Smoking Hot Laptop Deals (gaming too) from Dell - $750 off! - Expires Wed AM!

shrike4242, thanks for taking the time to expain it all to us!
Much appreciated.

I am thinking of picking up a laptop for my Dad.
Small is good and he won't be playing games.
I'm thinking 600m....your thoughts?
 
[quote name='CheapyD']shrike4242, thanks for taking the time to expain it all to us!
Much appreciated.

I am thinking of picking up a laptop for my Dad.
Small is good and he won't be playing games.
I'm thinking 600m....your thoughts?[/quote]

CheapyD, always happy to give back into the CAG community. I work in IT, so I keep up on the computer side of things as much as I can and I'm happy to offer my advice.

For your Dad, a 600m would be a nice laptop. It's relatively lightweight laptop, like 5-6 lbs., great battery life and pretty quick, as it's running a Penitum M, good keyboard, good for non-gaming work (as long as you give it 512MB of RAM), and nicely portable. The media bay is modular, so you can pop out the drive and replace it with a better drive, a 2nd hard drive, or a 2nd battery. No ability to add in an internal floppy, just as a side note.

The 700m might be worth looking it as well, as it's even lighter (4-5 lbs), a widescreen display, decent battery life as a Pentium M system, as well as decent performance, though graphics aren't as fast, as it's using the integrated graphics. Not quite as feature rich as the 600m, though you might want to look this one over.

The 600m is more of a "mainstream" machine, and the 700m is more what they consider an "thin and light" machine. For non-gaming stuff, I think either one would work, though it depends on what your dad will be doing with it. You know him better than I do, so you be the judge. I'd lean a little more towards the 600m over the 700m, just because of it being more mainstream than thin and light.
 
Did anyone else notice that Dell just took the Inspiron 9100 off their list of available computers? I was in the middle of configuring one when I got this error message saying that "this item is no longer valid." I reloaded the Dell home page and no more 9100.... weird.
 
[quote name='guessed']It looks like the 9100 is gone, at least for now. I had one in my cart on the final purchase page, but I let my cart expire. I really didn't need to spend the money anyway, but I was going to recommend it to my sister who has been asking me for advice on getting a new computer.[/quote]

The main product page for the home/home office stuff didn't list the 9100. I had to go into the small business pages to find it. The 9100 is a nice in-between machine between the 8600 and the XPS, though it's also no lightweight.
 
[quote name='Xtreme331']Did anyone else notice that Dell just took the Inspiron 9100 off their list of available computers? I was in the middle of configuring one when I got this error message saying that "this item is no longer valid." I reloaded the Dell home page and no more 9100.... weird.[/quote]

I think Dell might be dropping the 9100, since they have the XPS for the true hardcore gamers and the 8600 for the "casual" gamer that doesn't want a 10+ lbs monster machine.
 
[quote name='shrike4242'][quote name='Admiral Ackbar']It's more than just networking though. For example, XP Home doesn't support HT, so what's the point of getting a hyperthreading processor with home?

Always go with Pro if you can.[/quote]

Go look down at my post and look at the differences, from the link I posted from Microsoft's site.

For the /average home user/, the only difference with Home vs. Pro is going to be the support for two CPU's, the ability to get into a PC remotely with Remote Desktop and the encrypting file system.

Most everything else is designed for use in a multi-system, server-based environment. Offline folders, remote install services, AD support, and the like, are only needed when you have that at the back end.

Personally, I won't own any system with XP Home, though that's personal choice, as well as I have an AD network running at my house, for learning and testing purposes.

Unless you have those needs, XP Home does the job well. If you want more of the bells and whistles for something you may never need, at about a $79 price increase, then more power to you.[/quote]

Hmmm... I'm going to have to send an email to Bill Machrone again and ask him about this and his article. He was mistaken when he said it didn't support HT in his article.

But I still stand by my networking principles. Home does nto support the necessary features for networkign that you need in today's networking environment. Do you want to take the risk after shelling out all this money that your computer won't be able to hook up to a particular network?
 
[quote name='Xtreme331']Did anyone else notice that Dell just took the Inspiron 9100 off their list of available computers? I was in the middle of configuring one when I got this error message saying that "this item is no longer valid." I reloaded the Dell home page and no more 9100.... weird.[/quote]

If you look up a few posts from yours, you will see that I did notice.
 
