Background: I found the $750 off coupon 10/19 and decided to buy a new laptop. The machine will be used as a second machine in the house – something to allow web surfing, email checking, etc – while in the den or on the patio. I was torn between the 600m and the 700m, and ultimately decided to order the 600m because I figured I’d like the bigger, higher resolution screen. After a few hours, I decided I might want the 700m instead – but the coupon had already been pulled. A few days later I found a good deal on the Dell outlet site for a 700m and ordered it. The two machines were within $50 of each other. This is a quick comparison of the two machines.
Configuration:
600m
Intel Pentium M Processor 725(1.6GHz),14.1-in SXGA+,with 32MB Video
512MB,266MHz, 2DIMM (from 256MB,266MHz, 2DIMM)
40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 600m
Microsoft Windows XP Home Service Pack 2, English, for Inspiron
24X Combo DVD/CD-RW for Inspiron 600m
Dell Wireless 1350 (802.11 b/g) Internal Wireless
53 Watt-hour Primary Battery for Inspiron 600m
700m
725,12.1WX, C,700M
Software,WXPHSP1, English,Inspiron,DELL AMERICASORGANIZATION
Dual In-Line Memory, 256,333MHz,8K,5150
Floppy Drive,External Universal Serial Bus,Teac Inspiron,NFI
Hard Drive,30GB,4.2K, Small Form Factor,MRGA,MLKA
Card,MPCI,2200, 700M,DAO
CDRW/DVD,24X,Sony, 700M
Battery,Primary,32W, 4C,SIMPLO
I also added an additional 256mb SODIMM ($35 after MIR @ Circuit City) to the 700m, bringing the total memory to 512mb.
Ergonomics:
The 600m is a ‘normal’ sized laptop, though thinner and lighter than most. The keyboard is well configured and easy to adjust to. Most of the ports are in the back of the machine, which is convenient when you’re working with the laptop on your lap. The screen was large and bright, and the high resolution gave plenty of workspace – however, fonts were quite small. The touchpad was a bit finicky at first, but after downloading an updated driver and tinkering with configurations options, I was able to get it working like I wanted. The laptop does put off a mild amount of heat from the left palm rest (over the hard drive) – not uncomfortable, but enough to make my hand sweat after longer use times.
The 700m is quite compact and noticeably lighter than the 600m. The keyboard is downsized and takes some getting used to. I find myself hitting the wrong key quite often and doing lots of ‘hunting and pecking’ where I’m a touch typist on regular sized keyboards. The ports are located on the left, right and front of the machine, which can cause clutter when working with it on your lap (ex: power cord on right side – outlet on left). The screen is beautiful – nice and bright with great contrast (though I wish I could adjust the gamma to less than 1.0 in the Intel driver). The resolution is good for the screen size, too – enough room to work, but font sizes are still large enough to be easily read at 96 dpi. The touchpad was finicky at the start, but I was able to adjust settings in the driver to get it to my preferences. The touchpad buttons are clunky and loose. No issues with heat on the machine.
Build Quality:
The 600m build quality is average. The keyboard/touchpad both exhibited some flex – nothing too noticeable but something that shouldn’t exist if the build was done better. The battery also fit less than solidly in its slot, rattling around a bit when the computer was picked up. The screen was flexy as well, but I think that’s a given with such a thin screen and plastic case. There were no dead pixels. Visually, the machine looks good - especially when closed. I wish Dell had used the same pale silver color throughout the design instead of the darker gray/electric blue combo they went with. There were no issues with the software that was loaded on the machine, and the machine performed without issue.
The 700m build quality was a bit better 600m. There was no flex in the keyboard or touchpad. The buttons on the touchpad were loose – especially the left one. The ‘bar’ that separates the touchpad from the buttons was also ‘elevated’ slightly. There is some slighty play in the battery connection to the computer - not a lot, but worrisome given that the battery will likley be grabbed when the machine is transported. The screen was solid and didn’t exhibit any noticeable flex. There were no deal pixels. Visually, the machine is striking for its size. The pale silver color is nice, but I don’t care for the white surrounds. The lid is not as attractive imo as the 600m. There were a few issues with the software (DVD decoder not loaded, restore image not loaded). This was a refurb machine, though – so that may be the issue. Dell’s refurbs are supposed to be reimaged, though – so the problem should not have existed. It was an easy fix, but one that I shouldn’t have had to make. Once this was fixed, the machine performed without issue.
Performance:
The 600m was quick and snappy. It was a good deal faster than I expected – on par with my nicely decked-out desktop on everything I tried. Battery life was good at over 3 hours. The Dell wireless card synced up nicely with my router and was able to maintain 54mb connection throughout the house.
The 700m was a bit slower than the 600m – primarily driven by the slower hard drive, imo. Applications would load slower, but once loaded, the machine was quick and snappy. Battery life is poor – about 2 hours of normal use before needing to recharge. You can get the extended life battery, but that adds weight and size. For my uses, 2 hours is enough. If I were traveling or using the machine at work, I would consider this a real issue. The Intel wireless card performed as well or maybe even slightly better than the Dell. I maintained 54mb connection and ‘excellent’ status throughout the house.
Decision:
I’m keeping the 700m. It’s a great second machine, I like the small size and the built in SD port. I like the bright screen and the overall looks of the thing. However, I would be hesitant to recommend the 700m over the 600m as a primary machine. I think I would grow quite tired of the small keyboard if I had to use it for 8 hours a day, and the battery life is a big limiter (sure, you can get the 8 cell battery, but that puts you weight wise and dimensionally wise in the same class as the 600m. Maybe the generic battery market will come out with something that has more capacity than the 2200mah 4 cell, but in the same size… or maybe there’s a new 600m in the future with a 14” widescreen, normal keyboard and decent battery life). The 600m also offers a bigger screen with better resolution, which would come in handy for work tasks. I don’t think you’d be disappointed with either machine – just be sure to buy what fits your needs.
