Dell Inspiron 6400

Spec:
Intel Core Duo T7200, 2 Gb 533Mhz Ram, 120 Gb HDD (5400rpm), ATI 256 Mb X1400 Graphics card.

I bought the Dell Inspiron 6400[E1505 laptop, as a replacement for my two year old one. I had not used a 15.4'' screen before and wasn't really looking forward to it. As 15'' screens were hard to find, I plumped for the 15.4'' as I still wish to retain portability and be able to actually work with the machine, on my lap.

My first impression of the Dell, once running, was the bright screen, with a fantastic viewing angle. My old machine required a direct sitting position, or there was a marked loss in viewability. The Dell screen is far more flexible in this respect. It is also extremely handy when opening up several documents, to have the 1680x1050 option.

The keyboard is fairly large and for those of us with large hands, it is far easier to type with. However, because of the amount of reach, towards the screen, it may not suit those with smaller hands I find that the keys, although fairly light, require quite a positive 'press' ; certainly more so than my previous machine.

The trackpad is the best one I have ever had. It isn't affected by hot or cold hands and does not tend to shoot across the screen annoyingly, as my previous laptops have done. Dell have obviously worked on this, as a few years ago, an old Dell was dreadful for this. The scrollers on the pad work well, too. The mouse buttons themselves, need a firm push, though,.

Accessing the DVD drive, USB ports etc is good and the four USB ports are split between the back and side of the machine. Also, the DVD is at the side, which is far preferable to a front loader, which is difficult to operate.

The battery has a manual capacity button, so that it is easy to read the amount of charge left. FIve hours during normal surfing and Office work is around five hours, with two and a half to three for DVD watching. My battery is the nine cell model.

The pro wireless card functions well and connection to a wireless network is easy and hassle free.

The fans, which have three speeds work quietly and the chassis does not get overly hot.

The build quality is excellent, although I am not entirely sure about the 'Ipod' white strips down the sides of the casing. However, this isn't enough to put me off the machine.

Overall, the Dual Core makes for a swift machine, which is able to carry out several instructions at a time. The Dell MediaDirect button under the screen is handy too, as it is not necessary to boot up into Windows to watch a DVD. The Media Centre edition of WIndows is great to use, too. Although, upgrading to VIsta, maybe on the minds of many.

This will never be the games machine of choice for the l'atest game' f an, but the machine is solid, fast and very capable of playing all but the very latest games, with ease. It is also a lot quicker than my old Centrino 755 core single, with 1Gb Ram!