Desktop Replacement
Written: Oct 28 '00 (Updated Nov 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fast, great screen, DVD rom, good keyboard,lots of ports
Cons: battery life, heat, and weight
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| jhmccoy's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 5000 R600LG |
As part of trying to incorporate technology into the classroom, my school offered an in-service in which Dell laptops were given to teachers. I received a Dell Inspiron 5000 600mhz with 128mb, 8mb video ram, 6gb hard drive, 14" active-matrix screen, ethernet/modem card, DVD Rom, and a carrying case.
It came preloaded with Windows 98SE (which promptly on the very first shutdown, wouldn't shutdown-but that is another story). The computer has a crisp, bright screen. It is fast and makes a very good desktop replacement. The computer and a small printer (Cannon bjc 2110) take up as much as a desktop computer. The only caveat is that the screen, even on 1024 by 768, does not handle a large Excel spreadsheet. The computer has higher resolutions, but then the screen extends past the physical area of the LCD. In other words, imagine that you have to scroll to see parts of the screen--yes, not very usable!
As a portable, the battery does not last very long-about 2hrs with consistent use. DVD movies are pretty crisp and the sound is good. If you are thinking of hooking the machine to a TV to watch a movie, be prepared to see some pixelation when the action is slow. Look at the shadows to see the pixelation. The machine comes with built in s-video and with a separate s-video to RCA adapter. I tried s-video and software controls, but the pixelation still occurs. If you keep the machine in your lap, be prepared for it to get quite warm. If you have it plugged-in be prepared for it to get even warmer with the processor running at 600 mhz. For a desktop I use large bottle caps under each corner. This allows for more air circulation, as well as allow for the machine to be slid out of the way--this is very convenient!
As for processing power the Inspiron takes about 6 1/2 - to 8 hrs running a SETI data packet (see www.setiathome.com for more information) when plugged-in. I tried Unreal Tournament demo on this machine, but the Open-GL support for the demo is poor and ran at slow frame rates. In software mode, the game is "playable". The track-pad is easy to use, but don't use it for games. You can plug-in a USB mouse or P/S 2 mouse.
In conclusion, the weight of the machine is not exactly light, the battery power does not last long, but it makes up for it by including a lot of ports, an excellent screen, a great keyboard (I am picky!), DVD rom, and a fast processor. Since I have worked for my school district for 3 years they have never given be a PC desktop. No matter, I will take this machine as a great desktop replacement (especially since must faculty members have a pentium 166 mhz desktop machine).
Recommended:
Yes
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 501-600
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 4-6
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Epinions.com ID:
jhmccoy
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 2 members
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