Inspiron Vs. Vostro Vs. Latitude

Hi!
I'm a student who will be starting University in the fall. I am planning on getting a Dell laptop because I've heard nothing but good things from most people. I am a little stumped on which model would be best for me out of the three I've listed above. Really I've gotten it down to:
1) Inspiron 1520
2) Vostro 1500
3) Latitude D830

If price is not a huge concern, I just want the best laptop that will be able to hold up through University (and possibly to Med School).
Any responses will be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!

 

The general consensus is that the Latitudes have always had good build quality, due to its design for being a business laptop for rugged use, so if gaming isn't too much of a concern, you could get the Latitude for maximum ruggedness, though I'm sure the other laptops aren't made out of cardboard, either.

 

Gaming isn't a big concern but I will be doing some video editting as well as using other media applications. You have to have some bells and whistles

 

hardware wise theres no difference between the 3, latitude probalby have better build quality but its not like the inspiron/vostro are made from paper, so unless you plan on dropping it as a hobby i doubt it should matter.

i never suggest trying to buy a computer that'll "last" 4-6 years, you are just inviting trouble and unecessary costs. a $1400 4-6 year old computer would perform far far worse than a current $600 computer. Buy a $600-800 laptop use it for 2 years, sell that and rebuy another $600-800 laptop. If you do this no need to buy extended warranty(alot of credit cards gives 1 extra year of warranty), build quality is not a big issue anymore, at the end you will be using a much better laptop, and oh you save money too.

 

You're probably right about buying one every two years. That makes more sense.

Does anyone have any input on what kind of specs I should be looking at? Speed is important to me as well as being a good computer for wireless and networking (I'm not sure what that entails).

 

If you plan to take the laptop to class, I recommend a) try looking at the 14" models, a bit lighter load, and b) go with Latitudes for maximum battery life, the D630 and D830 can both have a 9-cell main battery + a 6-cell battery in the media-bay (replacing the optical drive, you can always switch back too).

If you ever plan on hooking the laptop to an external monitor, you'll only get DVI with the Latitudes as well, that will require a docking station though.

 

Oh, and if you don't plan on taking it to class, you may want to consider a desktop, you'll get much better bang for the buck, and a nicer working environment (bigger monitor, and full size keyboard)