I went ahead and ordered the Dell 700m as my PC laptop.
They had some compelling configurations in the outlet, so I ended up getting one there. Here are the specs:
- 2.0 GHz Pentium M (Dothan)
- 256MB of RAM
- 80GB HD (5400rpm)
- DVD/CD-RW Combo drive
- 8 cell battery
- Windows XP Pro
Then I went straight over to Crucial and ordered an extra 1GB of RAM for it. Total out of pocket (including tax and shipping) was around $1900 – not too bad. I’m sure it will do the trick for me.
I’m interested to see how the “crystal clear display” compares to the XBRITE screen that the Sony has. The Sony was probably a better option, but not for an extra $1500.
It should get here this week, I’ll post some thoughts when I get it.
I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop (the no longer make them) and am extremely happy with it, it is however larger then the 700m.
A few things I have noticed about it. When I ordered it I ordered the best display I could for it, I couldn’t tell you now what it is for its a few years old, and it is noticeably more bright and clear then the other laptops I have seen.
The cooling system is yet another thing I have noticed. My laptop has two rather large fans on the back of it and run extremely quietly. My roomate has a Compaq laptop, with one fan, that runs extremely loud (a buzzsaw would be a good comparison). It is not just his laptop either, again, all the other laptops I have seen around me in the dorms have louder cooling fans then mine.
I’m not saying the laptop is the best, but out of those that I have compared it too I am extremely satisfied that I purchased it over something else.
I wouldn’t recommend Dell. I have a 600m and I can’t say that I’m happy with it. Dell has the best support if you get complete care option, but the quality of make just feels cheap to me. The plastics are very flimsy, the screen while sharp, has terrible view angle.
I got me a vaio t150 and it’s so much better in my opinion. Feels exceptionally solid and XBRITE screens are amazing.
The 600 series Latitude was what I had a terrible experience with, but I did talk to some happy Dell owners on different models. The 700m has a special coating that sounds similar to the XBRITE screen (though I don’t expect it to be quite as good).
When it came down to it, the advantages of the Sony just didn’t justify an extra $1500 (especially since this is not going to be my primary dev. machine).
The 700m is a well built laptop. The only slightly annoying aspects are the non-standard keyboard and the fact that the headphone jack is right in the front, I prefer it on the right hand side.
I just bought a 700m and am extremely satisfied with it. I got a special business deal so I paid under 1K for almost all the options available. Even at regular price I would still have to say that it is better value per dollar than the VAIO. I do agree that the VAIO is a great computer, but for the price it is hard to beat the 700m, in my opinion.
I ordered a 700m and wrote a review, but I got mine MUCH cheaper…
Opportunity cost. 🙂