Dell Inspiron 6000 First Thoughts Review (pics, specs)

by Andrew Baxter, New York USA

The Dell Inspiron 6000 is Dell's first notebook to be released that includes the latest Intel Sonoma platform. The Inspiron 6000 is a 15.4" widescreen notebook that best acts as a desktop replacment since it weighs about 7lbs. With a price of around $1500 when configured with a Pentium M 730 1.6GHz processor, this notebook offers decent performance to cost ratio, but the look and build is rather underwhelming overall.

Dell Inspiron 6000 (view larger image)

Specs:

• Processor: Intel Pentium M 730 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB)
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (SP2)
• Memory: 512MB, DDR2 400MHz (256MB x 2)
• Battery: Standard 6-cell.
• Screen: 15.4" Wide-screen XGA (1280 x 800)
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 w/64MB-128MB shared video
• Hard Drive: 40GB (4200 RPM)
• Optical Drive: 24X Combo DVD/CD-RW
• Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 (802.11b/g) internal wireless
• Ports: PCMCIA Type II PC Card slot, microphone jack, headphone jack, Secure Digital slot, FireWire port, Ethernet port, Modem port, S-video TV-out connector, 4 USB 2.0 ports, AC adapter connector

Design and Build

I not too long ago reviewed the Dell Inspiron 700m mobile notebook. When I opened up the Inspiron 6000 I could only think "my gosh, this looks like a 700m bloated and on steroids." Seriously, the design and look is exactly the same as the 700m except it's of course twice the size. Overall I'm not too thrilled with the look. The white trim around the edges looks kind of chintzy up against the rest of the silvery colored notebook. It's also painfully obvious the construction is one of plastic when looking at this notebook, there's no need to tap the case to find out this is no rugged magnesium composite case.

The build is not terrible however, the lid of the notebook appears to give good protection to the back of the screen. I pushed in on the back of the lid and it was tough enough to preventany ripplesfrom appearingon the LCD screen. With some cheaper notebooks you'll find pushing in on the back of the lid reveals a very thin protection layer and ability to see where your finger is actually applying pressure from the back.

The silver finish also looks fairly scratch resistant and not prone to the paint coming off. I've seen some disastrous results with HP notebooks losing their paint and becoming scratched very easily, the paint finish on this notebook is different to what I see with HP and one that I know is more durable to resisting scratches.

Dell Inspiron 6000 above view of lid (view larger image)

Oh, and the "Inspiron" branding placed on the lid is kind of tacky looking, I could have done without that.

Ports and Buttons

The Inspiron 6000 provides your basic array of ports. Let's take a tour around the edge of this notebook to see where each port and hardware button is located.

Left side of Dell Inspiron 6000 (view larger image)

On the left side is the CD-RW/DVD combo drive. You can configure a DVD burner if you like or various other optical drive options. The little gap to the left of the DVD drive is a security slot for locking down your notebook. Next to that is the fan output.

Back side of Dell Inspiron 6000 (view larger image)

On the back of the notebook we have the ethernet and modem ports on the far left-hand side (as shown in this picture). Next there are two USB 2.0 ports and an S-Video TV out port. In the middle at the back is a monitor output connector and then next to that is the AC adapter connector. On the right-side in this picture you see more vents to keep the notebook cool.

Right side of Dell Inspiron 6000 (view larger image)

On the right hand side you have a PC card slot located at about the middle. Next to that are the headphone and microphone jacks. Below the audio jacks is the Secure Digital card slot, a nice option for easily transferring your digital camera images or MP3 files if you have a device that uses such a memory card format, it's really too bad Dell didn't make this a multi-card reader as a lot of people use Compact Flash and Memory Stick flash memory storage formats. We also have two more USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port on the right side towards the back.

Front side of Dell Inspiron 6000 (view larger image)

On the front of the notebook we have two speakers on either side. In the middle you can see the hardware shortcut buttons for quick multimedia operations. From left to right they perform the following function: Mute sound, decrease sound, increase sound, play DVD/CD, skip back CD track, skip foward CD track, Stop.

