Well, I received my Inspiron 9300 three weeks ago and have been using it every day. Here's my um...$0.20 on how my setup delivers. The review is divided into sections, so you can skip over ones you don't feel like reading. If you have a question, or would like a picture request, post and I'll try to fulfill it. 
I. Background:
I'm a second year engineering college student and use this laptop as an extension from my desktop (even though it excels my desktop in all specs except for hard drive capacity). I bring it to school almost every day and use it for word processing, circuit simulations, gaming, etc.
II. Specs:
Inspiron 9300
-1920x1200 WUXGA with TRUELIFE (SEC5557 Samsung)
-1.73Ghz Pentium-M
-1280mb DDR2 RAM (256 stock + 1024 Newegg)
-40gb 5400RPM hard drive
-Sony 24xCDRW/DVD-ROM combo
-256MB NVidia Gforce GO
-Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
-Intel 2200 Wireless b/g
-Internal Bluetooth
-6 cell standard 53Whr battery
-6xUSB 2.0, Firewire out, VGA out, Digital out, S-Video out
-PCMCIA slot, SDIO slot, Microphone out, headphone slot
Cost: $2101 - $750 coupon - 6% education discount - 3% fatwallet = $1300ish
Misc. accessories:
Logitech MX900 Bluetooth mouse
Caselogic Large Laptop Attache
Kensington Contour Backpack
IKlear Screen Cleaning Kit for Apple
III. Appearance/build
My first impression about laptop was, "Whoa! This thing is huge!"
The next thing I noticed, as I lifted it out was "Geeze! I'm really out of shape..."
The 9300 was simply majestic out of the box! The silver metallic finish gave it a professional look, though the white borders made it somewhat resemble an Apple notebook. The 9300 has a look that says, "I don't attract lots of attention like the XPS or Alienware, but I also won't embarrass the user if he brings it to formal meetings." Simply put, I love the way it looks
Upon opening the laptop, I see a very roomy keyboard and a somewhat small touchpad. The keys are slightly smaller than normal, as I find myself overreaching many times (I'm getting the hang of it). Unlike the HP Z8000, the 9300 doesn't have a full numpad, but it's also ~8.1lbs, compared to HP's deadweight 10-12lbs.
IV. LCD Display
With all the posts about sparkles, light leakage, and dead pixels, I was very reluctant to turn my laptop on. Eventually, curiosity took over and I booted it up. What I saw was a bright and crystal-clear display! The packaging slip says I got the LG, but Powerstrip claims I have the Samsung. It also has 7 different light intensities, which confirms with Powerstrip's results. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones
. After some tweaking, the colors were very vivid and the grays were clear. Pictures look very vivid and sharp on this screen, and games look awesome! Working in Word or Excel is very rewarding on this large screen. I can EASILY read 2 pages in Word at once; with 96DPI and Cleartype on, text is very crisp. The screen is very glossy, though it's perfectly viewable under ambient light. Everyone who has seen my 9300 commented on how nice the screen looks.
The light leakage from the bottom was pretty bad in that it didn't spread a lot (~2cm), but leaked a lot. However, as of 2 weeks now, it seems to be gone! No, I'm not going blind or getting used to it; it's just not there anymore.
As for the sparkle effect, I didn't even notice it. Upon comparing it with a friend who has a 9200, I can see that my sparkles were nothing compared to his.
V. General Performance
After checking that there's nothing wrong with my laptop, I formatted, wiped out the backup partitions, and installed Windows Pro. I was able to undervolt the CPU from 1.35V/0.9V to 0.988V/0.7V. I also ramped up the GPU conservatively to 350/700. The temperature on my GPU never seems to rise over 55°C, and my CPU never seems to rise over 38°C. The fans are always whisper quiet (I'm used to my desktop's 8 fans continually on, so.. ).
With 1+ GB of RAM, everything opens and closes quickly. The video card is much better than my desktop's outdated Gforce 4 ti4600; it can run HL2, Farcry, Stronghold 2, Lego Star Wars, Pariah, etc. with high rez and relatively high graphics options. I'm also running BF2 at 1600x1200 resolution with almost all high settings and I'm still getting smooth gameplay. The card rocks!
