A VERY happy 9200 user

Two weeks ago I received my Inspiron 9200 in the mail and in my opinion it is the best computer I have ever seen.

Here’s my specs:
2.1 Ghz Pentium M
1 GB RAM
128 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
17" UXGA 1920x1200x32
60 GB 7200 RPM HDD
Intel Pro Wireless 802.11b,g
Dell Bluetooth
CD/DVD+-RW Drive
80 Whr battery
Carbon Fiber Quickset Cover
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So lets break it down.

Display - The screen on this computer is simply amazing, one of its major selling points. It is clear, crisp, bright, and of course, HUGE. Being able to stack 2 pages of a document side by side creates a large productivity increase, not to mention how great it is for DVDs. DVDs can be controlled by the convenient controls on the front of the computer or by remote with the Dell Media Experience if you purchased it. i don't really see much of this sparkly effect people are talking about... I can read text on the screen from 4 feet away without glasses (which i need). The screens contrast is highly adjustable, the lowest setting gives me more than an hour of additional battery life. The screen also seems very sturdy and hard to break.

Speed - The 2.1 Ghz M processor may not seem as fast as the P4 based on clock speed but it certainly is able to do things at the same speed, probably due to its larger L2 cache. I have a 3ghz P4 with HT desktop in my house and this laptops performance exceeds the desktops. The computer boots in under 45 seconds and can resume from hibernation in barely 7 seconds. Programs like Adobe Photoshop CS start very fast and web browsing with firefox is instant.

Graphics - I haven't played many mainstream games on this computer yet but I have played a few graphics intense games and the performance is stunning. If you've ever heard of a mmorpg called Neocron (also highly recommended), I never go below 60 FPS which is higher than most other people who play the game. This is at 1600x1200x32 with desktop spanning activated with another lcd running 1600x1200x32. Simply put, the graphics are amazing.

Sound - This laptop has a subwoofer, I wasn't sure how much this added to the sound until i tried turning it off, The subwoofer adds a lot to the experience. The speakers on this computer are also extraordinarily loud. As opposed to other laptop speakers, these babies can be set to be too loud. They are right up there with the Altec Lansing 5.1 speakers I have hooked up to it at home.

Cooling - This computer can really be a laptop -- and not burn your legs -- as it has a very advanced cooling system. If i put my hands up to fans it seems they are actually expelling cool air, and this is after several hours of constant use. I can not foresee this computer ever overheating.

Connectivity - This computer is equipped with 802.11bg and bluetooth, this more than satisfies my wireless desires. The Intel PRO Wireless card is very, very good. I opted against the dell card because I've seen them not do very well in other laptops. Previously, i connected to the wireless network in my home with a Linksys USB wireless adapter, a very well recommended adapter with great range. However, when I started this computer for the first time, not only could it instantly connect to my home wireless, but I could also see 5 more wireless networks I had never seen before. It seems the wireless card was able to see further than ever before. This was also true at various other locations. The 9200 also has some very good wired ports, DVI and VGA, 4 USB2, firewire, PCMCIA, digital out, s-video RCA component, practically everything you would ever need besides serial and parallel, which are gaining dust on my older computers. (It even has a SD card slot which I have yet to use)

Keyboard, touchpad: True, the keyboard could have been bigger considering the width of this laptop, personally I like laptop keyboards and this one is very nice for me. It is comfortable and very quiet, even after many hours of late night paper-writing. The touchpad is very responsive and has dual scrollbar-things (hard to explain).

Looks: Sure this computer is large, although it’s just has heavy as my old Inspiron 8100. As a desktop replacement, this makes sense and if you want a big screen it is very hard to make a computer that is less wide than its screen. I don’t find it a hassle to bring this computer to school and work and it would defiantly fit on an airline tray table. Other than that this computer looks great, it’s a whole new style for dell, not the black boxes of yesteryear or the blue computers of more recent times, but the computer is mostly silver except for the bottom and optional quickset cover. There were no pictures of the carbon fiber quickset on the dell website so I took a chance and purchased it. I made the right choice. It is a cool black/grey interweaved pattern that compliments this computer perfectly, it also serves a double purpose in giving the screen an extra layer of protection against the elements aka stuff in my backpack. I would post a picture, but alas, my digital camera is nowhere to be found [ ].

CDs, DVDs the like - I ripped a CD today with Winamp at 12X, that’s pretty cool. The burner can burn CDs very fast and with minimal processor usage, the last full disk I burned was done in about 4 minutes with Nero. The computer can also burn DVDs at 8x. It has double layer capability but I have no media with which to test this. I was able to burn a very scratched DVD+R disk in a short time and run it without problems in any of the DVD players in the house. I haven’t completely burned a disk so can’t really give you an exact number on the speed but trust me, its fast.

Mobility - When lacking AC power, the Dell quickset software takes over, changing my screen contrast, disabling unused wireless and wired network protocols, and telling my graphics card to slow down a bit for the battery’s sake. The battery life on the 9200 is great, about 5 hours with the screen at half brightness, which is great considering its screen size and power. There is more than enough to watch a DVD or two on a given plane ride or to last through most of a day of note taking at school without AC. The AC adapter has a nice compact design with a built in strap to keep it neat. The graphics card does slow down noticeably when quickset is allowed to do its thing however, Neocron runs at 30-40 fps on the one monitor which is a noticeable hit. However it is still more than enough performance for a gamer seeking to entertain himself on the way back from a LAN party.

Overall - I can not adequately convey how amazed I am at this product, I almost bought an Alienware until I was dissuaded by the negative reviews of their laptops on this very forum (thanks [ ]) and I am very happy I chose the 9200. I have not had a single problem with this computer and feel very secure with my basic 1 year warrenty. This computer is a processing machine that will last me at least 5 years – right through college, and if you are considering purchasing a laptop for use as a desktop replacement and mobile multimedia powerhouse, the 9200 is certainly the way to go.

woohoo

 

nice write up - i want one. perhaps dell has resolved the wuxga display issue :> do you notice any sparkling or distortion when viewing a white background with contrast set to high?

 

Nice! I hope I'm as happy with my i9200 (which is under the tree [ ] ) as you are. I will be upgrading to 2 gigs of memory later this year, until then I've only got 512.

Do you think it will haunt me that I got the 1.6 GHz processor? I knew I should have gotten the 1.8... Maybe it won't make that much of a difference. I can only hope.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Token 28

 

Good luck to you with your i9200. The computer I'm on right now is really turning to garbage so I'm counting down the days until I don't need to use this as my primary machine.

Hopefully the gaming isn't too bad. I really want to play UT2004 and Tribes: Vengeance and possibly World of Warcraft. The minimum requirements aren't very demanding but I want it to run smoothly.

Is there a way to safely overclock the processor in the i9200?

 

based on its apparently extremely good cooling system i would guess that its possible to overclock, although with I see no reason too at 2.1 ghz, im guessing it won't be much problem at 1.6, i mean if a 2.1 ghz pentium m performs at roughly the same level as a 3.2 ghz pentium IV.... its not like 1.6 will be much slower.

woohoo

 

That overclocking stuff is something I understand in principle and don't imagine I'll ever try....at least while the box is in warranty. Too gutless or too cautious. Anyway, can you overclock a proc that's meant to adjust its clock speed to the current demand? Dunno, I'm afraid. I personally agree (and hope) that the 1.6 probably won't be THAT much slower than the 2.1, especially for those of me whose gaming lust is limited to such underachievers as Myst IV, lol. If it blazes through the web and lets me multitask copiously, and the display is as nice as I imagine it will be, I'll be a happy camper. Good luck with yours and Happy Holidays!

 

Very nice work. However, I don't think that I am ready to trust Dell for build quality. Everytime I bought a Dell I have had problems right when I opened the box! Nice review though! [ ]

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