modular Floppy
Modular CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo
Minimal software
Minimal Warranty
~$2000 at dell4me.com
The only things that I'm willing to go lower on are the SDRAM (since it's cheap right now) and the processor speed, provided it doesn't go below 800 MHz. I'm actually leaning towards a 20 GB HD too.
The two major complaints I've read is that the speaker volume is too low and the build quality is poor. The main advantages: "bang for buck" and weight (7-7.5 lb travel weight depending on who you believe).
If you have this machine, can you please comment on those two disadvantages? Or for you experienced notebook buyers, what other machines should I compare? I don't want to go above $2200. Assuming that the Dell specials didn't exist, that would be the approximate price of the Inspiron I want.
So far, I'm not considering the Inspiron 8000 because of weight. I'm not considering ultraportables because of screen size and hassle of plugging in drives. This is going to be blasphamous on this MB, but I'm very reluctant to consider a Think Pad because it doesn't have a touchpad. I had to use one at work for a few months and I couldn't get used to the pointing stick for the life or me. (Even though I'd only use the touchpad, I really like that Inspirons have both...that's a nice touch.)
What are the comperable notebook models from Gateway, Compaq, Fujitsu, Toshiba, etc. in terms of price, weight, and specs?
Anyways, free shipping from Dell ends at midnight tomorrow, so a quick reply is best. I think $100 off a DVD/CD-RW ends on July 23 too. I hope this is productive...Thanks!
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