Most reliable Dell laptop???

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
I won't be close enough to help her with it.
Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
more dependable than the other?

Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Capt Nemo wrote:
>
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
> 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
> I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?

If you can, try purchasing through the Small Business Division. This will
afford you the opportunity of adding Gold Tech Support. It'll cost a bit
more than other warranties, but it'll get her US based support, as opposed
to outsourced support. Response time, for actual repairs, should she need
them, also tends to be a bit faster.

If you can't purchase through the Small Business Division, find out if
Gold Tech Support is available to you, through whatever division you
purchase from.

Good Luck, and Congratulations to your daughter!

Notan

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

The 6000 would be a great little notebook. Go for the 15.4 inch widescreen.
If she wants to go first cabin, shell out the bucks for the 9300. I love
mine. Yes it is heavy, about 8 pounds, but that 17" widescreen is awesome!
This would make a killer multimedia notebook and you can customize it to the
hilt. Look for coupon offers on the following sites:

www.slickdeals.net
www.techbargains.com
www.couponmountain.com

You can find some offers for as much as $750 off Inspiron notebooks priced
at $1599 or above. My 9300 came in at $1599 and I paid $942 for it, with
free shipping and six months with no interest on a Dell Preferred Account.

Good luck to you and congratulations to your daughter. It sounds like she
has a pretty cool father.

"Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Notan,

Do you get a commission on the Dell Gold support or something? You're
always preaching about how great Dell Gold support is, To bad the
regular support stinks.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Buzz wrote:
>
> Notan,
>
> Do you get a commission on the Dell Gold support or something? You're
> always preaching about how great Dell Gold support is, To bad the
> regular support stinks.

Yeah, Buzz. "To" bad.

Notan

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Personally I wouldn't go for the 9300. I love mine, but wouldn't want to be
a student walking around with it.

Tom
"Kevin" <webman6@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ePHye.51$3J.7349@news.uswest.net...
> The 6000 would be a great little notebook. Go for the 15.4 inch
> widescreen. If she wants to go first cabin, shell out the bucks for the
> 9300. I love mine. Yes it is heavy, about 8 pounds, but that 17"
> widescreen is awesome! This would make a killer multimedia notebook and
> you can customize it to the hilt. Look for coupon offers on the following
> sites:
>
> www.slickdeals.net
> www.techbargains.com
> www.couponmountain.com
>
> You can find some offers for as much as $750 off Inspiron notebooks priced
> at $1599 or above. My 9300 came in at $1599 and I paid $942 for it, with
> free shipping and six months with no interest on a Dell Preferred Account.
>
> Good luck to you and congratulations to your daughter. It sounds like she
> has a pretty cool father.
>
> "Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
>> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
>> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
>> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
>> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
>> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be
>> fine, descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music
>> etc. Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these
>> models more dependable than the other?
>>
>> Any suggestions would be welcome.
>> Thanks
>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Capt Nemo wrote:
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
> 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
> I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks
>
>
I used a Latitude D610 for the last few months of college (my previous
laptop, an IBM T21, died in Feb); I'm very satisfied with the D610 --
it's a good balance of weight and power. My younger brother picked up
the Inspiron 600m (basically the cousin of the D610); he is happy with
it as well (his uses are less computationally intensive, but honestly
the performance difference is minimal). I wouldn't recommend any laptop
over 6lbs. if you plan to carry it with you frequently. I would
recommend picking up at least a 3 year warranty on parts (and perhaps
whatever the total care package is called if the person is accident
prone). Any modern laptop ought to be capable of the uses you
mentioned, so I'd focus on size, build quality, & battery life when you
compare machines. The IBM T-Series is excellent; if the T43 was out in
Feb., I'd probably have gone that route. Thinkpads tend to be more
expensive then their equivalent Dell counterparts, but IBM (well Lenovo
now) offers some amazing student discounts.

If the intended use is only what's mentioned ("research papers,
Internet, music etc.") or if your daughter is also bringing a desktop,
then I'd also highly consider the 700m. It's size is perfect to bring
to class everyday for notes, etc. Also keep in mind some majors are
much more conducive to notes on laptops than others, and a tablet may be
a better option in some cases (eg. a tablet would have been nice for my
circuits & data networks classes).

 

[BigJim]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

got my kid a 600m and he likes it, it is very light has all the necessary
stuff the kids use today.
The onboard wireless, he says is the best feature.
I did get the 3 year in-house warranty so it can be serviced anywhere in the
country.

"Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

In article <LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com>,
Capt Nemo <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
>1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
>I won't be close enough to help her with it.
>Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
>ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
>descent battery life.Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
>Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
>more dependable than the other?

They're all relatively recent machines, so I think the jury is still out
on long term dependability.