I'm disappointed Dell did not include the latest Express Card slot on this notebook -- after all they are supporters of this new card standard and yet they've gone with the legacy PCMCIA slot, better would have been to include both Express Card and PCMCIA. Oh well.

Processor and Performance

So far my experience with the Inspiron 6000in measuring performancehas been mostly perception and not via benchmark. Perception wise it's certainly a snappy machine for using everyday applications such as Internet Explorer, Windows Mediaand OfficeApplications...but then againa budget Celeron processor can handle such things without a hiccup.The Pentium M 730 1.60 GHz processor with 533MHz FSB/915GM-chipsetisn't noticeably faster than the older 1.60GHz processor with 400MHz FSB/855GM-chipset on my IBM ThinkPad T40 when using the notebook. But running a simple application that times how long it takes the processor to calcuate Pi to 2-million digits of accuracy does give away the fact the Intel Pentium M 730 is faster than the Intel Pentium M 725 in my ThinkPad T40, here are the results of the IBM ThinkPad T40 (with 1.60GHz Intel Pentium M 725) versus the Dell Inspiron 6000 (with 1.60GHz Intel Pentium M 730).

IBM ThinkPad T40 (Intel Pentium M725): 2m23s (143s)
Dell Inspiron 6000(Intel Pentium M 730): 2m6s (126s)

Do the math 100.00 - 100.00 * (126 / 143) = 11.89% difference

So the Pentium M 730 running at the same clock speed as the older Pentium M 725 appears to achieve a slightly better than 10% performance edge in pure processor calculation speed. I haven't tested graphics performance yet, but Intel claims a 93% performance gain with the Pentium M 730 over the Pentium M 725.

To view other notebooks and how fast they calculate Pi to 2-million digits and post your own stats, please visit our popular forum topic "Let's measure our notebook speeds".

Screen

The screen for the Dell Inspiron 6000 is a 15.4" widescreen (1280 x 800). Widescreen is becoming more and more popular these days, the Inspiron 5160 that the 6000 should eventually replace, was not widescreen so we continue to watch the migration away from standard screens to widescreens. Indeed, some people lament that sometimes they have trouble finding a notebook they want without widescreen, an odd scenario when notebook manufacturers continue to tout widescreen as if it were a unique feature.

Personally I find widescreen great for the viewing of spreadsheets and movies, sometimes for wide websites (ahhem, such as looking at the Dell.com website with their "choose a notebook layout") it's good too. For gaming widescreen can sometimes muck with the display and little benefit is gained by having a wider screen for such things as email programs or Word documents.

The Inspiron 6000 brightness is decent, the Inspiron 700m is much better and the Toshiba Satellite M45 I took a look at this week has a much better screen than the Inspiron 6000. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with the screen. I've seen much better from Dell and certainly the Sony XBrite and Toshiba TruBrite screens are better than what the Inspiron 6000 offers up. I'm also finding that on white screen areas the display has sort of a dirty and distracting look, much like what has been complained about on the Dell Inspiron 9200 WUXGA models. Some also have described this effect asbeing able to see "sparkles" that cause a greyish look when it should be pure white.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Dell Inspiron 6000 keyboard view (view larger image)

The keyboard on the Inspiron 6000 is standard in its configuration -- no weird button arangements, which is a good thing. It's plenty big enough and easy to type on. Complaints would be there is minor flex of the keyboard (although not bad at all, much better than other Dell's I've used) and some people will find the keys are kind of light to the touch. The major problem I have in typing with this notebook to be honest is the fact it's quite a thick machine. You have to raise your wrists a bit when the notebook is on your desk due to the fact the notebook base is thick and if you use it to type for hours on end, I think aching wrists might become a problem. A thin and light laptop or even a thinner laptop of the same size (such as the Toshiba Satellite M45) offers a more comfortable typing experience for the wrists.

