Mobility/Performance Comprimise.. 8600? - Page 2

Similar to what we did in high school microelectronics, using basic stamp to program our "brains" through a serial port. I guess there's no more of that for me.

You'll have to get someone else to confirm all of this, because I don't have an 8600, but...

What you want are one of these:

[URL removed due to Stu's message below]

Whether the one you looked up is the same, I'm not sure...

I'm pretty sure the 60GB 7200rpm drive that Dell uses is the one from the above link.

I don't think a hard drive is very hard to install. It's in the manual. Look for a manual on Dell's support site and see if you can understand those instructions. Alternatively, I think there are also instructions on the XPS/9100 FAQ by Stu/Sakor.

The RAM is very easy to install, you just have to confirm it's the right stuff.


It all sounds like a good deal.

No, no, no, no... (not to the idea, just that drive ). The 40GB one is the E7k60 model which is designed for continuous 24/7 useage in blade servers and the like.... not normal laptop usage. Under this type of normal rev up/down use you would expect a far greater failure rate than the average laptop hard drive with the E7k60. So therefore I would highly recommend, even if it is a little more, the 60GB standard 7k60 which is for normal usuage patterns.

stu

Why is it called the E7k60 when it is a 40GB drive?

It's just a model number....
stu

Fair enough.

Oh in that case I take back the recommendation to the E7K60. I thought it was a newer model of the 7K60. It's also a TravelStar and also specified for laptops, curiously enough.

Yeah well they are an extention of the 7k60 model, but it is just it has a specific purpose. Whilst it would also work fine and give about the same performance, I thought it was worth mentioning that because of it's intended use that it's lifespan would be lower for normal use and perhaps not worth the hassle
stu

Looks good to me! If you are happy with it then go for it!
stu

Ok, I got tired of reading everything about halfway through, but I thought I'd give my two cents.

I'm going into my last year of college as a Mechanical Engineer (i noticed it mentioned somewhere, not sure if that's what you're going into or someone else), and I just ordered a laptop (my first). I was originally looking at dell, but because I didn't know other good brands existed. I will be using that "engineering stuff" heavily, including Pro/Engineer, AutoCAD, IDEAS, among many others. I will also plan to do a bit of gaming. After doing all my research for several weeks, I went with what you see in my sig below for under $1800 (i know price was an issue for you, as it was for me, and i was planning on limiting to $1500, but thought the upgrade is worth it to make it last longer).

If you would prefer to stick with Dell, my advice is either take as much memory as you can for free, or get only one stick, in both cases upgrade on your own as it will save you A LOT of money. Also, they are right about the performance boost with the higher speed hard drives, but I haven't found it cost efficient enough to spend an extra $100 to go from 5400 to 7200 instead of $15 from 4200 to 5400. My opinion is that 5400 is fast enough. However it seems I get attacked every time I say that, but that's why I say it's my opinion. Also, if you plan to purchase from dell, do check the coupons thread to save some money.

Good Luck!

I also agree that in that case it was more cost effective... the reason that you get "attacked" ( ) about it here is perhaps misunderstanding, Dell do not offer 5400rpm drives for configuration, it is either the standard 4200rpm or the 7200rpm drive for extra. But either way, the extra speed is worth it and I would even say worth the US$100 over a 5400rpm drive, but that is my opinion as opposed to yours

stu

I agree with Stu's opinion, but that is just my opinion... The 7200 hd rocks! get it if you can.

I'm going to be a mechanical engineering student as well at the UIUC (Univ. of IL at Urbana/Champaign) and have an 8600. I had never thought of serial port interfaces (lol) but I'll try to avoid robotics as much as possible. I don't like programming and consequently am hoping that the need for robots won't come up.

I've read through the three pages here -- looks like you are pretty much set. The 7200 RPM is a nice touch. It's also the coolest-running drive Dell has for us... which is another plus.

Quick question. I purchased my 8600 from the outlet and it came configured with a 40gb 5.4k HD. If Dell does not offer the drive, how did I get it? I did notice that I could not build one with the drive. Just curious.

Thanks
John

On edit: my drive is a fujitsumht2040ah

(Originally posted by Stu, page 1 of this thread)

He answers things best...

Every now and then, Dell throws in a 5400rpm drive. Its not very common, and probably happens when they run low of the 4200rpm drives.

Keep in mind that I am talking about Dell Home, because they do offer 5400rpm drives with the Latitudes.

WUXGA - 1920x1200
WSXGA - 1680x1050

I suggest the WSXGA, as the WUXGA would probably give me a headache. I'm only 18, and have good eyes, but the WUXGA would strain them more than I would want. The WSXGA has enough room to have two web pages or Word documents open side by side.