First Impressions Of My Dell Inspiron 8600

[blake918]

Here are the important stats:

Inspiron 8600-Unit Price: $3,037.00

Intel® Pentium® M Processor 725(1.60A GHz/400MHz FSB) 15.4 WUXGA

Inspiron 8600 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 725(1.60A GHz/400MHz FSB) 15.4 WUXGA

Memory 1GB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms

Video Card 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY® RADEON™ 9600 PROTURBO

ATI128M

Hard Drive 60GB Hard Drive

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem

CD ROM/DVD ROM 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) with double-layer write capability

Dell® Wireless 1450 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps)

Microsoft Office- Includes Outlook, Word, Excel,

Carrying Case Dell Leather Carrying Case

Dell A425 Speakers and Dell 2-Button Scroll Optical USB Mouse

A425

The good: the screen is incredible in 1920x1200 resolution, battery life is good-while it's new atleast, decently solid case/chassis, excellent wireless connectivity, it's stylish--but it's not a Mac!

The bad: this thing is a slug even with 1 Gigabyte of memory which is quite disappointing(my Mac with 1/3 the memory and processor would smoke this thing, but I am abundantly clear that this is sadly a PC world!), the DVD-RW/CD RW release button is finicky-if you hold the button for shorter than the system wants(and vise versa), you'll have to reboot inorder to put in/take out a disc, the photo software is lousey. At $3k, it wasn't all that cheap.

Overall: It's a decent laptop. It's stylish and relatively solid, but it is soo s-l-o-w for $3k.

And a few pics:

[denslexusgx470]

is Pentium M as good as Pentium 4, or better or a lot worse??

[blake918]

is Pentium M as good as Pentium 4, or better or a lot worse??

I have no idea! Maybe that's why this thing is sooooo slow depite the high amount of RAM. :( The only choice is the Pentium M on the Inspiron 8600; the fastest option was 1.8ghz. Mine is just a little below at 1.6ghz.

[93LSOwner]

Pentium M is wayyyy better than Pentium 4.

Blake, thats one kick !Removed! laptop you got there. What do you do on it mostly, play games, internet, etc...?

I have never experienced wireless internet on a laptop. You have very high speed capability on yours. Tells us more about that.

And, how is a laptop more convenient and advantageous over a desktop, in a college life that is, from your experience? Because I can’t decide which one to get!

B)

[VMF]

lil bit pricey IMHO but as long as u happy its woth the $

[blake918]

93, Thanks for the clarification on the processors and the compliments! :D I know nothing about them! I use it mainly for internet, MS Word, Excel, Money, and watching DVD's. The wireless card is probably my favorite thing about the laptop(the 1920x1200 screen is most amazing). It works great. All of the most popular spots on my campus are covered with wireless, so it's great to be able to surf just about anywhere even some outdoor locations. I find that the wireless is very fast. I'm a long time DSL user, and I have no speed complaints whatsoever. If you get a laptop, wireless is an absolute must! ;)

Laptop v. desktop...hmm. The laptop is surely more portable(lol), but they are a hell of a lot more expensive than a desktop which translates into a slower performer. With so many places now having wireless coverage, it surely gives laptops an advantage. It is great to be able to pull up your professors power point and follow along in class rather than having to jot everything down. However, with a desktop, you will get um-teen times the computer for the price(and just download the notes when you get to your room). IMO, I suggest a laptop, but I know you love gaming and what not, so a desktop(since you can get more machine for the money) might suit your needs better? I had a desktop for the first few weeks while waiting for this computer to come in. The laptop is better because of its portability. If I wanted to show someone something on my computer or bring it to class, I just unplug a few cords, and I'm gone. With a desktop, I would have had to burn it on a disk or something since I can't pick it up and carry it with me. I LOVE wireless internet, so a laptop is a must for me!

IMO also, my Dell is overpriced, but I did get a lot more performance than I would have gotten at Sony. After a month's usage, the case creaks and groans miserably when I pick it up or close/open the screen. Also, one of the external speakers developed a buzz, so I had them send me a replacement set, and come to find out the replacements are refurbished. The left speaker has a huge dent, so they are going to make me send these back again. Who would have thought that something so simple would turn into such a big hassle. I think that is extremely tacky on Dell's part. Shame on Dell for such poor support on a computer of this caliper. No more Dells for me.

