Dell adds some much needed class to their notebook lineup
Written: Apr 26 '03 (Updated May 21 '03)
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Pros: Light weight, Decent performance, features, price, smart design.
Cons: Alps Touchpad, Keyboard
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a combination of portability, performance and a decent price then this machine belongs on your lap but don't forget to buy an external mouse.
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| hatetoshave's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 600M (600MBS1) PC Notebook |
The 600m finally arrived after returning the 8200 under Dell’s generous, 30 day return policy. I had to pay for return shipping but it was only $18 so Dell’s evaluation period was almost free. I purchased the 600m to replace my obsolete Inspiron 4000 so I am in a perfect position to compare the new Dells to the old ones.
The package.
600m Laptop, Power supply, various software and instruction manual. Not much but the standard fare but my main motivation was getting this thing as cheap as possible so I skimped on options and extras wherever possible. Using Dell’s excellent online configurator during the ordering process is a joy for bargain hunters and those looking to cut back on unneeded optional components.
The Specs
Pentium M 1.3 CPU, ATI Radeon with 64mb Video ram , CDWR modular drive , 256 MB main system ram , Intel pro 2100 wireless mini PCI card , 14.1 XGA TFT screen .
The main selling point of this model is the Centrino CPU and wireless combo that comes standard. Centrino is the next generation in wireless technology and according to how it’s advertised, it’s the first truly mobile CPU with a multitude of power saving features designed to cut or reduce power to various motherboard components when not needed. The main advantages of this technology increased battery life and reduced heat generated.
Another powerhouse component is the ATI Radeon 9000 video card. This is the same card used in the Dell Inspiron 8200 and is probably the most powerful video card of any laptop on the market. The two video card options (both ATI Radeon 9000) are with 32mb video ram standard and a $100 64mb upgrade. The 64 mb card uses a 128 bit bus whereas the 32mb uses a 64 bit bus. Even though the standard card should be powerful enough, I highly recommend the upgraded card for future software compatibility.
Appearance and build quality
All the new Dell models have been given a total facelift from the aging 4xxx and 8xxx models. The 600m has more of a smooth, metallic finish which is a welcome change from the ‘grainy’ plastic appearance of the old models. I give Dell high marks here because they no longer ‘look cheap’ and at first glance it looks like the laptop is made of metal.
Build quality and workmanship is greatly improved over the old models. I haven’t noticed any uneven seams, crooked screws or creaks and rattles which were a trademark of the 4xxx/8xxx series.
The lid feels a little flexible and there is some give to the back of the display and pressing it will distort the image on the screen but this really isn't a big issue.
The speaker grills are also flexible and could easily break if pressed with too much force. This need more support and is a minor flaw in the design.
The keyboard was a little disappointing. The layout of the keys is identical to the 4000 but they have still retained that cheap sound. There is also a little bounce to the keys caused by excessive keyboard flexing.
UPDATE : Dell is aware of the keyboard issue and is working on a fix.
I’m not saying the 600m feels any tougher than the 4000 (the 4000 felt like a strong unit despite the workmanship issues) .I give the 600m above average marks here still, not quite the tank like feel of the Toshibas . Overall, I think the 600m will be reliable and will not fall apart any time soon, which is my early impression.
Performance
The Centrin CPU has enhanced speedstep which will cut the CPU speed down to 600 during normal use and will increase automatically as applications demand. This seems to work very well and I didn’t notice any sluggish performance when performing everyday tasks.
I’m not too knowledgeable with all the various benchmarks and other fancy performance buzzwords but I did run 3Dmark 2001se and got a score of 6596 . The Inspiron 8200 scored 6484 and the Inspiron 4000 scored 800. The very demanding game Morrowind runs beautifully at the native resolution and the 600m gets better frame rates than the 8200 which I also ran at XGA.
Battery life was around 4 hours which is very impressive but it looks like this can be further improved with a few tweaks such as turning down the screen brightness and using a more aggressive power management profile in control panel.
I had some trouble with the wireless getting disconnected from my network but I’m not certain if the blame lies with the Intel 2100 card or the SMC wireless router that I purchased.
The unit runs cooler than the 8200. Fangui during normal use reports these temperature readings after about 4 hrs of use,
CPU 30c, GPU 36c, DIMM 39c, hard drive 43c. The unit does get a little warm at the top left palmrest but not uncomfortable in any way. This is where the hard drive is located and is I believe the main source of the warmth. Things do heat up when playing games and the fan turns on high to cool things down. I believe the ATI video is probably the main source of the heat considering it’s has historically been a very hot running video card. It’s probably a good idea to place the laptop on a solid flat surface when gaming to help dissipate this heat.
The fan is very quiet compared to the 4000 or the 8200 so this makes for a perfect ‘library’ laptop. To give a comparison, the 600m fan on high has about the same noise level as the 4000 fan on low so it is never intrusive, unlike the 8200 fan which is very loud when on high. On low speed I have to put my ear to the fan outlet to tell if it’s on. The hard drive is pretty much silent at idle and only makes a very light buzzing sound during read/write operations.