Alright guys, I want a laptop that'll work alongside my desktop. I'm heading to grad school soon and need something that'll work with a university network (XP Pro apparently). My parents have agreed to pick up the tab (cha-ching!) but i don't know what model to look at. I was looking at the 9100, but not so sure anymore (especially since it's sorta disappeared). I use my desktop for serious gaming, but i want to be able to use my laptop for some games as well, but it's primary purpose will be studying, internet, papers, research, etc. Also would like to use it for watching DVDs on long trips.
Any suggestions about what system to look at will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
[quote name='Admiral Ackbar']Hmmm... I'm going to have to send an email to Bill Machroen again and ask him about this and his article.[/quote]

That's funny, I met him at COMDEX last year. Gave me his business card, when I helped him out at last year's Fastest Geek competition when they had a dead PC. Really nice guy. :eek:

I knew XP Home had to support HT, since just about everything these days has a HT-enabled CPU that's a P4, and it seems like people would be bitching if they had to pay another $60+ for their PC, just to get Pro for HT. I was also sure about XP Pro doing dual CPU's and XP Home doing one, since that had a lot of people ticked off that ran dual CPU rigs and were running 2000 Pro.

I figured Microsoft would be the main source for the differences, though I know which of the two they prefer, since Media Center Edition 2004 & 2005 are both on XP Pro, and the Tablet PC OS is based on XP Pro.

And again, this is IMHO, though I only go on what I know and what I've dealt with in my IT career. I can always be proven wrong. :lol:
 
[quote name='Admiral Ackbar']But I still stand by my networking principles. Home does nto support the necessary features for networkign that you need in today's networking environment. Do you want to take the risk after shelling out all this money that your computer won't be able to hook up to a particular network?[/quote]

I'm not saying you're incorrect in your stance, I'm just saying that if you don't need to hook up to a domain, which is normally in a "work" environment, file sharing and networking will still work, /for the average home user/ OK on XP Home.

Again, I won't own a machine with XP Home, just for some of the limitations that we /don't/ know about that Microsoft doesn't tell us about. For going to the Internet, sharing files back and forth on a home network that isn't domain/AD-based, XP Home will do fine. Me, personally, it's XP Pro all the time, since I do have an AD domain running at home.
 
[quote name='Xtreme331']Alright guys, I want a laptop that'll work alongside my desktop. I'm heading to grad school soon and need something that'll work with a university network (XP Pro apparently). My parents have agreed to pick up the tab (cha-ching!) but i don't know what model to look at. I was looking at the 9100, but not so sure anymore (especially since it's sorta disappeared). I use my desktop for serious gaming, but i want to be able to use my laptop for some games as well, but it's primary purpose will be studying, internet, papers, research, etc. Also would like to use it for watching DVDs on long trips.
Any suggestions about what system to look at will be greatly appreciated. Thanks![/quote]

Look at either the 600m, 700m or 5160. 8600, if you want more of a "power" system, though it's a little uglier on battery life. 1150 would do it OK, though it's a bit limited for my tastes. 5160 will be the cheapest of the three I listed above, and 600m and 700m having better battery life.
 
Yeah, he is a pretty good fellow. I think maybe he wrote that article before Ht was common, so he may have assumed that since Home doesn't have Multiprocessor support it couldn't support HT. But at the very least I think it deserves a correction if that's not true.

I'm an EE and I've seen tons of problems with Home XP on the networking side. The argument being the the average Home user won't need them. But these missing features seem to pop up as necessary in suprising places.
 
[quote name='Admiral Ackbar']Yeah, he is a pretty good fellow. I think maybe he wrote that article before Ht was common, so he may have assumed that since Home doesn't have Multiprocessor support it couldn't support HT. But at the very least I think it deserves a correction if that's not true.

I'm an EE and I've seen tons of problems with Home XP on the networking side. The argument being the the average Home user won't need them. But these missing features seem to pop up as necessary in suprising places.[/quote]

That's always the problem, isn't it? When you think you have everything you need, there's something else.

Most of the people I've dealt with home networking have 1-2 PC's, maybe 3, hooked into a router for Internet sharing, file sharing and print sharing. I've yet to XP Home fail to work for this function and never make any real "odd" issues with it.
 
[quote name='Xtreme331']So is the Intel Pentium M 1.8 GHz really slower than a Mobile Pentium 4 running at 2.8 GHz?[/quote]

No, it's not. The Pentium M tends to be faster by about 800MHz (in relative terms) to a similar speed Pentium 4. If it's a P-M that has one of the model #'s in it's name, it has twice the L2 cache of the P4 Prescott and that makes quite a difference in speed per clock, as well as battery life.

Also, one big thing: The Penitum M doesn't have hyperthreading, and your benefit out of it depends on what you do with it, and the apps being HT-aware.