The touchpad is decent and a good size on the Inspiron 6000. I much prefer a trackpoint/pointing stick as all IBM ThinkPads come with. Touchpads are a challenge to use a lot of times because you don't have total control of the cursor and it's easy to accidentally brush the touchpad while typing and find the cursor where you don't want it. The scrolling areas on the touchpad are appreciated, they allow you to quickly run your finger over this area to scroll up and down or right to left on a web page or within an application viewing area. Since this is a desktop machine, you'll want to get a mouse for easier navigation of the cursor and graphical user input.

Battery

With a rudimentary battery drain test of going from full charge to forced shut-down and hibernation at 5% batter the Dell Inspiron 6000 achieved 2 hours and 56 minutes of battery life on the standard battery under the following conditions:

1) Wi-Fi on
2) Screen Brightness full and forced on
3) Machine idling with no programs being used

These results are actually quite good for this style notebook and beats the pants off of the Toshiba M45 that achieved 1 hour and 27 minutes of battery life under the same conditions.

More to Come

We'll have a full review of the Dell Inspiron 6000 in the coming weeks and more insight into how the latest Intel Pewntium M processor stacks up on performance!

Pricing and Availability

 

Not even close to inspiring, a real shame. If Dell hadn't been building their brand so much over the past several years, with this kind of quality, they'd be struggling to stay in business.

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

 

yes, yes battery life tests. i'll post some of those numbers over the weekend...or at least by Monday. promise!

i didn't time it today, but it seemed like the i6000 was alive longer than the M45 before it shut down due to low battery.

 

I'm almost afraid to ask, seeing how Toshiba M45 has amazed us, but I am interested in the battery life of Dell 6000. On the other hand, it should be fairly quick to test if Dell is to repeat Toshiba's feat.[ ]

 

Not THAT bad, but could be better. Sonoma has so far been a complete letdown, I think. I hope it gets better when the real good ones come out, and they feature EVERYTHING of sonoma, not selectively ddr2 and expresscard or something like that. I hope AMD answers...(not Turion, I havent heard of it supporting any of the ddr2 and pci-express...only they next one in 06 with dual core).

By the way, you got a review in before CNET did, thanks, good info, but too bad the laptop isnt that great.

 

would be interesting to see some graphics benchmarks. everyone is curious how the intel 900 media accelerator handles dx8 and dx9 games. we all know it isn't going to run doom3 well, but what about something less demanding like the hl-2 demo or UT2004?

 

hmmm, i don't mind the looks too much, i kind of like it . oh well. anyways i was thinking of actually buying the Dell inspirion 6000, the 700m or the HP DV1040us. any thoughts of this? i think the hp might be dropped out because its HP.

anyways a couple questions if somebody could please help me out here. Thanks in advance!

1. Is it too early to buy the inspirion 6000? i see that it is the first sonoma laptop to be released, so should i wait out for all the bugs to be fixed? or for better components to get the most out of the sonoma processor?

2. I really love Toshiba's TruBrite and Sony's XBrite screen technology, with the glossy bright finish on the screens. Is there an upgrade possible for the inspirion 6000? it says $100 extra for the SXGA UltraSharp upgrade on Dell'
s site. Is this Dell's version of the TruBrite? Because i know the 700m has the glossy finish, but it doesn't call its screen UltraSharp. It calls it crystal clear.

3.Is there a major difference between sxga and a regular xga screen? i've never used an sxga screen, so i just don't know if the extra 100 dollars is worth the upgrade. The most important thing is that i want the glossy brighter screen.

4.Should i get the extra 9cell battery upgrade? Or shoudl the 6 cell be sufficient for moderate task usage...word processing?


5. Should i just drop the HP DV1040us out of my choices? All i have been hearing about HP is cheap quality, but i really like the overall design.


Thanks!

Ellis

 

hey Ellis, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can:

1) The Inspiron 6000 has the new fast DDR2 memory supported by the Sonoma chip and there's little chance of problems with the processor (if there were there'd be a recall anyway) so you won't get burned buying in early on a Sonoma. The only thing the i6000 doesn't have that should be part of all new laptops (imho) is the Express Card slot.

2) the i6000 is screen is NOT THE GLOSSY BRIGHT type, it is not equivalent to XBrite/TruBrite and there is no option for such a thing for this laptop.

