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Advice from the Pros: i8600c or i9200?

post #1 of 15
1/20/05 at 10:28am
Thread Starter 
My First post and already a question in this awesome forum!

I'm stuck between the decision of buying a i8600c or i9200.

I had the chance to test a year old i8600 with WUXGA screen and was not that impressed. The display looked dark, and there was a visible structure, like small grain, all over the display. The case creaked a lot, and the keyboard was way to "floppy".

I've read about people having issues with the keyboard of the i8600, but did not find a post about the screen quality of newer systems

I would love to get the i9200 with WSXGA-screen, because the fonts on the i8600 with WUXGA looked a bit too tiny for me, even with large font size (DPI).

My only fear is that the 9200 would be too big to carry around on a regular basis, i.e for presentations, airtravel etc.

I'm not so keen on the i6000 yet because of the gc, and the 9300 has not even been announced yet.

What do you think?
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post #2 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:01am
Is there something wrong with the WSXGA display, seems like everyone is either wanting the XGA or the UXGA, am I the only one who thinks the SXGA is a good compromise? Anyway, there have been who knows how many posts about the UXGA screen on the 9200.
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post #3 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 
Ooops, my fault. Of course i'm going for the WSXGA display.
I agree with you, that that's the best compromise.
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post #4 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:11am
What do you plan to put the laptop through (use it for)? What other specs are important besides the screen?

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post #5 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:13am
First off, there is no WSXGA for the I9200; that being said, you're best bet is to go with the WXGA+ on the I9200 if you're looking for good readablitiy. I personally can reccommend the I9200 as I use mine around campus all the time and it works fine. It has great graphics for gaming and a fast processor for just about anything else. It is kinda bulky if you're looking at size, but compared to the I8600, there's only an inch of difference!

If you're planning on carrying the laptop around, get you a nice carrying case!
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post #6 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
@all: thanks for your replys!

I already own an Acer Travelmate 4001 with PM 1.5, 1 GB Ram, Radeon 9700 64 MB, but that system will go to my girlfriend.

I've used the Acer to do presentations for customers, office work,
gaming and video editing on the road etc.

I've got a desktop system with a P4-3.0 and 17" lcd display, so i'm covered at home.

If the system is only one inch bigger than the 8600c, then i'm sold!

It's a shame that Dell does not have any stores in switzerland (where i live),
so there's no way that i can try one before i buy.

Also, we do not have the 21-day return policy, so if i buy the wrong system, i can't send it back.
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post #7 of 15
1/20/05 at 1:32pm
i9200 - it may have a huge foot print but its not that heavy. the overall quality of the system is greater than the i8600. you will not regret getting it.
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post #8 of 15
1/20/05 at 2:38pm
Just to make you aware of the similarities between the 15.4" WSXGA on the 8600 and the 17" WUXGA on the 9200 with regards to font sizes:

The PPI (pixels per inch) on both of these screens are about the same, which means that the fonts/icons/ect will be almost the same size, with the 9200's WUXGA just a tad bit smaller.

Here's a site that compares PPI on various LCD panels, and the PPI for both of the above screens are very close.

http://www.qg.fi/screeninformation.html

15.4" WSXGA on the i8600 ........ 129 PPI
17" WUXGA on the i9200......... 133 PPI

That's what made me choose the 9200 over the 8600. Despite the screen resolution and physical size differences, they have almost the same PPI, which means as long as both computers are set at the same font size, then they will be almost identical. You will get almost the same font size of the WSXGA on the 8600 while also getting the larger display of the 9200. For me personally it was the perfect solution.
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post #9 of 15
1/20/05 at 11:26pm
I was debating both myself. I actually got my hands on a 9200 for a while but returned it since it really just was too big. Here are some dimensions for both:

8600:

Laptop itself: H 1.5" (closed), W 14.1", Depth 10.8"
The screen: H 8.76", W 13.56", Diagonal 15.4"
Resolutions:
- 1920x1200 (0.1725 pixel pitch) (compare to any non-laptop LCD (average 25-27 dot pitch)
- 1680x1050 (0.1971 pixel pitch)
- 1280x800 (0.2588 pixel pitch)

7.2 lbs with CD drive and battery.


