Should I buy an Inspirion 8600??

Another GREAT website discovered in my quest for the truth!

I have been trying to justify buying a notebook primarily for vacations, but also to use at home, connected to the internet via router and cable modem.

I don't really NEED a notebook, but Christmas is coming so this is my gift to myself!!

I like Dell as I can customize the notebook to do what I think I want it to do, and I like the Dell desktop I bought a year or so ago.

I will use a notebook to:

view DVDs on planes and at vacation destinations, hopefully connected to the TV

play the odd game, ranging from cards to strategy to flight to shooters

surf the 'net, either from a hotel or timeshare (via phone modem or LAN) or at an internet cafe (wireless)

download images from a digital camera (USB)

upload maps to my GPS (needs a serial port)

synch with my Palm


This is the notebook I have come up with:

Pentium M 1.4 GHz
15.4 inch WSGA+ screen
512 DDR 333 MHz 2 DIMM
64 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200
24x CD-RW/DVD
60GB Ultra ATA HD (free upgrade from 30)
72 W hr battery
second 72 W hr battery (free upgrade)
Integrated 10/100 Network card and modem
Dell TrueMobile 1400 DualBand WLAN (802.11a/b/g 54 Mbps)
Dell TrueMobile 300 Bluetooth
Modular floppy
90 W power adapter
Multimedia cable kit (A/V and S Video)

1 year return to depot warranty
free shipping

Total cost is C$ 2,543 (approx US$ 1,940) plus taxes (15%)

I'm hoping this will last me for a 'long' time.

Will the HD perform well with DVDs or do I need the 7200 rpm HD to enjoy DVDs?

Is there anything I should upgrade? downgrade?
Anything I need to future proof the notebook?

TIA

 

I ordered the same thing today in Canada, except I got a 1.6M, and 128Mb Nvidia 5650, and 3 years warranty.

But, I saw something weird on your configuration: "second 72 W hr battery (free upgrade)" It isn't free, if you lokk closely, you'll notice that it's 75$....

And for the HD, when I called customer service, I was told that the 60G HD I'd got for free, was 7200RPM.

 

How did you guys get these great Canadian prices? I am trying to find tips on how to get good prices in Canada (for a Dell 8600) but most Dell buying strategies/coupons are American.


MojoV

 

*BUMP!*

Don't know how many centuries ago this was from...

Anyways, just had to do that for nostalgia's sake; check out the specs on the "back then reasonably high end" Inspiron 8600... Now compare them to your the specs on your modern "budget" notebook. Now realize how high end yours really is!

 

Lol
Funny... We should save some of our own posts... then in the future, bump them up... and compare them with the new 8-core processor notebook with 12 GB of RAM and a 2 GB Video Card and a 200 GB HD running at 15,000 rpm...
Weighing in at only 4 pounds...
(Hopefully)

Leon

 

I'm typing from a 500m from the same year... it's not that bad... yet.

 

I was like wtf!? That laptops garbage for what your paying!?! The posts afterwards confused me even more as noone said anything about it! Then i noticed the date

 

haha that was jokes...I like to laugh at the past now and again, haha 512mb of ram and on a 2000+ machine ("How did you guys get these great Canadian prices?" lmao gold!)