I'll start off by saying I'm not too computer literate and looked at computers basically for price. I purchased this Dell as my first "owned" computer. I'd always been provided a laptop from work. I'd previously used a Compaq and an IBM Thinkpad - nothing fancy - but both had lots of problems such as the display on the IBM needing to be replaced 3 times and the CD-ROM drive on the Compaq and harddrive needing replacement once each in the three years I had it. Dell had become the preferred supplier at my former company once they became a client and Dell has been a preferred supplier from day one at my current company so I decided to look exclusively at Dell products after talking with our purchasing dept.

For a laptop, it's not the lightest on the market, but certainly not the heaviest. It's easy to tote around on the subway, to and from work or to grad school, weighing about 6 lbs.

When I ordered my Dell, the options at the time were for free shipping and $100 discount which I put into extra memory. Grey is fine so I didn't feel it was necessary to order any extra color wrist guards. The construction seems solid and durable, not that I'm taking my computer to construction sites or anything, but paying for a solid fancy alloy casing wasn't a good use of my money

I don't need to hook up to a network at this point so settled for the internal 56K modem which has been perfect for my needs. If in the future I need a network hookup, I'll see what my IT dept. can provide.

As far as battery life is concerned, I'm getting just over 2 hours. I've never needed to use it that long away from an outlet but that seems low in comparison to other products on the market. Luckily, I've never needed to use it for longer.

The 14.1" screen is great for graphics. I've played several games on it, including Myst and have found the clarity to be easy on the eyes.

I chose not to get the DVD since I'm not planning on watching movies on my laptop so took the CD-ROM. It's nosier than most CD drives, meaning that to hear any sound (mostly from games) clearly, I have to put headphones on, but that's my only complaint about the computer.

In conclusion, for a non-technical recommendation, I'd definitely recommend Dell. Their customer service reps were helpful in the ordering process (one thing to be aware of - if you want to ship to a different address than your billing address, you don't have that option on-line, only over the phone). I've been happy with my computer and would definitely deal with Dell again.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1399
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
Screen Size: 14
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20