9100 V 5150

Hi Guys

I need a notebook for work, I am not going to carry it around much so the weight would not be a problem. I need something with a dvd burner and reliable so here comes the question; which dell to buy 9100 or 5150 and which screen size and model XGA, WXGA,WXGA PLUS, WUXGA, SXGA? ( Keep in mind I hate small icons and fonts.
One more thing Is there a problem with the fan noise and heat with any of the two model?
I remember when I first got my Deminsion 8100 the fan was noisier than my frige until they changed it!

 

XGA is kind of the standard at 1024x768 resolution. The "W" represents widescreen. SXGA will have smaller fonts than XGA. UXGA will have smaller fonts than both. I remember someone on these message boards saying to never get uxga. On dells, or in general, i dont remember.

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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Whatever you do, DO NOT get the Dell 5150. Just by reading these boards, it should be apparent the problems with that particular laptop. It constantly overheats and the laptop is fundamentally flawed. The Inspiron 9100 is a good notebook but you are only looking at MAYBE 1.5 to 2 hours max of battery life.

I recommend the Dell Inspiron 8600. Battery life is 4 hours plus and it comes with Centrino technology.

 

Does it have to be dell? You may also want to look at:

Fujitsu
IBM
Acer
HP
Compaq

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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If it does have to be Dell, you might consider the 8600, which uses a PM processor so it will not be a hot, and will not require the fan as much.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

Ya if you don't have a outlet at all times, the 9100 is useless. Like Ramadoss29 said, depending on what your doing the battery life is at a dissapointing 2 hour max. But over all, the 9100 is a pretty solid machine. It's fast, eats any program you fed it and forunantly you dont mind weight because it is pretty heavy. Ive heard of people having problems with the UXGA along the lines of flickering and such, I have the SXGA+ and the 1680x1050 res. is nice and really sharp, games look pretty crisp on it.

Inspiron 9100- 3.2ghz P4 HT - 1gb RAM - 100GB HD - 4x dvd/cd burner -128mb ATI 9700. Too Much Computer for Such a n00b!

 

I would even get a refurbished 5100 just to avoid the 5150. There are a lot of horror stories going around about their poor airflow design. My sister owns one, and it hasn't hiccupped, but still...

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x256 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

I have a 9100 and I originally only had flickering when I would play games. But after I got the newest video driver, everything has been great. I really like my 9100. And about the weight, its not as heavy as you would expect...but I suggest getting a laptop backback (Mines from www.booqbags.com) as it doesnt feel as heavy because the weight is evenly distributed across your body.

 

Thanks every body for your help and comments it's greatly appreciated. I finally decided on the 9100 but in choosing some of the options I need your help:

- P4 3.0GHz, 15.4-in. WXGA OR P4 3.0GHz, 15.4-in. WSXGA+ OR P4 3.0GHz, 15.4-in. WUXGA OR P4 3.2GHz, 15.4-in. WXGA OR P4 3.2GHz, 15.4-in. WSXGA+ (Keep in mind I hate small fonts and icons)

64MB ATI™ OR 128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700 ( I am not gonna play video gamees on it)

- 60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive OR 60GB Ultra ATA 7200rpm Hard Drive

These are some of the options that I could think of ofcourse if you have anything more in mind that I should add to my order please feel free to suggest.
Thanks again for all the help [ ]

 

3ghz proc and lowest screen should be fine, stick with the 64 meg video, but spring for the 7200 RPM hard drive. This will give you the biggest overall performance boots, cutting a lot of time. Order with 256 megs of RAM, and get another 512 seperately. This will add up to 768, ideal for your purposes.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by CRM1712

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Andrew

 

so if u order it with 256, you will get 2 128's, you replace one of those with a 512 and you'll get 630...

Inspiron 9100- 3.2ghz P4 HT - 1gb RAM - 100GB HD - 4x dvd/cd burner -128mb ATI 9700.

 

Hello Ladies and Gents

It's me again thanks for all your info. As it stands now the lowest I can go memory wise is 512MB DDR 400MHz 2 DIMMs. To answer Mal I dont know which bag I get. so you think that the 64 meg video card is good?
One last question how long do you think it would be until I get my laptop if I order it on Monday or Tuesday? Is Dell usually on time on delivery? Fianally what is your opinion about the wireless networking options that come with the 9100s?

Many thanks for all your help [ ]