Is it worth the money?? I'd say probably not. It's best features(screen resolution and wireless capibilities) are not Dell exclusive, so I recommend that others shop else where. I hear that IBMs and Toshibas are supposed to exude the best quality.

[93LSOwner]

Blake,

OH man, sorry about the bad experience with the laptop. Why don't you contact dell and tell them your problems with the creacking case and demand a new one or refund. $3k is alot for a laptop....especially a dell.

Make it sound worser than what it is. <_<

I'm gald I asked you that question. I never thought of the ways the laptop can become so helpfull in class. Especially, with those boring chem classes. ;)

Thanks.

B) Steve-O B)

[VMF]

if you use it only for the apps you told here then why did you spent so muchy money on it? i got a 800$ laptop and i can do all the same stuff. as to probs, i'm a certified dell repair guy and you def should give em a call, they might not replace it but they def gonna fix it. its a brand new notebook. skream at them!

[VMF]

http://www.abspc.com/

theck this babies out, this is what i'm gettin

1k cheaper with same config

[blake918]

if you use it only for the apps you told here then why did you spent so muchy money on it? i got a 800$ laptop and i can do all the same stuff.

←

Tax reasons...my dad has a small business, and the more business expenses he has the better! ;) I'm definantly going to have a little chat with Dell tomorrow. Another thing that really irritates me about this laptop is half of the keyboard sinks in while the other half is nice, and tight. Talk about a LEMON. It's not like I've tossed this lug dow 5 flights of stairs or anything; it just sits on my desk, and if I take it with me, it's in a Dell leather case. I don't know what the deal is with their QC. I hope you have better luck with your ABS! ;)

'93, have you made any decisions yet??

As a general note, Norton Internet Security is a must! I haven't had a single pop up in the laess than a month and a half I've had the laptop. I highly recommend the program to everyone!!! :D

[93LSOwner]

Another thing that really irritates me about this laptop is half of the keyboard sinks in while the other half is nice, and tight.

'93, have you made any decisions yet??

Thats really weird about the keyboard. I can only imagine how irritating it might be.

Nope. No decisions. I asked my parents the other day on how much should I spent? They said, you know better about this stuff!! Get whatever you want and think is the best for you!!! :)

I'm definetly going to get a desktop, but don't know which one yet. More money you spent the better the PC. But, the less money I spent the more I have to upgrade later on, or maybe even buy a whole new PC!!

I'm waiting for the "Black Firday" for some stores to hit, the Thanksgiving sales!

Now, that money is not an object. I can have my friend build it. But, it wouldn't have recovery cds or anything else like that to help me when my sorry !Removed! messes up something, which usually happens.:chairshot:

He said, you have to know about computers to get out of those situations with custome build computers.

Wouldn't you agree VMF?

And Blake, good luck with Dell. I hope everything turns out well. :)

[VMF]

the thing is that you can create the image of your custom computer and just store it on dvd or another computer. i have 9 computers at home and i have a server which has images of all my computers. this is what i do on my client computers, i build it, i install all the apps and updates and then i just create an image and store it on the server, in case smth went wrong i just boot from the cd, reimage my computer and i'm back in businnes. as simple as 123. as to the price, more $ doenst necesserily means better computer. take a look at the dell notebooks, they are ugly and big and expensive while if you check the link in my previous posts you can see that you can build the same notebook 2 times cheaper. i custom build my computers since i know which parts and models and brands are the best and i can combine them the way i like while i cant do the same with dell.at work i got a dell xps workstaion for 7k while it would cost me only around 3k if i would custom build it myself. big difference huh?:)

[jasver]

if you use it only for the apps you told here then why did you spent so muchy money on it? i got a 800$ laptop and i can do all the same stuff.

←

Tax reasons...my dad has a small business, and the more business expenses he has the better! ;) I'm definantly going to have a little chat with Dell tomorrow. Another thing that really irritates me about this laptop is half of the keyboard sinks in while the other half is nice, and tight. Talk about a LEMON. It's not like I've tossed this lug dow 5 flights of stairs or anything; it just sits on my desk, and if I take it with me, it's in a Dell leather case. I don't know what the deal is with their QC. I hope you have better luck with your ABS! ;)

'93, have you made any decisions yet??