3. SXGA is simply a higher resolution than XGA so you will see more on the screen, but text will of course be smaller. I prefer SXGA personally. But it's sort of a personal preference type of thing.

4. Get the extended battery if you think you'll be away from a power outlet a lot with this machine, this might be something to wait and buy later.


5. I wouldn't drop looking at the HP dv1000, it's a popular machine that most owners seem to like fairly well and although I haven't used it, I'd certainly be interested in trying one out/buying one if I didn't have enough laptops already [ ]

 

Thanks a lot for answering my questions!

Sorry just about the Dell screens it says that in the options for screens:
  
Display
Help Me Choose 
15.4 inch WXGA LCD Panel
15.4 inch UltraSharp WSXGA+ LCD Panel [add $100 or $3/month1]
15.4 inch UltraSharp WUXGA LCD Panel [add $150 or $4/month1]

So its only SXGA upgrade then? Because i'm not too picky on having mroe pixels on the screen. But i also found some websites that state that UltraSharp is Dell's equivalent of XBrite or TruBrite.

From guide-to-laptops.com:
How bright is the screen? Many manufacturers offer screens with superior brightness, high contrast, and wider viewing angles to provide sharp and vivid images. Examples are:

* Sony - Xbrite
* Toshiba - Trubright
* Fujitsu - Crystal View
* Dell - UltraSharp
* HP - Brightview

ARGH! but you are right, that getting that glossy screen is not an option, as i found this:

My laptop just arrived and I must say that I am very disappointed with the
screen quality. I upgraded to the top of the line WUXGA Ultrasharp screen,
expecting something to rival Fujitsu's Crystalview or Sony's xBrite quality
but it looks like a regular XGA screen.

If you are considering a DELL do not upgrade to Ultrasharp. It's not worth
it.


So basically, i can't have my glossy finish. ARGH!

So should i worry about HP? Is the general consensus that HP is all right? Because i'm on student loans, and the last thing i need is my comp screwing up.

Thanks a lot btw for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

Does anyone know, when Dell is going to include express card in inspiron 6000

 

Ultrasharp refers to the higher resolution and doesn't reflect the brightness of the screen as the others you mentioned do. Maybe Dell should come out with Ultrabright?

We have a HP DV1040 at work and the screen is definately brighter; however, the resolution is much lower than the WSXGA and the WUXGA. I also find the glossy finish to be distracting in a well lit environment as it reflects light quite a bit. The mirror effect is distracting to say the least. The HP screen is fantabulous for watching movies in a darker room though. I would imagine the other "bright" screens are similar - at least all the ones I saw at BB were of the reflective variety.

I have to agree with the grainy assessment of the Ultrasharp monitor but it works for me in an office environment. Perhaps the dimmer screen will be a bonus for battery life too. [ ]

 

that site guide-to-laptops.com is wrong, Dell uses "crystal clear" as their indicator of a glossy screen, such as on the 700m. The UltraSharp indicates resolution. Again, the i6000 does not have a glossy screen.

 

Question for ya:

Why the exposed multimedia buttons? Does the machine work well with the lid closed and just playing music? All the machines I've used have had "hidden" buttons for lack of a better term...and they start hibernating once I close the lid?

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I hope I'm not as disappointed as it appears you are considering my 6000 is "in the mail" so to speak.

I admit that the case could be a bit more stylish (like a G4--nice and clean), and the colors could be a bit more conservative for my liking.

But, I think I will prefer the non-glossy screen. I work is many different environments and the reflective properties make it distracting to me when viewing the screen.

I did upgrade to the WSXGA+ screen and purchased a 9-cell battery in addition to the standard 6-cell it comes with.

We'll see how it turns out.

 

For those of you that asked about and are interested in battery life on the Inspiron 6000, good news, it's much better than the Toshiba Satellite M45:

1) Wi-Fi on
2) Screen Brightness full and forced on
3) Machine idling with no programs being used

2 hours 56 minutes from 100% to forced hibernation at 5% battery

The Toshiba got 1 hour 27 minutes under the same conditions

 

Was your battery test with the 6 cell or 9 cell battery. I didn't see the battery type in the specs.
Thanks

 

the battery used is the standard 6-cell battery that comes with the i6000.

