What's up with Dell?

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skuba

Member
May 7, 2004
94
0
0
Guys,
I have been very happy with a Dell Inspiron 8100 notebook for 3 years. I think that Dell had great price, great products and gret customer service.

So, now when I am looking into getting a new notebook, I have considered Dell again.

BUT, I couldn't find a single model that would have my requirements. The only model that gets closer is way too expensive. Looks like Dell prices are not so competitive anymore.
What do you think?

I want to get a notebook with the following requirements. And I found cheaper at HP so far. Can you help me?

Processor - Pentium 4 or AMD - 3Ghz or more
Memory - 512 or more. 1GB preferebly
Hard drive - 60GB or more
Screen size - 15"
Screen resolution - I need it to be SXGA or UXGA, resolutions at least 1400 x 1024 pixels
IEEE 1384 port - preferebly

This is not much to ask. The thing is that all systems I found with my hardware requirements come with a XGA or WXGA screen. This resolution is not enough for me.

I want to spend between $1300 and $1700

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot
 
M

magomago

Lifer
Sep 28, 2002
10,973
14
76
Iono...I'd stay away from Dell like the plague. A few of my friends in the dorms last year had Dell Laptops and they were all horrible (then again they were all P4 based laptops...so more like DTR) but for the cash they plunked down it was a total waste....and then one of the guys got an IBM T40 and we still think that even today that is one sexy laptop ;) (alhtough pricier)

Take a look at the Pentium Ms also if possible~
 
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imported_2x

Member
Jan 20, 2005
128
0
0
IBM and Toshiba make much better laptops IMO. IBM's run high in price, but are worth it. Toshiba's you can find some nice deals for. Dell laptops are ok, not great.

 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,201
4,871
126
Dell laptops tend to be a bit flimsy and their laptop customer support has slipped dramatically (towards the back of the pack now). Note: the desktop support is still ranked the highest of PC manufacturers (just behind Apple). This is just a friendly warning. I still use Dell since I don't care about customer support and since their prices are the cheapest.

If you still want Dell, start here. You can get quite good deals that way. Of course the deals change almost daily, so if you don't like what you see now, try waiting a few days.

Have you thought about a Pentium M? A 3 GHz P4 in a laptop will have next to no battery life and will burn your lap in a hurry. For most applications a Pentium M will be just as fast even though it wont be 3 GHz.
 
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bigal40

Senior member
Sep 7, 2004
849
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gshock888

Banned
Mar 28, 2003
1,762
1
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imo dell latitudes are usually supported better than inspirons. not just because the parts are swappable and can be used in later models, but they are geared towards the corporate user and not the home user

i have a latitude d400, it is really nice
 
S

skuba

Member
May 7, 2004
94
0
0
Guys, thanks for all the feeback.
As I said before, I've been very happy with them. The times I needed warranty, they sent me the part in 1 or 2 days.

My main issue here is not being able to find a machine that would match my requirements. There is always something missing, or just costs too much.

What's the difference between a p4 and a pentium M? Would a Pm 2ghz perform as fast as a p4 3.2? Somebody here said that the CPU speed of the Pentium M would match a hiegher CPR speed of a P4. Is that it? What are the main differences between the several intel CPUs for notebooks? There is mobile pentium, pntium m, p4, etc...

My curent notebook is a PIII 1.1ghz
Ram: 512
HD: 30GB

I want to buy a new notebook that I will REALLY FEEL that is an upgrade. Not just a new notebook. If the change will be small, I will just stay with what I have.
I do web design work, always have several apps opened at the same time, dreamweaver, photoshop, explorer, windows explorer, outlook, etc....I have even done video editing on my machine.

Another piece of info. Is that I rarely depend on battery. So battery life is not a big deal.

Any more suggestions?

Thanks guys
 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,201
4,871
126
As a very rough estimate, multiply the Pentium M speed by 1.4 to 1.6 to get the equivalent Pentium 4 speed. Thus the 2.0 GHz Pentium M competes quite well with the 2.8 GHz to 3.2 GHz Pentium 4. For business software, I'd take the estimate on the high side (multiply by 1.6 or more). For video editing and 3D rendering, I'd take the estimate on the low side (multiply by 1.4 or a bit less).

