Dell's Factory Outlet Laptops Are A Wonderful Value, but...
Written: Dec 08 '00 (Updated Jan 09 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Excellent Refurbished Price, High Quality Visual In Every Respect
Cons: "Monitor Off" Power Saving Feature Gives Me Trouble - Can Be Disabled, Sound Capabilities Not As Advertised, Terrible Tech. Support
|
|
|
| Jason_Sickler's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 5000e Series |
First I would like to highlight and be more specific about the specifications of the system I purchased:
- Pentium III 750Mhz SpeedStep Technology
- 192 MB RAM
- 20GB, 7200RPM Hard Drive
- ATI Rage Video Card, AGP 2x, 16MB Video RAM
- 15" UXGA Display
- 8x Max DVD Drive
- TouchPad Mouse Equivalent
I purchased this system through the Dell Factory Outlet. Visually and functionally, the system is indistinguishable from a new system.
The LCD display is wonderful and allows for a very generous wide angle of accurate viewing. The resolution is phenomenal, and it is a joy to watch DVD movies on it. The TouchPad that Dell puts on its machine is a much better and easier to use substitute for the desktop mouse than the little button that other companies sometimes put on the keyboard.
Under the energy-saving options, the monitor can be instructed to turn off after a certain amount of idle time. In my experience, when the monitor shuts off via this option, the computer doesn’t like to turn it back on - I have to shut down the machine manually and restart when this happened. I solved this by telling the computer never to turn off the monitor. I may some day call tech-support to find out what causes this problem and how I can solve it, or if it is not a problem at all and only due to some setting I haven't changed.
That all aside, if you are going to order a laptop, or buy any computer for that matter, I highly recommend doing so through Dell’s Factory Outlet. The systems are factory refurbished, so they are put to the same standard tests as new systems, and the customer service and warranties they come with are the same as with new systems.
It is a bit of a hassle to get exactly what you want, because the configuration of refurbished systems available are predetermined. Don’t depend on the website for a list of what is available – the website never seemed to be up-to-date. You have to keep calling them back (1-800-370-5307) and telling them what you want until you find a system that you are happy with. I would recommend doing what I did: ask the operator on the phone to note what you want and have them call you if a system that matches your requirements becomes available. Don’t forget to get their name and extension too. Or, call the operator I dealt with, Stephanie (ext. 49301). She was extremely courteous and went to great ends to make me happy.
If you can stand the mild hassle incurred in finding the system that you want, you can save a bundle. I knew what I originally wanted in a system, and by going through the factory outlet I saved approximately $500 off the already education-discounted price, got 50MHz of processing power and 64MB of RAM beyond what I originally intended, as well as an extra battery, a free 1200dpi color bubble-jet printer, and a carrying case.
Update: Simultaneous Audio Stream Trouble (2000-01-09)
Recently, I noticed that my system is not able to play simultaneous audio streams. For example, I cannot play a .wav file with Windows Sound Recorder and an .mp3 with WinAmp at the same time. I tested a large number of sound file formats with a large number of programs and simultaneous sound fails to happen.
I purchased the Diamond Monster Sound MX300 sound card for a desktop system, a card that is over a year old and is now obsolete, and it can play simultaneous audio with no trouble. This leads me to believe that my new laptop should also be capable of doing this. In fact, the specifications on the website of the sound card manufacturer (ESS Maestro, http://www.esstech.com/product/pciaudio/Maestro.htm) says it should handle up to 8 simultaneous 3D audio streams.
I contacted Dell about this issue, and their Tech. Support could not resolve my problem. They tried to tell me to contact the sound card manufacturer, but I refused, arguing that it is Dell's responsibility, and I asked for a supervisor. I then set up a time to troubleshoot with the supervisor (Paul #7347), but he never called me at the agreed-upon time. I have left a message for him again, but have yet to hear from him.
I am still pursuing this problem...
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2800
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 701-800
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Jason_Sickler
|
|
Location: Somerville, MA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
You want to know about me? Go to my homepage
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.