Latitude or Inspiron...same old ?

OK, I know you guys have probably been asked this 1000 times, but...here it is again. I need a new laptop, probably very soon since the hard drive on my current one has starrted to click a LOT...failure is probably imminent. I'm not looking for state-of-the-art; reliability is more important for me. Here are my responses to the FAQ questionnaire:

General Usage

What will you be using the notebook mainly for? Will you be using it to play games? Will you be using it for word processing / general productivity? etc. Internet, email, Skype, word processing (Word and FrameMaker), some DVD/torrent watching

Are you looking more at a very small notebook, a standard notebook, or a large desktop replacement? I currently have a desktop repl--Inspiron 8000; 5 years old, but it is now on its last legs. Wouldn't mind going a bit smaller/lighter. Have a D600 for work--it's OK.

Will you be carrying the notebook around a lot or be keeping it stationary most of the time? I carry it from room to room, but only infrequently out of the house.

How important is battery life to you? Moderate; I'm used to keeping the ancient I8000 plugged in.

How long do you intend on using this laptop? At least 2-3 years.

Features

Do you need lots of hard drive space? I'm thinking 40-60 GB, prob. 1.6 Pentium M, 512 RAM

Will you be burning DVD's or just CD's? Definitely CD, possibly both, but figured I would just get a CD-RW/DVD combo

Do you tend to work with a lot of applications at once? Usually have email, browser, Word, & skype open

Graphics & Display

How big would you like your screen to be? Do you care if it's widescreen or not? Probably not smaller than 14; 12 seems like it would be very small

Are you willing to pay more for premium screens enhanced by XBRITE, Crystal View, or Bright View? (Go to the bottom of this post for an explanation) eh--dunno; probably not

(If applicable) Will you be playing casual games or the latest games? Casual, if any

(If applicable) Will you be doing work in a 3D modeling program like 3D Studio Max or Maya? no

Miscellaneous

Do you care if your notebook looks good or not? eh--don't want it to be hideous; would prefer silver over black

Are there particular brands you prefer or won't buy from? I thinking another Dell, mostly likely a refurb. My poor I8000 has lasted 5 years of daily use.

How much are you willing to pay for this notebook? $1000

Are there particular models you have already looked at? Trying to decide between Lat D610/810 and I600m/6000

I'm leaning toward Latitude for its reliability, but wondering whether it's worth the extra $$ given that my Inspiron has lasted 5 yrs. Keep in mind, this is what I have now, so ANYTHING will be an improvement: I8000, 750 MHz, 10 GB, 256 MB, with blown integrated NIC/modem, USB ports on their way out, keyboard on its way out, etc. Thanks much for any insight you can provide.

 

The 600 m is kinda of an old model, and not really worth it's price.

I'd look at the Latitude models, they seem alot better. And the 700m isn't that small if you look at it.

 

hey there,the D610 is good, we have a review of it on the site already and will be posting another this week. Off all those you list there, I'd lean to toward the D610. And if you wanted to go smaller the D410 is a machine I used and actually really liked, it had no integrated CD drive, you had to use a docking station...but that made it very light and portable. All the same, I still think the D610 might best be suited for you.

 

The 610 is probably the best choice. The latitude series are built better than the inspiron series, and the 810 seems a little bigger than what you might want.

 

As you have a i8000 and have been using a Lat 600, you know the basic choice: the big or the medium. You don't appear to need a particularly portable notebook, but would prefer smaller (who wouldn't?). Yet you don't express much pleasure in the 600 but have liked the i8000. Sounds like you really want to stick with that sort of machine, but something a little lighter. Well the i6000 and the D810 are both noticeably lighter than the i8000 line. I have a version of the D810 (the M70), after having a i8100. The new machine is ligher, much better built, in general a much nicer notebook. Go for the D810 or the i6000. You won't be disappointed in either. If you so like the i8000, maybe consider that the D810 is a part of a line of incremental developments of the i8000, but the i6000 is an entirely new line. Unlike the D610, the most obvious change from the i8000 is different aspect ratio of the screen: wider, lower, slightly smaller.

 

I just purchased the Latitude D610 myself. Despite rather wanting something with a widescreen aspect ratio, I'm very pleased so far with the D610. The screen is very bright and nice despite not being the glossy style or widescreen. Also it seems to be very solid. There is absolutely no ripple when I push on the back of the screen and the keyboard is an absolute dream. Gets a little warm on the bottom, but not much different than most other laptops I looked at out there. And is it fast! I got the Pent M 1.86GHz processor with the 80GB HD and the dedicated graphics card. It absolutely flys. Watch the coupons too. I was looking because they are few and far between and saw a $600 off coupon code trailing at the end of one of the Inspiron coupon postings. Makes it a lot more reasonable to get a Latitude. Basically, so far I'm very impressed despite the lack of flash.