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I already have a Dimension Desktop, and I just bought a Dell Inspiron 9300. My mom got a 700M.
I was just curious if anyone has this model and can tell me what they think of it. No one mentioned these models specifically in the Laptop Review thread.
I upgraded to 1GB of RAM, but left it at 1.73 GHz, and 60GB of memory.
I also upgraded the graphics card to the 256MB NVIDIA 6800, anyone know if this is a good card? I only have the guy at Dell's word for it.
All feedback is appreciated.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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My mom's best friend's son had a dell laptop that died after three years. I got the 4 year warranty. Figured if I was spending a bundle for a laptop, might as well spend a little more to make sure it lasted long enough to be worthwhile.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Get a nice long warranty! And at-home service too.
I don't know about those specific models but I've yet to meet a person who hasn't had trouble with a Dell laptop and, being a college student, I know alot of people with them. My roommate's screen died a few months after getting hers (it had come with some screws loose, literally) and my hard-drive died after only two years. Since I only had a one-year warranty, I had to pay for a new hard-drive ontop of recovery of some files. Several of my keys have come loose and are barely holding on. The list of the complaints goes on.
I like Dell desktops and I've always gotten great service help from them, but their laptops can be iffy.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I think the extended warranty from Dell is well worth it. I have 2x ended up getting a replacement laptop computer at the 2.5 year mark of a 3 year warranty. Sure, it was a refurb unit, but essentially "new" and each one lasted another 2.5 years. Considering what a dinosaur a 5 year old laptop is, I can't really complain.
I currenlty have 600M that I love, and a brand new desktop (Dimension 4700), that is also the bee's knees. Or is it the cat's meow?
Anyway I like it.
My flat panel monitor is pretty darn cool too!
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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I have a four year warranty that includes at home service and accidental damage coverage. Hopefully I have my bases covered.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Don't get a Dell laptop. Whereas Dell PCs are good, Dell laptops often have problems. A friend of mine had to replace the power source for her Dell twice in the first year she owned it. Another had to replace the power source and the screen. I recommend not getting one.
Edit: As long as you already have one, having a long warranty is good. Do not pay for things you don't have to.
Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
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It's hard to go from personal experiences. I've heard horror stories about every major brand. My mom's HP died, my best friend's HP had a ton of malfunctions. At work our three Toshibas had a host of problems. It would have cost 600 dollars more to get a VAIO with the same specs, and I'm told their customer service is crap. I had a Compaq and thought it was horrible.
The only other choice is to go Apple, which wasn't ever really an option to begin with, I don't want an Apple. Regardless of the problems involved, I'll have it for four years, no matter how many repairs are necessary, thanks to the long warranty. Worst case scenario is some inconvenience, but so far as personal experiences go, they all cancel each other out.
I was mostly worried about price, as I was looking for a fairly powerful notebook and I didn't want to pay more than what I could afford (obivously). I was mostly worried about whether or not the hardware I upgraded was powerful enough and if the graphics card was good or not.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I've had my Dell laptop (Inspiron 8500) for 2.5 years now and I've never had a problem with it. I took it to Greece, it was fine. I've abused the poor thing, and it's fine. It lately had a problem with getting almost excessively warm, but I cleaned out the fans and it's good to go again. I like Dells, both laptops and desktops.
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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My Dell powersource died after 2 years. It had already had the display replaced after the first month and the hard drive replaced twice in the first four months.
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