[spalding12]

there i was at the mall
one of those Dell kiosks
the usual clueless employees
and there.... the Dimension 8500
forget the racerboy looks
i know you all know this already but i thought i'd mention it again
what a piece of sh_t
the right side of the keyboard might sag as much as 1/4" on only slight pressure
the creeking....
i'm not sure that the platform could support the weight of gerbil, much less the infamous "unladen swallow"

greg

of course i hope you know that this thing can easily be configured for well over $3500.00.

[todrain]

Umm.. cheap! That's why most PC Laptops are sold!

[Luca Rescigno]

I think a lot of Dell (and other companies) sell their laptops to people who want luggable desktop replacements. I know some people who own Dell laptops and the main reason they use them is because they are powerful enough for anything they do, and they're light enough to carry between home and work. If they're only going to be using them at a desk anyway, I don't think portability is a huge issue as long as you can carry it in a bag. I guess if someone just wants gobs of power at the expense of portability, battery life, heat, and build quality, Dell's the one to beat. I know that the high end Dells are powerful because they can handle UT 2003 at max settings including 1600x1200 resolution without a stutter. But they are poorly made and very large, with bad battery life. On top of that, the power adapter (more like "power brick") is enormous and gets very hot. But I have no doubts that the high end Dells are significantly faster than the 17" PowerBook.

[The Placid Casual]

It comes down to pounds, shillings, pence and compatibility.

Oh, and bulk buying by large companies ho receive even greater discounts.

In the UK, 'decent' (ish) Dell portables can be bought for nearly 1/2 the price of Apple ones... (Powerbooks anyway, iBooks are closer, is not the same)

Simple economics.

Peace,

TPC

[PowerMatt]

My attorney's paralegal had a Dimension 8200. Its fan is easliy louder than my G4 733MHz and about equal to my brothers Dual-G4 1.25GHz. She didn't look thrilled to be carrying that thing either.

[sleepyrenderer]

Yup, "Friends don't let friends buy non-Centrino/Pentium-M based x86 notebooks."

P4M based systems are a bad idea these days and desktop P4s in notebooks are ridiculous unless you're after a desktop replacement and could care less about the terrible battery life, loud fans, weight etc.

[dcsmrgun]

I just ordered a 15" ALbook, but for the past 2 years I've used the same Dell Inspiron 5000e 15" notebook. Its more of a business class, and while it doesn't look sturdy, I've put the notebook through hell and back and its still mostly done OK. It rides in my backpack to and from work every day without any special accommodations, where in my cube I perch it precariously on one leg while reclining in my cube 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Often I'll clumsily drop it onto my desk to get up for a drink or break or whatnot, and it's never complained.

Not to say its a perfect laptop, but overall my experience has been pleasant. And with 1440x12something resolution, it makes having a second monitor unnecessary. It has a fan that rivals most upright vaccuums, the keyboard is somewhat loose inasmuch as it rattles when you type, the paint easily scrapes to the point where the bottom of my Inspiron looks more metallic than any powerbook i've seen , the removable DVD drive never really locks into place anymore and is prone to disconnecting at inconvenient intervals.

If I had to recommend a laptop to someone who HAD to have a PC for whatever reason, I would recommend a Dell in a heartbeat.

Edit: Also, the second battery slot/media bay is a godsend for long flights or trips where I'm unable to jack in after 3 hours of use. I very much wish Apple sold a second battery option, even if it was an external battery of some sort. Honestly, this would be perfect.

[MusicalTone]

Dell does it by shipping direct. Its the Dell way. That way the manage to undercut the competition. They are all about offering the cheapest they can.

[spalding12]

Dell is the cheapest?
have you ever looked at their site
try configuring one of their units like a powerbook
and the price IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME
DELL lures you in with low specs
then nickel and dimes you to death to make the computer usable...
that new dimension 8600 could EASILY cost over $3,800.00 if you don't watch yourself when adding some extras.

dell is ONLY cheapest when it comes to the quality...

greg