My PM 1.6 Ghz (older processor) runs well neck and neck with a 2.4Ghz Northwood P4.
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']It's not working for me!?![/quote]
Did you get your total up to $1500?
The coupon only works on purchases of $1500+
 
[quote name='CheapyD'][quote name='Chris in Cali']It's not working for me!?![/quote]
Did you get your total up to $1500?
The coupon only works on purchases of $1500+[/quote]

Ok I got it.... thanks, I got too excited, and didn't read the fine print. This is easily the best site on the planet.
 
According to the confirmation I just got for the one I ordered. This coupon expires 10-20-2004 05:59:59. So I got a $2000 laptop for $1350. Pretty Sweet
 
[quote name='MorPhiend']Anyone order a 9100 and decide they don't want it? I'll help you out![/quote]
Tried to order 9100 but couldn't. Products at end of life.
 
I guess I'm gonna have to go for the XPS... I was hoping only to spend the $750. I'm sure the battery life on the XPS is going to be nil. ANd I'm not into the idea of a high-powered notebook. Compared to a desktop, you'll never be happy. But the other notebooks are not enough for me... :evil:
 
The 9100 is still available if you go through the Small Business site - but the coupon doesn't work then... sounds like they sold enough 9100s and pulled them - wanna bet they're back after the coupon expires?
 
[quote name='shadowrunner7240'][quote name='guyver2077']guyz what is the diff between wxga,wsxga,and wuxga

which one would you get?[/quote]

Trust me I know nothing about computers but I did just read the Inspiron 9100 review somewhere and they recommended the Wsxga. I suggest you google some reviews on the computer your interested in.[/quote]


its the default resolution the LCD runs at. the W means widescreen.
 
Just my $0.02 on why the 9100's have disappeared:

Dell has has the 8600, which is their desktop replacement Inspiron. A few months after they came out with the XPS, which was their gamer's laptop, with an ugly pricetag. Right afterwards, they came out with the 9100, which was most of the XPS with a more reasonable pricetag.

I guess with the pricing of parts getting cheaper and cheaper, they can work people into the XPS for not much more money than the 9100 would have been. The XPS and the 9100 are pretty much the same system, under the hood.
 
[quote name='MorPhiend']I guess I'm gonna have to go for the XPS... I was hoping only to spend the $750. I'm sure the battery life on the XPS is going to be nil. ANd I'm not into the idea of a high-powered notebook. Compared to a desktop, you'll never be happy. But the other notebooks are not enough for me... :evil:[/quote]

Look at the 8600. More reasonable weight of 7 lbs, you can get the Radeon 9600 on it (or maybe the 9700), and with a fast Pentium M, it'll do gaming good enough for most.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Just my $0.02 on why the 9100's have disappeared:

Dell has has the 8600, which is their desktop replacement Inspiron. A few months after they came out with the XPS, which was their gamer's laptop, with an ugly pricetag. Right afterwards, they came out with the 9100, which was most of the XPS with a more reasonable pricetag.

I guess with the pricing of parts getting cheaper and cheaper, they can work people into the XPS for not much more money than the 9100 would have been. The XPS and the 9100 are pretty much the same system, under the hood.[/quote]

I know. That is my point, The 9100 would also be about $1000 cheaper with this deal too... :(
 
I got the Inspiron 8600 and it's a decent laptop, I think. It's eventually going to be my mother's desktop replacement, but I had it shipped here (there's no tax in MA, but tax in CA as well as some other states). Wireless works great on campus, and I haven't had any problems w/Win XP Home. Just a note, to get a centrino sticker on your laptop, you need to select one of the Intel wireless options along with your Pentium M processor.

Edited to add: If you guys plan on getting this, you guys should do it soon. The coupon I used a couple weeks ago expired earlier than planned because of the massive amount of orders (ahem FW).
 
[quote name='FrankieFiero']The 9100 is still available if you go through the Small Business site - but the coupon doesn't work then... sounds like they sold enough 9100s and pulled them - wanna bet they're back after the coupon expires?[/quote]
It wouldn't suprise me at all. I do know that the home sales rep I spoke with(and we know how reliable they are) said they were end of life. :roll:
 
[quote name='javeryh']Does widescreen on a monitor matter? I mean it's not like Windows programs and the internet are 16x9 are they?[/quote]

I'm told it's nice for movie watching. I haven't really taken advantage of it on the my laptop, since I use it for work. It gives you a huge amount of workspace. (Oh yeah, if you're getting this for a parent or something, you might want to avoid getting the higher resolution options that are hard on their old people eyes :) )

btw, don't expect some super nice monitor (like those on vaios). It's fairly standard.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy'][quote name='javeryh']Does widescreen on a monitor matter? I mean it's not like Windows programs and the internet are 16x9 are they?[/quote]

