Dell vs. Toshiba

Being a newcomer to the computer world, I am looking for some advice. I need a desktop replacement system and the more I research the different brands the more confused I get. I'm looking at a Dell 8600 vs. the Toshiba Satellite A25 -PS507 with the 17" screen. Both will cost about the same with the config. I want. Is one better than the other? I need to decide quickly because Dell's upgrade offer (DVD burner) expires this Wednesday. Thanks for any help.

 

For a desktop replacement the Inspiron 8600 really is a winner. It's got a beautiful screen and great graphics performance. I'd give a nod to Dell in this case.

 

I would definitly give the edge to Dell just for the sake of quality. I have never had 1 problem with Dell (Knock on wood). I also just order my first ever notebook from the the 8600 yesterday! So I'm pretty pumped. God I sound like a dork!

1.8GHz......$135 upgrade
512MB.....$75 upgrade
128 MB DDR ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600.....$123 upgrade
40 GB ULTRA HARD drive
WIRELESS 1450 card...$27 upgrade

Having your Dell Inspiron 8600 Notebook catch fire because of an overheating video card.....priceless

 

I'm really stuck between the Toshiba M2 (the lightweight contender), the HP zt3000 and the Dell 8600. I'm partial to Dell only because I've had such great luck with my desktop. However, I keep hearing mixed reviews about the quality and service nowadays.

I have to make a decision soon before that 15% coupon for Dell expires.

Any advantages/issues or general comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

I just got my Dell 8600 yesterday night. It's awesome, performs incredibly well, much better than my old computer. At 100% battery life it indicateds around 5 hours of battery life remaining, but I have yet to actually test it yet. No problems so far, unless you consider heating problems. (which I don't). the left side of the computer, where the left palm rests, gets a teensy bit warm. Not painfully hot, just noticably warm, that's all. The only part that actually gets borderline painful is the area where (presumably) the LCD screen is wired to the rest of the notebook, which is smack in the middle along the bottom. (the dell logo, if you take a look at a picture of the open 8600)

Problem? not for me it's not. I love my new laptop to death. FYI, I plan on buying an external 80 GB USB hard drive to supplement the built-in 40. I didn't feel like paying 400 dollars for Dell to upgrade to 80, plus it would've added to the weight. I figure I wouldn't need all of my stuff on the road, so the external would be good for storage and backup.

I got a free upgrade to a gig of ram and free shipping, so the system came to around $2400 canadian. Delivery took about 10 days from ordering to arriving on my doorstep.

Dell Inspiron 8600
Intel Centrino 1.5 GHz
1024 MB PC2700 DDRRAM @ 333MHz
ATI Radeon Mobility 9600 Pro 128 MB
40 GB HDD
DVD-ROM

 

When I ordered my i9100 from dell, I phoned them up after 10 days or so and they told me my processor was on back order and i had to wait for 20 days. So that was no good, a couple of days later I phoned them and changed my order to an i8600. I worked my way into getting free memory upgrade (a gig). Also a 80 gig hard drive for free [ ]. Also I get the shipping free. I can't wait until this baby gets here.

-rokov

 

I am looking for a laptop and I keep going back and forth between Toshiba and Dell. Toshiba has all the things I want from a laptop but is not Vista capable. Dell has the same components yet it is Vista Capable. The question I have is why can't Toshiba have their laptops Vista Capable as well. They are pretty much the same to me.

Laptop Choices:

Toshiba Satellite P100-SD8
Dell Inspirion 9400