Big boy...big heavy boy...
Written: Apr 03 '02
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Pros: Well built, high quality, and fast.
Cons: Need to view in weird angles for the LCD. Doesn't last long on battery.
The Bottom Line: Although I have experienced some issues, Dell smoothed everything out admirably. Their performance is the best at the time (cira 2000).
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 5000 R600LG |
Before I bought the Inspiron line, I found a great deal on eBay for the Dell Latitude. Discovering it was stolen, however, I promptly lost a grand for what I paid the lousy auctioneer.
Still needing a laptop, I checked out the Inspiron line. While the Latitude is designed for use in the corporate world, the Inspiron is designed to be used by the general audience. Although the Inspirons can be used by businesses and educational institutes (as my school did), they mainly target the home office/average Joe.
The Inspiron came in three "trims". From the smallest 3000 series, to the feature laden (large and heavy) 7000 series. (These series were offered in 2000, when I bought my 3000). Of course, there is the middle weigh, which I have mentioned, and own - the Inspiron 5000.
As always, Dell allows you to order exactly what you want, customizing, mixing, matching, the whole nine yards. My Inspiron 5000 will probably not be exactly the same as your Inspiron 5000. However, it's the body/case remains the same. And what a body it is! It features a sensitive track pad, large screen footprint (for 14" to 15" screens), a very well traditionally designed keyboard (if you used laptops, you'd appreciated this small detail), and a great standard base to start with (including the then-highly wanted ATI Rage 128 Mobility video chipset). The mobile 440BX chipset was included in the base (and as most PC enthusiasts know, it was the best PII/PIII/Celeron chipset there was).
Specs
The system as tested (and owned) is as listed:
Intel Pentium III 500 MHz
64 MB SDRAM (later upgraded to 192, then 256 MB)
6 GB IBM Travelstar HDD (later upgraded to 20 GB)
14" TFT LCD 1024x786 res
Internal 56K modem (used up the mini PCI slot)
Crystal 16-bit audio with wavetable
ATI Rage 128 Pro Mobility 8 MB /w NTSC video out
Toshiba 8x DVD-ROM drive
Windows 98 Second Edition (who needs pre-installed OSes anyways? :) )
Microsoft Works 4.0 (cheaper than Office, which I already owned)
Impression
Awesome! When it first booted up, it was already faster than my PII-450 desktop! That was before I bogged it down with my own stuff, of course. ;) The screen was beautiful, but right away, I've noticed that the colors were washed out. Tilting the screen back more made it more acceptable (which I didn't have to do with the passive display on the Latitude I used to have). There are only keyboard keys to adjust the brightness. However, there was no contrast adjustment, which it sorely needs.
Problems and Tech Support
Unfortunately, there were a few dead pixels on the LCD that was very noticeable when it displayed complete black. Dell replaced the entire laptop without a hitch. The tech was quick and knowledgeable. Wait times were only a couple minutes on the queue.
The IBM HDD that came with the system emitted a clicking noise every so often when it is not being accessed (even during access, actually). Very disturbing, and in fact, manifested itself as a hard failure a few months later. Dell responded admirablely by sending out the part post haste. Replacing parts such as the miniPCI modem, the hard drive, floppy, DVD, batteries, and memory is as easy as pie. A phillips screw driver is all you need, as everything is customer serviceable. About the only thing you can't upgrade is the CPU module. (Of course you can, but you'll be voiding warrantees then - and the module is not a standard part - it's a Dell part... so a tech there will DEFINATELY be questioning you).
One year later, there were recalls on the battery, as they may overcharge, overheat, and may burst into a fiery hellish mess. No such drama for me, but I did find that the battery life was getting shorter and shorter. Being a Li-Ion battery, this shouldn't happen at all (no memory effect). When the laptop was new, it only lasted 2 hours of full use. Later on, I could only finish one DVD-length movie before it died (off the HDD, not the DVD-ROM, as that would suck up more juice). And now, it is only lasting 2- to 30 minutes.
This is a current problem, and I have yet to receive the replacement battery. For you current owners, call Dell about the battery recall, and make sure you have the latest firmware version (as of writing, current version is A08, which enhances power management ... you betcha... better battery life, though I have yet to test this).
Conclusion
Dell was always considered the best, and even with issues, Dell does not flinch. They offer the best turn arounds, and always solve problems that do exist. My next laptop will be from Dell, and I am leaning towards their Insipron 8200 series, or maybe even their smaller, lighter, corporate-oriented Latitudes.
BIOS by Phenoix
Resolutions smaller than natural LCD resolution will be dithered, unlike the Latitude
3 year standard warrantee
Norton AntiVirus 2000 also included free
WinDVD software included with DVD-ROM option
8 MB video RAM required with DVD-ROM option
Total Price as tested: $4,200
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4,200
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 401-500
Screen Size: 14
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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