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Posted by garth on March 12, 2006, 12:13 pm
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I need a new laptop/notebook; my budget, including tax and extended
warrenty is CDN$3000.
I think I have it down to two contenders:
Dell Inspiron 6400
Intel=AE Core=99 Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB)
15.4 inch UltraSharp=99 Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife=99
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
100GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel=AE Graphics Media Accelerator 950
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
Microsoft=AE Windows=AE XP Professional
By the time you work in tax and 3 year extended warranty it come's to
about CDN$2900.
Acer TravelMate 8204
Intel=AE Core=99 Duo Processor T2500 (2MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 667MHz FSB)
2GB (1/1) DDR2 533 SDRAM
120GB SATA hard drive, 5400RPM
modular Super-Multi (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM) drive
5-in-1 card reader
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) TFT display
ATI=AE MOBILITY=99 RADEON=AE X1600 graphics, 256MB DDR
802.11a/b/g WLAN
Bluetooth=99
gigabit LAN
V=2E92 modem
Microsoft=AE Windows=AE XP Professional
The BlueTooth VoIP phone and built in web cam are a bonus (although I
understand some sort of XP bug at the moment causes the web cam to
drain battery even when not in use... fix... ???). I also have read
there can be display issues with this model and multiple returns may be
needed to get a good one (no light leak, spots, bright display, etc...)
By the time you work in tax and 3 year extended warranty it come's to
about CDN$3000.
I want to use it as a desktop replacment development machine (XP Pro,
MS SQL, IIS, VB, .NET, HTML, ASP, etc...) but also be able to play my
MP3s and DVDs (on a plane, etc... I have a home DVD player!).
I am not at all into gaming... so the super high end graphics (X1600)
doesn't concern me all THAT much as long as I can get a decent hi res
for coding and the occasional DVD play mentioned above. However, I am
warry of the shared memory of the Dell onboard graphics (you can't seen
to upgrade this model!).
Also, what is the Acer extended warranty like? Does anyone know or have
any past experience? Is the DELL 24 hour on site all that it is cracked
up to be??
Cheers,
G-Mo
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Posted by TheBurgerMan on March 13, 2006, 10:13 am
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For the Dell, I get $2,400+tax (tax depends on where you live). From here:
http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/featured_6000_systems?c=ca&cs=CADHS1&l=en&s=dhs
You can save some money by scaling back on the CPU (T2300 instead, -$250).
The CPU is probably not going to be a big factor considering you went for
the 2GB of RAM.
Another recommendation I would have is to get a 7200 RPM drive (world of
difference). I have an 80 @ 7200 in my D810 with 2GB of RAM, but the
slowest CPU they had. The machine ROCKS! I run Virtual Server with 2
instances of Windows 2003 (one instance runs Exchange 2003) and I also have
SQL Server 2005 running on the laptop. I still only consume about 1.5 GB of
RAM and the machine still rocks. If you get a decent 7200RPM, you can take
the 100 GB@5400 and put it into a USB powered cradle (very small and very
portable).
Good luck.
--
Thanks,
TheBurgerMan
at
gmail.com
--
I need a new laptop/notebook; my budget, including tax and extended
warrenty is CDN$3000.
I think I have it down to two contenders:
Dell Inspiron 6400
Intel® CoreT Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB)
15.4 inch UltraSharpT Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLifeT
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
100GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
By the time you work in tax and 3 year extended warranty it come's to
about CDN$2900.
Acer TravelMate 8204
Intel® CoreT Duo Processor T2500 (2MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 667MHz FSB)
2GB (1/1) DDR2 533 SDRAM
120GB SATA hard drive, 5400RPM
modular Super-Multi (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM) drive
5-in-1 card reader
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) TFT display
ATI® MOBILITYT RADEON® X1600 graphics, 256MB DDR
802.11a/b/g WLAN
BluetoothT
gigabit LAN
V.92 modem
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
The BlueTooth VoIP phone and built in web cam are a bonus (although I
understand some sort of XP bug at the moment causes the web cam to
drain battery even when not in use... fix... ???). I also have read
there can be display issues with this model and multiple returns may be
needed to get a good one (no light leak, spots, bright display, etc...)
By the time you work in tax and 3 year extended warranty it come's to
about CDN$3000.
I want to use it as a desktop replacment development machine (XP Pro,
MS SQL, IIS, VB, .NET, HTML, ASP, etc...) but also be able to play my
MP3s and DVDs (on a plane, etc... I have a home DVD player!).
I am not at all into gaming... so the super high end graphics (X1600)
doesn't concern me all THAT much as long as I can get a decent hi res
for coding and the occasional DVD play mentioned above. However, I am
warry of the shared memory of the Dell onboard graphics (you can't seen
to upgrade this model!).
Also, what is the Acer extended warranty like? Does anyone know or have
any past experience? Is the DELL 24 hour on site all that it is cracked
up to be??
Cheers,
G-Mo
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Posted by G-Mo on March 13, 2006, 10:58 am
Please log in for more thread options Yeah... Also put in for an additional 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary
Battery, so I am at $2400+ tax + extended warranty works out to about
CDN$2900.
For longevity, I am going to stick with the T2500 CPU.
I would prefer to 7200RPM SATA drive... even 80GB or 60GB (I have a
200GB external backup drive!). I would swap the additional battery and
the HDD size for 7200RPM and an upgraded (not built in) graphics card.
I can't find a way to get a 7200 HDD though, do you mean buying it
seperately?... they are not currently offering it on the 6400! As I
have the 200GB above, having a second external drive could be a bit
overboard... however, I could pawn one of them off on my family,
etc...!?
I spoke to Dell this morning, they indicated that over the next 4-8
weeks they are going to phase out the 6000, and as it is phased out,
there will be more options coming online for the 6400... including the
ATI RADEON (spelling?) Graphics card! If this is the case, and the
allow for the higher RPM HDD (and as long as it is closer to 4 than 8
weeks) I am going to go for the Dell I think!!
The D810 is a Latitude isn't it? How long have you had it? Ever had
need to call Dell about it post sales? What other pros/cons would you
say you have with the product?
Thanks for the input... Much appreciated!!
G-Mo
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