More Computer for the Money
Written: Jun 20 '00 (Updated Jul 06 '00)
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Pros: Long Battery Life; Processing Power to Spare; Great Big Screen; Good Desktop Replacement
Cons: Its Very Heavy; Its Very Large
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| phrop's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 7500 G650VT |
This is the most computer you can get for the money from anywhere. With a larger than SVGA screen (1400 X 1050), 8x DVD, 5 hours of battery life, S-VHS output, and much, much more.
The key to getting the most for your money is customizing the default configuration. Below is the default configuration and my configuration in bold.
Pentium® III processor with SpeedStep, 600MHz 650Mhz
Monitor: 15" Super XGA+
Memory: 32MB, SDRAM, 1 DIMM 256MB, SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Video Card: 8MB ATI Mobility-P 3D Video with 2X AGP
Hard Drive: 6 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive 12 GB
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 98 SE
Modem: None Xircom® RealPort 10/100+56K
DVD or CD: 24X CD & Floppy 8XDVD/Floppy Combo
Speakers: None Harmon Kardon Speakers
Port Replicators: None Advanced Port Replicator
With this configuration I am able to work all day with the confidence that my computer can handle any task.
15" Super XGA+
The 1040 x 1050 resolution of the 15” monitor is incredible. I regularly have two screens visible at the same time and work on both simultaneously. It is really efficient to have Word open in one window and a web browser in another window with a web site that is relevant to what I am writing.
When connected to an external monitor I am able to get 1280 x 1024 at a frequency above 60Mhz. This is very important for a desktop replacement.
This is the first laptop I have been comfortable using for heavy duty PhotoShop and Macromedia Flash development. In fact, PhotoShop 5.5 is more stable on this laptop than on my previous desktop system.
Pointing Device
The only option for a “built-in” pointing device is a Synaptics Touch Pad. A very detailed control panel allows the tweaking of its many features. Along with the standard options there are additional features specific to the touchpad.
The feature that could be the most useful is the “Scrolling” feature that attempts to emulate the wheel on a newer mouse, but I have never been able to get used to it. It also has an “Edge Motion” option that will continue to move the cursor when your finger reaches the edge of the touchpad; I have found this feature inconsistent and not very useful.
I would have much preferred the eraser style pointer in the middle of the keyboard, once you get familiar with it; your hands never have to leave the keyboard.
I highly recommend investing in a USB mouse such as the MS Intellimouse with IntelliEye for use with the laptop. For some unknown reason the wheel on a PS/2 version of an Intellimouse will not work.
Game Play
Let me say up front that the video cards in laptops are not in the same class as desktop video cards. That said, the ATI Mobility-P 3D along with raw processor speed does a good job rendering Direct3D and Software Mode OpenGL rendering. I have finished Half-Life and Half-Life Opposing Forces with this laptop, mostly while sitting on the couch or lying in bed. While playing at 800 x 600 I have been getting more than acceptable game play at more than 24 frames a second.
DVD
The DVD player is awesome, and the five hours of battery life will let you watch two movies without being plugged in. This is a great feature on business trips. And even better, the screen is large enough that you can share the movie with fellow passengers.
Advanced Port Replicator
The port replicator and speakers turn the laptop into a great desktop system. The Advanced Port Replicator gives you two USB ports, a serial port, two PS/2 ports, parallel port, speaker out, line in, microphone in, VGA port, and most importantly an 10/100 Ethernet port.
The replicator does take up a considerable amount of desk space and it needs to sit at least three inches from the wall.
Xircom RealPort
The Xircom RealPort was a bit of a challenge to install, but patience and persistence pays off. After re-installing the software three or four times it works beautifully. With connectors built in for RJ45 10/100 Ethernet, RJ11 Analog Modem (Line and Phone) and even a connector for a cell phone.
Not having to keep track of dongles or adapters is a big plus and well worth the extra expense.
Size & Weight
Yes, this is a very heavy laptop. When I put the laptop in my Spire backpack, with only the essentials, it weighs in at fourteen pounds. Another serious problem is the size, I could not find a case at any of the local computer stores that were large enough to hold it. But any case that is advertised for the Apple G3 laptops should hold it just fine.
Lugging that kind of size and weight around in a traditional laptop case can be a real pain so I suggest one of the excellent backpacks from Spire. Spire can be found at http://www.spireusa.com/ and my review of the Zoom Daypack is at http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-2CD6-A35701C-39639B75-prod4
Operating Systems
Another amazing feature of the Inspiron 7500 is its ability to run four different operating systems. Windows 2000, WindowsNT, Windows98, and Linux are all available from the factory. I find this amazing for a laptop.
Day-toDay Use
I bring the laptop to work in my Zoom backpack where I insert it into the advanced port replicator and turn it on. It boots Windows98 in a couple minutes and I get to work.
At any given moment of the day I have Outlook 2000, FrontPage, and PhotoShop all open at the same time. The only time that there is a real slowdown is when Outlook is downloading a large attachment.
At the end of the day I eject the laptop and put it back in the backpack. When I get home I fire it up and log into Epinions where I write out my opinions for all to see.
With all that done I pop in Half-Life, Rogue Spear, Unreal, or some other 3D shooter and spend the rest of the night wiping out baddies.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 9-12
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Epinions.com ID:
phrop
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Member: Dave Nelson
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 8 members
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