For those who are interested in 3DMark, I got 8,847 in 3DMark03 and 3,868 in 3DMark05. I'm using modified drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com. The scores are also on the conservative side.
VI. Power consumption
The 9300's power consumption is fair. Under full brightness, undervolted CPU, and overclocked GPU, my Inspiron can run at most 1 hour 30 min. This is ok, since I usually work with AC power anyways.
VII. Misc. comments (sound, mouse, transportation)
The sound is loud and clear on the 9300. The tiny subwoofer has a very large impact on the overall quailty! When I play songs with base (Andy Williams' "I Will Wait for You") and toggle the subwoofer, I can hear a major difference. Without it, it sounds wimpy and radio-ish. With it on, the sound becomes noticeably deeper and the quality pars with medium range desktop speakers. Depending on what you're playing, sound may become distorted under maximum volume. There is no built-in microphone.
I really like my MX900. After replacing the stock 1800mAh rechargeable AAAs with 2500mAh, the mouse lasts for days on a single charge. Installation is easy- the 9300's built in Bluetooth detects the mouse quickly and saves the mouse settings. There's a very slight lag when you move the mouse after setting it down for a few minutes, but it's usually unnoticeable. There is a downside to this mouse: no off switch 
I carry my laptop to school in a beat-up, inconspicuous backpack.
For protection, I removed a laptop sleeve for a 15" monitor and stuck it in the bottom of my current backpack. That protects the bottom of the laptop sufficiently, but leaves the top unprotected. People always seem amused when I yank out a brand new laptop from a crummy backpack 
. I would definitely go for a backpack over a single-strap; it's more comfortable as it distributes weight across more area.
I also bought the Large Laptop Attache by Caselogic in hopes that I can use it as a sleeve. The construction is OK, though feels like it's made of cardboard and is definitely not waterproof. Unfortunately, the Attache won't fit in my backpack.
VIII. Conclusion
The 9300 is perfect for a budget conscious college student who needs a muscle machine to do everyday tasks. It's light enough to be carried around daily (even for an engineer!), yet large and hefty enough to feel comfortable sitting on my lap. It may not be a hardcore gaming machine like the XPS or
, or portable like the Dell 700m, but it's cost effective and I don't have to squint to read text. For me, this is the ideal laptop! 
PS: Kudos to Quimicefa for the great Flaming Dell bootup screen!
Addendum I (4 weeks later):
I tested out battery life by running a movie on full brightness, full sound, and all wireless on. The 6-cell battery drained to 10% within 1 hour 20 min. Not too happy about that.
Also, my INSPIRON label rubbed off the top of my laptop! First, the S disappeared, leaving IN PIRON....so I just rubbed the rest off. No biggie, but be warned....it could happen.
Addendum II (~2 months later):
Got my Kensington Contour Backpack for $55 from Dell because the Caselogic was just shoddy to be used everyday. I'm very happy with the construction and it feels great when loaded. The inside sleeve is very tight though. I can easily fit 2-3 normal sized textbooks next to the laptop.
After charging/discharging the batt every other day or so, the max capacity has fallen to 95%. That's only a few min, but still. In addition, I learned that the silver paint where I lay my palms is easily rubbed off by sweat/oil due to continuous use of laptop. It now looks like dark splotches. I'll ask for a replacement soon.
I also bought IKlear for Apple through the school store (because it was cheaper than IKlear normal). It does wonders to the screen! I've tried water and ammonia-free Windex but they would always leave streaks. One spray cleans the monitor completely. Though a bit pricy, I greatly recommend it as it's good for 700 applications supposedly.
Finally, I got my FatWallet discount back!
Addendum III (~3 months later):
I got my Atheros AR5005GS B/G mini-PCI card today. All my wireless woes are gone! I used to have constant problems with my Centrino 2200 card. It was good detecting connections, but it couldn't hold it. I've tried everything (tweaks, router firmwares, etc.) but it won't work. The Atheros card is AMAZING! I can be in my living room and get almost full reception! I would always lose connection with my 2200 there. So, if you have a 2200 card and had no success fixing it, try an Atheros card. A 5001x card sells for ~$22 on Ebay and works fine too (I tried my friend's 5001x Atheros before I ordered a 5005GS). It can also enter RF monitor mode, which can be used to accomplish quite a few things...
