Dell Inspiron? Dell still having problems?

Was wondering if Dell is indeed still having problems with manufacturing.

Just placed an order for an Inspiron 8600. Bought it with intent to be both a portable system and a desktop replacement (come on, 7.2lbs can't be THAT bad.).
Choose WSXGA mainly because the aspect ratio was 16:1 and the resolution of WSXGA just happens to have the same ratio. Figured it'd fit better than the WXGA.

Anyways I had a few additional questions. I did a bit of research on my own and here is what I've found out (and I'd love confirmation.)

I looked at a few benchmarks and it really does seem the Centrino is able to keep up with a P4 with a (roughly) 40-50% higher clock.

The Radeon 128MB Pro Ultra super edition in my Inspiron manages to keep up with the Radeon 9600 desktop version.

The hard drive is a high quality Hitachi 60MB 7200 RPM, and despite being 7,200 RPM it won't sound like a dying cat inside my laptop.

The weight, although it is 7.2 lbs, should be bearable for what I need to do. (I am purchasing a laptop backpack and I am a student *University of Florida*).

All-in-All this system is a good compromise between a true desktop replacement (see A64/P4C/Getting a thermal pad to prevent your laptop setting your lap afire) and a portable system.

I plan to use it for classes (in specific for coding and accessing/viewing PDFs/Power point on the go) and for some serious LAN gaming (UT2003/04, HL2, BF1942 etc.).

So the Inspiron seemed to be the best choice for me. I really didn't like the look/feel/size of the new Toshiba's with the 17" screen (that isn't a laptop!).

So my only concern is the quality of the laptop. I don't want the thing breaking down on me and I don't want to go through the hassle of tracking down a whitebox laptop, a Pentium-M processor or any other components (From what I've seen, you can't even BUY an external graphics card for a laptop).

I called Dell and they said I could extend my warranty anytime in the future. Which is nice, I think I'll keep my Dell for a year and sell it (if it's giving me any problems) or just order the warranty at the end of year 1.

 

hi. You are a level headed consumer no doubt. You are right that the 8600 is a good compromise of a portable laptop and desktop replacement, it's not as big as say the HP zd7000 or Toshi P25 but it's big enough for most and can be hauled from one location to the next...although taking it to a coffee shop and using a small table might prove challenging, but doable.

In buying a Dell I would recommend the extra warranty if you can afford it. I had problems with my Dell Inspiron 8200, still do in fact, the controller between the motherboard and hard drive is flat out not working and lord knows how it broke, but my warranty ran out and now it will cost $$$ to fix. I can also cite many other cases of people having problems with Dell laptops, but then of course many happy cases. In other words, best use protection of warranty instead of rolling the dice.

Oh, you're estimated on the Pentium M keeping up with the P4 are reasonable assuming you're plugged in. Many people will be surprised that a 1.6GHz Pentium M and above is a fast chip and despite much lower clock that it's Pentium 4 cousin, the difference in speed is negligible.

 

Thats a nice configuration of options you have there, and you certainly have done your homework. Right now, I use a Dell Inspiron 5100, bought back in June 2003. Its held up very well, no problems thus far (The Hard Drive in it is a bit noisier than I'd like, and its not 7200 RPM either. Another thing to look at is whether or not you'll be using the touchpad a lot (I'd expect you wouldn't, as you're using it for gaming) as the Inspiron touchpad isn't quite as good as that of the Thinkpads, or Presario's. Other than that, I'd say Dell's are a fairly reliable brand, but I think after this laptop I'll be trying another, just to experiment around a bit more. Good luck with your laptop.