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Which dell laptop would be the best for...

post #1 of 22
9/5/05 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
Well, living in california, dad wants to get a laptop to save out on our huge electric bills.. but I'm not sure which laptop would be good for him.

He basically surfs online, reads a few emails, downloads some stuff, etc.. basic stuff but he likes the 17" lcd that the 9300 offers... but I think thats overkill for if your not basically using it for higher end tasks...

I dunno, what you guys think?
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post #2 of 22
9/5/05 at 11:35pm
If you want to save power, you'd be better off buying more energy efficient appliances, such as a refrigerator or water heater. Computers don't really eat up that much power, and you certainly wouldn't recoup the costs of a new computer in your power bill savings anytime before you'd be looking at upgrading to a new computer. I've had power bills with a desktop computer being on 24/7 and others with no computer usage at all, and it's not a noticeable difference (fyi, I live in the Bay Area as well).

If your dad wants a new laptop for the sake of having a laptop, then fine. But don't expect to save any money on electricity. For his usage any laptop with anything more than integrated graphics or the most basic dedicated cards is probably overkill, but if he likes the 17-inchers than he's probably going to have to get some sort of dedicated card.
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post #3 of 22
9/6/05 at 12:12am
Thread Starter 
Well, he keeps his desktop on 24/7.. and we had to put in a 450 Watt PSU cause the older 300 watt had trouble keeping the stability of the desktop and that is caused a slight jump in bills. We also use energy efficent appliances but having just that desktop on is really getting outta control.

I know his gateway LCD (18") is a energy star monitor but I'm sure what kind of performance it would be over his current 2.6 ghz, 1.5 gb ram, fx5200, dvd burner desktop. If he would to connect the LCD/Mouse/Keyboard/Sound onto a smaller, powerful (powerful in performance not graphics wise) would that make a difference in the bills from his current desktop or would it be virtually the same?
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post #4 of 22
9/6/05 at 12:28am
Come now, let us be honest with each other. "Saving power" sounds nice to the Mrs., but we both know what's really going on here. The truth is that a laptop isn't going to make a noticeable difference in an electric bill. Of course that doesn't mean he shouldn't get one . I can understand wanting a 17" LCD (my father was the same when we got him a laptop) because it's a bit easier on the eyes. That pretty much narrows the options down to the i9300. For basic use you should probably opt for the WXGA+ screen, the 1.6GHz processor, 512MB of ram, and perhaps 60-80GB of hdd space. With a wisely chosen coupon you should be able to get that system for a very good price. Hope this helps.
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post #5 of 22
9/6/05 at 4:13am
I have to agree with element on that one hehe. The 9300 would be ideal get the 1.73 ghz (intel phased out the 1.60 and its no longer available) and wxga and he should be more than happy with that, also I would get the nvidia 6800 video card, it mayb be overkill for his needs? but great for future proofness and ones needs generally expand down the road.

Other posters are correct, computers to eat up that much of your electric bill, turning them off when not in use can help too, at least turn them off at night when you go to bed.
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post #6 of 22
9/6/05 at 9:59pm
If he REALLY wants a 17inch LCD,get an i9300. If not, for about $700,you could get a basic i6000 with 512mb RAM.
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post #7 of 22
9/6/05 at 11:39pm
Echo all the above, sounds like to me he really wants a laptop.

Or, play with the power settings on the desktop to have it go to sleep/hibernate after a while, turn off the monitor instead of using a screensaver, turn off the HD, etc....
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post #8 of 22
9/7/05 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Isuzu_Trooper
If he REALLY wants a 17inch LCD,get an i9300. If not, for about $700,you could get a basic i6000 with 512mb RAM.
Yeah but the thing is you can spec a 6000 and 9300 for about the same price, give or take within a hundred dollars, for that small difference you get soo much more wiht the 9300,a 17 inch screen, two more usb ports and both a dvi and vga port for an external monitor. The xps and 9300 are the only systems available from dell with a DVI connector which is an importan feature these days if youre going to ever use an lcd monitor with your system.
Be sure and use a dell coupon, they are all over the web, just do a google to find them.
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post #9 of 22
9/7/05 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cutters
Yeah but the thing is you can spec a 6000 and 9300 for about the same price, give or take within a hundred dollars, for that small difference you get soo much more wiht the 9300,a 17 inch screen, two more usb ports and both a dvi and vga port for an external monitor. The xps and 9300 are the only systems available from dell with a DVI connector which is an importan feature these days if youre going to ever use an lcd monitor with your system.
Be sure and use a dell coupon, they are all over the web, just do a google to find them.
pffttt you forgot the extra fan
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post #10 of 22
9/7/05 at 6:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cutters
The xps and 9300 are the only systems available from dell with a DVI connector which is an importan feature these days if youre going to ever use an lcd monitor with your system.
This assumes that one has an lcd monitor with DVI. Plenty come with just VGA, and work just fine. However, if you do have an lcd with DVI, you might as well put it to use.
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post #11 of 22
9/7/05 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
his LCD has both DVI and VGA ports so thats not something i'm really concern about.
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post #12 of 22
9/8/05 at 12:38am
Thread Starter 
Well. He decided, he's gonna have my current 8600 laptop and he has allowed me to buy another dell laptop (under 1300 again.. lol.)

Here's what I just ordered today:

Inspiron 6000d >

2.0 Ghz Pentium-M Sonoma 533 MHz FSB (760)
1.0 GB DDR2 Dual Channel Ram
100 GB Hard Disk Drive @ 5400 RPM
15.4" WXGA (1280x800) LCD Screen
8x DVD +/- RW Drive with DL Capability
128 MB ATi Mobility X300
Intel Pro Wireless 2200 802.11b/g
Dell Bluetooth Adapter
Windows XP Media Center Edition
9 Cell Battery

$1282.56 w/ Tax + Shipping + California State Fee

Not bad
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post #13 of 22
9/8/05 at 6:07pm
Yeah, not bad.
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post #14 of 22
9/9/05 at 2:17am
Hi I am very interested in this model also. I was wondering is this the price for a new or refurbished Inspiron 6000d?
Thanks.
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post #15 of 22
9/9/05 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 
I ordered new.
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post #16 of 22
9/9/05 at 1:41pm
what coupon u used?
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post #17 of 22
9/9/05 at 8:45pm
Thread Starter 
the $750 off anything over 1899+
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post #18 of 22
9/10/05 at 1:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by udrongo
This assumes that one has an lcd monitor with DVI. Plenty come with just VGA, and work just fine. However, if you do have an lcd with DVI, you might as well put it to use.

when using a dvi to vga on a vga connector you take a quality hit, its best to have both options.
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post #19 of 22
9/10/05 at 1:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kakarot
I ordered new.

Congratulations on your purchase, IM sure your going to like the 6000D, especially over the 8600!
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post #20 of 22
9/10/05 at 1:36am
Thread Starter 
i'll still miss this 8600. it has lived a great life with me =P
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