I'm told it's nice for movie watching. I haven't really taken advantage of it on the my laptop, since I use it for work. It gives you a huge amount of workspace. (Oh yeah, if you're getting this for a parent or something, you might want to avoid getting the higher resolution options that are hard on their old people eyes :) )

btw, don't expect some super nice monitor (like those on vaios). It's fairly standard.[/quote]

OK that's what I thought. I won't ever watch a movie unless I'm on a plane or something and even then I doubt it. This computer would be for me and my eyes are fine but since I just turned 30 you never know :D Is the XPS worth all the extra $$$ - I buy a computer once every 4 years or so and I never upgrade or anything so this will have to last me a while...
 
I've had my Latitude D800 (the business twin to the D800) and it's my primary machine for over a year and a half. Very fast, amazingly great screen, good battery life for a monster machine with a monster screen.

The widescreen display is nice for web surfing, document creation, as well as anything else that gives you more screen real estate. I've seen many laptops in my time and I still think the screen on mine is one of the best out there. The new VAIO screens might be even better, though I need to look at them closer for a real comparision.
 
I think it's...
Desktop replacement - XPS or 8600.
Mobility - 600m or 700m

btw, some other sites are saying the coupon will no longer work for 8600 or 700m after 4PM eastern time because of the overwhelming response (what a shock :p).
 
I dunno. I think the 5160 is the best bang for the buck. The only thing truly negative about it is the fact that it only has a Go5200. That means it's not a gaming machine. Personally my sister or I wouldn't use it for gamign so that's not an issue with me.

I do wish it came with the 9600 or 9700 though. That's definately worth it compared to the 5200.

It's not the fastest or best but it'll get the job done in most situations and cost $250 or $500 less than the latest model similarly decked out.
 
Inspiron 5160

Mobile Pentium 4 processer 538 with HT tech. 3.2 GHz
15 inch SXGA Lcd panel
512 megs of ram 2 dimms
64 MB DDR NVIDIA GEForce FX Go5200 AGP
60 gig ULtra ATA Hard drive
8x DVD rom drvie
Del WIreles 802.11b/g 54 mbps

Final Cost came out to 766 dollars

Please tell me if this is good or not
 
[quote name='javeryh']OK that's what I thought. I won't ever watch a movie unless I'm on a plane or something and even then I doubt it. This computer would be for me and my eyes are fine but since I just turned 30 you never know :D Is the XPS worth all the extra $$$ - I buy a computer once every 4 years or so and I never upgrade or anything so this will have to last me a while...[/quote]

The XPS is their top of the line laptop. User-upgradeable video card, which is very hard to come by from a 1st tier vendor, good built-in sound with a subwoofer, top-of-the line video card, great screen, huge hard drive, good keyboard, fast memory (with dual channel support). If it's built similar to my D800, it's not horrible to get into the guts on and swap the CPU, too.

Problem is it's damn heavy and has horrible battery life. For a portable gaming system, it's damn good.

If you want to play games on a portable system, it's one to look at. If you want a ridiculously fast laptop for video editig or the like, it's one to look at.

If you want it as your daily machine with some or little gaming usage, it's overkill. For a "daily" machine, look at the 8600, 600m or the 5160. For no gaming, it's not worth buying, unless you do something CPU or memory intensive.
 
Hey shrike. Besides cost ($1000), what would be the pros and cons between an
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 715(1.50A GHz/400MHz FSB) 15.4 WSXGA+, 512MB DDR SDRAM 2 DIMMs w/ only a 64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5200 AGP 4X Graphics

and a
Pentium® 4 Processor 3.40GHz w/ HT Tech, 15.4-in WUXGA, 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz w/ a 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9700 AGP 8X Graphics

What would the performance difference be and is it worth $1000? My main concern is the difference between the processors. I know nothing of this generation of processors... (I know the RAM and cards are pretty drastic in difference.)
 
[quote name='spyhunterk19']Inspiron 5160

Mobile Pentium 4 processer 538 with HT tech. 3.2 GHz
15 inch SXGA Lcd panel
512 megs of ram 2 dimms
64 MB DDR NVIDIA GEForce FX Go5200 AGP
60 gig ULtra ATA Hard drive
8x DVD rom drvie
Del WIreles 802.11b/g 54 mbps

Final Cost came out to 766 dollars

Please tell me if this is good or not[/quote]

I personally think that's the best deal.
 