I have a Dell D400 (from work) and an Inspiron 6000 (personal, bought a
week or so ago). Several of my co-workers have D600's. Based on this, here
are my two cents:

- The Latitude machines have sturdier cases than the I6000, particularly
surrounding the display, where the Latitudes use metal. I don't think
the I6000's frame will be a problem, but I'm more confident in the
Latitudes. (That said, I've had failures in 'sturdy-looking' IBM's and
Apple iBooks, so visual/tactile sturdiness might not count for much.)

- The 15.4" Widescreen display is very, very nice, but you pay a
substantial price in portabilty. If your daughter is going to cart
this thing around a lot, she might want a smaller machine like the
m600 or D610.

- I like the idea of the Inspiron 700m, but the problem with laptops
in general is that the screens are far below ideal height. This
can end up causing neck strain problems in extended use, and small
widescreen machines like the 700m only make the problem worse.

- In keeping with the last point, I'd much rather have a smaller machine
with a second desktop-bound monitor than a 17" laptop. I don't think the
17" screen buys you all that much (maybe it's useful for presentations
in small rooms) and you really want to have a normal height display and
keyboard for extended use, anyway.

One more thing: failures (and configuration problems) in electronics tend
to happen early on. I'd suggest you order the machine early and put it in
service before your daughter goes to school, so problems can be sorted out
before she actually needs the machine.

-Mike
--
http://www.mschaef.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

How are your graphics on the 6000, specifically in IE only? Can you keep it at the native resolution and have clear, crisp graphics or do you have to go down to 96 dpi and the lower resolution for that?
--
Cyndi
"MSCHAEF.COM" <mschaef@eris.io.com> wrote in message news:G96dnWq-QrQGc1bfRVn-og@io.com...
> In article <LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com>,
> Capt Nemo <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
> >1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
> >I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> >Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> >ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> >descent battery life.Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> >Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> >more dependable than the other?
>
> They're all relatively recent machines, so I think the jury is still out
> on long term dependability.
>
> I have a Dell D400 (from work) and an Inspiron 6000 (personal, bought a
> week or so ago). Several of my co-workers have D600's. Based on this, here
> are my two cents:
>
> - The Latitude machines have sturdier cases than the I6000, particularly
> surrounding the display, where the Latitudes use metal. I don't think
> the I6000's frame will be a problem, but I'm more confident in the
> Latitudes. (That said, I've had failures in 'sturdy-looking' IBM's and
> Apple iBooks, so visual/tactile sturdiness might not count for much.)
>
> - The 15.4" Widescreen display is very, very nice, but you pay a
> substantial price in portabilty. If your daughter is going to cart
> this thing around a lot, she might want a smaller machine like the
> m600 or D610.
>
> - I like the idea of the Inspiron 700m, but the problem with laptops
> in general is that the screens are far below ideal height. This
> can end up causing neck strain problems in extended use, and small
> widescreen machines like the 700m only make the problem worse.
>
> - In keeping with the last point, I'd much rather have a smaller machine
> with a second desktop-bound monitor than a 17" laptop. I don't think the
> 17" screen buys you all that much (maybe it's useful for presentations
> in small rooms) and you really want to have a normal height display and
> keyboard for extended use, anyway.
>
> One more thing: failures (and configuration problems) in electronics tend
> to happen early on. I'd suggest you order the machine early and put it in
> service before your daughter goes to school, so problems can be sorted out
> before she actually needs the machine.
>
> -Mike
> --
> http://www.mschaef.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

In article <QfUye.1703$Tc6.377@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com>,
Cyndi <noonehome@nowhere.com> wrote:
>How are your graphics on the 6000, specifically in IE only? Can you
>keep it at the native resolution and have clear, crisp graphics or do
>you have to go down to 96 dpi and the lower resolution for that?

I'm just tolerating the scaling...

I got the Media Center edition of Windows, which came preset to 120 dpi
and large (48x48) icons. [1] Those setting work well for me, although
you're right, the scaling in IE isn't great. For situations where bitmap
fidelity really matters to me (almost never), I switch to Firefox. For my
own little website, I've switched my banner text from pre-rendered bitmap
graphics to text scaled with CSS, and it looks better than it ever has
before.

My take with UseHR is that it wasn't worth the hassle just to switch to
another form of deficiency. My sincere hope is that IE 7.0 handles this
issue better. (IE 7.0 is in progress... http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/ )

-Mike

1] I don't know if those settings are unique to Media center, but I think
my Dad (who ordered a machine with Pro at the same time I ordered mine)
had to switch from 96 to 120.

--
http://www.mschaef.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Thanks for everyones help and suggestion!
I will statrt watching the dell specials and order one.




"Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks
>

 

[ME]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

>I'm just tolerating the scaling...
>
>I got the Media Center edition of Windows, which came preset to 120 dpi
>and large (48x48) icons. [1] Those setti

There are screen magnifying apps one can use if needed.
These are apps designed for people who are of very bad
vision.

Just FYI

 

[ME]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

>- I like the idea of the Inspiron 700m, but the problem with laptops
> in general is that the screens are far below ideal height. This
> can end up causing neck strain problems in extended use, and small
> widescreen machines like the 700m only make the problem worse.

