I was looking for a high-end portable for gaming and software development (I am a game programmer by trade). After reading as many reviews and user opinions as I could find, I decided on the Dell Inspiron 8100. I share my review as a thank-you for everyone who did likewise.

System Specs:

Dell Inspiron 8100
Pentium III-M 1.13 GHz
128 MB RAM (upgraded to 512 MB)
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 64MB video
48GB 5400 rpm Hard Disk
DVD-ROM
Integrated 56k modem
Integrated 10/100 Network Interface
Extra Battery
Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Works Suite 2002

Buying Experience:

I ordered my notebook online to take advantage of the $200 mail-in rebate (which, as far as I know was not available on phone orders). Dell's website is pretty straightforward, but you have to double-check your configuration options. They seem to be continually changing their specials, some offers are not allowed together, and they will also try to slip items into your order, such as a $29 surge protector. You can get better prices (but fewer options) through the small business site, but I was told by a sales rep that Dell collects sales tax in all 50 states for business sales. This is not the case through the Home/SOHO site. My order processed smoothly and and I received my new laptop in less than a week, about 5 days ahead of the estimated ship date.

Out-of-Box Experience:

It's a brick, baby! While much more stylish than the notebooks of yester-year, it's still quite heavy. But not unexpectedly so-- c'mon, this notebook packs 3 spindles, 2 bays, and an enormous display. I haul it to work and back each day and it's pretty manageable. If I were more of a business traveler, I would definitely have gotten a lighter model.

The default install of Windows XP (Home edition in my case) comes with too much vendor junk, so I blew it away, re-partitioned the hard drive, and installed a fresh copy. All of the driver updates from Dell's site worked great and were easy to find. This is the first time I've used Windows XP (after having used everything from 3.1 on up), and I personally find XP to be really annoying--but it's your only supported choice with the 8100. There are currently no official drivers for other operating systems.

I was disappointed by the flimsy plastic case. I expected it after reading so many user opinions, but it's really sad that so many nice components couldn't be housed in a more rugged package. I feel like I could be rougher with a carton of eggs than with the 8100.

I chose the UXGA (1600x1200) display and the Mobility Radeon 7500 video card. I had read online and in the Dell customer forums that the NVidia drivers are still buggy after a year (!) of production, and the ATI solution promised 50-100% more performance. I have to say I am not disappointed. The screen is absolutely gorgeous, sharp and bright, and not a single dead pixel. My 3DMark 2001 scores are stellar for a portable: 3972. DVD Playback is great. I have not had any video lockups or driver problems so far.

I ordered my Inspiron with 128 MB RAM, because Dell charges too much for upgrades, in my opinion. I ordered two 256MB SODIMMs from www.crucial.com, and the performance difference is quite substantial. With only 128 MB, Windows XP swaps to the hard drive constantly, which is both noisy and slow. With 512 MB, everything is quite snappy.

Battery life is abysmal, but again, you're buying a desktop replacement, not an ultra-portable. I opted for a second battery, which I generally use instead of the floppy drive. I haven't run it all the way down yet, but I expect to get just over 4 hours with 2 batteries.

Technical Support Experience:

I can't comment directly, because nothing has gone wrong yet (knock on wood). I have previous experience with Dell's tech support, though. I've been pretty lucky in getting some knowledgeable folks on the phone (after long hold times). One phone rep helped me diagnose and re-seat a motherboard power cable that had worked loose during shipment on a desktop model.

I did splurge on the 3-year next-day onsite warranty, though. Things do break or wear out, and I didn't want to be without my computer for 2-4 weeks for mail-in service.

Bottom Line:

As long as you baby it, and don't mind the weight, this is a sweet machine. You'll be the envy of all your LAN parties. And you might get some work done, too.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 2422
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 41-50