9200:

Laptop itself: H 1.6" (closed), W 15.5", Depth 11.3"
The screen: H 9.64", W 15", Diagonal 17"
Resolutions:
- 1920x1200 (0.191 pixel pitch)
- 1440x400 (0.255 pixel pitch) (like good LCD monitor)

8 lbs with 6-cell battery(not likely choice) and CD drive.

The 9200 I had was the 1440x400 version; clear, crisp, plenty.

So what did I go and do? Get an 8600 with 1920x1200. Hopefully I can read it, if not I'll mess around until its workable. The thing that I dont like about hi-res is most of the time pictures show up so much smaller than they were intended to be seen, making it more difficult to view and changing the effect that an otherwise full-screen image might give, compared to the image showing up on only half the screen.

I should get the laptop tomorrow, and will post a preliminary review.
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post #10 of 15
1/21/05 at 12:26am
Karna does NOT know how to measure.

The 15.4" viewable sceern is 8.2" high by 13.1" wide.

The 17" viewable screen is 9" high by 14.4" wide.

Go with the Dell 17" 9200. It is a year ahead of all other notebooks as it is light(7.5lbs), for its size. and with the 9 cell battery can last 5+ hours. Even the 6 cell battery lasts over 3 hours. Get 1 Gig of ram and the 2.0 processor and you will be set for years.

Daley
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post #11 of 15
1/21/05 at 12:36am
I took the info straight from Dell's manuals, so go tell Dell they dont know how to measure.

8600:
http://support.dell.com/support/edoc.../D77111LRs.pdf

9200:
http://support.dell.com/support/edoc.../D51691LRs.pdf

Just trying to help out here, no need to be dissin, mkay?
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post #12 of 15
1/21/05 at 12:36am
with all this talk, i'm surprised no one mentioned the 9300...

since everyone in this forum but me loves that "laptop" so much
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post #13 of 15
1/21/05 at 12:42am
Loving a laptop that does not exist? Sorta like loving that g/f (on your WUXGA screen) that does not exist?? /wank wank
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post #14 of 15
1/21/05 at 10:23am
Thread Starter 
Ok, you can call me stupid, but against all advices i just bought an 8600c with the following specs:

15.4" UltraSharp WSXGA+ TFT
Intel® Pentium® M 735 1.70GHz
512 MB PC 2700 DDR-SDRAM, 333 MHz (2x256MB)
60 GB Ultra ATA-100 5400rpm
8x DVD +/- RW
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO TURBO 128MB
Dell Wireless 1450 (802.11a/b/g
BlueTooth

What made me decide against the 9200 or the new Sonoma platform?

i9200:
I don't mind the size, but the 9200i is just way to expensive here in switzerland. It's way over 2500 US$ with everything i want in it.
Plus we can't choose between the 6-or 8 cell battery pack, we can only buy a spare one. And we don't have these fantastic coupons you guys have in the US.

Sonoma:

The specs for Sonoma look impressive on paper, but one reason i like to have a laptop is its mobility, and i don't think that PCI Express plus higher FSB will help to keep the running time above 4h (average office and Internet use).

i8600c:

The 8600c has been around long enough for dell to get rid of product flaws or production problems. I think it's just a stable, reliable and proven workhorse.
Sure, the design is somewhat dated, and i don't like the "plastic look", but i think i bought one of the best systems for that price out there now.

Comments are welcome, they will me help pass the time for my new baby to arrive here (about 10 working days...)

P.S It's funny, the new year starts off with me waiting for new electronic gadgets.Besides my new Dell, i'm waiting for the release of the Sony PSP in the US and Europe, scheduled for march. But that's another topic
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post #15 of 15
1/21/05 at 11:37am
kingpin, i thought i'd ruled out the 8600 for the 9200, because of larger screen and higher quality casing, but went back on the fence. the coupons here lately don't apply to 9200, significantly widening the net price difference. and i'm not sure i want a model being discontinued so quiickly (9200) or that i can wait long enough for the 9300.

EDIT : I just ordered the 8600 so I'll be waiting along with you.
$585 less than what I could do on the 9200.
(which of course means a terrfic 9200 coupon offer will be out tomorrow )
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