Deciding which laptop: Dell 600m or 8500 (widescreen)

[ski]

My old 233mhz Pentium must be retired finally, so here's what I want to bring in:

-Any P4 processor
-30+ GB hard drive
-256 MB RAM in 1 stick
-DVD drive
-32 MB video
-Internal 802.11b/g
-Internal Bluetooth

Inspiron 600m w/ 14.1" SXGA+
$1582 - $75 (5% off EPP discount) - $100 (coupon code) - $150 MIR = $1257
5 lbs.

Inspiron 8500 w/ 15.4" WXGA
$1579 - $75 (5% off EPP discount) - $100 (coupon code) - $250 MIR = $1157
7 lbs.

I'm going to be doing a lot of walking/bike riding next semester the way my schedule is, so I didn't want to get the big 17" HP klunker. However, I'll be using this for PSpice circuit diagrams and other tools, as well as the usual AIM, IE, Office, etc.

The 600m's got the weight advantage and 4 hours of battery life, but a weaker processor
The 8500's got the screen and power advantage, but 3 hours of battery life and 2 lbs. heavier.

I really don't know what to get! Anyone have a widescreen that LOVES it? Or maybe you got one and it's not what you thought? Better yet, does anyone have either of these laptops that you'd recommend? Thanks !!!

[bachviet]

I would go for the lighter laptop (600m).

[glagic]

i have the 600m. its a good laptop. it gets really light if you take out the modular bay and put in the air bay. makes it really portable. i take mine to class regularly and its perfect. try looking at the 600m in the small business section. i got mine from there for about $1400 (specs are in sig).

also, about the processor, its intel's new mobile processor, so dont let the low clock speed trick you. i have a 1.4 P-M in mine and ive bench marked it and its comparable to a 2.2-2.4ghz desktop P4. so yea...there ya go

[ski]

Oh! Are there video-out ports on Dell laptops (600m or 8500)? They don't list many of the tiny details on their website

[Yoda]

Go for the lighter one man. In the starting you are happy with the heavier one also but later on as the excitement dies and u have to lug that 7 lb thing everywhere, u will will like WHAT WAS I THINKING?. i am saying this as u said u will be carring it a lot. also as glagic posted these new pentium-M may have slower speeds but carry the punch of fatser ones.
I am not sure about 600m but 8500 has video out ports. I have the traditional VGA and another connector for S-Video and composite output.

[nomoney]

I got a big 8100 a few years back. Its sooo heavy and big. I wanted all the power of my desktop in a laptop but I learned my lesson. Stick with a small light laptop, you wont regret it. (Especially after a year when that big bad laptop you got sucks compared to any run of the mill desktop).

[ski]

UPDATE: I might go for the Latitude D500.

Under 5 lbs, and with 15% coupon, I can get it for a little over a grand packed with 512 MB ram, 40GB hard drive (but no video card, bah)

Thanks all!

[glagic]

Originally posted by skiAtomic
Oh! Are there video-out ports on Dell laptops (600m or 8500)? They don't list many of the tiny details on their website

i know the 600m has video out. pretty sure teh 8500 will too. i juss havent been able to get mine to work. i think you have to buy the adaptor from them for it to work.

the latitude d500 is pretty much just a step under what the 600m would be. if youre going to be doing any gaming what so ever, i suggest the 600m. the radeon 9000 is a pretty good incentive. if you wait enough you can get a decent deal. i got an extra battery free when i ordered mine

[ski]

That extra battery is a really nice deal! Since I have a 128MB 9500pro on my desktop, and soon to upgrade, going to a lower clocked 64MB card for future games won't really work for me, plus I shouldn't be playing games if I'm on my laptop... I will only use it for work! (i keep telling myself this ) Thanks for the input glagic, I'm glad to see some good comments about Dell laptops

[CynJon]

Another option to consider is the Compaq X1000 or HP NX7000. From the G|A forums, I believe myself, Sho.gun and psycho- have X1000's and Leon has the NX7000. There was a deal on the deals page from last Friday with a 10% off and $100 rebate from HP.com, but I believe the 10% off has expired... Absolutely awesome laptop and I whole-heartedly recommend it. If there's a single thing I would change about it, it would be to upgrade to a Radeon mobility 9600 video card. However, the Radeon 9200 64MB that I have plays every game I have tried in it just fine. If you want to check out what others have to say about it, check out X1000 forums--don't forget to visit the Dell forums to see what the D500 and Inspiron 8500 owners have to say about their machines, as well. I am very happy with the Pentium M processor choice over a P-4M or desktop chip...nice and cool, GREAT battery life (well over 4 hours for mine using the integrated wireless and surfing the web), and lots of processing power.

I highly recommend getting the fastest harddrive that you can afford, because it REALLY affects how fast the laptop "feels". A 3GHz processor is not going to kick butt when paired with a 4200RPM laptop drive. Keep in mind that you can upgrade the hard drive relatively easily down the road. I'm waiting for the 7200 RPM drives to drop a little further in price to upgrade. Hope this helps...