Dell Inspiron 6000

Dell Inspiron 6000:

1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M 730 (Sonoma), 533MHz FSB and PCIe x16 chipset
15.4 inch WSXGA+ LCD Panel (Samsung)
512 MB DDR2 400 MHz ram
60 GB Ultra ATA Fujitsu 4200rpm hard drive
64 MB ATi Mobility Radeon X300
Microsoft Windows XP Home
24x CD-RW/DVD (Sony)
Intel 2200 b/g internal wireless card
6-cell lithium ion Dell Inspiron 6000 battery
4 USB ports
1 IEEE 1394 FireWire port
Secure Digital I/O card slot
1 PCMCIA card slot
2 front facing speakers
VGA output
Optional S-Video and composite video out with adaptor cable
Audio-out (headphones) and Mic-in
Integrated 10/100 network Ethernet card
Internal 56k modem
4 year on-site service warranty

Why buy Dell?
Unlike the Fujitsu, Sony, Acer, HP, and other models under consideration Dell provides the best balance of cost, performance, and quality in my eyes. Like I've said before, I absolutely hate their ugly plain grey laptops, but these new restyled Inspiron systems are very pleasing to both look at and use. I've also been very happy with nearly every aspect of my XPS2 system.

If you're a college student or someone looking to get a laptop for college it's important to read this paragraph. One of the biggest reasons for my brother to buy a Dell is because of all the agreements they have with his college and the fact that there is a service depot right on campus! If you're a college student you can't ask for any better than that. Also, when it comes to warranty plans Dell has the best offers through their Educational/Employee Purchase Program (EPP), especially on a 4 year plan. It's far more affordable than any other competitor under consideration and the on-site service with the warranty is great. I've spoken highly of Sony's service before, but not even their 5 day motherboard battery terminal repair on my GRZ630 can compete with a technician fixing a system onsite so you're not without your computer for a while. Another plus is that it's not exactly easy to deal with UPS depending on where you're living at college (dorm, apartment, etc.). Onsite makes things much easier, and for the cost through EPP it's highly reasonable.

If you do not want a warranty or are not going to use this system for college, it is a good idea to catch one of those big coupon deals that come out through the Dell Home section. I'm not particularly fond of warranties myself, but during college it's a big deal to have a constantly functioning system for me so I have no choice. Another important option is to check with your credit card company to see if they extend the warranty coverage of products you buy. This is becoming more and more common with credit cards and is a good way of avoiding paying a premium for extended warranty coverage when it's not a high concern.

Where to buy?
You can only buy new and factory refurbished Dell systems from Dell.com. You can then select which division to buy from. Your college or employer should have a special member ID and link to get you access to EPP if you wish to buy from there. If you want a used system you can use the Dell outlet, EBay, or check local ads and college campuses to see if there are advertisements of systems for sale. I sold my GRZ630 very quickly by just using flyers at my college campus. It is not advisable to buy new Dell systems from EBay because they're normally scams or you'll end up paying more to buy there.

Like I've said above if you're looking to buy with a warranty you should use EPP because of their 12% discounts effective when you buy a 3 or 4 year plan. If you're not interested in the warranty you should buy using a good Dell Home coupon and try to use a credit card that expands the warranty on its own. If you really need to save money don't forget that Dell Financial Services will offer a 2% discount on your purchase if you get to the credit card select screen and chose to sign up with them instead. However, I must stress that I highly advise NOT using Dell Financial Services because of their absurd interest rates, confusing terms, and complicated website/contact system. Take advantage of this discount only if you already have cash on hand and can pay off the system before they get the chance to charge you interest.

Resource : notebookreview