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Help Me Find My Laptop

post #1 of 20
5/29/04 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
Here's what I need:

-at least 1600x1200
-Centrino-based
-Intel Pro 2200 Wireless
-at least 5400 RPM HD
-at least ATI 9200 Vcard
-CD-RW/DVD combo
-at least 4hrs battery
-not too heavy (7+ lbs)

Here's what I want:

-extra battery to swap optical drive with for dual batteries
-ATI 9600
-cool/sleek look

Right now the best candidate is the Compaq X1000. Only draw back is that you can't do dual batteries with it. Help me find the perfect laptop for me!
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post #2 of 20
5/29/04 at 6:42pm
If you're looking at least 1600x1200 the only other option is the Dell 8600 that I'm aware of.
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post #3 of 20
5/29/04 at 8:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevhuynh
If you're looking at least 1600x1200 the only other option is the Dell 8600 that I'm aware of.
I just checked this out. With that 20% coupon I can get this config on the 8600 for ~$2000:

Inspiron 8600Intel® Pentium® M Processor 745 (1.8GHz)
15.4in WUXGA
Operating SystemMicrosoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
MemoryFREE UPGRADE! 384MB,333MHz 2 DIMM (from 256MB, 333MHz 1DIMM)
Video Card128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY® RADEON™ 9600 PROTURBO
Hard Drive60GB Hard Drive at 7200RPM
Power AdapterAC adapter - 65w, 19.5v65W
CD ROM/DVD ROM24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Wireless Networking CardsDell® Wireless 1450 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps)
Productivity SoftwareProductivity Pack with WorkPerfect® and Microsoft® Money Standard
Security SoftwareNorton Internet Security™, 90 day trial
Digital MusicDell Jukebox powered by MUSICMATCH
Primary Battery72 WHr Primary BatteryADDBATT
Limited Warranty, Services and Support1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service
CompleteCare Accidental Damage ServiceAdd CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 1Yr Lim Warranty
Internet Access Options6 Months America Online Internet Access Included
Additional Battery48WHr Additional Battery for Modular Bay

That's just too good to pass up, no? I think I'm going for this, the clincher is the dual batteries which the X1000 cant do. Dothan/9600 Pro/7200RPM HD is just too damn good.
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post #4 of 20
5/29/04 at 8:52pm
do yourself a favor and upgrade your memory, 384 is not nearly enought to handle today's applications, espcially when you are using windows XP. Dell has a habit of horrendously charging you for extra memory. go to http://www.shop.kingston.com/ or any other memory manufacturer and buy a 512 MB for them for about $124.95 or so. Swap the 512 in for the 128 for a total of 768 MB of Ram. Even if you have to downgrade from a 1.8 Dothan Processor to the 1.7 Banias, you will see a big speed advantage to 1.7 with 768 over 1.8 with 384.
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post #5 of 20
5/29/04 at 10:19pm
Yes, the I8600 is the best way for you to go. There are relatively few problems with it though many comes with dead pixels or defective screens. You can generally expect a 4hr battery life. One major complaint is that it feels "cheap" due to creaky plastic. Another thing is that the palm rest tends to get warm becauses the smart guys over at dell decided to place the HDD right under the palmrest. However, the biggest complaint has to do with the keyboard which tends to be clickety or "sink in" Performance is great, and the screens sure look good. I'd get one myself if it wasn't so ugly and had the M11 instead of M10.
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post #6 of 20
5/29/04 at 10:22pm
Also you have to factor in the dell tech support horror stories!
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post #7 of 20
5/29/04 at 10:59pm
BaboonGuy:

Go over to the Dell General forum here to get more info.


Tourney2112:

Where did you get the info on "many comes with dead pixels"? As for defective screens, there are mostly issues with earlier WSXGA+ Hitachi's, while BaboonGuy's WUXGA seems fairly safe. The palm rest/HDD heat issue concerns mostly earlier D600's, not I8600. Some users report that the keyboard flex issue does not appear in new I8600-s, but anyway an easy fix has been known for a long time.


xxhOlywarsxx:

How many Dell and non-Dell horror stories have you seen? To get some meaningful estimates, for each manufacturer, divide the number of horror stories by the number of laptops sold, and compare them. Please let us know your results!
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post #8 of 20
5/29/04 at 11:15pm
before i started looking into the other notebook section of the forum i was pretty set on getting the I8600, to me it was almost perfect, then i read about dell outsourcing there tech support to india after your 30 day return period, If you have a technical problem it seems as though the only option they give you is to reformat windows, i have a dell desktop myself and would never consider buying from them again based on the fact that after your 30 day return period is up they screw you out of any real help. Sure there are those that are happy with dell, i was just adding my .02 cents
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post #9 of 20
5/29/04 at 11:24pm
Yes, Dell's service truly is bad. It really isn't their fault though. They're such a big company and sell so many computers that it's hard to keep up with consumers. MY dad still has a Dimension XPS R350 which is about 5-6 years old and we haven't yet had a problem.
On zdnet.com there are many customer reviews stating the HDD problem. Although it may not be noticeable while doing just word processing, when you're using it for an extended period I guarantee it would get warm because it is a known fact that the HDD is under the palmrest.
Yes, WSXGA+ was the screen that suffered most and the WUXGA has been known to be a safe screen to order so he is all right in that aspect.
Just like with any other laptop, dead pixels are a big problem. As for the keyboard, in the dell section many reviews mention the keyboard problem with the I8600.
One thing to keep in mind is that Dell recently "downgraded" their I8600 to a new model named the I8600 C I believe. This one has no parallel port and I believe it doesn't have a trackstick either. Not much of a problem though because almost all new printers use usb.
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post #10 of 20
5/29/04 at 11:28pm
There are many problems i found while researching the 8600, the keyboard bends when you type, It is hollow in some spots so some foam tape is a good fix for this, You have to do the Ram upgrade yourself because dell cahrges a fortune for a gig of ram which is rediculous.
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post #11 of 20
5/30/04 at 12:35am
Tourney2112:

You have not answered my question about "dead pixels" reports.

Are you saying that the zdnet.com reports on HDD concern I8600? D600 is another story.

As for the keyboard flex issue on I8600, I have not heard about anybody returning a notebook because of this issue alone; of course, some users might prefer a rigid keyboard (like IBM's), but fast touch-typists don't complain.

Note that my questions/comments are specific to the current context. Since BaboonGuy was asking for recommendations, it would be fair to give them as objectively as possible.


xxhOlywarsxx:

You have not answered my questions. To put it politely, I don't think your notebook research was deep enough. Still, I wish you luck with your next (or apparently first) notebook.
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post #12 of 20
5/30/04 at 12:55am
Thank you, and yes my research was pretty in depth, It seemed as though ordering from dell was liek a russian roulette, either you are very happy, or it is a completly horror story, I read many posts in the dell area of this forum that talked about how horrible the dell suport really is, and from personal experience know how long the wait times are on the phone and how helpful the tech support really is, if you have a six shooter with one bullet is it worht putting the gun to your head?
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post #13 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:04am
I've always been a bit worried about how careful Dell is when they put there computers together and if they really do any serious tests of the computer. Here is my one experience with them (which was with a desktop) , a family friend of ours bought a computer from them, and I went over to assemble it. After setting up everything, I tried to install some software when I noticed the CD-ROM drive wasn't working, so I turned off the computer, opened up the case, and noticed that the CD-ROM Power Cord had never even been plugged into the computer. I guess it is possible that it had fallen out during shipping or something, but that seems very improbable especially if it was well put in, those cords stay in very well. My experience and knowing about others like them has always made me hesitant to go with Dell.
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post #14 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:12am
my experience includes waiting 45 minutes to talk to a rep in an indian call center that, A) barely spoke english B) when he did the accent was soo thick it was almost impossible to understand c) Everytime i called abotu a hardware problem they told me to just reinstal windows.

Another thing they do is give you american tech support for 30 days while you can still return your system, then as soon as your return period is up they &*%$ you over with the indian BS.
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post #15 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xxh0lywarsxx
my experience includes waiting 45 minutes to talk to a rep in an indian call center that, A) barely spoke english B) when he did the accent was soo thick it was almost impossible to understand c) Everytime i called abotu a hardware problem they told me to just reinstal windows.

Another thing they do is give you american tech support for 30 days while you can still return your system, then as soon as your return period is up they &*%$ you over with the indian BS.
you obviously need to watch more episodes of The Simpsons, especially scenes at the Quicky Mart with Abu!
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post #16 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:46am
lol, Apu is hilarious. Atleast he knows what hes doing at the kwik-e-mart, he is an expert on sprinkles, and makes a mean ass squishy
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post #17 of 20
5/30/04 at 2:02am
xxholywarsxx:

It seems that tech support is your major concern. As for me, I have not heard enough horror stories about Dell's support to make me discourage other users from buying a Dell notebook on this point alone. So it will be interesting to see which notebook you will choose next. Anyway, I wish you good luck!
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post #18 of 20
5/30/04 at 11:05am
hey KCK when i was almost convinced about getting the 8600 2-3 months ago i read the dell general forum religiously and there were many people that stated they would never deal with dell again because of the horrible customer service. Also many have said that the 8600 feels just like one of those plastic Vtech laptops you can buy from toyrus, meaning it has a very cheap plastic feel to it. I ordered an asus m6n on friday, and thank you for the luck i really do hope the system holds up to my expectations........the screen in particular.
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post #19 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:33pm
Well, I also saw those horror stories about Dell's customer service, but I prefer to draw my own conclusions. Actually I don't care much about customer service, since it only comes into play while ordering and getting the notebook. For me, warranties and tech support are much more important. BTW, I also considered getting an Asus M6N initially, since it is a nice machine. What made me turn away was that I wasn't sure about it's screen quality, I couldn't order the particular RAM/HDD configuration that I wanted, and I really need an international warranty with quick on-site service when I travel. Otherwise, Asus M6N is a good choice, and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
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post #20 of 20
5/30/04 at 1:37pm
Thanks man, yeah my boss owns a computer business so i can get any configuration i want plus for warrenty stuff i just give it to her so no mailing is required, also i opted for the wxga screen and heard no problems about it, 1280 by 800 seems like an ample res for applications and i wont game on very high resolution because of the m10 gpu's optimal performance wouldnt allow it with most new titles.
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