As a general note, Norton Internet Security is a must! I haven't had a single pop up in the laess than a month and a half I've had the laptop. I highly recommend the program to everyone!!! :D

←

Hi Blake,

As technology is what I do as a living, here is some advice:

-1st, rethink getting an extended warranty, Dell is nortorious for the shoddy hardware

-2nd get some kind of lock for the laptop, you spent $3k, spend another $30 for a lock to secure it.

-3rd as Dell outsources their tech support, be prepared to make a big stink to get someone on the line that speaks English, its a hassle I know, but alas, what can be done!

Great job on getting the Norton Internet Security!

[jasver]

Blake,

OH man, sorry about the bad experience with the laptop. Why don't you contact dell and tell them your problems with the creacking case and demand a new one or refund. $3k is alot for a laptop....especially a dell.

Make it sound worser than what it is.  <_<

I'm gald I asked you that question. I never thought of the ways the laptop can become so helpfull in class. Especially, with those boring chem classes. ;)

Thanks.

B) Steve-O B)

←

Hi 93:

Toshiba makes a comparible laptop for far less then the Dell: A70-S249!

Good luck!

[blake918]

Hi Blake,

As technology is what I do as a living, here is some advice:

-1st, rethink getting an extended warranty, Dell is nortorious for the shoddy hardware

-2nd get some kind of lock for the laptop, you spent $3k, spend another $30 for a lock to secure it.

-3rd as Dell outsources their tech support, be prepared to make a big stink to get someone on the line that speaks English, its a hassle I know, but alas, what can be done!

Great job on getting the Norton Internet Security!

←

Thanks for your response! I knew that Dells where cheaply done(my brother and sister have the same notebooks, but earlier revisions. I think Insp. 8200 and 8500), but I was able to get so much more performance for the money with Dell which is why I decided to go with them. I regret every minute of it too. I just kills me that I didn't go with the Powrbook. I see so many people with them, and they make MS Office for Mac, so I don't think I would have many connectivity issues, and their notebook case is made of aluminum, so I wouldn't be having all of these annoying quality issues.

Great idea on the lock; I'm going to go pick one up.

The first time I called Dell when my speakers went out I actually spoke to an American. He was rude, but atleast I could understand him!

I love the Norton, but since Dell is so cheap, they gave me only a 3 month demo. I think that's right. I got the computer in the begining of Sep. and the trial has like 3 more days. This is rediculous. I'll see how many pop ups I get without the software, and if it's bad, I'll buy it because I haven't gotten a single one in the 3months I've had this computer.

[jasver]

Hi Blake,

As technology is what I do as a living, here is some advice:

-1st, rethink getting an extended warranty, Dell is nortorious for the shoddy hardware

-2nd get some kind of lock for the laptop, you spent $3k, spend another $30 for a lock to secure it.

-3rd as Dell outsources their tech support, be prepared to make a big stink to get someone on the line that speaks English, its a hassle I know, but alas, what can be done!

Great job on getting the Norton Internet Security!

←

Thanks for your response! I knew that Dells where cheaply done(my brother and sister have the same notebooks, but earlier revisions. I think Insp. 8200 and 8500), but I was able to get so much more performance for the money with Dell which is why I decided to go with them. I regret every minute of it too. I just kills me that I didn't go with the Powrbook. I see so many people with them, and they make MS Office for Mac, so I don't think I would have many connectivity issues, and their notebook case is made of aluminum, so I wouldn't be having all of these annoying quality issues.

Great idea on the lock; I'm going to go pick one up.

The first time I called Dell when my speakers went out I actually spoke to an American. He was rude, but atleast I could understand him!

I love the Norton, but since Dell is so cheap, they gave me only a 3 month demo. I think that's right. I got the computer in the begining of Sep. and the trial has like 3 more days. This is rediculous. I'll see how many pop ups I get without the software, and if it's bad, I'll buy it because I haven't gotten a single one in the 3months I've had this computer.

←

Hi there,

You are welcome for the advice!

Go ahead and bite the bullet on the Norton Internet Security, the pop ups test is not even worth it. You'll see a difference almost as soon as the demo expires.

It's about $70 bucks.

You were in luck to get someone who speaks English. It makes it a double whammy, when you are already frustrated, and then you get someone who can't understand your frustrations.

Wish I could have talked to you before you shelled out the $3k for the Dell. I would of hands down said get the Apple. It would have cost roughly the same.

Oh well, an expensive lesson, but nonetheless hindsight is always 20/20.

