I9300 1.5 months later...

Here are some of my impressions of my I9300 after a month and half of ownership. My specs are 17" WUXGA, 1GB ram, 100GB HD(4200rpm), Intel wireless abg, bluetooth, dual-layer dvdrw, and of course the Go6800, 9cell battery.

Things I have done since I got it:

repartitioned, reformated the HD. installed the newest vid drivers.
re-attached the cooling unit with arctic silver thermal compound.

Thoughts:

This laptop primarily sits on my desk -- even though it isn't heavy, it simply is too big to be moved around much! I have taken it to cafes to work on some papers on 2-3 occasions -- my gf had to carry it for me in her bag -- as I still have yet to buy a laptop case big enough to fit it! (the ones that can -- are either expensive, or ugly, or both -- please help if anyone's got an idea! I want a plain looking, non-flashy, preferably one that doesn't also scream - STEAL MY LAPTOP. lol)

On battery life: Very few times have I run this thing on battery alone. The 3 times I took it to cafe, I average about 2.5hrs of battery life time. This is with wireless on, typing up reports in Word, and surfing the internet. Contant usage, very little downtime. Not too shabby considering the size of the screen imho. I've never tested gaming under battery, I suspect it to be abysmal. lol

On wireless: wow, this thing's intel abg is wonderful! It will be able to have a stable connection when my friends' Sony and Avectec can't even find a signal! Very nice.

On noise: Very little noise under normal load. Substantially more under gaming situations. I *could* opt to turn the fan lower, but since I do O/C the gpu slightly, I will leave it as is! Better safe than sorry! lol

On keyboard: after 1.5 months of constant use, I find nothing wrong with the keyboard.

On fit and finish: Honestly, I dislike the cheap silver finish. Here is an issue that could have been prevented -- after 1.5 months of heavy usage, the left palm rest is a slightly different color due to wear. This could've been prevented if Dell opted for a different finish, or even just a different color. Does it affects the laptop in anyway? no, just it doesn't look "new" anymore. lol I would gladly pay $100 more if the finish is a matte black all around -- i.e. black slate design. The silver is just not all that durable imo.

On gaming: Well, what can I say: it rivals my desktop 6800NU with all 16 pipes unlocked! This thing is a BEAST.

On LCD panel: OK after the ohhs and ahhhs wear off, the WUXGA screen resolution *is* a bit high for a 17" screen I think. Its perfectly clear, yes -- just that it IS sorta small. lol If I had gone back would I order the lower-res matte version? I honestly do not know, probably. That being said, is the WUXGA screen bad? Nah not at all. It's vibrant, it's clear. It's not very usable outdoors or even with a strong light behind or in front of you -- but that's just my perception. Would I consider changing it if I had a chance right now? nah, it really doesn't bother me that much, just sometimes I think 1920x1200 resolution on a 17" screen is definitely OVERKILL. lol

Overall: Very happy with my laptop. No known issues that I can see. Fit and finish needs more work, but for how much I paid and what I got, I really cannot complain. [ ] There's nothing on the market right now that's comparable at that price range, period.

cheers,

yass

(ps: anyone got some opinions on theirs? please post. [ ] )

 

I couldnt agree more!!! I love my purchase for most of your reasons.
Also, I love the "backpack" carrying case. I think its very "incognito" and fits EVERYTHING. If I dont feel like lugging it around like a "backpack" , you can carry it like a briefcase. (I love that handle on the top) The only thing that would lead someone to believe it housed a laptop in it, is the "Dell" button on the bag.
Plus everyone i show the bag to are surprised that its actually "defined" as a laptop case. But anyways....Big thumbs up on i9300!

------------------------
*Dell Inspiron 9300
- Pentium M 1.60ghz
- 60gb HD (7200prm)
- 256mb Nvidia Go 6800

 

I've had mine for 2 weeks, and its been great. My only problem so far has been the two touchpad keys. I don't like the little dip that is there, since it is making my thumb sore after a few hours of normal websurfing. Every once in awhile, I'll hit the outside frame thinking it is the touchpad keys. (Anyone else having this problem?)

