second opinion needed

i9300:
Win XP Pro
Pentium M 2ghz
1 gig ram
100gb hard drive
256 mb Nvidia go 6800
17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)
3Yr Ltd Warr,At-Home Service,and Tech Support plus Nights and Weekends
Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 3Yr Lim Warranty
...and Dell Bloatware
Total Price: $2,261.25 ($2396 with shipping and tax)

OR...

xpsgen2:
Win Xp Pro
Intel® Pentium® M 2ghz
1 gig ram
100gb hard drive
17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800 Ultra
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr)
3Yr Ltd Warr,At-Home Service,and Tech Support plus Nights and Weekends
Add CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to 3Yr Lim Warranty
.... Minus 80% of Dell Bloatware
Total Price:$2,831.40 (above $3000 with shipping and tax)

Can anyone tell me something that might justify paying the extra $600 for the xps or should I just stick with the 9300. At this point I just need it to be able to run 3d CAD and rendering programs and be able to handle battlefield 2 when it comes out.

Also if you think I might be able to get a better deal by waiting 2 or 3 months say so also.

thanks for your help

 

The main difference is the graphics card, the 6800 is considerably slower than the 6800 ultra. The 6800 ultra, flashy lights, and being able to customize the top does not warrant 600 extra bucks in my opinion. These could all be got way cheaper. 9300 also looks sleeker to me, like my 9200 [ ] . I would also wait to get one, Dell runs new promotions and deals every week and usually always have a sale on a holiday. I got my 9200 with 25% off, employer discount (12%), and free shipping. Just wait, the 9300 might be able to be configured and bought right now, but they won't ship until close to the end of the month and the XPS2 won't ship until next month.

*Dell Inspiron 9200, P-M 2.1ghz 400mhz FSB, 1 GB Ram 333mhz, 60gb 7200rpm HD, 128 ATI M Radeon 9700, XP Pro SP2, Wifi + Bluetooth*

 

Hey deathmojo, if you don't mind my asking, how often do you take your 9200 around (as in, transport it anywhere outside your house). i'm stuck deciding whether i can afford to go to a 17 inch'er and am a little scared away by it's possible lack of portability.

 

Right now i mainly use it around the house and school. I move it a lot around my house. For portability, its big, its 15.5inches long, about 12inches wide and 1.5 incches thick. So its slim. When i first got it, i didn't realize it would be that big. However, its not heavy for its size. About 8lbs. I do have to be more careful when picking it up, due to the size and weight, but i don't mind. Works great at school, just taking it out for classes or during breaks is no problem. You just have to be a little more careful. If you need to move around a lot, i would recommend a smaller laptop.

However, im a gamer and this system works GREAT for me! I play Unreal Tournament 2004 at 1200x800, settings maxed, and it runs flawlessly. Very little slowdown. I also LOVE the 17inch widescreen display. when i ordered they only had the sxga+ option but its still great at 1440x1200. Also, at this display text isn't microscopic as on the UXGA+ screen.

So it depends on your needs, for what i need it for its great. Being able to have a fast machine that can burn cd's/dvds, play games, watch movies and still being portable.

Also Adam, go to Circuit City or CompUSA and check out the 17inch laptops there, ask if they will let you pick it up and see how you like. Keep it mind most 17inch laptops weigh 10lbs+

*Note* This laptop WILL require a oversized laptop backpack or carrying case. Mainly the only downside for portability.

*Dell Inspiron 9200, P-M 2.1ghz 400mhz FSB, 1 GB Ram 333mhz, 60gb 7200rpm HD, 128 ATI M Radeon 9700, XP Pro SP2, Wifi + Bluetooth*

 

thanks deathmojo! appreciate the opinion!

 

all my prices are after rebates and student discount

 

Are those prices before or after rebates? I configured the same thing (except 60 GB 7200 rpm instead of 100 GB 5400 rpm) and the final price was around $2600 or $2400 with student dicsount. (talking about the XPS 2)

 

Still think the 9300 is your best bet as long as your not a harcore gamer that needs tons of GPU power. Also, the 9300 will have longer battery life. My 9200 gets about 4 hours if im just surfing the web and working on papers. I was playing Civ 3 with windows media player playing music and it lasted about 2 hours, thats with 60%dim and sound a very minimum.

*Dell Inspiron 9200, P-M 2.1ghz 400mhz FSB, 1 GB Ram 333mhz, 60gb 7200rpm HD, 128 ATI M Radeon 9700, XP Pro SP2, Wifi + Bluetooth*