XPS M140 or Inspiron 6000

Hey guys,

I posted a while ago in the what to buy forum, and was directed to grab an ASUS with the FAQ I posted (Not sure if this will get moved or not). They look like a great machine, but I'd rather drop the price down and grab a Dell, which I know will be reliable for what I'm planning.

I think I've narrowed my choices down between the XPS M140 and the Inspiron 6000. I'm buying a laptop primarly for school purposes, as I'll be going to Physical Therapy school in the fall, and I'm fairly certain it'll see plenty of use in the wireless internet section of the library. My budget originally was $2,000 for a laptop, but I've since decided to grab both a laptop as well as a desktop, and I've found I can get both through Dell (I guess I could get a desktop replacement and blow all of it on an expensive machine, but my desktop is old and very loud).

To get down to it, I'd like to have 1gig of RAM, a 60+gig HD, and a 1.8ghz processor or better on a single core machine. Also the longer the battery life the better, as it'll see lots of its use away from home. Configuring this on the 6000 comes close to $1,100 with a 128 Radeon x300 graphics card. The m140 clocks in just under that price, w/out a free upgrade to 1gig RAM (Cheaper if I purchase through newegg), and without a dedicated card. I suppose I'll also add into the mix the E1505 with a 1.66 duo core processor, 512 RAM, and a 100gig HD. (These prices are constantly changing)

I suppose my decision right now mainly comes down to having that Radeon card or not, as I'm not really sure what the 6000 would support games wise (I'd play mainly FPS's and WC3). The machine won't be my primary machine as I'll be picking up a desktop as well, so what I'd really like is the one with the best portability and battery life. It will primarly be used for word processing, excel, researching, and an occasional game if need be. Suggestions are greatly appreciated

Also I'd love to wait until late spring / summer to purchase, but unfortunately I need to get rid of this money in order to maximixe my financial aid gain.

 

Hello Hutch! =)

If you want to atleast be able to play games the 6000 is your notebook. The graphics cars if pretty weak though. Battery on this machine is pretty good. Mine will takes me threw 4-5 hours of class on a regular basis running on battery. The 9cell is great to have and is a little cheaper purchases aftermarket on ebay.

The e1505 is the updated version of the 6000, currently they're is no gpu available for it. But one is expected to be available eventually. If you can afford to wait a bit, this will probably be your best option. I'm going to bet battery life will be even better on this machine. Although Core Duo machines do have the sleep issue.

The M140 would be your notebook if you want something small, light, and easy to carry around. The M140 has integrated graphics ofcourse, so it won't be any good for gaming.

To save money, get a low configuration of ram and upgrade after market by ordering from newegg.com or zipzoomfly.com. Many members have picked up they're machines even cheaper threw the Dell outlet.

If you would like to revisit your original 'What should I buy? FAQ' thread. I'm going to drop some more diverse recommendations in there for you. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=44407&page=2

 

Hi, I guess if your planning on playing games, and it sounds like you wan't a dell, then go for the E1505 with the X1400, when that comes out shortly. The X1400 will be able to play most newer games at medium settings just fine.

 

Thanks for the replys, this is a very helpful community.

I guess my problem is is that I probably don't need a huge hard drive, 1gig of RAM, and a dedicated gpu, but I like to have the option open to playing a few games. I'm starting to shift that way and just pick up a notebook with a 40gig HD, and 512 of RAM, while having a cheap xps desktop to play any games. If this is the case, it seems like the m140 would suit my needs better than the 6000, but how do the battery lives compare to each other?

 

I get roughly 4 hours of battery life on my XPS m140 with power settings set to max battery, 1/2 brightness and wireless and bluetooth on.

I highly recommend the m140, though I don't game with it.

 

when buying a laptop ..any laptop.. which config should i save for newegg? im gunning for 2gb ram, should i get a 1x256? and throw that one out?

what about harddrives? im gunning for 120gb