The 5160 is a very good bang-for-the-buck system, I've recommended them to people all the time. Good all around system, just a bit heavy and not so frugal on the battery life.

The 600m is worth looking at if you want a decent well rounded machine with great battery life.

The 700m is a nice machine for thin-and-light usage, though a little limited in expansion.

The 8600 is a good solid desktop replacement machine, fast, but not the overkill machine that the XPS is. Good battery life, and not a huge burden to carry around.

The 1150 is a decent budget notebook, not as fast as the rest, but it'll get the job done if your needs are modest. Price helps here with this one, since they're cheap.

The 1000 is the budget budget model. No real options, very small configuration options, though cheap cheap cheap, and simple.

The XPS is the balls-to-the-wall gaming machine, damn fast, great graphics, good sound, but sucks batteries like no one's business, and it's a real bear to travel with, being 10+ lbs. For portable gaming, it's worth looking at.

The 9100 fit in nicely between the XPS and the 8600, but I think they have a 9200 on the way or an 8700 on the way, which would bridge between the XPS and thr 5160.
 
[quote name='shrike4242'][quote name='javeryh']OK that's what I thought. I won't ever watch a movie unless I'm on a plane or something and even then I doubt it. This computer would be for me and my eyes are fine but since I just turned 30 you never know :D Is the XPS worth all the extra $$$ - I buy a computer once every 4 years or so and I never upgrade or anything so this will have to last me a while...[/quote]

The XPS is their top of the line laptop. User-upgradeable video card, which is very hard to come by from a 1st tier vendor, good built-in sound with a subwoofer, top-of-the line video card, great screen, huge hard drive, good keyboard, fast memory (with dual channel support). If it's built similar to my D800, it's not horrible to get into the guts on and swap the CPU, too.

Problem is it's damn heavy and has horrible battery life. For a portable gaming system, it's damn good.

If you want to play games on a portable system, it's one to look at. If you want a ridiculously fast laptop for video editig or the like, it's one to look at.

If you want it as your daily machine with some or little gaming usage, it's overkill. For a "daily" machine, look at the 8600, 600m or the 5160. For no gaming, it's not worth buying, unless you do something CPU or memory intensive.[/quote]

I was wondering what it is like to game on a laptop. How does it compare to the standard desktop set up? Are the controls more difficult to use? Do people typically use a mouse (rather than the touchpad included with the laptop)? I would appreciate hearing some CAG views on the pros/cons of gaming on a laptop before I purchase the XPS.

Thanks
 
[quote name='MorPhiend']Hey shrike. Besides cost ($1000), what would be the pros and cons between an
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 715(1.50A GHz/400MHz FSB) 15.4 WSXGA+, 512MB DDR SDRAM 2 DIMMs w/ only a 64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5200 AGP 4X Graphics

and a
Pentium® 4 Processor 3.40GHz w/ HT Tech, 15.4-in WUXGA, 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz w/ a 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9700 AGP 8X Graphics

What would the performance difference be and is it worth $1000? My main concern is the difference between the processors. I know nothing of this generation of processors... (I know the RAM and cards are pretty drastic in difference.)[/quote]

Gaming sucks on a 5200. It's barely DX9, more like DX8. Some games don't run well on it, if it at all. Mobility Radeon 9700 is like a desktop Radeon 9600 card, good solid gaming card, some of the best you can get for a laptop.

The Pentium M is a good processor, about on par with a 2.3GHz P4, but there's no HT, so that may not make much difference for most people, unless you have apps that are HT-aware. Great battery life on it, since it was designed for laptops and has some performance enhancements with make the processor act faster than the GHz would appears, plus power savings..

The 3.4GHz P4 will clobber most things you throw at it, it's a desktop processor with power management tossed on top of it. It has HT, so it'll speed up things that are HT-aware, like XP.

The memory on the P4 info you tossed up there is 400MHz, which is faster, and speeds up the system a bit. The Pentium M has 266MHz memory, which is slower.

The P-M system will have better battery life, and will do the job decently, if slower than the P4 system. With the same RAM, most things will come up almost the same speed as the P4 system.

If you're going to game on it, then spend the 1000. Otherwise, up the RAM to 1GB and up the processor to 1.6GHz on the Penitum M system. XP seems to like 1GB RAM a lot.
 
I could really use some help here guys. I made a mistake somehow when selecting my videocard and somehow failed to notice it until now. I want to change it to the Radeon 9600, which I thought I selected, but I need the Product code and the SKU # for the Radeon 9600. If anyone that has that info from their order could hook me up I'd appreciate it. I really don't feel like being stuck with the Go5200. :evil:
 
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