Sound
The 600m has good sound for a laptop this size. Most of the time I set the volume about half way and it is plenty loud and rich sounding compared to the 4000 which had a terrible sound system. The sound is not as good as the 8200 which has some kind of internal amplifier ( I can tell by the pop it made when booting).
To compare I rate the 3 systems ;
Inspiron 4000 = very poor
Inspiron 8200 = very good
Inspiron 600m = above average
Usability
The 600m is a little lighter than the 4000 so it feels perfectly at home on my lap. The keyboard is very familiar considering that its layout is identical to the 4000. As I mentioned earlier, there is some bounce to the keys which feels a little weird when typing but perhaps I will become used to over time. Using the keyboard in low light conditions is also a little tricky. The keys are black but the key symbols are a dull white/grey. The IBM’s have a backlight feature which is great but Dell could use luminesant symbols or at least make the symbols more prominent. I’m going to count the keyboard as a main flaw.
The ALPS touchpad is horrible, plain and simple. It’s very inaccurate just like in the 8200. Dragging and navigating menus are very tricky and can become very frustrating at times. On the 8200 this can be forgiven considering it is a desktop replacement and most of the time an external mouse will probably be used but not so on the 600m which was designed for portability and the touchpad will be used more often. Why oh why couldn’t Dell use the much superior Synaptics with its better features and smoother response. The touchpad on the 4000 is so much better. I give Dell the worst possible marks here.
Volume control and mute buttons grace the top of the keyboard which is a feature that was sadly lacking on the 4000. They work well but I wish there was some kind of on screen indicator to show the volume level. On my friends Compaq, a gauge would pop up on the screen while using the buttons showing the volume level while it is being adjusted. The only way too know volume level on the 600m is to click the icon in the taskbar which is an inconvenience.
One feature I really like is the media bay. On the 4000 the release latch was underneath which meant that you had to lift the laptop to release the bay. The 600m uses a clever design with the release latch on the side of the case which makes it easier to insert and remove the bay without lifting the entire laptop. Also convenient is bay is on the right side whereas on the 4000 the bay is on the front, which meant having to move the laptop when inserting and removing CD’s, when using the machine on my lap.
All of the key ports are located at the back of the laptop. This is good because it keeps the wires neat and tidy but I wish they had placed at least 1 USB port on the side because I’m constantly plugging and unplugging devices. Right now, when I’m using it on my lap I have to close the lid and lift the back of the laptop when I want to plug something in.
Ports and interfaces
Audio in/mic out , 1 PC card slot , 1 smart card reader ( I have no idea what this is, anyone ? ) , serial , parallel , NIC , modem , external monitor, video out, 2 USB, and the very useful infrared port. These should provide most of the functionality to suit ones needs with the notable exception of firewire. The all important second USB port is a big improvement over the single one in the 4000.
Software
As with the 8200 nothing but the standard fare. Windows XP, Microsoft works, Roxio CD creator, Driver CD and Dell’s own useless applications. Works comes with the full version of Microsoft Word 2002 which is probably the highlight of the entire software package. Of course, I did a format and reinstall shortly after receiving the laptop to get rid of the Dell preinstalled junk (remarkable increase in performance). Thankfully Dell makes this painless with the included Driver CD and everything installed without a hitch. Then it was a simple matter of using the Windows Files and transfer wizard to move my info from the 4000 to the 600m. I used the infrared ports to do the transfer and it was surprisingly fast.
Warranty
1yr mail in service standard warranty which seems to be the standard in this industry right now. The 4000 came standard with a 1yr on-site warranty so Dell has slipped here. If you want an on-site option you are force to purchase 3yrs which is very expensive. It’s too bad Dell doen’t offer a 1yr on-site option at a reasonable price. On-site service in the past has been very good, especially for taking care of those little problems and glitches . Right now if I have a small problem I will have to mail it to Dell to get it fixed, which will mean going through the inconvenience of being without the laptop for a week or so. More than likely I think both myself and the average person will just live with those glitches rather than go through that inconvenience.
Dell provided 23 bios updates for the Inspiron 4000 over the course of 3 yrs, the latest being released a couple of months ago. This shows that Dell listens to issues raised by it customers and fixes them quick.
Final thoughts
So far I am happy with my purchase which I feel is one of the best buys out there at this time. What I’ve noticed about the 600m is it’s well thought out design. Most of the things I didn’t like about the 4000 have been improved. Examples ; Volumes controls ; Placement of ports to avoid wire clutter ; build quality and workmanship ; location and operation of media bay ; More attractive and high class appearance ; and of course the extra USB port.
Main faults are with the keyboard which unfortunately hasn’t improved and the touchpad which is a giant leap backwards.
Overall I recommend the Inspiron 600m to anyone who wants a combination of performance and portability at a popular price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1210
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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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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