Inspiron 6000 or 630M

HELP!!!!!!!!! I am a full-time student and a part-time consultant, and I really need to purchase a computer that will last me for the next 5-6 years. My Dell Inspiron 4000 is on its way to the graveyard, and I am trying to purchase another one. Could you give me your honest opinion on purchasing the 630M or the 6000? I looked at the specs, but I still need to be sure. I am cost conscious, but I do want to make sure I make the best decision. Thanks.

Inspiron 6000 with Integrated Video Card ($1603.84)
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) 15.4 inch UltraSharp WSXGA+ LCD Panel 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms Integrated Intel® Media Accelerator 900 Graphics 60GB Hard Drive External USB Floppy Drive Genuine Windows XP Professional Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps) No Microsoft Office No Security Subscription Musicmatch by Yahoo!™ Music- Entry level with 90 days of On Demand 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr) Promo 3 Yr Limited Warranty plus 3 Yr NBD On-site Service and CompleteCare Gold Technical Support, Inspiron, 3 Year No ISP Requested Corel Photo Album™ 6 Starter Edition - Organize and Edit your photos No QuickBooks package selected - includes limited use trial Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional backup CD

OR

Inspiron 630m - New! ($1527.44)
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) 14.1 inch WXGA LCD Panel 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 40GB Hard Drive External USB Floppy Drive Genuine Windows XP Professional Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive Intel® PRO 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps) No Microsoft Office McAfee Security Center w/ VirusScan, Firewall and Privacy, 90-day trial Musicmatch by Yahoo!™ Music- Entry level with 90 days of On Demand 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr) Promo 3 Yr Limited Warranty plus 3 Yr NBD On-site Service and CompleteCare Gold Technical Support, Inspiron, 3 Year No ISP requested Corel Photo Album™ 6 Starter Edition - Organize and Edit your photos 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery (80 WHr) Additional Battery No QuickBooks package selected - includes limited use trial Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional backup CD

 

Well, it is hard to say which one would be better- if you complete the FAQ, we can help you out (link is in my signature).

 

Well, you could order only 256 megs of ram from Dell and then upgrade it yourself for cheaper. Also, you're a student, so you can probably order your notebook with XP Home and then get XP Pro for real cheap at your university store, it costs about $15 at mine. I hear that software is mostly cheap at campus computer stores.

 

Performance wise the systems you've configured aren't any different.

You have to decide yourself whether you want it to be more light and portable, or larger with high resolution screen.

The Inspiron 630m with the smaller screen will have slightly better battery life, and if you get the Truelife panel it'll have a glossy look that most people find make screens look better.

WSXGA+ resolution on the Inspiron 6000 means you can have side-by-side applications and won't have to switch between windows nearly as much.

 

just a heads-up, expecting your notebook to last 5-6 years is unrealistic.