Mine has been great for just laying in bed and watching DVDs, plus I take it to school everyday. My battery life is about 2.5 also, but I'm thinking about buying the 9-cell. I'm not crazy about this finish either. I have the blue quicksnap plate which looks nice and seems to get a lot of compliments from my friends.

It did take me some time to find a bag for this. I eventually found the Targus XL Backpack and Kensington Contour Pro 17'. The Kensington comes with a sleeve that will fit the 9300 [ ]. Plus the sleeve has handles and a strap, so I can just use it if I don't plan on using the batter. Both bags have a tremendous amount of room.

All in all, so far it is a great laptop.

 

how does the clip on plate fit? Is there any disassembly required? Does it cover all of the top including the name?

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by JustJimDelany

 

Does it cover the word inspiron on the cover? Mine is already starting to wear off!

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

No, you are able to see the Inspiron Logo. The plate surrounds the Inspiron logo (where the groove starts), but only the part that is on the lid. Then it clips into the space between the hinges and lid.

I can't believe yours is already wearing off. I've used mine extensively for the last 2 weeks now, and I can only see a couple of scratches if i direct light on to it. I think it is partially due to the blue because it is so dark. It doesn't show any wear and tear.

If you want to see what it looks like, I can send a picture to your email.

 

well I take mine back and forth to work in the case dell sells. I think it rubs the word and the paint must be fairly soft. Nothing else has a mark on it. It surely isn't from anything else touching it. The paint must be very very soft. I was hoping that the cover included the word. It took about 1 month for this to happen. I should call them up and have a fit but I don't want to send it back just for that. Something is going to get scratched sooner or later at least I am not staring at it when typing!

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

I really like my 9300 also. I carry it every day and probably goes in and out my backpack about 6 times a day and I use it about 2 hrs. evertime i turn it on. this thing is so much lighter than my previous DTR (HP zd8000) plus it dont get no where near as hot and gets better battery life than the 12 cell that came with the HP.

I get the same as everyone 2.5 hrs. not gaming 1.3 hrs. gaming with display set to high and with the 6 cell you cant beat that, plus I haven't noticed any differences playing games while not pluged in as compared to being plugged in.

I got the non truelife screen and I really like it and yes I have seen the truelife screens I just preffer the non glossy and I cant tell you how many ppl. have complimented me on the way the picture or hell the how the whole damn thing looks.

Like Yass said I have had no prob. finding a signal with my a/b/g wireless. very little noise with mine also.

I am very happy with my purchase and for under $1500 good luck beating it

 

As far as the discolored case. I collect these small german cameras which have a finish similar to this and they get completely discolored too.'

the fix for them is to use Simple Green. Spray it on a paper towel and try to get the stuff off. Don't soak the cloth or spray it right on. That stuff takes it completely off the cameras. I then clean the camera with windex to get the Simple Green all off.

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

what is Simple Green[?]

 

This morning I read these cases are Magnesium so you should not have to worry about removing the finish, but they might be plated like the cameras so I sometimes put drops with a q-tip but I would not scrub too much or with anything which isn't cotton and try to get the residue off. This restores the camera to like new from 30 years of use.

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

Hmm interesting! I have to try that! thanks.

As to the case thou, I'm pretty sure the back of it is megnesium alloy, but the top silver part is just plastic i think. Powerbook design, this is not. lol

cheers,

yass

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by JustJimDelany

 

You would not want to scrub with anything as you can create a shinny spot. The stuff will take it off eventually. On the cameras sometimes it takes a couple of trys. I sometimes soak a q-tip and roll it over really bad spots and eventually the finger marks come off. The cameras eventually almost turn black and come back to new. You can see what I mean by searching ebay for minox.

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center

 

Hard to say I thought that too. MSN had a review of the thing and said that but I don't remember if they specified what pard of the case.

I9300 2.0ghz 1.0gb ram 100gb disk 256MB NVIDIA 6800 dvd rw UXGA Bluetooth Intel WiFi Media Center