Inspiron 8600 or Precision M60?

the M60 uses a sturdier casing and a titanium frame. the 8600 i believe uses aluminum whihc is lighter but weaker than titanium correct me if im wrong someone. the M60 will also run you 25-75% more than an equally configed 8600.

I got an M60 off the refurb site for 2117.00 + 110.00 shipping, with 512 ram 128 nvidia, floppy drive, 60 gig 7200, 4 X DVD Writer, wsxga screen, xp pro and of course all the little xtras like lan, wireless, modem, mouse, 3Yr Parts + Onsite Labor (Next Business Day). Now, i don't know why but this was a hell of a deal, this machine is nice and came in a new box with No Scratches or dead pixels, seems like they drop these prices at different time on the refub units to get them out the door, and i did check the 8600 refurbs and at the time they was higher, Why, I don't know. Hold out for an M60 if you can and check back every day on there site, buy one with very little ram, and than upgrade later, 512, 333mhz ram is 90.00 just about every where.

Also note that the M60 has one additional USB port, a Smart card port , weighs .5 pound less, and gigabit ethernet (10/100/1000)

Copper Top is right on the ram- get 256mb if you can. I got 2-512mb sticks of PC2700 333mx kingmax at newegg for $82 ea. Then sold the ram that came with the 8600 on e-bay. Hell of a difference in over all speed, boot time & shut down with 1 gig. It's unreal what Dell charges for there ram. Good Luck

According to your signature, you've got both an 8890 and an 8600. How do they compare in terms of performance? Which do you like better?

4speed - I second jswriter's question! How do they compare?

A direct comparrison of similar systems is available in the Sager Review section

I thought 8600 was plastic?

it is but the internal frame is metal like most latops.

Everything that I've read indicates that the M60 is a little heavier than the 8600. Dell's website says that the 8600 is 6.9 lbs while the M60 is 7.0 lbs. (both with battery, one memory module and the travel bay)

misconception the 8600 is 7.5 pounds not 6.9

So Dell's website is wrong?

Wouldnt be the first time. That or my scale is off by half a pound ^_^

I just wanted to chime in. I was probably the second active poster on these forums to pick up my M60 many months ago. Since then, it has been great. If you are bored, go search for m60 along with my screen name and you can follow all the research I did which I posted here. Anyway, I must say that Dell's workstation support is a million times better than what they give to home users with Inspiron systems. You should try the M60, but do not expect a hot-rod video card unless you plan to overclock. The m60 is meant for use as a workstation not a "toy" to play the latest games (although it can) at the fastest frame rates a mobile system can provide these days.

jswriter

Sorry about the delay on your question -I'm on vacation finally got this nextel mobile connection working to get on the net.
8600= nice speed, great for travel, light, good battery life 4-5 hrs good all round laptop
8890=great speed, raw power, heavy for travel, only 1 hr battery, kicks ass in games
Both great notebooks depends on what your needs are. But I would never give up my 8890, if I had to choose.

just check the refurb site at dell and this is a deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Date 01-24-04@10:45AM Eastern Time




SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
M60 Notebook (System Identifier D0W86Z0J)
Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M60 Notebook: Pentium® M Processor 1.70GHz 15.4 WSXGA Display
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Service Pack 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

System Price $2,468.00
Promotion Discount ($500.00)
Discounted Price $1,968.00
Dell recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional


Operating System: Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Service Pack 4
Memory: 512 MB DDR SDRAM (1 DIMM)
Hard Disk Drive: 80 GB EIDE Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Video: 128MB NVIDIA QUADRO FX GO700
NoteBook Screen: 15.4 inch WSXGA+ Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal Modem
Network Interface Card: TRUEMOBILE 1400 802.11A/B/G MPCI
DVD Drive: 4X DVD +RW Drive
Software: DVD Software
Software
Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Service Pack 4
Software
Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Service Pack 4
Misc: 9 Cell Battery
Shipping Material
Keyboard on Notebook
Shipping Material
Logitec USB 2-Button Wheel Mouse
1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive

Somebody needs to grab this one fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I allready have One or I would!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the insight! If my 8600 doesn't win me over, I'l definately take another look at the 8890 or 8790. Dell's got two more notebooks, the 9100 and XPS, on the horizon that might be worth investigating, as well.

jswriter... I'm getting pampered by the long battery life of my 8600... very silent as well. I don't think I won't be needing a true desktop replacement notebook... 8790 migh be around the corner but the 8600 is suiting my needs so far.