Should I really get a Dell?

Hey everyone.

I'm heading off to college next year and have to start shopping for a laptop required for my lessons... I started looking at dell, which seems to have really nice laptops, but I'm wondering if paying the extra price for a Dell is something worth it.

Obviously, I checked more than Dell (Toshiba, HP, Acer, etc.), but they had the more appealing ones; and their site offers a build-up, which really puts on paper what you get, and what you're paying for, which is something I appreciate.

Here is what I want to emphasize upon the build-up.

- Good Graphics
- Nice HD (hi res) screen
- Portability (laptop weight and size)

Here is the setup I am currently looking at:

- T8300 or higher processor (opting for T9 series for additional cache; just waiting for a drop in price)
- nVidia 8600GT 256mb Graphics card (this is the best they offer for a laptop of that size; I wished to have something better as I hope to game on this laptop and I have used to my powerful desktop: is it enough?)
- 3-4GB of RAM (probably won't need much more than three other than for Crysis, but I like showing off; mouthing off in this case)
- Full HD Widescreen (1920x1200) & 2mp camera (I want to stress on this as my dad just received a Dell Latitude with basic screen and it SUCKS).


Other than that, I don't really give a damn about anything else. I will probably get an external HD so I don't need anything more than 250GB (I have a desktop with 1TB anyway). The laptops weight and size really bothered me in the beginning but I'll probably get used to 15.4", I would have taken the m1330 if it could have taken it the 8600GT (after seeing it with my eyes first though; and upgrading the screen wouldn't be as useful...).


I am simply posting this to get some suggestions and opinions about Dell. I have used Dell before, but purchasing my own laptop from them seems to be expensive. Where should I look at and why, what do they offer that is better than Dell?

I don't need computer lessons as I know what I'm doing; I just want personal opinions about Dell prioritizing on the XPS. Thanks



*PS: Sorry for blasting comments about the latitude screen, but I was just shocked when I compared it to my LCD screen.
**PSS: About the budget, it is currently revolving around 1700-2200$ USD, it just depends on what I get.


Regards,
Patrick

Thanks for the reply.

I am currently looking at the NP2092, which seems to be the best solution for me. I would like to stay below the 15.4" models as I'll have to carry it around everywhere I go...

Obviously the first one I clicked was the NP9262 which sent me off dreaming to owning a quad-core laptop... but, it's a bit over budget (I could sell my desktop....).


I forgot to mention a few things in my prior post. First of all, I live in Canada, so ordering cross country and really send customs fees over the top. I got nearly 550$ of custom fees when I ordered my desktop. This is why I chose Dell at the start.

I will inform myself of SAGER's shipment procedures to ensure I don't get customs fees, and I am currently considering Sager over Dell at this point. Using the specifications I get $1619 with Dell and $1399 with Sager, including the $399 rebate from Dell and the $300 rebate from Sager on the laptops.

Thanks for any upcoming suggestions!

Pat

Sager gets their laptops from a company called Clevo. I own one, it's in my sig. I've had mine for about a year now and I have no regrets what so ever. I ordered from sagernotebook.com and they handle all first year warranty issues themselves. The screen on my unit is amazingly clear and bright, strong performance for a laptop and it is sturdily built.

SAGER NP9262 is simply the best you cant find anything better than it

Here is a review of it too:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsId=4391

The only laptop that can play Crysis maxed out @ 1920x1200 0xAA

also checkout www.xoticpc.com they sell SAGER,ASUS... notebooks and their prices are cheaper than SAGER itself

Yeah that GATEWAY is solid for its price no doubt about it but if he can afford the SAGER NP9262 then he should go for it

I'll go do more "store" shopping this week. I'll post if I find anything interesting.

A problem I've found with stores is that they don't upgrade laptops. I personally would like to have the 8 or 9 series of Core 2 Duos...

The problem is with these small laptops is that we can't pack the punch we think we may need For my part, I'd like a better graphics card.

Here is what I'm looking for after a bit of researching... just have to wait for Dell to accept it as a build, or find something else:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT (or better)
Full Hi Definition, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1920x1200; I can deal with 1680x1050)
4GB of 667mhz RAM
250GB 5400rpm Hard Drive (or better)
w/ Bluetooth enabled


This is pretty much it for now. Dell basically has this but I don't have access to the rebate with the processor setup and they only have the 8600GT 256mb version... I think the 8600GT 512 is worth it.

Back to shopping...

Agreed^^

Well in UK the XPS M1730 is a better choice because its cheaper and the NP9262 is very expensive, also i like the looks and the design of M1730 more than SAGER NP9262. It also has the a backlit keyboard which is a useful feature.

The main difference between M1730 and SAGER NP9262 is that the SAGER one has desktop CPUs and 3xHDDs but the M1730 has Mobile CPUs and 2x HDDs, and both are the best notebook currently and outperform many desktops out there