Dell i6000

Hi,

I'm currently considering purchasing the i6000 (from Dell Canada), since I am able to configure the hardware the way I like it. But I have some questions to all the dell owners out there.

I've read about re-installing a clean copy fo WinXPPro on the system to get rid of all the bloat ware. My question is, when I choose the operating system am I supposed to choose:
" Genuine Windows® XP Professional (English) [add $150 or $4/month1]"

and then in the " Operating System Backup & Recovery Media" field

I should choose the " Genuine Windows® XP Professional backup CD (English) [add $10]"
instead of:
" PC Restore recovery system by Symantec [Included in Price]"

to get the WinXP Pro cd? I'm confused because it calls the disk a "backup". I wouldnt want to restore the system with all the junk. but what kind of extra software does come preloaded? i've always hated computers with extra software, but in the case of laptops things like power management is usefull.

Secondly, I've decided that I NEED to go with the ATI X300 video card. I'm most likely getting the 64MB version. But on the customization page it says the RAM is shared, is this only for the GMA900? I've checked on the ATI site, and it says the X300 comes in 3 flavours intergrated ram, 32MB, and 64MB. Which leads me to beleive that what dell claims as 64MB could really be 32MB discrete with another 32MB shared, and the 128MB version is 64MB discrete with 64MB shared. Anybody know whats going on?

Finally, can existing i6000 owners tell me what u find annoying or hate most about it? I want to see if those things would be annoying for me too, or just something I could live with.

sorry for a long first post that does nothing but ask questions. but i just really wanted to know before i order.

thnx.

 

Well.. first, you can buy WinXP Pro after market cheaper than that upgrade.. so, personally I'd recommend getting the cheap OS (WinXP MCE- is built of XP Pro) and upgrading to Pro later if you still want to. However, to answer your question- yes. You'll need to get the reinstall cd to match your OS.

Another note, however, is that I've been told you can request the CD's from Dell and not get charged the $10, you just have to contact via chat on their site and request them.

 

i have a 6000 with 1.73 ghz @ 533 mhz FSB, 512 mb ram @ 533 mhz, 100 gb 5,400 rpm, 128 mb x300 and i love it. in regards to the video card, the 64mb version is what they call "hypermemory" which is the 32mb discrete with 32 mb shared. the 128 mb version is 128 mb discrete with no shared. in some tests, programs recognize my video card as 256 mb which leads me to believe that maybe it is in fact hypermemory and sharing 128 mb from my ram but the games i play recognize it as 128 mb discrete. the x300 is very decent for the money because it's essentially a severely underclocked x600. using omega 2.6.83 drivers, it can be overclocked significantly with almost no heat gain. good bang for the buck.

what i hate the most about the 6000....well i had a satellite 5205-s505 where the volume control was a wheel in the front as opposed to the two buttons on the front of the 6000. i find that the volume buttons don't allow for small differences in volume. in general i don't particularly like the front buttons compared to my old toshiba but they're not bad.

something that is very strong about the system, though, is that i find the heat venting to be very good. i can put my hand to the far left and right of the keyboard and feel the cold air coming out of the system. and don't worry, the fans are very soft and you can't really hear them.

 

I actually just got an Inspiron 6000, and I must say I am very pleased with the system. I have run an extensive Matlab program on it that takes up a lot of the processor and memory resources, while having Excel open and music playing and it runs without a hitch! As was said by ejn63, if you are a hard core gamer, go for a notebook with a better graphics card like the Inspiron 9300. Or wait a little bit as Dell's notebooks should be updated soon from what I have seen. I do have the ATI Radeon X300 card though, and it doesn't perform well. I can play some less demanding games at the highest setting. I have also played Quake 4 and Doom 3 at high quality and a resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels, and it has worked fine, as long as I keep it cool. I have only had the notebook for a few days, so I can't really say much about the reliability although it has worked excellent so far! What it comes down to is what you are planning on using the laptop for. If you are planning on running any extensive applications such as programming languages, running programs, CAD, gaming, or photo editing, I would definitely recommend putting the specs on this computer as high as you can. It really is a great machine though! Hope that helps you a bit... let me know if you have any more questions.

 

Did anyone have problem with their new Dell 6000 wireless so far? The signal pick up good?

 

The techonology has worked great for me. We have a Comcast wireless Router in our house and it picks up the signal anywhere. It actually picks it up better then the USB adaptors that Comcast gave us! As far as picking up signals from public places I could not tell you, I haven't tried that yet.

 

Geez! Now I'm also torn between the Asus Z70Va and the Asus A6V and the i6000. All seem to be quite decent spec'd and since i'm not a hardcore gamer, any non GMA GPU would probably suffice.

In my situation, I'm buying a laptop because I'll be going to Korea for 1 year, and then probably China after. So I'm looking for a good warranty. That accidental damage warranty from Dell seems SOO tempting. they will fix/replace parts even if its from my accident! Asus on the other hand specifically states, no accident, and there is not really a warranty upgrade.

Has anybody had to give Dell's warranty a good try? is it as dependable as the site says it is? i'm gonna be dealing with children so i would want a good warranty.

I wish I could find i6000 so I could actually feel it and see everything for myself. I'll need to go to the store to check out the Asus.

 

If you are not a gamer, I would say that the Inspiron 6000 is an awesome choice. i also looked at the Asus z70Va when I was getting ready to purchase a laptop, but i went with Dell because I used a $750 off coupon so I got the system for a good price. The only thing I l like better about the z70Va is that it has a better graphics card. I was the same way as you when I was looking for a notebook too.I was trying to find the i6000 to look at it but I couldn't find it anywhere. I must say the system looks a lot smaller in person, and it is not a big notebook at all, and you can configure it to be a high performance machine. I will actually be taking my i6000 to school back and forth a lot and I am not worried about it being too bulky at all. i haven't tested Dell's warranty though yet, and I am hoping and thinking that I won't have too. Let me know if you have other questoins about the i6000. I looked into it quite a bit before I bought it.

 

if i had the $750 off, i woulda got one too.

 

I love my 6000. I've had it for about 4 months and it works great. I also did the clean install you were talking about earlier- definitely worth the effort. I can't think of anything that bothers me about the system, I've had absolutely no problems with it at all and found nothing that annoys me about it. I got the lowest priced wireless technology and it works like a dream; I was able to pick up a usable signal from my router at about 75 yards away.