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Suggestions for a College Student - Page 2

post #21 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:09am
BTW, here's the specs and price for my d800:

Pentium M 735 ( 1.70GHz) 15.4 WSXGA+
512MB RAM 2 DIMMS (I would have gotten a single 256MB, but i couldn't downgrade from the 512MB set my my university)
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5650 4XAGPgraphics w/ 128 MB DDR
60GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM
Windows XP Pro
Internal 56K Modem
8-24-24-24X SWDVD/CDRW Combo Drive
Dell Wireless 1450 Dual Band WLAN (802.11a/b/g,54Mbps) miniPCI Card
9-Cell Primary battery
Promo 3 Yr Limited Warranty plus 3 Yr NBD On-site Service and CompleteCare (My university will repair it for free if possible. If not they will send it to Dell can give me a loner while it is being repaired)
It also comes with some extra software requested my my college
Price before tax: 2,106.00

I'll post pics when I get it, hopefully by the end of the week.
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post #22 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:13am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the link update. Of the two categories, I feel as though I probably fall more into the Latitude family- I'm looking for a reliable laptop that is going to last for at least my four years of college. But, again, the price seems high.
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post #23 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whzup444
What would you recommend for the screen on either the D800 or 8600? Again, the computer is primarily going to be used for word-processing, multimedia (DVD Playback, photo viewing, light photo editing), internet access, etc. What exactly is the difference in clarity between the WSXGA and the WSXGA+? Is it worth the extra money? Also, is the WUXGA practical for someone whose into text-based applications rather than graphic based?

Thanks.
I have the UXGA screen and I love it. Its so nice to be able to do lots of things at once on the screen. The nice part about it too is that you can always run it at a lower resoluion (1680x1050 SXGA+ or 1280x800 SXGA). I highly recommend the UXGA screen. You can type and view 2 pages at once! Photo editing is easier because you can shove all the tools and menus off to one side and actually have some proper space to work on your items.
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post #24 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:32am
I would go for the WSXGA screen in your case. Its not short of space by any means. Also, if you don't think your eyes can handle the resolution (things are really small), then go for the WSXGA. Its the best of both worlds.
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post #25 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:40am
For me, WSXGA+ is still too small for me, and I have to use 120% font size to feel comfortable. If it is possible, I really hope Dell can offer WSXGA screen.
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post #26 of 42
6/28/04 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
Can't you readjust a WSXGA+ to have a WSXGA resolution size?
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post #27 of 42
6/28/04 at 1:41am
Yes, I can.
But everytime we use non-native resolution, the font and icons become unclear.
That is one of the reasons why people don't usually buy a WUSXGA if they can't handle small font.
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post #28 of 42
6/28/04 at 2:07am
Original Poster,

Why don't you pick up the 8600 customized to your specifications and then buy the Dell D800 chasis from Dell Spare Parts (50 USD for everything, better if you have the part numbers) or from ebay and perform the chasis conversion MOD?
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post #29 of 42
6/28/04 at 12:13pm
There is no WSXGA; those confused about resolutions should consult

http://www.hut.fi/~tgustafs/screensize.html
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post #30 of 42
6/28/04 at 1:11pm
Ah! I mean the WXGA+
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post #31 of 42
6/28/04 at 11:58pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I purchased my computer through a special (at least what seemed to be) one day sale: 23% off Inspiron 8600 on the Educational Site. I made the order, but reserved the right to cancel tomorrow if I change my mind. Is this a good deal?

Price: 2283.36 (after mail-in-rebates, includes free shipping)

Intel Pentium M 745 1.8 GHz
15.4" WSXGA+
XP Professional
512 MB DDR SDRAM 1
64 MB NVIDIA GeFORCE FX Go5200 AGP 4X Graphics Card
60 GB Ultra ATA 5400 RPM hardrive
4X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+RW/+R)
Intel Pro Wireless 2200
4 Year Warranty/4 Year Complete Care/Platinum Package
Advanced Port Replicator
D/View Stand
Optical Mouse and Performance Keyboard

Some of the options (the DVD rewritable and the 4-Year Platinum Package) aren't exactly what I need, but I had to add them to get the promotional pricing discount. Thoughts?
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post #32 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:14am
Nice price, and great configuration.

But just for me, I would change the following.
512mb -> 256mb (If 512mb upgrade cost more than $110)
GeForce 64mb --> Radeom 128mb (If you play lots of games)
60GB 5400 -->60GB 7200 (If you want to use it for more than 3 years and still have good speed)
4X CD/DVD Burner --> 8X DVD-RW ( Just 50 dollars, but get dual format )
Optical Mouse and Performance Keyboard --> none ( Get them from other place )
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post #33 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Optical Mouse and Performance Keyboard are included in the Home Bundle....which is....

Advanced Port Replicator
D/View Stand
Optical Mouse
Performance Keyboard

Price: 180.00 (which is a good deal)
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post #34 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:27am
Oh! That is great!
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post #35 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:34am
Thread Starter 
That price is excellent for the home bundle (probably one of the best deals on dell.com). For the D800, the same componets cost around $300.00 (they all had to be purchased separately).

The 4X DVD/CD Writer, writes DVDs and CDs, right?
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post #36 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:38am
If I remeber right, 4X DVD RW can only write the DVD+ format.
On the other hand, 8X DVD RW can write DVD+ and DVD- format.

Of course, both DVD writer can write CDs
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post #37 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:40am
Nope, the 8x is still only DVD+RW.

No DVD- format yet...
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post #38 of 42
6/29/04 at 12:46am
Well- I am a fellow College student who just ordered my laptop for this August and I went with the 8600...

Look in my sig for details...Should be here within a week or so. cant wait!!!

I got mine for $1500 shipped with all the discount and stuff, I thought it was a damn good price! I decided with the money I could save by not ordering a 1.8 or whatever, I could get more car parts (i am a car guy...)
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post #39 of 42
6/29/04 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 
The price of my package would be significantly lower- only to get the 23% discount, you had to purchase the Platinum Service Plan (VERY EXPENSIVE...$310 extra over the standard 3 year warrant). Oh well, I get 4 years Express Tech Support, 4 Year Warranty, and 4 Year Complete Care- and it fit in my budget range. So, I'm happy for the moment. But, did I make the wrong decision not going with the more durable D800?
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post #40 of 42
6/29/04 at 1:49am
My mistake, I mean 8x DVD-RW can use double-layer write and save more space to keep DVDs.

DVD-RW:

4x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) including Sonic RecordNow and MyDVD LE [add $150 or $4/month1]


8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) with double-layer write capability [add $200 or $6/month1]
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