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1056$ on 700m after $500 off coupon. is this worth it? about to purchase. - Page 2

post #21 of 29
2/9/05 at 4:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by csware
thanx but no thanx. I'd rather purchase it new. But would you kind enough as to tell me exactly how the hard drive swap is done? I called dell but they said that they couldn't tell me because doing so voids warranty.
that dell salesperson was wrong, wrong, wrong...in fact if you get a replacement HD from dell (like I did), you will be required to install it yourself since it is a user installable repair. moreover, there are several thousand pages on dell website telling you exactly how to replace your HD...i finally got dell forum moderator to finally post that it doesn't void the warranty..so you can do a search there as well.

do a search for 700m technical service manual and you will see how to swap the HD.

second, the dell salesperson was wrong about HD's in the 700m...which are 5400rpm...if anyone here has gotten a 700m with a 4200rpm, i'll be a monkey's fat arse uncle--that is in the 40-60GB drives.

also, don't be spending no stinking extra money for 802.11a capability...how useless...unless your work has it, but then again, why would your work have it? put the money toward something useful, more ram or increase your processor speed, or save for a larger 7200rpm drive.

initial price of 7200rpm 100GB will be high, but the 60GB 7200rpm wasn't that high, so i don't think that the 100GB will be that expensive, especially if more than one company comes out with them. i just can't figure out why no one else is making 60GB 7200rpm...probably think it's a waste of time since performance difference ain't that big between that and a 60GB 5400rpm drive...yeah, maybe you gamers out there, but if you are buying the 700m for gaming you need your head examined anyways.

i'm just bored
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post #22 of 29
2/9/05 at 5:38am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laffingbilly
that dell salesperson was wrong, wrong, wrong...in fact if you get a replacement HD from dell (like I did), you will be required to install it yourself since it is a user installable repair.
It seems that many 700m owners initially have the hard drive problems either with clicking or the random hard drive spin down issue. From what i've read, it's the Hitachi HD itself that is the culprit of those issues. Many had dell send them a replacement Fujitsu HD to solve the issues.

Does this mean I should expect the same problem when my 700m arrives? are all default 700m harddrives Hitachi that inevitably need replacement? If that is the case, should I place my order by phone and manually put in a request to the sales rep to send me the Fujitsu drive on the first try that way I can avoid having to exchange it later on?

Have any of you recent 700m owners not encounter the clicking/spin-down issue? If so is that because you somehow luckily got the Fujitsu HD on ur initial order?

thanx in advance.

Best regards,
C'sware.
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post #23 of 29
2/9/05 at 6:39am
unfortunately, the salesperson really can't specify...you get a box of chocolates you know...it seems that the hitachi is problematic...the cases i've heard about have all been hitachi drives. not everyone gets a hitachi drive though.

when i replaced mine, i specified to the tech rep. to give me something other than hitachi...and i got fujitsu...but others have said they tried the same thing and got another hitachi...don't know
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post #24 of 29
2/9/05 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
thanx for the late-night reply. how do i check which drive i have once i do receive it? will bios say it? thanx again
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post #25 of 29
2/9/05 at 7:21am
bios will give model number and you can tell that way, oryou can just open up the bottom where the HD is
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post #26 of 29
2/9/05 at 6:49pm
I received my 700m about two weeks ago and it has a 40gb 5400RPM Fujitsu drive. I haven't had any problems with it. My optical drive (Samsung combo), oh the other hand, makes a huge racket sometimes when I'm installing off of it (but when I'm just reading data off of it there is only the sound of the disc spinning up). Other than the optical drive, everything seems very solid. I'm pretty happy with the mouse buttons, though I know others have complained that they aren't very solid. The keyboard is *much* firmer than on my old Vaio FX-150. Other than being made of plastic, this feels like a very well constructed machine.

A caveat: when my computer came from the factory, all of the screws on the bottom were *extremely* tight. It took a lot of effort to get the panels off.

Another issue that I came across that you may or may not experience: when my computer first arrived, there was a slight bulge in the keyboard near f7/f8 etc. We opened the computer (see instructions on the Dell website for removing the keyboard) and discovered that the keyboard's ribbon cable was somewhat bunched up. Be very careful if you take the keyboard off-- the ribbon cables are attached to the motherboard with connectors that need to be properly opened (again, see instructions). We simply smoothed out the ribbon cable and (if I recall correctly) applied a small piece of tape. When we put the keyboard back in, it laid perfectly flat.

Enjoy your new computer!
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post #27 of 29
2/9/05 at 8:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by meljs123
Another issue that I came across that you may or may not experience: when my computer first arrived, there was a slight bulge in the keyboard near f7/f8 etc. We opened the computer (see instructions on the Dell website for removing the keyboard) and discovered that the keyboard's ribbon cable was somewhat bunched up. Be very careful if you take the keyboard off-- the ribbon cables are attached to the motherboard with connectors that need to be properly opened (again, see instructions). We simply smoothed out the ribbon cable and (if I recall correctly) applied a small piece of tape. When we put the keyboard back in, it laid perfectly flat.

Enjoy your new computer!
thanx for the heads up! I'll post high res pics once my shipment comes in and share with the rest of you my first experience with dell. Damn i feel like a virgin again...

p.s- should I have ordred the 1.8M instead of 1.6M for 78$? it's been kind of bothering me that I didnt make that relatively cheap upgrade but I think I can still call dellto make the order change. yay or nay?

input needed. thanx!
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post #28 of 29
2/9/05 at 8:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by csware
thanx for the heads up! I'll post high res pics once my shipment comes in and share with the rest of you my first experience with dell. Damn i feel like a virgin again...

p.s- should I have ordred the 1.8M instead of 1.6M for 78$? it's been kind of bothering me that I didnt make that relatively cheap upgrade but I think I can still call dellto make the order change. yay or nay?

input needed. thanx!
mine is 1.6 and I feel it's very speedy.
my 40GB HD was fujitsu - no prob. I think you can also look in Device manager or maybe a proggy like CPU-z or Sandra to see who makes it, if you don't want to remove it.
My CD burner is Sony and is also noisy on spin up.
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post #29 of 29
2/9/05 at 8:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whoot
mine is 1.6 and I feel it's very speedy.
my 40GB HD was fujitsu - no prob. I think you can also look in Device manager or maybe a proggy like CPU-z or Sandra to see who makes it, if you don't want to remove it.
My CD burner is Sony and is also noisy on spin up.
So I geuss the spin up is something i'll have to get used to. it seems apparent in every 700m. Does that ever get in the way of DVD watching when it starts rattling/vibrating?

also does anyone know if the 1.6 consumes less energy and produce less heat than the 1.8? In that case, i would be happy with my decision.
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