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Comparison of two laptops, please

post #1 of 14
7/13/06 at 10:21pm
Thread Starter 
I posted this on the Alienware Board, and wanted the response from this Board, too.

Can you guys compare the Latitude D820 with the Alienware m5550? I have configured both with the top component in each area, and there is about an $700 difference. The only real difference I can find is in the video card and sound card. Below are the two configurations. Is the m550 worth $700 more?

[1] Area-51® m5550

Processor: Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2600 2.16GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5550 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Hard Drive: 80GB Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7600
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Bluetooth: Bluetooth™ USB Adapter
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Exclusive Offers: GameFly - Unlimited Game Rentals for 15 days - FREE TRIAL
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Works 8 Productivity Suite
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager

$2,869.38




Latitude D820
Date & Time: July 13,2006 6:22 PM CST

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Latitude D820 Qty 1
Intel® Core™ Duo T2600 (2.16GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core, Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media Unit Price $2,570.00
$400 Instant Savings on select Latitude notebooks priced $1,599 or more!
Special Offer!
- $400.00

Catalog Number: 4 D820SAPP
Module Description Show Details
Latitude D820 Intel® Core™ Duo T2600 (2.16GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
LCDs 15.4 inch Wide Screen WUXGA LCD Panel
Memory 2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Graphics 512MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache™
Hard Drives 80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
Fingerprint Reader for Added Security Standard Touchpad
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
Bluetooth Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter 90W A/C Adapter
Optical Drive - Modular Discounted Upgrade to 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio Digital Media and Cyberlink Power
Wireless LAN (802.11) Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Dual-Band Mini Card
Resource CD No Resource CD
Batteries 9 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year On-site Mobility Plan
Onsite System Setup No Onsite System Setup
Miscellaneous Latitude D820
Purchase Intent Purchase is not intended for resale.

TOTAL2,170.00
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post #2 of 14
7/14/06 at 8:52pm
The AW is better...it has a dedicated graphics card where the dell is mostly shared system memory..
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post #3 of 14
7/15/06 at 12:12pm
Alienware is terrible in the bad way. No spare parts and an extremely poor after-sale service. I'm a member of CNET.COM forum and I can say you that many many many people had very very very bad experience with their Alienware machine.

I would go for the Dell even if the video card isn't the best. My father has a Dell Latitude laptop and it is wonderful. Excellent quality and excellent hardware.

If it's for business, look also at IBM Lenovo laptops. I think they have a model with an ATi Mobility Radeon X1400 which is better than the nVIDIA Quadro NVS line.

But the Dell is an excellent machine.

Also : A 2.16 GHz can be a waste of money if you only do basic things. A 2.16 GHz is made for workers that need power-on-demand and for advanced photo & video editing task. You will not see any difference between the 1.86 Ghz and the 2.16 GHz at the eye, doing web surfing. You'll see only a diffrence of 30 minutes for an encoding task.
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post #4 of 14
7/15/06 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost26
Alienware is terrible in the bad way. No spare parts and an extremely poor after-sale service. I'm a member of CNET.COM forum and I can say you that many many many people had very very very bad experience with their Alienware machine.

I would go for the Dell even if the video card isn't the best. My father has a Dell Latitude laptop and it is wonderful. Excellent quality and excellent hardware.

If it's for business, look also at IBM Lenovo laptops. I think they have a model with an ATi Mobility Radeon X1400 which is better than the nVIDIA Quadro NVS line.

But the Dell is an excellent machine.
My "favorite" laptop is the Latitude D820, but the video card is for CAD and other business applications, not for gaming. I am trying to find a 15.4 inch notebook that has both. Is there a PCMCIA or Express Slot Video Card I could use that would override the video card in the Latitude?
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post #5 of 14
7/15/06 at 12:20pm
You can't plug an external video card through any external ports/connections because the transfert rate speed isn't as fast as the PCI-Express x16 transfert rate.

Is it for business or it's for entertainment ? If yes, look at the Dell Inspiron 6400 / E1505. It can be a nice laptop for you

And personnally, I find that it's a waste of money to buy a laptop that has a price near 3000 $U.S. I bought my DIE1505 for 1500 $ CDN and I think that it's a little bit too expensive. Think that the life of a laptop is generally 3 or 4 years maximum !
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post #6 of 14
7/15/06 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost26
You can't plug an external video card through any external ports/connections because the transfert rate speed isn't as fast as the PCI-Express x16 transfert rate.

