Hi, I'm James aka. Bladebreath. I joined Ciao because I enjoy writing reviews and letting other peop...
Hi, I'm James aka. Bladebreath. I joined Ciao because I enjoy writing reviews and letting other people know my opinion. I hope you like my reviews and I would appreciate any advice you could give me on them. Just leave a message in my guestbook.
Member since:02.12.2003
Reviews:10
Members who trust:11
Right I can tell this is going to take me a while as there is so much to tell you about this laptop.
I will start by telling you my own personal uses and experiences of this laptop. I bought this laptop over a year ago now after realising that my previous computer was now very outdated when it wouldn't even run the Windows 2000operating system (let alone XP). I spent about 3 months going around shops and browsing the net for the best models of laptop and I stumbled upon the dell website. This was easily the best of all the laptop manufacturers' websites as it was so easy to use. It provided loads of information upon all of its laptop models and once I had decided it was the 6400 that I wanted you are taken to a page which allows you to easily configure every imaginable setting for a laptop. For example it offers the options of four different processors and speeds which you choose. The total price is then updated so you know exactly how much all of these options will cost you. Once
I had ordered my laptop it took a mere five days to be delivered free of charge by dell. It came with all of the software installed and a nearly fully charged battery so it was ready to use. The instruction manual was extremely useful even though I do not usually bother to read these as I foolishly think I know better than a book. When I did encounter a small problem (which was my fault for not following the instructions) I quickly and easily found the solution due to the excellent layout of the handbook. I shall now tell you my specific laptop configuration as it is slightly upgraded from the cheapest configuration of hardware.
Operating System: Windows XP (SP2) Processor: Intel Centrino Duo 1.66 GHZ Memory (RAM): 1024MB Hard Drive: 80GB Screen Size: 15"4 (Diagonal) Widescreen Graphics Card: Integrated/Shared Graphics Card 256MB Networking: Wireless Card (Wi-Fi) Battery: Lithium Ion Nine cells USB Ports: Four
The above configurations (with 15 month Mc-Affee Antivirus Software & Mouse) cost £606. I believe for those specifications I got a very good deal with Dell though some may disagree with me. I will not claim that Dell Laptops are the cheapest you can buy because you are paying for quality as Dell is a well respected company who use the best parts and technicians to design and create their laptops. In addition to this I have found Dell computers to be the most reliable on the market. They very rarely experience problems and my laptop has never crashed since I have owned it. The desktop computer I owned for years before the 6400 was also a Dell computer and it was brilliantly designed and seldom experienced difficulty. Personally I think the most important thing about a computer is reliability because what good is the computer with the most expensive hardware if it won't do what you want it to do 100% of the time. The best thing about the 6400 is how reliable it is and this is why I have never regretted buying it for even a second. Unfortunatly as I have never experienced problems I cannot advise you upon the manufacturers support of Dell. The 6400 is also very fast with a 1.6 GHZ processor which although doesn't sound like a lot is extremely fast because it is a Duo processor. This means that it can do two things at the same time and so has the effect of acting as two separate processors therefore doubling the speed. The RAM of this laptop also is large enough to use even the most complex of applications including games. However I do not think this laptop is necessarily what you are looking for if you want a gaming machine. This is because it does not have a dedicated graphics card and therefore is not powerful enough to play them. I advise that if you want a gaming machine, to go for a desktop computer as they are half the price for even better specifications. Another of my favourite things about this laptop is the size of the screen. It is huge! Also as it is widescreen is can have a maximum resolution of 1200x800 pixels. This makes it the best for watching DVD's on the move or at home. This has become one of the things I use this laptop the most for. Perhaps the most important reason you are choosing a laptop instead of a desktop is because you want to use it somewhere without access to a power supply, so you will require a long battery life. You will not be disappointed with that on the 6400 because I have managed to get the battery life up to 6 hours when running Microsoft word and 3.5 hours when watching a DVD. IMPORTANT TIP: Ensure that you opt for the 9 cell battery instead of the standard 6 cell battery because you get 50% extra battery life for only £12. Now I move onto the one and only disadvantage I can thing of about this laptop. That is its mass. It weighs in at a staggering 3.0KG. That is absolutely fine if like me you don't intend to carry it round but to use on a desk for most of the time. However if you are thinking of taking this laptop on a daily commute I would go for a lighter model as this one will become a pain. Overall I absolutely love this laptop as it is fantastic. It is fast, powerful, has a large screen, long battery life, large keyboard keys and easy to use mouse. Ok…the weight may be a problem to some but for most it is not even an issue. I would definitely recommend this laptop to all. If you do not like what you hear about this then I have to advise you to get a Dell because there computers are in my opinion the most reliable and best you can buy.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) cool and quite robust trackpad, good display,64-bit windows 7 (-) few connectors,dell drivers only, not realy for gameing (most models), finger print prone!
Great review, love the Dell Inspiron range. Chris :)
Beaker66 04.09.2006 01:07
Good review. Can I suggest you space your paragraphs, it makes reading easier as well as making the review look tidier. It was something suggested to me when I first started writing reviews.Richard aka Beaker
HungryHungarian 04.09.2006 00:52
Very good review, and what looks like a very good machine. I must have a look at bit as my hp is dying! Michael
Installation in matched pairs of modules is required, please order quantity two. Dell ... more
Branded memory offered in the Memory Selector is fully compatible and supported by Dell. Memory offered now may differ in speed from the original system memory but
Postage & Packaging:Free Delivery Availability:3-7 days
Installation in matched pairs of modules is required, please order quantity two. Dell ... more
Branded memory offered in the Memory Selector is fully compatible and supported by Dell. Memory offered now may differ in speed from the original system memory but
Postage & Packaging:see site for shipping costs Availability:3-7 days
Sep 4th, 2006
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