Replace your desktop
Written: Oct 05 '00 (Updated Oct 06 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: solid construction, multiple pointing devices
Cons: large and heavy
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| joe52's Full Review: Dell Latitude CPx |
The Setup
I have used a Dell Latitude CPx at work for the last couple of months. The machine that I was given to work with was a 650 Mhz model with 256 megs of RAM and an 18 gig hard drive. It was running Windows NT4 and has a Xircom 10/100 Ethernet / 56K modem combo card. All in all a pretty loaded laptop, though I'm not using it anymore (I left my job).
Using It
The performance of this laptop is nothing short of great. With 256 megs of RAM it is a great mobile workstation. Applications open quickly and running many apps and services at onces is no big deal. As a developer it fulfilled all of my needs. I sat in front of it for 8 hours a day and had no problems. I did use a MS Intellimouse instead of the built-in pointing devices. I was initially concerned about suing a laptop all day at work as I have never liked them that much, but it wasn't a big deal. Some people in the office used separate keyboards and put reams of printer paper under their laptops to get the up to eye level.
The Problems
I had some trouble with the Speedstep technology used in this laptop. The processor is capable of running at 500 Mhz to extend battery life. There were several occasions when my machine booted at 500 Mhz for no apparent reason. A simple restart usually fixed it. The problem was probably a result of my not having any of the Speedstep utilities installed on the machine (my company's IT department installed the company's standard build on it and I doubt I would have experienced this problem if I had simply used the factory-installed copy of Windows). While troubleshooting that problem I did have the opportunity to go into the BIOS setup quite a bit and I really like it on this machine. My only other warning is about the Xircom combo modem/ethernet card that is an option on this machine. Mine worked flawlessly, but a disturbingly large number of my coworkers had problems with them. It was generally related to the socket that the cable plugs into being damaged (sometimes by simply being used a lot).
Conclusion
The Dell Latitude CPx is a great laptop and can easily be used to replace a desktop system. If you plan on carrying your laptop around a lot you might want to look at lighter options. I quickly tired of carrying this machine around and left it in the office whenever I could. The construction is solid. The only laptops that I have used that feel more solid are Apple Powerbooks. One other thing to consider if you are looking at this machine is its similarity to the Dell Inspiron 3800. They are not the same machine, but they have very similar styling and features. I have only used the Inspiron for a few days, so I can't comment on its durability, but for the work I was doing (software development, running SQL server, etc.) the Inspiron 3800 configured similarly to my Latitude felt more or less identical.
My biggest gripe with this machine is its cost, but high-end laptops are expensive. If you really need one this is certainly one to consider.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): not mine
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 256
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
joe52
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Location: Cambridge, MA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 6 members
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