600m... a mini review.. Part 1

This was bought under the $750 off promotion.


Inspiron 600m,Intel Pentium M Processor 715(1.5GHz),14.1-in SXGA+,with 64MB Video
FREE UPGRADE! 512MB,266MHz, 2DIMM (from 256MB,266MHz, 2DIMM)
40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive for Inspiron 600m
Dell Resource CD Inspiron 600m
Generic Inspiron Dell Support
Inspiron Tools CD
Image Restore
Microsoft Windows XP Home Service Pack 2, English, for Inspiron
Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, for Inspiron
24X Combo DVD/CD-RW for Inspiron 600m
CyberLink PowerDVD v5.1, Decoding Sofware for DVD Drives,for Inspiron
Dell Wireless 1350 (802.11 b/g) Internal Wireless
No Security Subscription, Norton
Dell Jukebox powered by Music Match
53 Watt-hour Primary Battery for Inspiron 600m
AOL DHS
Dell/My Way Home Page
Broadband Icon for Inspiron
NETZERO ISP
Dell Photo Album Standard
Microsoft Enclyclopedia,2004 for Inspiron
WordPerfect Productivity Pack 12, English, for Inspiron
No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 Year Limited Warranty
Type 12- Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
Soft Contracts - DHS Home Sales
Technical Support, Initial Year
Money 2004 Standard Version for Inspiron
Dell Media Experience,v2.1, for Inspiron
$49 SHIPPING MAIL-IN REBATE 51110. Redeem within 30 days of ship at dell4me.com/rebatesreimburses shipping cost


Sub-Total $755.00
Shipping $49.00
Tax $0.00
Total Price $804.00
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Online Ordering was a breeze. I had three different windows going for 700m, 600m and 8600 as I couldn't decide. Ultimately I went for this one for the reason of portability + graphics.

So ordering experience, 9/10

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I got a confirmation immediately. It said that my order will be shipped by 29th of October. Then, surprisingly, it was shipped on 22nd and I got it on 26th. That's something against character for Dell.

Getting it. 9/10

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Alright. Lets get to the actual notebook now.

The boxing was done pretty well. Explained why it took them 4 days to do it.

Well, I'd been using an IBM T41 that my roommate owns for the longest of time, so when I picked my 600m up, first thing I thought was, "Damn.. it's heavy".. Well.. heavier is a better word. 600m is pretty light for similar laptops in the price range. Also I might add, that it looks pretty neat. I personally like the Silver external with blue trimmings on the inside. Only problem is that it feels extremely flimsy. The battery was wobbling while even being stuck in its place.. and the DVD drive space (if you take the drive out), seems to be slanted and not levelled. So when I put my drive back in, there seemed to be a little space on one side.

Looks : 8/10
Feel: 7/10
Build Quality: 5/10
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Now I notice that the battery comes in fully charged. So I turn on the laptop, and I have to go through a certain wizard to set up some things. After that I have to wait a while.. I mean a while.. so that XP can fully boot up.. honestly, Dell loads up A LOT OF CRAP on these computers.. I think every bit of that crap should be an option on their website..

Lots of CRAP : Just some stupidity on Dell's part.

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Anyway, I set up my home wireless and by now I've realised that it is pretty light. Also I realise that it does get kinda warm. The left side wristpad might be a problem for some people, for me it was keeping the darn thing on my lap. It was pretty hot for a Centrino.

Heating Problem: Definitely exists.

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Now I started uninstalling the software. OOh how much I regret not just reformatting the HDD. Firstly there are millions of things installed. Millions! Secondly, Norton refuses to be uninstalled. I had to search for a Norton uninstall help page. Couple of reboots and regfixes later, I had the Norton virus removed.

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I just found out that my computer is running at 599 MHz even when it's plugged in.. So I'll post the Part 2 of my review once I get rid of the messy applications.. and figure out to run my computer normally.

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So a summary of part 1

So ordering experience: 9/10
Getting it: 9/10
Looks : 8/10
Feel: 7/10
Build Quality: 5/10
Lots of CRAP : Just some stupidity on Dell's part.
Heating Problem: Definitely exists.

 

hey tantrix, thanks for this take on the 600m. The $750 off promotion and getting the 600m for $804 is a steal! I also got the 600m from Dell under this promotion and I can post some thoughts on it soon but to be honest I right now have 4 laptops in my apartment and haven't had the chance to give the 600m a good run, LOL! I just bought it because I want to use it and find out more about what kind of laptop it is and then sell it on eBay. I'll probably stick with my ThinkPad T40 as my main notebook.

I agree with your take that the 600m does feel slightly flimsy, but that's in comparison to the ThinkPad I have which costs twice as much so I kind of expected that. Please provide more feedback when you can or do a full review for the site (just send me an email if you want to do that).

 

Thats why I chose the D600, it has a METAL case rather than a plastic one, come standard with a 3 year warranty, and still has all of the positives of the 600m......minus that blue trim.

Nate[8]

 

That $750 deal was half of what I apid for my 600m last year. I shuold have waited.[ )]

Dell Inspiron 600m + PalmOne Zire71 + Sony-Ericsson T616 = Mobile Computer Consultant and Website Designer

 

I also bought the 600m during the $750 promotion. This is my first laptop, so I cannot do many comparisons. However, I do feel that it's quite big and heavy. Make me wonder how heavier those desktop replacement laptops are.

I agree with tantrix regarding the junk that Dell installed. It made the boot time really long. On the first day, I was busy uninstalling all the norton crap, and installing my own AV, sygate firewall, and Firefox. Now it boots up pretty fast.

One thing, the hard drive seems to be ticking at certain times. It made me worried, but the diagnostic tests didn't show anything. Is this a potential problem? There is a firmware patch on Dell's website, but when I run it using a bootable CD-ROM, it just reset the whole system. [?]

 

Could anyone ordered 600m tell me how weight the 600m w/CDRW combo is? Thanks. I saw someone said it's about 5.9lb, which way more than 4.6lb claimed by Dell.

 

well think about it. The 4.6 pounds is for a base unit. add a bigger hard drive, more RAM, wireless card, better video.. the weight has nowhere to go but up...

also i'm pretty sure that the stock programs add some weight also.. hehe.. think about that for a while.. software adding weight..