8600 vs 9100

Which should i buy...i will be working with CAD and photoshop as an architecture major. Also, how do these processors stack up against one another

8600 with these specs:
15.4" SXGA+
1.8 GHz Pentium M
1 GB SDRAM
DVDRW CDRW
60 GB Hard Drive
64 MB NVidia GeForce FX Go5200 AGP 4 (Good enough?)
Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless
Microsoft Office 2003 Basic
$2334

I like this one because it is a little smaller and gets better battery life, though I will probably be plugged in most of the time

9100 with these specs:
15.4" SXGA+
3.2 GHz P4
1 GB SDRAM
DVDRW CDRW
60 GB Hard Drive
64 MB ATI Radeon 9700 AGP 8X
Dell Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless
Microsoft Office 2003 Basic
$2235

I like this one because more bang for my buck.

 

I just pulled the plastic out on the 9100 last night. The laptop should be getting in next week some time. The software that will be used on this machine will be Lightwave, Macromedia products and Adobe products. I am upgrading the memory to a 1gig once it arrives.
The 8600 looks tasty also, but I feel this should do the trick.

Inspiron 9100,Pentium 4 2.8GHz15.4-in. WUXGA

512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz for Inspiron
128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
60GB Ultra ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive for Inspiron 9100
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
4X CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R)
Dell Wireless 1450 DualBand (802.11a/b/g) Internal Wireless
True Mobile 300 Bluetooth TrueMobBluetooth,Inspiron 9100Card

 

The fact that you're in school leads me to recommend the 8600. It's more mobile and has better battery life for the times you need to be portable. Processor on the 9100 would be slightly faster, but not by a whole lot given you're configuring the 8600 with the new Pentium M Dothan. 1GB of SDRAM is a nice amount to have. I believe the 64MB Nvidia card will be fine for your needs, but the 9100 ATI Radeon would be given the edge in performance.

 

I am in agreement with abaxter in saying that the 8600 would be a better call for you. You will appreciate the battery and heat savings. I personally never a fan of the P4 in a laptop. It acts too much like a desktop processor, which isnt bad if you want a desktop; but when you buy a laptop you want mobility and mobility type performance.

I would also take the ATI over the NIVIDA card. Call it a preference, but ATIs just seem to perform a touch better latley.

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

 

I agree with d-ROC, the pentium 4 was never made for a laptop, and it just annoys me when people pass a p4 laptop as a cutting-edge machine. That's like putting a 8L V10 in a sports car and calling it "fine tuned" (*cough* Dodge *cough).
Rant aside, it helps me to simplify down to a few things

9100 is slightly cheaper, slightly better graphics chipset (way better if you only would get the FX in the 8600), slightly faster processor (but with HT)

8600 is more expensive, way better battery life, slower chipset, slower processor, but much more mobile.

Basically, if it is important to be able to take it places, the 8600 is the better choice.

Dell 8600
1.8 dothan SXGA+
128mb radeon 9600PRO TURBO
512mb RAM