I know there have been tons of reviews of this system but I figured I would try my hand at it and answer some of the questions I was wondering myself when I decided to buy my first Laptop.
First of all, I have been doing some research on buying a laptop for the better part of a year. My desktop is a PIII 800 but for what I use it for it still runs decent. I dont really play games on my computer but I do like to have something that will last when I buy it.
For a while I flirted with the Apple Powerbooks - I am an IPOD owner and I do believe they have very nice computers. However after taking a few trips to the Apple Store I could not get over the frustration of feeling like I was using a system that just didnt click with me. I love Windows - think OSX is a great OS but its just not for me. I came away loving how thin and light the Powerbooks were but I just couldnt justify spending $2000-2500 for an Apple when I could buy something for $1200-1500 and get a PC I dont have to "adjust" to.
I began looking at Dells, Alienwares, Acers, etc. This website helped me quite a bit. At first I was anti Dell, now I have never had a bad experience with them but I had heard that the laptops were not that great. My sister got an 8600 last year at Xmas and I thought it was decent so I dont know why I was worried. After reading about the 9200 screens I was pretty sure I wouldnt buy a Dell and I would go for the Apple (this is an investment and if I am going to shell out over $1k I want the thing to work and to last).
Then the 9300 and the 6000 came out - I have read great things about the Pentium M and after some thought I came to the conclusion that $2000 for a G4 compared to $1200 for a Pentium M through Dell just couldnt justify switching for me. Then I saw some pics of the 6000 on here and I was sold. I wanted at least a 15 inch screen - and ultimately decided 17 inches was just too much.
Got myself a $750 off coupon (off $1999), I wanted a 35% but decided not to hold out. I put together a system with a 2GHz PM, 256 MB RAM (upgrade after market), 60Gig7k HD, 128 MB X300, WSXGA screen etc etc etc. Total came to $1338, figured it was a good enough deal and I wanted my computer so I pulled the trigger.
Took about a week for it to arrive which wasnt too bad. Let me tell you - this is a beautiful system. It is fast, it is comfortable to use, it does get a little warm but not bad. The screen is awesome - I love this PC. My only issue is it is a little heavy and it is thick (smaller then the 8600 though). I guess because I was looking at the Apples I wanted something thin and light but the 700m screen was too small.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. Dell has put together a quality product - and I think the build has improved quite a bit since the updates this year. I was actually pretty surprised when I opened mine up and saw how good it is. I was even more impressed when I turned it on. The computer works perfectly with the wireless connections in my office, the keyboard is comfortable, and the trackpad is as good as one can hope.
I look forward to tweaking/customizing this thing as much as possible as well as using it to its max compacity. For anyone who is looking at 15 inch laptops and isnt concerned with gaming (although I am sure this can handle some) I highly recommend this PC. It is worth every penny.
First of all, I have been doing some research on buying a laptop for the better part of a year. My desktop is a PIII 800 but for what I use it for it still runs decent. I dont really play games on my computer but I do like to have something that will last when I buy it.
For a while I flirted with the Apple Powerbooks - I am an IPOD owner and I do believe they have very nice computers. However after taking a few trips to the Apple Store I could not get over the frustration of feeling like I was using a system that just didnt click with me. I love Windows - think OSX is a great OS but its just not for me. I came away loving how thin and light the Powerbooks were but I just couldnt justify spending $2000-2500 for an Apple when I could buy something for $1200-1500 and get a PC I dont have to "adjust" to.
I began looking at Dells, Alienwares, Acers, etc. This website helped me quite a bit. At first I was anti Dell, now I have never had a bad experience with them but I had heard that the laptops were not that great. My sister got an 8600 last year at Xmas and I thought it was decent so I dont know why I was worried. After reading about the 9200 screens I was pretty sure I wouldnt buy a Dell and I would go for the Apple (this is an investment and if I am going to shell out over $1k I want the thing to work and to last).
Then the 9300 and the 6000 came out - I have read great things about the Pentium M and after some thought I came to the conclusion that $2000 for a G4 compared to $1200 for a Pentium M through Dell just couldnt justify switching for me. Then I saw some pics of the 6000 on here and I was sold. I wanted at least a 15 inch screen - and ultimately decided 17 inches was just too much.
Got myself a $750 off coupon (off $1999), I wanted a 35% but decided not to hold out. I put together a system with a 2GHz PM, 256 MB RAM (upgrade after market), 60Gig7k HD, 128 MB X300, WSXGA screen etc etc etc. Total came to $1338, figured it was a good enough deal and I wanted my computer so I pulled the trigger.
Took about a week for it to arrive which wasnt too bad. Let me tell you - this is a beautiful system. It is fast, it is comfortable to use, it does get a little warm but not bad. The screen is awesome - I love this PC. My only issue is it is a little heavy and it is thick (smaller then the 8600 though). I guess because I was looking at the Apples I wanted something thin and light but the 700m screen was too small.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. Dell has put together a quality product - and I think the build has improved quite a bit since the updates this year. I was actually pretty surprised when I opened mine up and saw how good it is. I was even more impressed when I turned it on. The computer works perfectly with the wireless connections in my office, the keyboard is comfortable, and the trackpad is as good as one can hope.
I look forward to tweaking/customizing this thing as much as possible as well as using it to its max compacity. For anyone who is looking at 15 inch laptops and isnt concerned with gaming (although I am sure this can handle some) I highly recommend this PC. It is worth every penny.
