Question:
Few questions about DELL XPS 1210 and buying a portable notebook
Dear fellow listers,
First off, merry Christmas to you all!
I'm having difficulty buying a notebook. Currently I'm using a PC but want to switch to a portable notebook computer. It's supposed to be my major computer and function for at least 10 hours per day non-stop. I'm not much of a gamer; however, I do a lot of scanning and web surfing. I also make extensive use of OCR applications (like ABBYY FineReader) and want to attach my USB DVB card to the would-be notebook. I'd also like to buy a Vista-capable machine.
I've tried to find a notebook which would cater to my needs comfortably, and, I think, DELL's XPS 1210 seems to be up to the challenge -- the screen size doesn't matter to me. However, I've read a few reviews of this notebook and they tend to conclude that it becomes warm or hot fairly quickly, compared with other notebooks.
Now, if this is correct, does this heat decrease the notebooks lifespan? Can I use it for long periods of time without worrying about the heat level? More importantly, do you think this notebook can effectively challenge my computing needs? If not, could you please introduce equally feature-rich and powerful 12/13/14-inch Toshiba notebooks? The point is that I do like XPS 1210's features, specs and relative durability, but I don't want to fork over for a potentially problem-prone notebook. Your help would be appreciated.
Best regards,
Amir
Answer:
Re: Few questions about DELL XPS 1210 and buying a portable notebook
If you could kindly fill out the FAQ, it would make it a lot easier for us.
If the screen size doesn't matter to you, and you don't need the graphics power, then why spend so much on an m1210? That would truely be a waste of money.
Fill out the FAQ and I'm sure you'll get tons of suggestions.
Answer:
Re: Few questions about DELL XPS 1210 and buying a portable notebook
OK, here's the form I filled in.
1) What is your budget?
--- About $1700.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
--- Ultraportable (12" screen preferred), or, as a second choice, Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
--- Scanning, using OCR apps, editing/proofreading, using screen readers for the visually impaired, using a USB DVB satellite card, creating normal Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
--- Portability would be important for conferences, lectures and trips, but usually it wouldn't be moved.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
--- No games.
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
--- Just DELL and Toshiba should be taken into account. I do prefer DELL notebooks to Toshiba notebooks, though. As a third choice, HP notebooks could be investigated as some of them may be available here.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
--- At least 5 hours or more. I'd like to use it with a 9-cell battery.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
--- Not applicable to me, as I live in Iran and have to buy it by visiting dealers.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
--- Again, Iran, but it isn't pertinent to my case (as it can be purchased from nearby countries).
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
--- No preference.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
--- No preference.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
--- No preference. What I really need is a lot of RAM and CPU power.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
--- Not really. However, the keyboard should be as standardized as possible.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
--- The sooner the better. Unexpected problems aside, I expect to keep it for at least 3 years.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
--- At least 100GB (5400 or, preferably, 7200 RPM).
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
--- Yes, DVD-CD/RW.
Additional features:
A built-in microphone would be a nice-to-have add-on. 4 USB 2.0 ports are needed. Moreover, I don't know if it's really important, but I'm a little concerned about using a notebook which would get warm or hot fairly quickly -- it stems from my lack of familiarity with notebooks.