Hi guys: I'm debating between a Vostro and an Inspiron

I'm going to be going to college this upcoming fall and I've been looking over some laptops. Apples seem a little expensive for me, and it just so happens that Dell has some pretty affordable/nice laptops. So I checked some out, and heard that vostro's and inspirons are practically new.

So, I did some research but I'm still fuzzy in certain areas.

KINDA LONG READ, I'M SORRY

What I'm looking for:
affordable [1$ (i wish lol) - 1000~$]

durability/long battery life

14-15in screen [widescreen I guess][17 in is too big for me]

pretty good graphics card [8600m gt seems nice but I'm trying to look for the best combo since I sort of want the vostro 1400 but it doesn't hold the 8600....]

vista[what bit are the ones offered? I don't know too much about vista though, I'm not sure if I should stick with business or home premium or just basic. I might just buy vista as a standalone and install it myself if possible (aren't there college student discounts?)

decent processor [not sure how big a difference is between a 1.6 and the 1.8 c2d]

1 or 2 gb ram [is there a big difference]

thats about it.
I've been leaning towards the vostro because of the fact that graphics cards are nicely introduced and that they seem to be well specialized in wireless internet, a resource I plan to use in college. The thing holding me back is that Inspirons seem to have better rebates and that I'm not sure how pricing will stay w/ all these new lines [I heard the vostros were cheaper at one point in time]

btw, I've read about the battery voltages and stuff. Does the 9 cell stick out of the vostros too? are they even worth the extra money?

I also heard that inspirons have a weird audio deal going on? anything about that?

THANKS SO MUCH for reading this all, and I hope you can reply with some feedback.

this looks pretty nice for 850$:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
HARD DRIVE 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600M GT
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Wi-Fi Mini Card
BLUETOOTH WIRELESS Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
WEBCAM Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera
SOUND OPTION High Definition Audio 2.0
My Accessories
BATTERIES 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

 

If you want a low-end but decent laptop, go with Vostro. If you want high-end, Inspiron with all its coupons and deals will be better. 15" models in both have a better video card option if that makes a difference to you though 14" will be a bit more mobile.

 

id say the one your looking ats fine as long as you get vista premium and 2 gb ram might cut the budget close though

 

I would wait untill the end of the quarter deals and by pass getting a stripped down budget model like the Vostro

 

vostro is not budget they are ideal and made for BIUSNESS men/women

 

Looks like you've picked out a pretty good system for the price. The Vostro and Inspiron are essentially the same machines. I'm not sure how much of a difference processor speeds will make but if you intend to game then you'll definitely want the 8600M. The battery does stick out a bit, but less than an inch- it also brings the system weight up to 7lbs. The headphone jack may be an issue: see user "lightflux" in this thread. Also look at this thread. The 14" models are about 1" smaller in length and width and marginally thinner.. neither are very thin. If you want 2gb, which you should get with vista, then it is more economical to buy from another source (newegg) and install yourself. That's what I plan to do.

I chose the Vostro with the 8600M because it's the best deal going for the graphics power. If that's not your angle then there are better/smaller systems if you're willing to pay the price. Good luck!

 

thanks for the responses guys, especially Nedediah. I checked out those threads and I'm a little more hesitant to get the inspiron now, I listen to a lot of music so.....is that issue w/ the vostros?
I'm not sure if I need 2 gb, its just that my current pc has 2 gb and I think I've grown accustomed to it. I will probably just get home basic, I don't really need aero.

I really want the 8600M, thats one of my first main points that I want to reach with my new laptop.

do you guys think the vostro's will be getting coupons too?

 

i have never used vista, but from what i've heard around the forums is that home basic is not worth anything. I just called them and they upgraded to home premium for 29 bucks.. really cheap.

 

I'd go with Vostro, much cheaper than Inspiron. You could get a wide screen 15.4" with 8600MGT and 1.8GHz Duo2Core, and 512MB RAM (spend 80 bucks and upgrade to 2.5GB RAM), costs about 950 dollars. But when it comes to Inspiron, it starts over 800 dollars, and when you add the 8600MGT, it's well over 1 grand... And your processor and screen and all that stuff is still crap...

So in conclusion, go with Vostro.

 

so jagsfan, have you already recieved your vostro? if so, whats your thoughts about it? how is the screen? and the headphone outlet? [two issues brought up in the past]

so you ordered basic and then called them to change to premium? is that possible? I would like premium but if I have to go w/ basic I"m cool with that too

@ amazinggrace
How would I spend 80 bucks to upgrade ram, purchase/install myself? is that possible for vostros? I would gladly do so because I see ram sales all the time at my nearby fry's

 

oh sorry, no one has the vostro yet. I ordered mine monday night.

Also, yes.

Once you order, call dell and just tell them you would like to upgrade the vista home basic to home premium for 29 dollars.

They should then switch it over, and send you a new invoice.

Once i did that i also got free next day shipping. lol dont know if that would happen for you too or not.

 

o well congrats lol.

I'll do that then lol, I hope it works out for me.

I'm not sure when I'm getting it though, Maybe late August i'll go out and buy one