Still yet another i9300 review

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 9300 as a result of applying multiple coupons and selling my 8600. Here are the specs:

pm 1.6
512megs ddr2 ram
60gig 7200rpm HD (swapped with 8600)
nec 8x dvdrw (swapped with 8600)
intel 2200 802.11b/g
nvidia 6800go 256meg
17" uwxvga truebright display (1920x1200 resolution)

I paid $975 for it. Here's how:
2200 - multiple coupons - 35% off coupon = 1158
1158 - $75 recredit per student discount request - $75 request for additional discount or else i'd RMA because of a new coupon that was available - $30 fatcash = $975

I sold my 8600 for $1000 on ebay.

I've owned at least 5 laptops in the past couple of years, including:
ibm thinkpad (p3 500)
Toshiba satellite (p4 2.66m)
Dell 9100 loaded
Dell 8600 loaded
Current 9300

Keyboard:
This is by far the most comfortable keyboard I've ever used. It's extremely comfortable and there isn't any rebound or swag to it. I wish they had included a numpad, but it's a small annoyance.

Gaming:
It's a beast running the 6800go. It far surpassed my expectations. I'm able to run bfv at 1920x1200 with full details. I do skip a frame about once a minute, but that's because I need more system ram. I've also run 3kmark2k5 and 3dmark2k1, as follows:




Plenty of people have scored high via oc'ing and heavy tweaking. This just gives a simple taste of how it performs overall.

I'll certainly be putting more games in, but that's as far as I've gotten so far.

I was just playing Splinter Cell: Pandora's Box. I was running at 1600x1200 with full details, not a single skipped frame.

Display:
I thought I was spoiled running my 8600's wsvga+ and the dell2k5 on my home computer. However, the samsung display that's on my 9300 puts them to SHAME. The colors are incredibly vivid. Even running at 1920x1200, I didn't need to increase the font size because it's so easy on my eyes.

I take full advantage of the real estate that this display provides. Here's an example of what you can do:


Here's a full size image of the desktop

Sometimes the reflection does get in the way, but in such cases I can simply repostition myself to elminate the any glare.

Battery Life:
I'm only running a 6-cell battery. They do sell a 9-cell battery, but I dont think I'm going to bother. I consistently get 2:45 with the 6-cell fully charged at full brightness. I'm in the process of testing out a processor undervolt mod, which is reported to improve battery life by 20-35 minutes.

Audio:
The sound is pretty close to what I experienced with the 9100, with some improvements in the depth and volume. It has two front mounted (angled) speakers and a small subwoofer.

My 8600 was often too quiet for movies and required external speakers to hear all the words. This is no longer the case with the 9300. I believe the clarity is as good as my home theater system (sony).

Ports:
I was always disappointed with my 8600 because it only had 2 usb2 ports. This is a monster! It has:
6 usb2
1 firewire
1 vga
1 digital video
s-video out
SD memory slot

Heat:
I'm in the process of undervolting the processor, which will help the heat. however, I am not disappointed! Even while running 3dmark, the keyboard barely get warm. It has 4 fans and I can't hear them when they go on.

That's it. If you're in the market for a laptop, I strongly suggest considering the 9300. Some people have reported display problems, but I believe they are ironing that out. Mine was perfect.

updated bfv and now it's running flawlessly

I'm usually modified drivers, perhaps that explains it.

darkest fountain

I also own objectdock, which makes my schoolwork much easier.

I'm using windowblinds free with a theme called darkest foundation.

I run mine at the full 1920x1200. The screen is so crisp, i find it easy on my eyes.

plus, gaming at 1920x1200 is something to behold!