The Price is right.
Written: Apr 11 '03
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Pros: Performance, price, features
Cons: Weight , workmanship , Runs hot.
The Bottom Line: I reccomend this model if price is your main consideration but long term reliability is questionable because of workmanship issues.
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| hatetoshave's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 8200 (8TWORH) PC Notebook |
I purchased the Dell Inspiron 8200 about 2 months ago to replace my aging Inspiron 4000.
The specs.
Pentium 4M 1.8 , 30GB Hard drive , ATI Radeon 9000 64MB video card , 15" 1400X1050 screen , 320MB ram , CDRW/DVD combo. All of the standard ports are present , including firewire , 2 USB ports , 2 PC card ports , Infrared port.
Those specs certainly make it a powerhouse machine by laptop standards but it was surprisingly cheap. The only options I chose was the ATI Radeon 9000 card over the standard G force 32MB card. Hint... Always pick the best video card option because it is not hard to predict that future softwares will become very graphical in nature to attract new users and a powerhouse video card with lots of video ram will greatly extend the useful life of your laptop when running future applications.
Workmanship and built quality.
One word describes this , Horrible. Compared to other brands the Inspiron 8200 will look like a plasticy pile of junk. The plastic casing feels like a kids toy with uneven gaps and seams, and many creaking sounds are audible when moving the machine around. I give it the lowest marks possible when it comes to workmanship. That said , the workmanship is no less than any models from the 4xxx , 8xxx series.
Hopefully Dell will improved this in their next model lines because with doubt, quality is the major downfall to the Dells.
Performance
I think this is the thing that is of most interest to new users. A knowledgeable person only needs to look to the specifications to have a good idea of it's performance. Dell loads plenty of unneeded and bloated software , much of it running in the background, so even an initial hands on experience won't show it's true potential. Unfortunately I only have my old Inspiron 4000 to compare so I can only say , the Inspiron 8200 is much, much faster. The graphics capabilities are outstanding for a laptop of this class. This is the probably the perfect machine for gamers.
Battery life is about 2 hours during light use but this will drop dramatically when doing intensive tasks.
Audio
Two reasonably powerful speaker grills protrude on the sides producing a deep and rich sound that is surprisingly good for a laptop. I give the Inspiron 8200 high marks for it’s audio quality and volume.
Heat and noise
The fan is reasonably quiet at low speeds but cycles on and off every 5 minutes, even when the CPU is idling so this tells you that it is a very hot running machine. It literally does heat up the room judging by the hot air coming from the fan vents. According to Fangui (www.diefer.de ) temperature monitor the 8200 runs on average , 20 degrees hotter than the Inspiron 4000 .The fan on my Inspiron 4000 hardly ever came on. At high speeds the fan is very loud but fortunately it only shifts to high when playing games or other CPU intensive tasks.
Ergonomics
The keyboard feels cheap just as it was on the Inspiron 4000 but the keys are bigger and more solid in feel which makes for easier and more accurate typing. The key travel seems just about right but the keys feel wobbly and make a cheap sound when typing. This I can forgive considering the price but long term reliability of the keyboard is questionable.
The touchpad is lousy. This model uses the ALPS instead of the much superior Synaptics used on other model. Despite lacking in features, the mouse pointer is not accurate and jerky which makes it very difficult to navigate menus. Only consider this model if you intend to always use an external mouse.
The screen is bright and satisfying graphically but the text size is too small and I find myself straining to read small text. My eyes are reasonably good so if you have vision problems then it is best to choose a model with a lower resolution.
Because of the weight and heat generated this does not make for a good machine to use on your lap.
Warranty
The old Inspiron 4000 came with a 1 year on-site warranty standard but now Dell only offers a 1 year mail in warranty with on-site service as extra. I would like to recommend the on-site but it is too expensive because Dell forces you to take 3 years.
Software
Nothing special here. Microsoft works suite, Windows XP home, and other miscellaneous software that is not very useful.
Conclusion
The main advantage of the Inspiron 8200 is that you get a lot of bang for the buck, along with a good name standing behind the warranty. It’s much cheaper than any comparable model out there. Performance is on par with the most expensive models.
The main disadvantage is quality compared to other brands, using Toshiba as an example is like comparing Chevy to BMW . Weight and size is another big disadvantage and is the main reason why I recently returned the Inspiron 8200 and ordered an Inspiron 600m which is a newer model using the new Centrino technology. I will write a review on the 600m when it arrives.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1500
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
hatetoshave
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Member: john
Location: Boston, Ma.
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 9 members
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