BargainPDA.com | SpotStop.com | TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Does anyone know when Dell is going to palce dedicated grafic cards i Inspiron 6000? I need to buy a notebook, and the Inspiron 6000 is what I want, but the only thing is the integrateds grafic card.

 

The last we head was March.

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

 

Have you received your 6000 yet? I still have a few days to decide on getting the 6000 versus keeping my DV1000. What I like about the 6000 is the WUXGA option. However, I feel that the trade off will be less portability secondary to weight. I like the light weight of the DV1000. I am considering the following configuration. Would you get rid of the DV1000 for this? I will be carrying this computer daily.


Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 6000 Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60GHz/533MHz FSB) Intel® Graphics TM16UN [221-5491] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home WHXP [412-0689][420-4766][463-2282][420-4928][412-0408][420-5101] 11
Display 15.4 inch UltraSharp WUXGA LCD Panel 15UXGA [320-3895] 2
Memory 512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms 512MB2D [311-3707] 3
Video Card Integrated Intel® Media Accelerator 900 Graphics INTVID [320-4233] 6
Hard Drive 60GB Hard Drive 60GB [341-0966] 8
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem INTNIC [430-0493] 13
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
Combo/DVD+RW Drives 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive with Sonic RecordNow 24COMBO [313-2570][430-1050] 16
Wireless Networking FREE UPGRADE Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 5 IP2200P [463-7348] 19
Bundle Software Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® ICOREL [412-0714] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS [412-0755] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 26
Battery 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (80 WHr) 9BAT [312-0275] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr Technical Support ST111RR [950-9057][950-3337][950-3550][412-0361][960-2780] 29
Dial-Up Internet Service 6 Months EarthLink Internet Access Included ERTHLNK [412-0584][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging Paint Shop™ Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0744] 38
Dell Media Experience Dell Media Experience™ DMX [412-0706] 115
TOTAL: $1,186.00

Titanium...The metal of choice.


DV 1000
1.7 GHZ
512 MB RAM
80 GB 5400 HD
Brightview WXGA
Intel Wireless B/G
Linksys WRT54G Router
Comcast Cable Modem
Palm Tungsten C

 

I just did something impulsive. I am sending my DV1000 away for the Inspiron 6000. I need more that WXGA secondary to resolution. A colleague of mine has the 8600 with WUXGA and there is a MAJOR difference in screen resolution of what I am viewing. I realize that I am now adding 2 lbs of extra weight but it is killing my by looking at the pixelated screen. I hope I made the right decision for myself. I will find out in 10 days if this works out for me.

Titanium...The metal of choice.


DV 1000
1.7 GHZ
512 MB RAM
80 GB 5400 HD
Brightview WXGA
Intel Wireless B/G
Linksys WRT54G Router
Comcast Cable Modem
Palm Tungsten C

 

hello,

Just wanted to know will they be any performance increase if i use 1gig of rams compare to 512mb on a Ins. 6000.

I am planning to buy this to run applications like photoshop and illustrator.

Thank you in advance.

 

Hi Wliat,

Memory is underlying component which contributes to the overall computing power of a computer, generally you would want more of these to have a better computing experience. 256 MB is good for average use such as document editing, browsing the web or watching movies on your notebook. However if you’re one who does quite a bit of gaming or multimedia editing, 512 MB should be enought.

 

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

 

Hey, normally built in video cards are "lower end" so to speak, even though some of the built in video cards now can almost rival that of a 128 mb video card...from what I gather. However, such "built in"'s so to speak rely on computer memory through the means of RAM for increased performance. My personal opinion would be to definately go with a separate video card as you will likely see increased performance over that of built in video graphics.

 

Would upgrading the memory take care of that issue? Say, 768 MB or 1024?