I. Background:
I'm a second year engineering college student and use this laptop as an extension from my desktop (even though it excels my desktop in all specs except for hard drive capacity). I bring it to school almost every day and use it for word processing, circuit simulations, gaming, etc.
II. Specs:
Inspiron 9300
-1920x1200 WUXGA with TRUELIFE (SEC5557 Samsung)
-1.73Ghz Pentium-M
-1280mb DDR2 RAM (256 stock + 1024 Newegg)
-40gb 5400RPM hard drive
-Sony 24xCDRW/DVD-ROM combo
-256MB NVidia Gforce GO
-Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
-Intel 2200 Wireless b/g
-Internal Bluetooth
-6 cell standard 53Whr battery
-6xUSB 2.0, Firewire out, VGA out, Digital out, S-Video out
-PCMCIA slot, SDIO slot, Microphone out, headphone slot
Cost: $2101 - $750 coupon - 6% education discount - 3% fatwallet = $1300ish
Misc. accessories:
Logitech MX900 Bluetooth mouse
Caselogic Large Laptop Attache
Kensington Contour Backpack
IKlear Screen Cleaning Kit for Apple
III. Appearance/build
My first impression about laptop was, "Whoa! This thing is huge!"
The next thing I noticed, as I lifted it out was "Geeze! I'm really out of shape..."
The 9300 was simply majestic out of the box! The silver metallic finish gave it a professional look, though the white borders made it somewhat resemble an Apple notebook. The 9300 has a look that says, "I don't attract lots of attention like the XPS or Alienware, but I also won't embarrass the user if he brings it to formal meetings." Simply put, I love the way it looks
Upon opening the laptop, I see a very roomy keyboard and a somewhat small touchpad. The keys are slightly smaller than normal, as I find myself overreaching many times (I'm getting the hang of it). Unlike the HP Z8000, the 9300 doesn't have a full numpad, but it's also ~8.1lbs, compared to HP's deadweight 10-12lbs.
IV. LCD Display
With all the posts about sparkles, light leakage, and dead pixels, I was very reluctant to turn my laptop on. Eventually, curiosity took over and I booted it up. What I saw was a bright and crystal-clear display! The packaging slip says I got the LG, but Powerstrip claims I have the Samsung. It also has 7 different light intensities, which confirms with Powerstrip's results. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones
. After some tweaking, the colors were very vivid and the grays were clear. Pictures look very vivid and sharp on this screen, and games look awesome! Working in Word or Excel is very rewarding on this large screen. I can EASILY read 2 pages in Word at once; with 96DPI and Cleartype on, text is very crisp. The screen is very glossy, though it's perfectly viewable under ambient light. Everyone who has seen my 9300 commented on how nice the screen looks.The light leakage from the bottom was pretty bad in that it didn't spread a lot (~2cm), but leaked a lot. However, as of 2 weeks now, it seems to be gone! No, I'm not going blind or getting used to it; it's just not there anymore.
As for the sparkle effect, I didn't even notice it. Upon comparing it with a friend who has a 9200, I can see that my sparkles were nothing compared to his.
V. General Performance
After checking that there's nothing wrong with my laptop, I formatted, wiped out the backup partitions, and installed Windows Pro. I was able to undervolt the CPU from 1.35V/0.9V to 0.988V/0.7V. I also ramped up the GPU conservatively to 350/700. The temperature on my GPU never seems to rise over 55°C, and my CPU never seems to rise over 38°C. The fans are always whisper quiet (I'm used to my desktop's 8 fans continually on, so.. ).
With 1+ GB of RAM, everything opens and closes quickly. The video card is much better than my desktop's outdated Gforce 4 ti4600; it can run HL2, Farcry, Stronghold 2, Lego Star Wars, Pariah, etc. with high rez and relatively high graphics options. I'm also running BF2 at 1600x1200 resolution with almost all high settings and I'm still getting smooth gameplay. The card rocks!
For those who are interested in 3DMark, I got 8,847 in 3DMark03 and 3,868 in 3DMark05. I'm using modified drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com. The scores are also on the conservative side.
