Which laptop is better, Dell Inspiron 4150 or Compaq 2800T?

[stingbandel]

I need to know if anybody has any experience with these two laptops.


Thanks



Darno

 

[stingbandel]

nobody can help me?



Darno

 

[GizmoFreak]

i've used both laptops at one point. the 4150 at length and the 2800T more briefly.

in my opinion, i'd say the compaq wins out. first the chassis looks and feels nicer.
the 2800T also gives you the option of going with a 15inch screen vs only 14 for the dell.
the 2800T also gives you 2 usb 2.0 ports. the 4150 has only 1 usb 1.0 port and no firewire to make up for it.
my only gripe about the 2800T would be the keyboard layout. i hate the way the insert key is placed next to a shortened space bar.

as for speed, they're very similar although the compaq has better graphics card options i think.
both are fairly light for computers in its class. the compaq with a 15 inch screen is a bit heavier.

oh, and if this matters, the 2800T has only 1 pc card slot, while the 4150 has 2.

i hope that helps some

 

[stingbandel]

thank you for the reply. Any other opinion?

Thanks



Darno

 

[Mani]

If reliability or stability is much of a concern, go with the 4150.

 

[GremlinHater]

well, really, i don't find notebooks in general are not very reliable compared to desktops, right now i own a compaq notebook, and it's crashed a few times, and i've also worked with dell notebooks and it's done just about the same, so that's my two cents

 

[Mani]

Originally posted by: GremlinHater
well, really, i don't find notebooks in general are not very reliable compared to desktops, right now i own a compaq notebook, and it's crashed a few times, and i've also worked with dell notebooks and it's done just about the same, so that's my two cents

You haven't read any reliability surveys comparing the two, have you?

 

[ElFenix]

2800T has better GPU. the 4150 is just a radeon mobility (m5? m6? i'm almost 100% sure its not an m7 and its sure as hell not an m9)

 

[Mani]

It's an m7.

 

[SteelCityFan]

Hmm

I have had a Dell Inspiron 8100 for about 10 months and it has not crashed yet. Very reliable.

 

[GremlinHater]

Originally posted by: Mani

Originally posted by: GremlinHater well, really, i don't find notebooks in general are not very reliable compared to desktops, right now i own a compaq notebook, and it's crashed a few times, and i've also worked with dell notebooks and it's done just about the same, so that's my two cents

You haven't read any reliability surveys comparing the two, have you?

Um...i'm not sure if your insulting me or not but it's not really relevant since your question was directed at me and your response contributed nothing to solving stingbadel's query seeing as how whatever your obscure survey says, he asked anybody have experience and not statistics, and though my experience is admittedly distant, my intent was to help him nonetheless.

 

[Mani]

No, it was a harmless rhetorical question- just making the point that reliability surveys find Dell laptops as typically better from a reliability standpoint.

 

[tazdevl]

FYI I have both... actually had the 4150... returned it. Have the 2800T now.

2800T has 15" SXGA+, Radeon Mobility 64MB 9000, P4 1.8M, 512MB PC2100, 5400 RPM HD, 24X CDRW/DVD, free (wifi, case, XP Pro upgrade) and $100 off coupon. It's over a pound lighter and the battery life is better than the 4150. All for less than $2500.

The reliability reviews don't mention the wacked out keyboard on the 4150 that slopes down towards the monitor hinge which leaves the front of the keyboard positions high and rather uncomfortable. It's also important to look at who is sponsoring those surveys... very few surveys are without bias.

My own personal experience with laptops is that Dell has been the most unreliable and finnicky of the bunch. I do have to commend them though for regular BIOS and driver updates, something the other laptop manufacturers could take a lesson in.

4150 also had a mono speaker... 2800T has the JBL Pro's... IMO best sounding out there for a laptop, but still laptop speakers... meaning don't expect terrific base or anything of the like...

If you do, open laptop, place head on keyboard, slam laptop closed on head.