Configuration:
600m
Intel Pentium M Processor 725(1.6GHz),14.1-in SXGA+,with 32MB Video
512MB,266MHz, 2DIMM (from 256MB,266MHz, 2DIMM)
40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 600m
Microsoft Windows XP Home Service Pack 2, English, for Inspiron
24X Combo DVD/CD-RW for Inspiron 600m
Dell Wireless 1350 (802.11 b/g) Internal Wireless
53 Watt-hour Primary Battery for Inspiron 600m
700m
725,12.1WX, C,700M
Software,WXPHSP1, English,Inspiron,DELL AMERICASORGANIZATION
Dual In-Line Memory, 256,333MHz,8K,5150
Floppy Drive,External Universal Serial Bus,Teac Inspiron,NFI
Hard Drive,30GB,4.2K, Small Form Factor,MRGA,MLKA
Card,MPCI,2200, 700M,DAO
CDRW/DVD,24X,Sony, 700M
Battery,Primary,32W, 4C,SIMPLO
I also added an additional 256mb SODIMM ($35 after MIR @ Circuit City) to the 700m, bringing the total memory to 512mb.
Ergonomics:
The 600m is a ‘normal’ sized laptop, though thinner and lighter than most. The keyboard is well configured and easy to adjust to. Most of the ports are in the back of the machine, which is convenient when you’re working with the laptop on your lap. The screen was large and bright, and the high resolution gave plenty of workspace – however, fonts were quite small. The touchpad was a bit finicky at first, but after downloading an updated driver and tinkering with configurations options, I was able to get it working like I wanted. The laptop does put off a mild amount of heat from the left palm rest (over the hard drive) – not uncomfortable, but enough to make my hand sweat after longer use times.
The 700m is quite compact and noticeably lighter than the 600m. The keyboard is downsized and takes some getting used to. I find myself hitting the wrong key quite often and doing lots of ‘hunting and pecking’ where I’m a touch typist on regular sized keyboards. The ports are located on the left, right and front of the machine, which can cause clutter when working with it on your lap (ex: power cord on right side – outlet on left). The screen is beautiful – nice and bright with great contrast (though I wish I could adjust the gamma to less than 1.0 in the Intel driver). The resolution is good for the screen size, too – enough room to work, but font sizes are still large enough to be easily read at 96 dpi. The touchpad was finicky at the start, but I was able to adjust settings in the driver to get it to my preferences. The touchpad buttons are clunky and loose. No issues with heat on the machine.
Build Quality:
The 600m build quality is average. The keyboard/touchpad both exhibited some flex – nothing too noticeable but something that shouldn’t exist if the build was done better. The battery also fit less than solidly in its slot, rattling around a bit when the computer was picked up. The screen was flexy as well, but I think that’s a given with such a thin screen and plastic case. There were no dead pixels. Visually, the machine looks good - especially when closed. I wish Dell had used the same pale silver color throughout the design instead of the darker gray/electric blue combo they went with. There were no issues with the software that was loaded on the machine, and the machine performed without issue.
The 700m build quality was a bit better 600m. There was no flex in the keyboard or touchpad. The buttons on the touchpad were loose – especially the left one. The ‘bar’ that separates the touchpad from the buttons was also ‘elevated’ slightly. There is some slighty play in the battery connection to the computer - not a lot, but worrisome given that the battery will likley be grabbed when the machine is transported. The screen was solid and didn’t exhibit any noticeable flex. There were no deal pixels. Visually, the machine is striking for its size. The pale silver color is nice, but I don’t care for the white surrounds. The lid is not as attractive imo as the 600m. There were a few issues with the software (DVD decoder not loaded, restore image not loaded). This was a refurb machine, though – so that may be the issue. Dell’s refurbs are supposed to be reimaged, though – so the problem should not have existed. It was an easy fix, but one that I shouldn’t have had to make. Once this was fixed, the machine performed without issue.
Performance:
The 600m was quick and snappy. It was a good deal faster than I expected – on par with my nicely decked-out desktop on everything I tried. Battery life was good at over 3 hours. The Dell wireless card synced up nicely with my router and was able to maintain 54mb connection throughout the house.
The 700m was a bit slower than the 600m – primarily driven by the slower hard drive, imo. Applications would load slower, but once loaded, the machine was quick and snappy. Battery life is poor – about 2 hours of normal use before needing to recharge. You can get the extended life battery, but that adds weight and size. For my uses, 2 hours is enough. If I were traveling or using the machine at work, I would consider this a real issue. The Intel wireless card performed as well or maybe even slightly better than the Dell. I maintained 54mb connection and ‘excellent’ status throughout the house.
Decision:
I’m keeping the 700m. It’s a great second machine, I like the small size and the built in SD port. I like the bright screen and the overall looks of the thing. However, I would be hesitant to recommend the 700m over the 600m as a primary machine. I think I would grow quite tired of the small keyboard if I had to use it for 8 hours a day, and the battery life is a big limiter (sure, you can get the 8 cell battery, but that puts you weight wise and dimensionally wise in the same class as the 600m. Maybe the generic battery market will come out with something that has more capacity than the 2200mah 4 cell, but in the same size… or maybe there’s a new 600m in the future with a 14” widescreen, normal keyboard and decent battery life). The 600m also offers a bigger screen with better resolution, which would come in handy for work tasks. I don’t think you’d be disappointed with either machine – just be sure to buy what fits your needs.