"It's Doctor Evil. I didn't go to Evil Medical School for 6 years to be called Mister." (Dr. Evil, Austin Powers 1997)

Dell Inspiron 6000
1.6 GHZ Centrino (Sonoma)
WUXGA 15.4" WS
512 MB RAM
60 GB HD
Wireless B/G
DVD/CD-RW
--
Still looking for a case....
---
Palmone Tungsten C/WIFI

 

It would definately help, that's for sure, and you'd see increased performance in your other applications that way...because it would have extra memory to work from.

 

Are there any heat or noise issues with the Inspiron 6000?

My Toshiba M35X-S161's fan goes on for 10 secs EVERY few minutes, even if I'm just surfing the net...

 

[ ] ON THE WAY!! [ ]

I6000,PM 750(1.86 GHZ)
LCD,15.4,WSXGA+,I6000
1GB,DDR2,400MHZ,2 DIMM,I6000
128MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X300,I6000
60GB HARD DRIVE,7.2K,I6000
WINDOWS XP PRO,SP2,ENG,INSP
INTEGRATED NIC AND MODEM
24X COMBO - DVD/CD-RW,I6000
INTEL PRO/WRLS 2915,802.11A/B/G,I6000
53 WHR,6-CELL,LION,PRIM BATT,I6000
1YR LIMITED WARRANTY
INT 350 BLUETOOTH WRLESS,I6000

$1483.01 (inc tax/shipping)

I'm a bit disappointed they have the new 533 FS bus & use 400 DIMMs [V]

 

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

 

I just ordered a I6000 as well... I was wondering if anyone knows exactly what type of ram this thing uses? I see DDR2 400mhz... but is that PC-2100 or what? or is that even relevant now? I only ordered the system with 512mb, because they wanted 150$ for a second stick (which is insane) so I need to purchase another stick from either online or a local store.

thanks!

 

I just ordered a I6000 as well. I only ordered it with 512MB DD2 400mhz memory. I'm looking to purchase another stick from a local store/online. What exactly should I be looking for? PC-2100 sodimms ddr2 400? or is it PC-3100?

 

I ordered one also. I spoke with a few people yesterday, two at crucial and one more at Dell. The memory issue is very confusing to just about everyone I spoke to. The tech at crucial told me that the FSB of 533 may not be the same as the memory bus. He believes that even if the i6000 may not benefit from the faster 533 memory it should still work, according to him DDR and DDR2 is backward compatible as far as speed. The i6000 ships with PC2-3200 400mhz sodimm. The thing that is confusing to me is that the other new Dell laptops based on the 915 chipset allow selecting either PC2-3200 400mhz or PC2-4200 533mhz sodimms, but the i6000 does not. I believe it is just a marketing think on Dells part. When I called Dell the salesman spoke to a tech and they believe the 533mhz sodimm will work in the i6000 but they would not guarantee it.

So, I ordered with just 256mb from Dell. I will purchase two 512MB PC2-4200 533mhz from crucial and give it a try. If they don't work crucial will exchange them for the PC2-3200 400mhz. Crucial charges the same price for both 400 and 533 which is strange, why would anyone take the slower memory for the same price. The price is 129 each plus tax so the memory will be about 280 after tax, about 30 more then 1gig from Dell. Since there is the potential for better system performance I felt it was worth the small hasel.

This is the crucial link for the PC2-4200 533mhz.
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.asp?imodule=CT6464AC53E&WSMD=CT6464AC53E&WSPN=CT6464AC53E

I will post my results but that may be another week till I have it.

 

yes, please post the results. I'm definitely interested if it works... but they won't have my I6000 out the door until march 11th... feels like an eternity.

 

I too would like to know which memory to buy as i would like to upgrade to 1GB. I saw the website 4allmemory.com and would like to know which is the more convenient place where to buy it. thanks

 

I just recieved my 512 MB PC2 4200 533Mhz SODIMM from Newegg and with just that one in, Bios recognizes that it is 533. That should answer some questions. I sure am glad I didn't buy any RAM upgrades from Dell.


