Laptop advice

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  • dilbert
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2004
    • 887

    Laptop advice

    I'm thinking of getting a laptop, this will be my first.
    I'm pretty impressed with the Dell XPS.
    I am definitely the type who believes bigger is better.
    They have two base models that you can customize.
    M140 starts at 649 14.1" screen
    M170 starts at 2,600 17" screen

    There are obviously others, but if I were to consider screen size as a critical element, and never having a laptop before, will I be disappointed in a 14.1" screen? I have a 19" flat screen on my desktops.

    Thanks for any advice.
    Cliff
    PathLabTalk
    Square Wheels Cycling
  • chrispadfield
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2000
    • 5366

    #2
    I personally think the screen resolution is more important than the actual size. Might want to compare that first.
    Christopher Padfield
    Web Based Helpdesk
    DeskPRO v3.0.3 Released - Download Demo Now!

    Comment

    • Scott MacVicar
      Former vBulletin Developer
      • Dec 2000
      • 13286

      #3
      I have a Sony Vaio Z1SP and while its got a smaller screen its got a large resolution and I'm happy with it. My next purchase is going to be a Macbook as a new laptop, just waiting on Apple to release details about the new iBook before I make a decision.

      I never see the point in getting a laptop with a large screen, it makes it very unportable and it will guzzle battery power.
      Scott MacVicar

      My Blog | Twitter

      Comment

      • Zachery
        Former vBulletin Support
        • Jul 2002
        • 59097

        #4
        I'm happy with a 15/15.4 lappy, I've got a powerhouse replacement from dell thats over 4 years now and still runs well. Its max resolution and native resolution is 1600x1200 I love it.

        Comment

        • Floris
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2001
          • 37767

          #5
          Originally posted by dilbert
          I'm thinking of getting a laptop, this will be my first.
          I'm pretty impressed with the Dell XPS.
          I am definitely the type who believes bigger is better.
          They have two base models that you can customize.
          M140 starts at 649 14.1" screen
          M170 starts at 2,600 17" screen

          There are obviously others, but if I were to consider screen size as a critical element, and never having a laptop before, will I be disappointed in a 14.1" screen? I have a 19" flat screen on my desktops.

          Thanks for any advice.
          How can you be impressed with a nearly 4 kilo laptop? That's just a very thin iMac you can fold.

          Comment

          • TheMusicMan
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2002
            • 2140
            • 3.7.x

            #6
            I too have a Dell, a Latitude with a mindblowing 1600 * 1200 screen resolution, and it's simply awesome. It's a solid, reliable workhorse (though heavy) that has served me well for nearly three years.

            Having recently become fully self-employed and needing a new business class notebook, I am considering a new Dell - the Latitude D820 - which can have up to an unbelieveable screen resolution of 1920 * 1200... WOW!!! Mine will be ordered within the next week or two, can't wait.
            John

            Comment

            • chrispadfield
              Senior Member
              • Aug 2000
              • 5366

              #7
              Yeah, I have a Inspiron 6000 which has 1920x1200 - Dell are one of a very few companies that put a 1920x1200 screen in a 15" laptop, so while it's hardly a light machine this is great.

              I am waiting for sony to come out with a 10" based on the new low power Duo processor and might then get that as well.
              Christopher Padfield
              Web Based Helpdesk
              DeskPRO v3.0.3 Released - Download Demo Now!

              Comment

              • TheMusicMan
                Senior Member
                • Oct 2002
                • 2140
                • 3.7.x

                #8
                Hey Chris - how do you find the Inspiron? They are somewhat cheaper than the Latitudes... thoughts?
                John

                Comment

                • TalkMilitary
                  Senior Member
                  • Mar 2003
                  • 351

                  #9
                  I have an Inspiron 9100 with a P4 2.8. It is the same chassis as the (then) XPS). Great laptop with an impressive display. It is more of a desktop replacement than a truely portable laptop due to the weight. If you do not travel with it all that often, I think you will find it to be a great work horse.
                  Glenn

                  Comment

                  • dilbert
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2004
                    • 887

                    #10
                    I know the one I listed is heavy, it really won't travel that much, so I am not worried about the weight.
                    The Latitude does not seem to be available in the US.
                    Also, what about the processor? Do I want a Centrino, Pentium, Celeron, Athlon?????
                    The more I look the more confused I get.
                    Cliff
                    PathLabTalk
                    Square Wheels Cycling

                    Comment

                    • chrispadfield
                      Senior Member
                      • Aug 2000
                      • 5366

                      #11
                      Originally posted by TheMusicMan
                      Hey Chris - how do you find the Inspiron? They are somewhat cheaper than the Latitudes... thoughts?
                      I am quite happy with it. I got it well specced with 2GB ram and the huge res monitor still for a very good price - nothing else out there could come even close in the value department.

                      The machine itself is fast, never notice any problems with it - but I don't play games on it and I can't imagine the graphics card is very good. The build I would say is average+ my main issue with it is that it's pretty thick. You are not buying a laptop that will turn any heads

                      But for a relativly good priced laptop you can't beat it. I was looking at the new Asus 8200 but had to buy something before that come out. For half the price I am happy I ended up with what I did.

                      Still will want to get a micro laptop some point though, this one is a bit trip to take on a day trip on the train for example at times.
                      Christopher Padfield
                      Web Based Helpdesk
                      DeskPRO v3.0.3 Released - Download Demo Now!

                      Comment

                      • TalkMilitary
                        Senior Member
                        • Mar 2003
                        • 351

                        #12
                        Originally posted by dilbert
                        I know the one I listed is heavy, it really won't travel that much, so I am not worried about the weight.
                        The Latitude does not seem to be available in the US.
                        Also, what about the processor? Do I want a Centrino, Pentium, Celeron, Athlon?????
                        The more I look the more confused I get.
                        I would not get the Pentium if I was to do this again. Battery life is just OK, but the cooling fans do run quite a bit. They really start spinning up when I use firefox.. go figgure.

                        Comment

                        • Floris
                          Senior Member
                          • Dec 2001
                          • 37767

                          #13
                          Centrino or p4, don't go celeron. And I've never been a fan of AMD

                          Comment

                          • Zachery
                            Former vBulletin Support
                            • Jul 2002
                            • 59097

                            #14
                            I like the Pentium serries mobile processors, the centrinos are wonderful. I'll give AMD mobiles a shot when they are widely supported.

                            I'd get a Dell though, I love their laptops.

                            Comment

                            • DirectPixel
                              Senior Member
                              • Jan 2002
                              • 4703
                              • 3.5.x

                              #15
                              I got a Dell Inspirion E1505 last week, and it's been awesome.

                              It's running a speedy Centrino Dual-Core with 1GB of RAM. The battery life is 4 hours on the default battery and the screen is great (About 14"-15", don't recall exact size). The weight is pretty good, too. About 5-6 pounds. I upgraded mine to 1.5GB of DDR2 4200 RAM, and it currently runs faster than my desktop (P4 3.4GHz, 1GB RAM).

                              And it only cost me $800.

                              If you want to go with XPS, I'd personally prefer the M140 over all the others, simply because it's the only one that actually has a decent battery life (Just under 6 hours, the longest of all laptops, I believe). Of course, I value battery life a lot. If that's not your thing, then I'm sure the other XPS models are pretty good too.
                              :)

                              Comment

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