Dell Notebook for College Student

I need to purchase a notebook for my son who will be a college student in the fall. I'm considering either the Dell Inspiron 8600, Inspiron 600m which have Pentium M, or Inspiron 5150 with the Pentium 4. I really don't know which one to get, however, I think Pentium M is probably the way to go. I would appreciate any recomendations. Thank you.

 

It really depends on what he wants. With the PM he'll get more battery life and generally a more portable unit. If he wants to do gaming or high end graphics work, he'll need something with at least 64MB dedicated video RAM. What's your budget, maybe we can give you more specific ideas.

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

 

The computer probably will not be used for high end graphics and hopefully not too much gaming. I was figuring that I would have to spend about $1300 or so, but will spend a little more if I have to. I think that the Dell Inspiron 8600, Inspiron 600m, and Inspiron 5150 all fit within that price range for 512 RAM, 30-40 GB hard drive, CD burner/DVD combo drive, MS Office, etc. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

My brother has a 600m and if I was still in college that's definitely what I would buy. It's just the right balance of size & performance for college student if you ask me.

Dell Latitude D505
- Pentium M 1.4 Ghz, 15", 512 MB, 40 GB

 

A PM is probably the best bet for a college student. I also second teh call for a 600m as I purchased mine last Sept. and have not looked back. Battery life would be better with a bigger battery, but I can get a little under two hours when I am playing music and designing websites so that is not too bad.

My other suggestion would be that you definitley make sure that you get whatever model with at least 512MB of RAM (memory). With that much, there will not be many times when WinXP would choke up.

Hope that helps.

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

 

Don't buy MS office from dell. You'll save a bundle buying the "students and teachers" version seperately, for about $120. That extra $180 could go to better hardware or completecare.

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

 

It is the same thing and basically all that you need to do is purchase from either the university where you attend, or through Dell educational end. They will ask for proof of you being a current studnet, such as a transcript and a photocopy of your ID, and then you are off to about a 50-70% savings on much of what you need for your computer.

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

 

I would appreciate it if someone could please tell me how one goes about buying the "students and teachers" version of MS Office? Also, is it the same as MS Office Pro with a discount for students and teachers, or is it a diiferent product? Thank you very much.

 

I got office 2003 for s&t at Costco, it shouldn't be that hard to find. It didn't ask for any proof when I installed it.

 

You might want to check with your son's university if they offer software packages. Many schools offer programs like Windows XP, or Microsoft Office for dirt cheap, even cheaper then Student Version of Microsoft Office. (some schools offer Office for 5$!!!)

I would check with the school's technology dept. to see if they have anything set up for students.

 

Also with the "Student and Teacher Edition" you can LEGALLY install it on a total of 3 computers. So find 2 friends, or your son can find 2 friends to split the cost of it (it usually runs for $120 I believe). But also look into what the school offers it at, price wise...

PS, I have the 600m and I love it! Yes it may be priced a lil higher then most but its a great laptop

Inspiron 600m
Pentium® M 1.4GHz // 14.1 inch SXGA+ // 512mb RAM // ATI 32MB Video // 30gig HD // DVD/CD-RW // ??? External Hard Drive // Burlwood Cover (gotta have that) // Wirelessly Connected // XP Home

 

you know that battery module will fit in place of CD/DVD module most dell laptops to provide another 2-2-1/2 hours of running time , you get about 7 hours. also the harddrive module will fit too.