Buying a 9300 laptop from Dell - Advice needed

I'm looking for a new laptop to replace my Dell Inspiron 7000 that has a whopping 300MHz processor and 192MB ram. This Dell was given to me a few years ago by a friend (nice huh), but is severely taxed running XP and FireFox, and forget about games.

So I have been looking at a replacement and stumbled into this great forum where I plan to read many posts and reviews, but I have some questions about ordering from Dell and the 9300.

I mainly want a laptop that will run modern games, so the 9300 popped up with its ATI card options. It looks like it would do nicely as others here have reported.

Questions:
1. Dead/On pixels. I can't tolerate bad pixels. Are they common with Dell screens? Can a laptop be returned at no charge for having bad pixels?

2. I see Dell has coupons of all types, one right now for a $500 discount expires tomorrow. Is there any reason to rush to buy now, or are there always coupons? Will prices be even better in a week?

3. I really wanted to buy at Costco as they have a 6-month 100% return policy. Dell has a restocking fee. Has anyone returned a laptop they didn't like within the 21-day period for a full refund? Buying a laptop sight unseen is a little risky, although the reviews here certainly help.

4. There are two screen options for the 9300. Does anyone have strong opinions on one vs. the other?

5. Any other Dell buying strategies I should consider?

Thanks for any help.

Patrick

 

Bigfoot48,

In answer to all of your questions...

1) My friend and I have both order I9300's with WXGA+ screen and neither of us had any dead pixels. I believe their has to be a certain number to return it, unless you complain to Dell enough.

2) There are always Dell coupons, they come out about 1 every week to 2 weeks. They have a great :750: off a I9300 costing $1999 or above, which is well worth it.

3) If you go on other forums you will see how many people had returned their I9300 for some reason, not many people had to. If you complain to Dell enough you can get a refund but I think that its minus the restocking fee or whatever.

4) Personally, I like the XVGA+ it has a 1440x900 resolution with the non-gloss finish, some people prefer to get the WUXGA+ which has a high gloss finish and supports resolutions up to 1900X1200 (Native). I have heard alot of people love this screen and alot hate the glare. So it is a personal preference. The high-gloss looks like a CRT monitor in a sense of the high gloss finish.

5) When you place your order do a Dell chat with one of the sales reps and tell them you need it sooner. Ask them if there is any way that is possible. Many people get upgraded to next day shipping for free.

Oh, if you are good with computers I would suggest getting the minimum RAM and buying some yourself and installing it, it is alot cheaper that way.

If you have any other questions....fire away!

 

USAF, thanks for those ideas. I hadn't thought about using the higher discount (I was at the $500 one), but doing that allowed me to increase the processor to the top one AND reduce my net cost! The system shown below also includes a free color printer (that I don't need).

May not pull the trigger for this coupon cycle but the system looks good. Anyone know if an Affliate Coupon is a problem for us normal people?

 

You have received the following special offer from Dell*: Save $100 off select
Dell Dimension(tm) and Inspiron(tm) systems $1499 and up (before tax, shipping
and handling).
YOU MUST REDEEM THIS OFFER BY
December 21st, 2005
Your discount code is: $ZZP?H3MFK9V99
one time use

Here you can save an extra 100 dollars and anyone can use the affiliate coupon

 

You can use affiliate coupons!

 

I just got my I9300 yesterday:

With the WUXGA (gloss) screen, I have no dead pixels, but it does have a bit of light leakage from the bottom. It's only really apparent on a black screen, but may be something to consider. Personally, I like the gloss finish, and I'm glad I chose it. It was recommended to me to go to a local retailer to compare the screens, and I did just that.. BestBuy had one matte finish screen and many gloss.. the choice was pretty easy for me from there.

 

Congrats Lacessit how you enjoy your I9300. Like I said, some people love the Trulife, others don't...like I said depends on personal preference.

 

My suggestion to tell if you'll like the glossy vs. non glossy screen is to go to a computer store and compare them. If you like the glossy screens at a retail store, chances are that you'll like the truelife.

About the 21 day return, you have 21 days from date of shipment to return it. You are refunded the total cost - 15% restock fee & shipping charges. Unless you can prove that the laptop was defective or dell screwed up in someway, you'll have to pay the restock fee.

That's just standard dell policy, but we haven't had very many return the laptop on here. Most returns have been minor things that the user just did not like.

SG

 

I'm very glad I went with the gloss, and this model in general. It's great, and for my first notebook, I really don't think I could have done better.

 

I see in reviews and comments that

1. The keyboard is noisy. Click-clicking would be a problem where I plan to use it. Is this an issue?

2. Exactly how big is the "small" touchpad. The one on my I7000 is 1.75" x 2.5" (pad only). Is the 9300 smaller than this?

Thanks for the help.

 

1. It's NOT a silent keyboard, but I personally don't think it's a problem.. if you're looking for a nearly silent keyboard, this isn't it.

2. I think it's about the same (1.75"x2.5) but my notebook's not at hand so I can't measure. If you don't get an exact number by the time I get home (7hrs), I'll find out & get back to you.

 

and the answer is:1.75"x2.875" edge to edge, including arrows.

 

I have no problems with the key board noise level or the size of the touch pad. My screen looks awesome. I've owned dells since '98 and haven't had any problems with any of them. I was slightly disappointed in the backpack that I received-- thought it was a bit overpriced for what you get. it does have a ton of pockets for accessories but is a bit short on padding, IMO. I suppose I can use the padding that this came with-- but I think that it would be a little awkward

 

Thanks for those measurements. I went to Best Buy today to see the current crop of laptops including several with 17" screens and came to several conclusions:

1. The touchpads are all about the same size, so this is no longer an issue.
2. Separate keypads even on the 17" were few. In fact only found one. Another non-issue.
3. I will order the less-res, non-glare screen after viewing all (90%) the laptops which had the reflective screens. I noticed the LCD monitors were the exact opposite.
4. I forgot to check keyboard clicking but that's not a Dell-breaker for me.

Thanks for all the help. Plan to order tomorrow just in case one more coupon appears!

 

The keyboard is not noisy, the mouse pad is, it is clanking louder than anything computer clicking related.

 

Just abuse (not litteraly) the mousepad for a while and eventually the clicking should go away?

I know on my Sony the constant use of it (3+ years) ended up making it a quiet click.

Now that I think about it, I never really once saw a laptop that has a "quiet" mouse click.

 

Final? question before I order this Friday morning:

I was planning on getting the 100gig, 5400rpm drive for maximum space. But would performance be significantly better with a 7400rpm, but only 60 gig, drive? Trying to keep the dollars about the same.

 

There really isn't that much of a difference. I have checked out both and it is only slower when you are installing and even that is barely noticable.

 

Well, bought mine today. I want to thank everyone for their help. Here's what I ended up with: