Laptop Dream Machine; almost a desktop replacement
Written: Aug 22 '01
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Pros: Big bright display, plenty of options, almost a desktop replacement
Cons: Weight, price, sound overall (speakers and sound card)
The Bottom Line: Buy it if you want something extremely close to a desktop replacement with limited mobility. If you want true mobile portability, look elsewhere.
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| figgypower's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 8000 Series |
I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 8000, because of summer college classes that I took as a special high school program. Although, not entirely necessary, it certainly made my life more pleasant and has now become the computer I use the majority of the time.
Now, besides my personal opinion, how well does the Dell Inspiron 8000 fare? Well, it starts at a base price of $1,519. The very basics are:
14.1" Super XGA LCD Screen
Pentium III 700mhz
64mb RAM
ATI M4 (16mb of video memory)
24x CD-ROM Drive
56k built-in Mini-PCI Modem
10gb Hard Drive
Of course, you can get a 15" UXGA LCD screen, up to 1ghz (1000mhz), 512mb of RAM, a nVidia 3D card, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, 10/100 Ethernet + 56k modem, and up to a 48gb hard drive. In other words, if you really wanted to you could come very close to a desktop replacement.
This laptop is quite amazing in its performance and feature set. First, I highly recommend forking over the extra money for the 15" UXGA screen. It's gorgeous, and comes close to that of a regular CRT monitor. However, like all LCD screens, at certain far angles, the picture gets a little faded. Though, all of the Inspiron screens are quite bright, easy to see, and use. As far as the processor and system memory is concerned, spend as much as your budget can afford. Be careful of battery life and heat. The faster your processor is, the lower the battery life will be and the more heat the laptop will produce. I recommend a 700mhz processor with at least 128mb of RAM. Graphics for laptops have come a far way. Now you can get 3D accelerated video cards. Choose the ATI for great picture quality, DVD watching, and fairly good game play. Choose the nVidia card for the best game play and 3D acceleration. Then take as much video memory as your budget can afford. For a CD/DVD drive, nothing beats a 8x DVD-ROM. You can watch DVD movies, use DVDs, and of course CDs. If you really need to burn CDs, go with a CD-RW drive; if you have money to burn, go with the DVD-ROM/CD-RW combined drive. The best for communications would be a combined 56k modem along with 10/100 Ethernet. It lets you connect to regular dialup when necessary and connect to high speed networks or at least prepare for the future. As far as storage space is concerned, a 10gb hard drive will be fine for those that don't need a lot of hard drive space. The average user will appreciate a 20 or 30gb hard drive. If you really need lots of hard drive space, the 48gb drive is the choice for you. Finally, for people who spend a good deal of time with desktop computers, it will be real refreshing to "hear" a laptop which is virtually silent.
The problems with the desktop usually have to do with the LCD screen. These problems range from a tiny part of the LCD screen not working to a gradient display instead of a solid one. If you get your laptop, the first thing you might want to inspect is the LCD screen, and do it carefully. Two problems for true mobile users is the amount of heat this laptop releases and the weight. The bottom can get hot enough to burn you. While weighing in at about 8.5lbs may not sound much, try carrying this around everywhere. One piece that has gone unmentioned is the sound. For anyone accustomed to good desktop speakers, the speakers on this laptop are horrible, but for a laptop these speakers are pretty good. Laptops simply don't yet offer room shaking sound; they're more like great tin-can speakers. The sound card, as far as I know, isn't great either - ESS Maestro. The sound is decent with headphones on and certainly better then the built-in speakers.
The first 30 days you own the laptop try to see if you can notice any problems at all. Call Dell's tech support immediately and ask if whatever you noticed is abnormal. If there's a problem, you'll be able to return it within the 30-day return policy. Speaking of problems, there's also Dell's tech support. While it may be good, don't expect earth-shatteringly amazing. Try to avoid calls at odd times of the day (real late at night, or real early in the morning), and be ready to go through a barrage of automated menus.
As a last note, you may want to consider IBM's line of laptops. They're quite similar to the Dell line of laptops, but they weigh a good bit less. They IBMs weigh in at about 5.5 lbs, which is much easier on the arms and shoulder. IBM is also known to offer superior support services on par with Dell or better. Obviously, the IBM laptops also cost more, $100 - $200 more.
Overall, this is a powerful laptop system which might replace your desktop. The touchpad may take some getting used to, but personally, I find it better then a mouse. The keyboard is still not as big (and not easy to use) as a standard desktop keyboard. The screen, while bright and beautiful, is easily beaten by a good 17" monitor. Portability is average; don't try running with it. It serves as a good desktop replacement due it producing less noise then the average desktop, taking up less overall space, and offering some portability.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1999
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
Screen Size: 15
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
figgypower
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Member: Mushfiq Hasan
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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