Or even better. Read this article. I started the link right at the benchmarks, but you could do well to read the whole thing.

So basically, the speeds are about the same even though the Pentium M has lower clockspeed. But there are benefits of the Pentium M:
[*]Pentium 4 battery: 2-3 hours. Pentium M battery: 4-6 hours.
[*]Pentium 4: legs could potentially be burned. Pentium M: barely noticible warm spot.
[*]Pentium M will normally be in a thinner, lighter notebook as well.
Drawback of the pentium M: it costs a bit more.
 
D

dev0lution

Senior member
Dec 23, 2004
472
0
0
Everyone I know with Dell desktops has had minimal issues. Everyone I know with Dell laptops has had at least one afternoon spent on the phone with tech support in India (which usually solved nothing). IBM Thinkpads are great, which is why so many businesses choose them even if they are a bit more $$. Hurry and buy now before Lenovo screws things up ;)
 
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footbal07

Senior member
Apr 3, 2004
270
0
0
if i was in the market for a notebook right now i would either get a small pentium m dorthan with 512megs of ram and a 60gig harddrive, or more likely a similarly configured 12in ibook. after the student discount it is only around 11-1300. of course the ibook would depend more on what software you need, but osx 10 and 6+ hours of batterylife are very attractive for a notebook imo.
 
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skuba

Member
May 7, 2004
94
0
0
Power notebooks and eMachines? Are you guys serious? Does anybody have a opinion on these?

Thanks
 
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bigal40

Senior member
Sep 7, 2004
849
0
0
Originally posted by: skuba
Power notebooks and eMachines? Are you guys serious? Does anybody have a opinion on these?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've never heard of power notebooks but I am on a emachines notebook right now and i can tell you that the Emachines of the late 90's that pops into your mind is not the same as todays emachines. Read through his thread and see all the people happy with their emachines notebooks http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=51&threadid=1228136&enterthread=y
 
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impemonk

Senior member
Oct 13, 2004
453
0
0
Yes, IBM thinkpads are among the best laptops I've ever used. Dell is good too, but they don't have too many options that suit me. Currently, I have a IBM THINKPAD and it serves me well.
 
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zainali

Golden Member
Jun 18, 2003
1,687
0
76
buy a dell for cheap. they usually have like 20-30% off. one time they even had 750 off 1500.

sell it after a year on ebay for about the same price. get a new notebook.
 
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tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
1,289
0
0
inspiron 6000 meets all your specs when you realize PM 760 (centrino 2GHz/2MB) is faster than a P4-3, or A643000

priced at $1472
 
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The Godfather

Platinum Member
Jan 13, 2005
2,158
0
76
Dudeeee I cant believe you bought a dell.... sell it and get an apple or another laptop (make sure its not a Sony Vaio).. but kill the dell
 
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skuba

Member
May 7, 2004
94
0
0
What's the problem with Dell? As I said before, I have a notebook for 3 years and I am happy with it. Never had a major problem and customer service was always good. At least for me.
What do you have against them?
 
J

Jel2h

Member
Jan 28, 2005
145
0
0
Dell's customer support even for desktops has gone dramatically down recently and looks to be getting even worse. Save yourself the headache and stay away from that company.
 
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tweeve2002

Senior member
Sep 5, 2003
474
0
0
I had a Dell Laptop it was a nice laptop. Unill I killed it :(
My dad has a Dell Insperon 7500 its a beast, not the fastest laptop but it still going strong....

Right now I have a Gateway M275, I love it. it has a 1.5 Pentium M, Its fast, to put it in to perspective, I have a friend that has a 1.5 P4, Its faster than his 1.5 and feels more like something around 2Ghz or faster.
 
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skuba

Member
May 7, 2004
94
0
0
Hey guys, I just wanted to say that I bought the Inspiron 6000 for $1444 during that 34% off deal. Not only Dell delivered one week before the estimate, but it also showed already good customer service.
My system came with a glitch on the LCD screen. I called Dell, and the NEXT DAY a technician came to my work and change the display.
Thanks Dell.
 
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