Is it for business or it's for entertainment ? If yes, look at the Dell Inspiron 6400 / E1505. It can be a nice laptop for you

And personnally, I find that it's a waste of money to buy a laptop that has a price near 3000 $U.S. I bought my DIE1505 for 1500 $ CDN and I think that it's a little bit too expensive. Think that the life of a laptop is generally 3 or 4 years maximum !
I can get the Latitude for less than $2,000. It has the NVIDIA Quatro Video Card. If that would be "okay to fine" for gaming, then I'll just go back to it.
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post #7 of 14
7/15/06 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Synergi
The AW is better...it has a dedicated graphics card where the dell is mostly shared system memory..

WRONG!

The D820's Quadro 120M has 256MB of DEDICATED video memory and can share up to an additional 256MB from the system for a total of 512. So in fact the Quadro is no worse off than the GeForce Go 7600 in terms of video memory.

Quote:
Originally Posted by smartin400
My "favorite" laptop is the Latitude D820, but the video card is for CAD and other business applications, not for gaming. I am trying to find a 15.4 inch notebook that has both. Is there a PCMCIA or Express Slot Video Card I could use that would override the video card in the Latitude?

The Quadro 120 games just fine......even better with Dell's latest driver release. The version that shipped on my 820 sucked, but the one Dell posted on 6/22 really makes the NVS120 a potent video card. Plays Battlefield 2, HL2, Star Wars Galaxies, and anything I've thrown at it. If you'd rather have the D820 over the Alienware, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the performance of the Quadro 120.
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post #8 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 
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post #9 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:04pm
It will be a nice laptop.

The 7200 RPM Hard-drive will help to play games.
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post #10 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost26
It will be a nice laptop.

The 7200 RPM Hard-drive will help to play games.
Do you agree with MrEvil that the Quatro NVS Video Card will work pretty well with games?
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post #11 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:22pm
Thread Starter 
The Inspiron 6400 is about the same price as the Latitude, but I don't think it is as good as the D820. However, it has a Go 7300 Video card. How would you compare the two systems if you are looking for a laptop that does both?
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post #12 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:34pm
I'd go for a Latitude over an Inspiron for the same $ any day of the week. With a Latitude you always get Domestic tech support during working hours. The warranty starts at three years...not one year like the Inspirons. For me the clincher is weather or not the system has a real docking station. Not one of those USB port replicators. Latitudes have docking options whereas Inspirons don't (save the XPS 1710). The Latitude also supports a variety of modular bay devices, hard drive, floppy, all manner of Optical drives, and you can also pop in a 2nd six cell battery for even more running time.
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post #13 of 14
7/15/06 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEvil
I'd go for a Latitude over an Inspiron for the same $ any day of the week. With a Latitude you always get Domestic tech support during working hours. The warranty starts at three years...not one year like the Inspirons. For me the clincher is weather or not the system has a real docking station. Not one of those USB port replicators. Latitudes have docking options whereas Inspirons don't (save the XPS 1710). The Latitude also supports a variety of modular bay devices, hard drive, floppy, all manner of Optical drives, and you can also pop in a 2nd six cell battery for even more running time.
I assume your response includes your gaming experience, right? I'm looking for a middle of the road laptop that will excel at normal buisiness applications like using spreadsheets, word processing, syncing to a PDA, email, net browsing, traveling, photo editing, downloading mp3s, etc, AND will play a variety of games. I think the Latitude is the one, but need reinforcement.
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post #14 of 14
7/15/06 at 10:30pm
I have a M65 which is the same thing as an D820 bar a few openGL driver tweaks.
I play all the latest games on mine e.g.half life 2/ep1/far cry/oblivion/fear etc and don't have any issues with any of them,sure you can't have all the settings maxed particularly oblivion and fear,but I didn't think I would be able to before I bought it,these 2 games still look very good at the resolutions and settings you can play at.
I just downloaded from laptopvideo2go,driver and inf 84.25 and haven't had any problems with any game,DVD,application.
The 7600 will allow you to run a lot higher settings in games but then the battery life will be quite a bit less when you are unplugged,the M65/820 has superb battery life,better build quality [I was looking at one of these Alienwares yesterday]and IMO a better screen.To me the only thing better in the AW is the GPU so unless you are an avid gamer[in which case you would probably get an XPS1710]get the 820.
To my way of thinking there are just not enough good games coming out for pc these days to warrant having such a dedicated gaming machine that forsakes portability and battery life and will be obsolete in a year anyway.
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