Question:
finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
I am finalisung between Toshiba M105-S3004, Inspiron E1505 and latitude 620.
The M105 has some nice options like biometric security and E1505 has a separate video card. Since my need is for business, casual audio video use, and business travel, once a month; i want some advise on which to choose.
E1505 gets a lot of good reviews wherever i have looked. but the Toshiba hasnt done all that bad either. both cost around US1000 when i configure them as below.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?Preferrable US1000 can spend extra if i have to but under US 1300
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
b. Thin and Light; [b]13" - 14" screen. i wouldnt mind 15or 17 either but do not want to go below 14.
I
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Business applications, emails, word, excel, pdf, internet browsing. No gaming. But i do occassionaly listen to songs or watch videos on this.Again not a top priority.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? I take it home each day from office. Also have to travel at least once a month for many days.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? None.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? Do not want Acer or any small brands. prefer Dell or toshiba. wouldnt mind Sony or HP or Lenovo but have no previous experience.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
About 5hr at least.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No I do not.
9) What country are you buying this in?
USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
No preference as such. As long as I get reasonable image, no distortions or light leakage and at least 14inch size.
I certainly do not want a cluttered screen as most of my stuff is reading things or writing them.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
non glossy..
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? To a certain extent but not the defining factor.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
at least 2 years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
Say 80 to 100GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
want a drive that can write to both DVD and CD.
==========
END COPY
Please feel free to advise on whether i should look at something other than a M105 or Dell whether its is the E1505 or latitude 620.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
An E1505 would be good with a 9 cell. Buy warranty only as you need it. Extend your warranty later
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
I would probably go with the Dell over the Toshiba. Two other options are the Asus Z62f or a Sager NP5460 (both 14.1"). However neither have dedicated graphics, but it seems you don't need it and if you want 5hrs you should stick with integrated graphics. You'll definetly need a larger battery, if not two batteries, to get you to those 5 hours.
The D620's are better built than the Inspirons. However those do have some light leakage at the bottom. You can read about it on the review on this site. But the D620 gets my vote...
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
That is the issue with me right now; that I like the specs on E1505 [ but the weight is on the higher side.]
Thats why i a prefer the D620 over the Inspiron. I looked at the review on the D620. Do you have any idea how long a 9 cell battey lasts on the 620 doing office work and apps like excel, word powerpoint, browsing and emails. ie without the wifi.
Any specific reason to cancel the idea of the Toshiba M100.
i have no problems with the integrated card as I am not a gamer.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
5 hours is a lot of battery life. There are very few notebooks that will give you that; the ThinkPad T60 would be a reasonable choice. Dell's D820 is also good, much better build quality than an Inspiron.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
Thanks Chaz. The 820 and the T60 however are both out of range. The D620 is better on the pocket.
But i keep hearing this comment about leakage of light on the 620; how bad is it really.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
But i keep hearing this comment about leakage of light on the 620; how bad is it really.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
I recommend getting D820 from Dell outlet.
Here is an example of what you can get for $1219:
Operating System
Genuine Windows XP Pro
Memory
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 677MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard Disk Drive
80 GB EIDE SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Video
512MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache
Intel Core Duo T2400 (1.83GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
8x DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
1390 Wireless Card
15.4 inch WSXGA+ Notebook Screen
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
Thanks dudes
That appears a good price. i'll definitely look up the review and price on 820 once again.
My config from Dell was taking it to US2000. Only difference from your config was 1 GB RAM and 80GB HD at 5400.
I also had XP Pro. On some promotions they change Pro to Home also on the Latitudes.
Answer:
Re: finaliing between toshiba and Dell. advise needed.
I recommend getting D820 from Dell outlet.
Here is an example of what you can get for $1219:
Operating System
Genuine Windows XP Pro
Memory
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 677MHz (2 DIMMs)
Hard Disk Drive
80 GB EIDE SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Video
512MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache
Intel Core Duo T2400 (1.83GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
8x DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
1390 Wireless Card
15.4 inch WSXGA+ Notebook Screen
Dudesdudets Hi,
In Dell Small biz, i followed your exact config and the price that i get is US $ 1,464 after the 400 dollar discount that Dell offer on the latitude. How did you get the 1219 price.
Your help would be nice on this. if i can get the D620 to a low price I'll be shooting for that. But even that turns out higher than the 820 config you have used above. What am I missing here.