Agree

That 700m is what? A 12" screen?

If yes.... Id use an external monitor with it for
desktop use.

Good idea?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
> more dependable than the other?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks
>


I'd get her either a Latitude D610 or Inspiron 600m (virtually identical
systems), with (the recommended by experienced posters in this group) two to
three years onsite warranty.


Stew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

The Dell 9300 is a good choice, it has all the bells and whistles and
has a nice 17.5 screen all for around 1300 and some change good laptop.

On Tue, 5 Jul 2005 20:22:10 -0500, "Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
>1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
>I won't be close enough to help her with it.
>Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
>ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
>descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
>Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
>more dependable than the other?
>
>Any suggestions would be welcome.
>Thanks
>

 

[Dan]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 07:33:41 -0400, "BigJim" <woody10277@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>got my kid a 600m and he likes it, it is very light has all the necessary
>stuff the kids use today.
>The onboard wireless, he says is the best feature.
>I did get the 3 year in-house warranty so it can be serviced anywhere in the
>country.

The 500 and 600m's are great to fix, but don't get the 700m...theres a
hundred different wires under the keyboard which make it a nightmare
to repair. Pretty amazing how tiny it is, though...

I've heard reports of the 8000 being blasted by static electricity
simply by touching the area surrounding the touchpad. 6000's are
pretty good...I don't see them an aweful lot, but maybe that's just
because there's not many out there I don't know what dell's sales
reports are.

One thing's for certain...the 5100 series is popular but also badly
prone to over-heating because of the air inlet on the _bottom_ of the
laptop. I've gone out, replaced the fan/heatsink assembly, removed
old thermal paste, added new thermal paste and 20 minutes later the
customer is calling me complaining that its still shutting down.

Dan

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Fri, 8 Jul 2005 20:16:25 -0500, "S.Lewis" <stew1960@mail.com>
wrote:

>
>"Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:LaadnSKrOLLYr1bfRVn-gA@comcast.com...
>> Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college
>> about 1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for
>> her since I won't be close enough to help her with it.
>> Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
>> ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
>> descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
>> Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
>> more dependable than the other?
>>
>> Any suggestions would be welcome.
>> Thanks
>>
>
>
>I'd get her either a Latitude D610 or Inspiron 600m (virtually identical
>systems), with (the recommended by experienced posters in this group) two to
>three years onsite warranty.
>
>
>Stew
>
>

Lost the orginal post so I'll tag on here.

Go with the Latitude. We have had great luck with three of them for
the "road warriors." One just stuffs her D410 in a backpack and she
is on the road 40+ weeks a year. The Inspirons that we had couldn't
take it.

Also today Sat. 7/9 Techbargins has some discounts on Dell notebooks
so you might take a look. http://www.techbargains.com/index.cfm

Bob S

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

In article <42cff277.6618813@NEWS.ARACNET.COM>, RWS <rschus@aracnet.com> wrote:
...
>Go with the Latitude. We have had great luck with three of them for
>the "road warriors." One just stuffs her D410 in a backpack and she
>is on the road 40+ weeks a year. The Inspirons that we had couldn't
>take it.

What was the typical mode of failure for the Inspirons?

Thanks,
Mike

--
http://www.mschaef.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

The budget models (1100, 1150, 5100, 5150, 5160) all have a bad
reputation for overheating.

The newer budget models (1000, 1200, etc.) aren't particularly well built.

I would agree with the other posts - the Latitudes are more solidly
built, even where there are very similar models (such as the i600m and
D600/610, etc.).



MSCHAEF.COM wrote:
> In article <42cff277.6618813@NEWS.ARACNET.COM>, RWS <rschus@aracnet.com> wrote:
> ...
>
>>Go with the Latitude. We have had great luck with three of them for
>>the "road warriors." One just stuffs her D410 in a backpack and she
>>is on the road 40+ weeks a year. The Inspirons that we had couldn't
>>take it.
>
>
> What was the typical mode of failure for the Inspirons?
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Frank (aka) "stew" wrote:
> The Dell 9300 is a good choice, it has all the bells and whistles and
> has a nice 17.5 screen all for around 1300 and some change good laptop.
>
> On Tue, 5 Jul 2005 20:22:10 -0500, "Capt Nemo" <captnemo_rn@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Need to buy my daughter a laptop for college. She is going to college about
>>1500 miles away. I would like a dependable and reliable laptop for her since
>>I won't be close enough to help her with it.
>>Looking at the inspiron 6000, 600m 700m and the 9300. Basically need 512
>>ram. nice screen, XP Pro, wireless, any of the m processors would be fine,
>>descent battery life. Need it for research papers, internet, music etc.
>>Probably would take the plus warranty out for her. Are any of these models
>>more dependable than the other?
>>
>>Any suggestions would be welcome.
>>Thanks
>>
>
>
Another vote for the Latitude. You couldn't pay me enough to use an
Inspiron comapred to a Latitude.