Need help Deciding On A Laptop

[flipper]

ok- im going with Dell. its going to be for college, and i want it to last as long as possible, but i dont want to spend an arm and a leg. i also want it to be lightweight and have wireless in it, SO a centrino is about right
and im probably going to be getting the 1.4 instead of the 1.6...the extra $300-$500 doesnt back up merely 200 mhz.
anyways- im considering the Inspiron 600M w/ a 1.4, 40 gig 5400 hard drive, the 384mb ram, 64 mb radeon 9000, and SXGA+ display...all of it for $1748 b/f tax

oh, and they have an option to get the Dell wlan instead of the intel- dell is 802.11 b/g whereas the intel is just 802.11 b...if i get the dell wlan, would that not make the notebook a Centrino?

so how does it sound? good deal? last me well?

btw- if it helps with telling me whether itll suit me well, im going to be going into computer science

thx in advance!

[SkyDog]

Originally posted by flipper
if i get the dell wlan, would that not make the notebook a Centrino?

Technically, Intel won't allow a system to use the Centrino name if it doesn't include Intel's wireless option. (Personally, I couldn't care less about the name -- I'd go for Dell's 802.11b/g option, which is a rebranded Broadcom NIC.)

I don't have any experience with that particular model, but we've got a lot of Dell Inspirons where I work, and they've proven to be pretty dependable machines. I'd feel comfortable recommending them.

[Bateluer]

A notebook must use the Intel Wireless option in order for it to be branded Centrino, otherwise it will bear the name Pentium-M. But its still the some proc with the same performance.

You've got a good system built there. The 802.11g standard is a lot faster than the b standard, so I would definitely go with the Dell option there.

In my experience with my Dell, the quality is excellent with all components. :)

[Smacz]

I have the same machine here except I have a 1.3 Ghz proc and the XGA screen. It's light and it's quick coming out of hibernation and standby's. One very minor thing i don't like about it though - the screen's frame directly between the two hinges (directly above the Power Button if screen is opened) is a little flimsy and I never hold it there even I carry the maching right under my arm. I can really fell it bend there and I really don't want to risk cracking the screen. Holding the laptop directly across (near the opening latch) is fine though. I'm not sure if the D600 has the same problem (people say they're built better)

Oh you might want a USB memory key with that because you don't have a floppy drive. Those reeeeallly help :D

[Celery97]

I say the specs you got there is really something. The Centrino technology is just picking up, so getting one now will surely give you benefits long in to the future.

why not jack up the RAM up to 512MB? (instead of spending more on a faster CPU)

just a thought...

[Vengance_01]

Originally posted by Celery97
I say the specs you got there is really something. The Centrino technology is just picking up, so getting one now will surely give you benefits long in to the future.

why not jack up the RAM up to 512MB? (instead of spending more on a faster CPU)

just a thought... B/C dell charges an arm and leg. You can upgrade it your self.