VI. Power consumption
The 9300's power consumption is fair. Under full brightness, undervolted CPU, and overclocked GPU, my Inspiron can run at most 1 hour 30 min. This is ok, since I usually work with AC power anyways.
VII. Misc. comments (sound, mouse, transportation)
The sound is loud and clear on the 9300. The tiny subwoofer has a very large impact on the overall quailty! When I play songs with base (Andy Williams' "I Will Wait for You") and toggle the subwoofer, I can hear a major difference. Without it, it sounds wimpy and radio-ish. With it on, the sound becomes noticeably deeper and the quality pars with medium range desktop speakers. Depending on what you're playing, sound may become distorted under maximum volume. There is no built-in microphone.
I really like my MX900.
After replacing the stock 1800mAh rechargeable AAAs with 2500mAh, the mouse lasts for days on a single charge. Installation is easy- the 9300's built in Bluetooth detects the mouse quickly and saves the mouse settings. There's a very slight lag when you move the mouse after setting it down for a few minutes, but it's usually unnoticeable. There is a downside to this mouse: no off switch I carry my laptop to school in a beat-up, inconspicuous backpack.
For protection, I removed a laptop sleeve for a 15" monitor and stuck it in the bottom of my current backpack. That protects the bottom of the laptop sufficiently, but leaves the top unprotected. People always seem amused when I yank out a brand new laptop from a crummy backpack . I would definitely go for a backpack over a single-strap; it's more comfortable as it distributes weight across more area.I also bought the Large Laptop Attache by Caselogic in hopes that I can use it as a sleeve. The construction is OK, though feels like it's made of cardboard and is definitely not waterproof. Unfortunately, the Attache won't fit in my backpack.
VIII. Conclusion
The 9300 is perfect for a budget conscious college student who needs a muscle machine to do everyday tasks. It's light enough to be carried around daily (even for an engineer!), yet large and hefty enough to feel comfortable sitting on my lap. It may not be a hardcore gaming machine like the XPS or
, or portable like the Dell 700m, but it's cost effective and I don't have to squint to read text. For me, this is the ideal laptop! PS: Kudos to Quimicefa for the great Flaming Dell bootup screen!
Addendum I (4 weeks later):
I tested out battery life by running a movie on full brightness, full sound, and all wireless on. The 6-cell battery drained to 10% within 1 hour 20 min. Not too happy about that
.Also, my INSPIRON label rubbed off the top of my laptop! First, the S disappeared, leaving IN PIRON....so I just rubbed the rest off. No biggie, but be warned....it could happen.
Addendum II (~2 months later):
Got my Kensington Contour Backpack for $55 from Dell because the Caselogic was just shoddy to be used everyday. I'm very happy with the construction and it feels great when loaded. The inside sleeve is very tight though. I can easily fit 2-3 normal sized textbooks next to the laptop.
After charging/discharging the batt every other day or so, the max capacity has fallen to 95%. That's only a few min, but still. In addition, I learned that the silver paint where I lay my palms is easily rubbed off by sweat/oil due to continuous use of laptop. It now looks like dark splotches. I'll ask for a replacement soon.
I also bought IKlear for Apple through the school store (because it was cheaper than IKlear normal). It does wonders to the screen! I've tried water and ammonia-free Windex but they would always leave streaks. One spray cleans the monitor completely. Though a bit pricy, I greatly recommend it as it's good for 700 applications supposedly.
Finally, I got my FatWallet discount back!
Addendum III (~3 months later):
I got my Atheros AR5005GS B/G mini-PCI card today. All my wireless woes are gone! I used to have constant problems with my Centrino 2200 card. It was good detecting connections, but it couldn't hold it. I've tried everything (tweaks, router firmwares, etc.) but it won't work. The Atheros card is AMAZING! I can be in my living room and get almost full reception! I would always lose connection with my 2200 there. So, if you have a 2200 card and had no success fixing it, try an Atheros card. A 5001x card sells for ~$22 on Ebay and works fine too (I tried my friend's 5001x Atheros before I ordered a 5005GS). It can also enter RF monitor mode, which can be used to accomplish quite a few things...
Got a questions for you, how do you get the educational discount? I'm an instructor and I wanted to know if that discount would be applicable to me as well.
