10/19 50% off Dell Inspiron Laptops

[CostaRicaBill]

Hey guys help me out, I know almost nothing about laptops and want to take advantage of this deal. Will be using for pokering and some graphic design, what do you think about these specs.

Dell Inspiron 8600 - Total w/shipping = $1461
- Intel® Pentium® M Processor 725(1.60A GHz/400MHz FSB)
15.4 WUXGA
- 1GB,333MHz 2 DIMM
- Video Card/64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5200 AGP 4X
Graphics
- 60GB Hard Drive at 7200RPM
- 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R)
- 72 WHr Primary Battery

Also, does anyone recommend the 700M? I like the looks of it but have heard talk of manually installing hard drives and what not which I don't really want to do. Thanks!

[johnnycakes]

[ QUOTE ]

Dell Inspiron 8600 - Total w/shipping = $1461
- Intel® Pentium® M Processor 725(1.60A GHz/400MHz FSB)
15.4 WUXGA
- 1GB,333MHz 2 DIMM
- Video Card/64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5200 AGP 4X
Graphics
- 60GB Hard Drive at 7200RPM
- 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R)
- 72 WHr Primary Battery


[/ QUOTE ]

I just bought an I8600 a week ago, so I've been through this.

Downgrade that RAM. Dell definitely overcharges for that.
I just bought a 512MB piece of Kinsington for $77 (after rebate) for my I8600. So, I would upgrade to 512MB 1 piece for $45 and look for another 512MB piece for around $75 (sometimes you can find them for less). That's $120 total for 1GB upgrade compared to Dell's $225 upgrade price.

That WUXGA will be great for poker, but I hope you don't plan to do a lot reading...

Also, IMHO, if you have a desktop, the DVD burner isn't worth it. You can get a much faster burner for your desktop for less. I'd get the CD-RW (cause it's only $35) and upgrade the video card with that money.

Johnny.

[cjromero]

I want to take advantage of this deal, but I am confused about which model to get, and what upgrades. I know nothing about computer hardware.

I will primarily use the computer for playing poker (multitabling), surfing the Internet, and perhaps watching movies on the DVD player.

Is the 8600 the one to get? If so, what specs are most appropriate on a cost-benefit analysis?

[Lost Wages]

The 128MB video card is only a few bucks more. Don't forget the intergrated wireless.

Lost Wages

[joeboss]

anyone know if this is available to canadians?

[Lost Wages]

I noticed that for the Pentium M processor speeds they jump from 1.6ghz to 2.0ghz for an extra $310. How much of a difference is this in P4 terms, and is it worth it?

Mmm...dunno. For poker you don't need much processor. I have a 1.5ghz and it's fine. Consider your other uses.

Also, what is the difference between WXGA, WSXGA, and WUXGA?

Link. Click "Help me choose" on the processor/display choices. You'll want WUXGA for 4-tabling. For other uses you can bump it back to 1280x800 where it looks fine.

Lost Wages

[hoyaboy1]

I might 4 table a little, but not very much. I am basically just buying this laptop because bringing my desktop to Spain with me for study abroad will be too much hassle.

So, which display would you recommend? I'm not a fan of really high resolutions and small print, but I don't mind having the option if I want to 4 table occasionally.

Also - warranty wise, anyone know what type of coverage I'd have in spain? Thanks.

One more - the default is the 72 whr battery - should I get the additional 48 whr for the modular bay?

[GottaDeal]

Hello all. This is Brad from GottaDeal.com (the site posted in the original message). I saw the hits from this thread and decided to stop by. This is pretty much the best laptop deal we've ever seen, so if you are considering it, you won't be able to do much better anytime soon.

If you are clueless about the technlogy aspects, feel free to post in our forums as we have quite a few knowledgeble folks who are more than willing to help you decide on a model and a configuration for whatever your needs are.

Thanks,

Brad @ GottaDeal

[Seether]

Is this an instant rebate or do you need to mail something in?

[jmark]

[ QUOTE ]
forgive my ignorance, but can you explain how this is possible? i'm embarassed to be a cs major that knows nothing about computer hardware.


[/ QUOTE ]

From the Intel website it looks like the much larger cache plus some optimizations make it possible:

2MB power optimized L2 cache
Enhanced register access manager and Enhanced data pre-fetcher allow higher performance due to reduced off-chip memory accesses, more efficient register management, and the increase availability of valid data in L2 cache.

Strained silicon process technology allows more frequency headroom for higher performance.

Power optimized 400 MHz processor system bus, Micro-Ops Fusion & Dedicated Stack Manager enable faster execution of instructions a lower power.