Kensington, makes a decent lock.

Take care!

[kkeppler]

is Pentium M as good as Pentium 4, or better or a lot worse??

←

Yeah something I know about :) Cars = learning, computers = knowledge...

The pentium M is basically the same thing as a P3 packaged for the mobile laptop iwth a higher clockspeed then the P3 -- The P4 was designed for the desktop market and is a beast. Ie., runs hot, sucks battery power, and is less efficient.

Without getting technical. The M is better in terms of battery life, and heat -- the P4 has more processing power, and shorter battery life... In terms of equivalence.... take yer pentium M and multiply it by 1.5 and this will give you P4 equivalence.

[kkeppler]

Hi Blake,

As technology is what I do as a living, here is some advice:

-1st, rethink getting an extended warranty, Dell is nortorious for the shoddy hardware

-2nd get some kind of lock for the laptop, you spent $3k, spend another $30 for a lock to secure it.

-3rd as Dell outsources their tech support, be prepared to make a big stink to get someone on the line that speaks English, its a hassle I know, but alas, what can be done!

Great job on getting the Norton Internet Security!

←

Thanks for your response! I knew that Dells where cheaply done(my brother and sister have the same notebooks, but earlier revisions. I think Insp. 8200 and 8500), but I was able to get so much more performance for the money with Dell which is why I decided to go with them. I regret every minute of it too. I just kills me that I didn't go with the Powrbook. I see so many people with them, and they make MS Office for Mac, so I don't think I would have many connectivity issues, and their notebook case is made of aluminum, so I wouldn't be having all of these annoying quality issues.

Great idea on the lock; I'm going to go pick one up.

The first time I called Dell when my speakers went out I actually spoke to an American. He was rude, but atleast I could understand him!

I love the Norton, but since Dell is so cheap, they gave me only a 3 month demo. I think that's right. I got the computer in the begining of Sep. and the trial has like 3 more days. This is rediculous. I'll see how many pop ups I get without the software, and if it's bad, I'll buy it because I haven't gotten a single one in the 3months I've had this computer.

←

Hi there,

You are welcome for the advice!

Go ahead and bite the bullet on the Norton Internet Security, the pop ups test is not even worth it. You'll see a difference almost as soon as the demo expires.

It's about $70 bucks.

You were in luck to get someone who speaks English. It makes it a double whammy, when you are already frustrated, and then you get someone who can't understand your frustrations.

Wish I could have talked to you before you shelled out the $3k for the Dell. I would of hands down said get the Apple. It would have cost roughly the same.

Oh well, an expensive lesson, but nonetheless hindsight is always 20/20.

Kensington, makes a decent lock.

Take care!

←

First of all Norton Internet Security is bad.... Most norton products with the exception of their antivirus are bloated and should not be put on the computer. Their internet security is nutorious for blocking out internet apps, and other sorts of software. If you want a firewall with your broadband, you should consider a dsl/cable router. It will do the same thing, except wtihout the painful configs and slowness of the computer.

Adware (popups) occurs becuase of programs running on the background of your computer. It does help to run Norton internet security (NIS), but NIS will not block the adware. The best way to prevent the popups is to not use IE and stick with a browser such as firefox that does not ahve security flaws. If you use firefox and do not succomb to clicking everything in sight you should stay most adware free.

[blake918]

The best way to prevent the popups is to not use IE and stick with a browser such as firefox that does not ahve security flaws.  If you use firefox and do not succomb to clicking everything in sight you should stay most adware free.

←

I couldn't agree more! I love Firefox. I never have any popups. Although I have nothing bad to say about Norton Internet Security. I never had any problems with the program, and my dell is just as slow with it on or off. lol

[93LSOwner]

Microsofts Anitspyware is real good as well.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en

Lavasoft's adaware does a good job as well..........Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition is free

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Person...tml?tag=lst-0-2

.......but like me you can purchase Ad-Aware SE Professional Edition http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adawareprofessional/

Also make sure you have the windows security updates downloaded.......http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Norton has a lot of small programs running that makes the computer slow. I switched to PC-Cillin Trend Micro 2005. Getting Norton’s folders and files was a pain as well.......it was every where.

I have a friend who has the same specs on his laptop as yours, except it’s a Sony Viao and he has NIS 2005 as well and well........let's just say he is pretty mad with Norton on his computer.