April 9, 2005

Perhaps a Dell instead

I won't buy the Uniwill computer after all. In the end, the price tag was just a bit too much for my budget, and I don't want to take a loan just for a new computer. I won't buy the HP dv1011 either, because it's almost as expensive as the Uniwill but has worse hardware in almost all aspects, from disk drive speed to processor type and cache.

I'm seriously considering something much cheaper, but unfortunately a lot heavier: a Dell Inspiron 6000. Earlier this week it costed just SEK 7300. For that price, I get:

  • a Celeron 1.3 GHz with 1 MB cache,
  • 15.4" widescreen (1280x800),
  • 512 MB RAM,
  • a powerful 9-cell battery with over 6 hours of battery life,
  • 40 GB 5400 rpm disk drive,
  • Intel Pro/Wireless 2915 a/b/g,
  • and a free printer/copier/scanner included, Dell 922.

The only catch is the weight: approx. 3.2 kg (7 lbs). It won't be as portable as the other two systems, but I've realized that I will mostly use the system at home anyway. For the occations I will bring the computer to the university, two or three kilos won't really matter. It's a lot to carry anyway along with the charger, the course books, the lunchbox and the 1.5 litres of Pepsi Max, so one more kilo will not make a big difference. ;) Posted by djst at April 9, 2005 1:24 AM

Comments

Simple question: WHO CARES?

Posted by: dick at April 9, 2005 2:51 AM

Is dell inspirion 600m available in sweden?
I bought it a month back. Its lightweight and inxpensive.

Posted by: vfwlkr at April 9, 2005 3:52 AM

From what I've seen, Dell computers are almost always more expensive than they should be, though their laptops are more competitively priced. You might want to take a look at a Toshiba laptop, as they tend to offer a lot more bang for the buck. Just a thought.

Posted by: shifted blue at April 9, 2005 7:02 AM

hope you use windows cuz... you can't order a Dell without it.

Posted by: windows at April 9, 2005 8:00 AM

I'm no expert in laptops, but I got an IBM Thinkpad T40 at work which I carry home almost every day, and have just purchaced my own Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo M1425. The IBM weights app. 2 kilograms and the Fujitsu-Siemens app. 3 kilograms, but the bag I bought for my own laptop is much lighter and more comfortable than the one I got with the IBM. In conclusion my own Fujitsu-Siemens laptop feels much lighter than the IBM. So don't underestimate the power of a good bag:-)

Posted by: Stig Nygaard at April 9, 2005 10:36 AM

I would take a look at http://www.edbpriser.dk/Showsubcategory.asp?ID=48
which is a danish computer pricewatch site. (link is for the laptop subcategory)

They don't list Dell computers, but many other brands.

At a glance it would appear that you might be able to do better at the same price


Posted by: Henrik at April 9, 2005 2:18 PM

Why not get an iBook instead? You'll get MacOSX (with Tiger due in a few days). Believe me its worth it... from 9500,- SEK.

http://www.apple.com/se/ibook/

Posted by: Lonyl at April 9, 2005 4:16 PM

Stig, thanks for the tip. I'm actually looking at a Fujitsu Amilo L1300 too, since it's in the same price range. I know too little about it still, though.

Henrik, thanks for the link. I wonder what the cost of shipping from Denmark would be, and if I could at least get an American keyboard layout.

Lonyl, the reason why I don't want an iBook anymore is the wireless card from Broadcom.

vfwlkr, is 600m older than 510m? We have 510m here and it looks more stylish, so I figured maybe 600m was the old version.

Posted by: David Tenser at April 9, 2005 8:32 PM

I don't know what the individual stores take for shipping to sweden, but a search on www.post.dk (national postal service) list a package max 5 kg, as roughly 170-190 dkk.

regarding the keyboard I think it is more a matter of the make and model you want, many of the shops listed are small import-and-distribute shops.

Posted by: Henrik at April 9, 2005 11:34 PM

Celeron is crap. You get a faster AMD processor usually cheaper. If you want a brand mark, fujitsu seems to have good selection.

Posted by: Panu at April 10, 2005 12:58 AM

I haven't tried newer, heavily used laptops from Dell for a long while now, but historically ther consumer laptops (Inspiron) have had very bad keyboard durability, so that may be an issue.

That said, I tend to like Dells and they are generally good priced for what you get. Inspirons generally have newer, cooler stuff, but if you can afford it, Latitudes are better quality and Linux compatibility will probably be less of an issue.

Posted by: Pontus at April 11, 2005 12:15 PM