IT LOOKS GREAT, CRISP SCREEN, TERRIBLE HEAT PROBLEM!
Written: Jan 22 '04 (Updated Jan 23 '04)
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Pros: screen, inexpensive,
Cons: heat problem, keyboard, flimsy feel, not really 5 lbs!
The Bottom Line: Still want it? Willing to re-install the software AND you don’t mind the flimsy keyboard or the hot palm rest? Go for it! otherwise steer clear!
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| flg25's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 600M (600MBS1) PC Notebook |
I did research for a month and it all came down to a Thinkpad T40 or Dell Inspiron 600M. I have had 3 notebooks in the last 3 years, an IBM Thinkpad I series, Sony Vaio, and HP zt1290. These previous notebooks are heavy, churn out excessive amounts of heat and the battery did not last long. So I was ready for something new that was thin, light, cool and had great battery power.
So in one hand I had the Thinkpad T40, which after all the research I knew I wanted it but was not ready to pay the $1700 price tag. In the other hand I had the Inspiron 600M. It had exact specifications of the Thinkpad but it was only $1380 plus a free Zire palm! I checked out all the Epinion reviews and well you guys have probably by now also read them. I read some people said it was perfect some said a little warm under the left palm. My wallet spoke to me and told me to go for the Dell. So I did.
The delivery was actually pretty quick. It took about a week and a half and it was here. The Dell’s configuration was as follows: Intel Centrino 1.4, dvd/cdrw, 256 ram, 14 inch SXGA screen, wireless network and the rest is standard on most computer now a days. So after the initial setup I was in windows XP. Immediately I did not like the desktop icons. They were big and fuzzy. I had to go into the desktop properties and make not only the icons smaller but the fonts also. Finally I got them down to a size that made them look crisp. See, Dell sets them up big on the SXGA screen because everything on the SXGA screen looks very small. So to compensate they enlarged the icons but they look HORRIBLE. On to the Internet and had the same problem with the way it looked. Everything was enlarged and it looked just disgusting. So I set out to do research on the Internet about how to fix this and found an article under Dell support knowledge forum. Some guy has the instructions for everyone to see. It was easy I had to go into the system registry and change some value from 1 to 0 and that fixed it. If you need to find the exact directions go to Dell support and look for the customer forum.
In the research that I did at the Dell forum I found many complaints of the same problem. I can't believe that dell has not put out fixes for all this. They are still shipping these computers with this configuration. I installed the rest of MY software, took out some of the Dell junk they put in and started exploring the full potential of the computer. I began to play AVI files under windows media and I noticed that if I would try to run it under battery power it would run choppy. If I would plug it in It would run great. I began trying to troubleshoot upgrading the drivers on the computer from the Dell website and nothing would fix it. I knew it had to do with the Centrino chip and its power management under battery power. But even the Intel Centrino upgrades would not solve the problem. So I decided to start clean.
I formatted the hard drive and re-installed windows XP home. After the installation was done. I took the Dell CD with the drivers and only installed the ones that were necessary. Which was almost all! I did not install any of the software that it came with. Oh I almost forgot, even the DVD MOVIE Player software is poor. Movies were playing horribly under WIN DVD the video was poor it looked more like a VHS tape! I installed Cyberlink Dvd and it was night and day difference. Granted I like Win DVD but this must have been some no frills garbage that WIN DVD made specifically for Dell computers. Ok so back the re-installation. As soon as I finished let me tell you it was BEAUTIFUL. The desktop Icons and Fonts were perfect the Internet was perfect the AVI files played perfect under battery power, I was happy.
So I installed my favorite video game, Medal of Honor. Installation goes well and I begin to play. Twenty minutes into the game play I notice the left palm rest begins to get uncomfortably warm. I said to myself this must be what I read about in Epinions. Ten more minutes had passed and it was RIDICULOUSLY HOT! I was livid. I cursed myself a thousand times for having purchased this computer. First it took me days to get it configured nicely and then it cooks my left palm! Then I noticed that the bottom of the computer was incredibly hot also. And to top it off, the keyboard is very flimsy! Many times my finger would catch the sharp corners of the keys and I would almost tear the keys off with my fingers! This was driving me nuts.
I get on the Internet to find solutions but there are non. I look further into the notebook and realize that the hard drive is under the left palm rest. I take out the hard drive and its BLAZING HOT. I said this is ridiculous. How could Dell make such a serious flaw? I start looking on the web for ways to cool the laptop. I found a PCMCIA cooler but then I thought about it and realized that I paid good money for this machine and I should not have to go through this. So I contacted Dell they tell me its normal. I said no its not! They said I could return it but for a 15% restocking fee! I was like WHAT, no way it is your flaw. After a letter to the Better Business Bureau Dell called me right away and said I could get 100% refund. So happily I returned it and decided to buy the IBM Thinkpad T40 that I should have bought originally. It should be here tomorrow and I am excited. I will write a review soon.
Some other notations: The screen is bright, sharp and crisp. The battery lasts longer than a regular laptop but next to computers with similar configuration the Dell battery is the one that lasts the least amount of time. Also it really weighs more than 5lbs! More like 6 lbs! When holding the computer in your hands and moving it around, it makes all kinds of creaks and noises. Sometimes it feels like it will break. Look at it on the bright side, you can always warm your lunch on the left palm rest!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 1380
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
flg25
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Member: Felix
Location: NEW YORK
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
MOTORCYCLES, COMPUTERS, AND SPORTS ARE MY FAVORITE HOBBIES!
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