Display: 15.4 inch UltraSharp WUXGA LCD Panel
Memory: 256MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm
Video Card: Integrated Intel® Media Accelerator 900 Graphics
Drives: 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive with Sonic RecordNow
Hard Drive: 60GB Hard Drive
Battery: 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery (53 WHr)
Additional Batteries: 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery (80 WHr) Additional Battery
Network Card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
Bluetooth Wireless: Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Internal(2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
QuickSnap Replaceable Color Covers: Carbon Fiber QuickSnapTM Cover

 

Hi! I would also like to know if there are some fan problems (noise) with the i6000!

thanx

 

Nope, no fan issues out of the box. I love this thing. Just don't pay for Dell's crappy ram.

 

Hi all, I'm going to buy a Dell I6000. I can buy an optional battery 9 cel for the optic bay. But I've already a DVD-RW on the optic bay. Do someone know if there are two optic bays in the I6000 ? It could be great to watch a DVD with 15 cells ! Thanks

 

I ordered the spare battery and its just like the stock one. It does not go into the optic bay. To remove the optic drive you have to take out a set screw.

 

Ok, so I can use the second battery without having to remove the DVD-R ? That's interesting !

 

Sorry!
I owned an I6000 and now consider upgrading the memory. Could you tell me the details of the one you bought?

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

 

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

 

I bought a SODIMM from Newegg.com Its a kingston. Look here http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=0 for all of their ddr2-4200 ram.

 

May I have the model number of your memory?

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

 

I don't know it off hand. I bought the Kingston ddr2 4200 512 mb dimm. It is out of stock right now.

 

HI, I am planning to buy I6000 within a week. My only worry is the quality of the screen of the laptop. From what I have read in the forums, it seems upgrading to the SXGA or SUXGA screen dosn't affect the brightness/contrast or clarity of the screen.
What I want to know is how good is the regular XGA sceen for viewing movies and also can the setting for brightness be changed (which is by default quite dim),when its running on battery.
Also, which would be a better buy, the IMB R51 with similar configuration(based on 855 platform) or Dell I6000.

If there is any other Laptop that I should consider in this same price bracket, please advice.

Thank you.

 

If movies are your priority, the xga will do fine. Brightness is adjustable at all times using the function keys. At full brightness my UXGA is quite impressive, fast refresh and good contrast. Though, I must admit the Sony xbrite is prettier. I'm thinking of trying out a contrast-improving screen protector, but I need to figure out how to increase the display brightness higher than it'll allow. We'll see.

 

I just returned my i6000 (1.6GHz, 512Mb ram @400MHz, 60G 7200 HD, 128M ATI X300, WSXGA+) to Dell today. Here are my comments on this laptop:

GOODs
* The WSXGA+ screen is quite impressive. Very clear in 1680x1050.
* The look is decent.
* Quick fast (see below)

BADs
* speed of ram: as many people mentioned before.
* heat: I can imagine that the CPU and HD are located on the right, while the fan is on the left. The right side can be quite hot sometimes. One good thing is the battery is cold even it's just below the CPU and HD.
* big: Just that it's bigger and heavier than I expect. My point is, if looking for a desktop replacement, why don't go for 9300?
* build: Not too rigid, that I can find some places that I can press on and feel that there's space between the frame and the internal. Also the lid is not stable when it's closed.
* wifi: The reception is not good. It's located ~15 feet from the router and the connection is unstable, compared with my T20+F5D6020 next to it.
* slow when HD in heavy load
* buttons on the front are not particularly useful for winamper.
* The XP home came with it is seriously raped with trial softwares/promotions and slow. I installed my XP pro on it and it became much faster.
* I don't like the way that Dell puts the recovery on the last 3G of the HD. 3/60 = 5% is too many. And the recovery is voided once you install another OS on the computer.

 

I would like to know how does the new Sonoma based laptops compare to Desktop PCs in terms of speed and processor performance.
Eg. How would a Laptop based on 915 platform, 1.6 Ghz with 512 MB 400 DDR RAM and 2MB L2 Cache perform against a 2.8/3.0 Ghz Desktop PC with 512 MB RAM and 1MB L2 Cache ?

Or in other words, how fast does a Centrino Laptop have to be (in Ghz) to be able to match a 3.0 Ghz Pentium Desktop PC.