Fonzie Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) OK..... So since I think I squeaked an A in my first class after 12 years off, I had dangled a reward in front of myself of a new laptop. Here's one I'm seriously considering for $568. Think maybe it's the sweetspot between a netbook & a full service laptop. Anyone have one already, or know if that's a good processor? Do those specs/features sound like a good deal/value at that price?Doesn't say anything about battery life, & I'm hoping that shipping weight is about 3lbs heavier than the unit itselfThe Dell 14" Inspiron 1440 Laptop PC is powered by the Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200 Processor and features 4GB of memory for quick and efficient computing. A 500GB hard drive stores photos, videos, music and more. Plus, the Dell 14" Inspiron 1440 Laptop PC qualifies for a Windows 7 Tech Guarantee Upgrade. Dell 14" Inspiron 1440 Laptop PC: Intel® Pentium® Dual Core T4200 (2GHz/800MHz FSB/1MB cache) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium edition with Service Pack 1: Makes your computing experience on the Dell 14" Inspiron 1440 Laptop PC more efficient, more secure and more fun. To learn more about the different versions of Microsoft Vista, click here 4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD integrated graphics 500GB Hard Drive DVD /-RW Drive- Plays and Creates CD's and DVD's 7-in-1 Media Card Reader 14.0" High Definition Display (1366x768) 10/100 Ethernet Dell 1397 b/g wireless card High Definition Audio 2.0 6-cell Battery 1-Year Return to Depot* and 24x7 Technical Support McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30-Days Microsoft® Works Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition Adobe® Reader 9 Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year Dell Remote Access, free basic serviceThe Dell 14" Inspiron 1440 Laptop PC qualifies for the Microsoft Windows 7 Tech Guarantee. Purchase this PC today and Upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium Edition for Free (Shipping and Handling Fee's may apply. Product to ship in late October). To learn more about the Upgrade instructions and fee's Click here. To learn more about Microsoft Windows 7 Click hereProcessor Brand: Intel Processor Type: Pentium Dual Core Processor Type: Pentium Dual Core Hard Drive Size: 500GB Resolution: 1366x768 System Ram: 4GB Type: Laptop Shipping Weight (in pounds): 8.2 Product in Inches (L x W x H): 18.3858 x 4.7244 x 12.874 Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported Edited October 27, 2009 by Fonzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Imagine the possibilities if you get all A's....when you get a laptop for one.Bling Bling, new 'birdy in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Imagine the possibilities if you get all A's....when you get a laptop for one.Bling Bling, new 'birdy in the garage.I wish Justin. 5 classes left to finish my business degree, but the one I'm taking in January is my last math class that I've been dreading for over a decade, & frankly, will be lucky to pass Combination of calculus & statistics...... Neither of which are my forte', though I know they're downright pre-school'ish for an enginerd like you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Calculus... le yawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTPilot Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 A 6-cell battery will give you a bit over 2 hours of battery life. 4GB of RAM will help Win7 run smoothly, and make sure you take that upgrade. Vista Home Premium licks monkey balls. I would find out how much RAM the motherboard is capable of handling. 4 is a good place to start, but I am a RAM junkie. Buy RAM 'til it hurts. What kinds of things are you planning on doing with this machine, Fonz? Dell laptops are pretty decent (aside from what used to be some flimsy hinges), but Dell tech support sucks. (Besides, us geek guys will always be willing to help.) Not sure if you are looking for just a internet/email/MS Office type of machine, or gaming. (The porn is understood.) This woudl be best for the former. Congrats on the A! School at our age is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) I would find out how much RAM the motherboard is capable of handling. 4 is a good place to start, but I am a RAM junkie. Buy RAM 'til it hurts.That price is at the high end of where I wanted to be. I think 4 is largest I've seen around that price point, or at all for that matter. 'Course, I haven't really been lookin' closely at units $600+How's that processor? Solid? Dual core's are faster, correct?What kinds of things are you planning on doing with this machine, Fonz? Dell laptops are pretty decent (aside from what used to be some flimsy hinges), but Dell tech support sucks. (Besides, us geek guys will always be willing to help.) Not sure if you are looking for just a internet/email/MS Office type of machine, or gaming. (The porn is understood.) This woudl be best for the former. Roger on the former..... Never got much into gaming. Also for pictures, music, vid storage, etcCongrats on the A! School at our age is hard.ThanxIt would sure be a lot easier without all the family/kids/sports stuff to juggle with it Edited October 27, 2009 by Fonzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Calculus... le yawnGood deal! I'll send you the class link w/ my passwords Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exSRAaron Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Seems pretty decent, but make sure its battery life is good, my Sony only lasts for 2 1/2 hours and it blows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I wish Justin. 5 classes left to finish my business degree, but the one I'm taking in January is my last math class that I've been dreading for over a decade, & frankly, will be lucky to pass Combination of calculus & statistics...... Neither of which are my forte', though I know they're downright pre-school'ish for an enginerd like you My wife completed , IIRC, two stats classes last year. If you need help let me/her know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benyen Soljax Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 i like dell cause they have have that good price point with decent performance. usually the ugly duckling, but im buying it to compute, not look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSVDon Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Calculus... le yawnCalc can lick my nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'll take Calc ANYDAY, finding triple integral, the third derivative of acceleration () whatever, over Diff Eq.I remember coming into Diff Eq class on one of the first few snowfalls of the year up there, and McCartin busts out the overhead and the problem says:"Randy drives a snowplow, he's been plowing for the last hour. His plow is capable of moving 6 cu ft. of snow every 15 minutes. What time did it start snowing?"I don't remember how, but the answer was 1:15PM. F*(king BLEW MY MIND. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSVDon Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'll take Calc ANYDAY, finding triple integral, the third derivative of acceleration () whatever, over Diff Eq.I remember coming into Diff Eq class on one of the first few snowfalls of the year up there, and McCartin busts out the overhead and the problem says:"Randy drives a snowplow, he's been plowing for the last hour. His plow is capable of moving 6 cu ft. of snow every 15 minutes. What time did it start snowing?"I don't remember how, but the answer was 1:15PM. F*(king BLEW MY MIND. Truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreator Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 What are you looking to do with this laptop? That processor would prob be fine, but 4G ram is more than enough if the processor has 1mb l2 cache Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreator Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 My last 5 pc's have been Dell's, most were from the refurb department and you really can't build a pc for less $$.. Yes, the customer service has gone to shit if you don't know what you need, but for someone who knows what is up you can usually speak slow and clear.. "SEND ME A HARD DRIVE!" "HAAAARD DRRRIVE" and get what you want. XPS support is much better than Dell's regular support, but for the most part all if the support complaints is the frustration of trying to understand the other person. Dell will always do you right, so you never have to feel like you are wasting your money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTPilot Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 That price is at the high end of where I wanted to be. I think 4 is largest I've seen around that price point, or at all for that matter. 'Course, I haven't really been lookin' closely at units $600+4 is about all you'll see on the market until 7 is completely out there, since XP only recognizes 3 GB. I just picked up a rehabbed machine that supports 8 GB. Once I have 7 on it, I plan to max that out.How's that processor? Solid? Dual core's are faster, correct?Dual Core is plenty for what you want to do. You can go to a quad, but I don't think that there are any applications out there for the average user that are written to utilize the quads capabilities.Roger on the former..... Never got much into gaming. Also for pictures, music, vid storage, etcI always recommend an external HD for pics, vids & music. Even with a 1/2 TB drive, it take up tons of space. Plus, laptops are more prone to catastrophic losses, and you don't want unreplacable pics or your tons of mp3 lost. Just MHO.ThanxIt would sure be a lot easier without all the family/kids/sports stuff to juggle with it With ya there! Trying to decide how I manage my bachelor's program next year being a single dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I always recommend an external HD for pics, vids & music. Even with a 1/2 TB drive, it take up tons of space. Plus, laptops are more prone to catastrophic losses, and you don't want unreplacable pics or your tons of mp3 lost. Just MHO.I tried an external drive last year for those exact reasons. Western Digital, & the damn thing tied up on me shortly after I got it & got all our pictures & music transferred over to it I let it try running through it's rebooting software, or whatever it is, overnight a couple different times, & both times woke up the next morning with it still running & only having gotten through a couple percent of the files At that rate, it was gonna take like a week, and each time I re-started it, it started all over from the very beginning, rather than where it left off atPissed me off & I've just left it sit ever since. I'm thinking I may try it again once I get the new laptop & see if I get any better results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Are Gateways still junk?AMD dual core 4gb RAM320gb hardrive4 USB ports1 HDMI portSD slot$479 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWing'R Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 ...Think maybe it's the sweetspot between a netbook & a full service laptop. We just got this netbook, haven't used it a whole lot yet, we boughtmainly for internet access and mapping software while traveling...http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0304016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benyen Soljax Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 We just got this netbook' date=' haven't used it a whole lot yet, we boughtmainly for internet access and mapping software while traveling...[url']http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0304016ive been using a netbook for about 6 months, and imo its only worth it if you abosolutely need the tiny size. i think they might also be good for kids as most netbooks have an 80% or less sized keyboard. netbooks are bad for streaming high quality internet video too, but they play all regular media fine if its not streaming over the internet. internet video and games are probably the only thing netbooks cant do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) Are Gateways still junk?Gateway NV5207uAMD QL65 dual core 4gb RAM320gb hardrive4 USB ports1 HDMI portSD/XD/Sony slot$47915.6" screen tooFinding it VERY difficult to quit thinkin' about this deal. 'Bout 50/50 on the Gateway responses I've gotten so farHas the amount of RAM, hard drive, & USB's I want. Plus.... First time I've actually seen HDMI & SD slot in a laptop as an added bonus. All in the price range I wanted to stay withinzdnet's givin' 4 stars/8 out of 10 good reviews so far Edited October 28, 2009 by Fonzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Um... where's the rest of the it? Is this the whole problem? How the fuck does someone come to the solution of "1:15PM" with no fucking information?? !! ¿/?!!?!??? Glad it wasn't just me thinkin' that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Um... where's the rest of the it? Is this the whole problem? How the fuck does someone come to the solution of "1:15PM" with no fucking information?? !! ¿/?!!?!???You would've had to have been in class that day. I was tripping balls (and I don't smoke and wasn't hungover that day). But, IIRC I think it involved making a few reasonable assumptions in order to add some additional numbers into the problem. The numbers weren't explicitly given to you in the problem, but if you thought about it, they could easily be researched or logically assumed.You settle on a laptop yet Fonz? The Gateway one you posted seems like a decent deal - my home tower is a Gateway I got before college, and I'm still running it. 8 yrs later - 2.0Ghz, 512MB RAM... all I did was add 250GB to the 80GB it came with.In the past, I know my parents and I both were dicked over by Gateway, then dicked over by Dell, and then went back to Gateway. I had the bearing fail in my fan, but that was a $30 replacement on my tower. For lappy's though, I have a preference for Toshiba, Sony, and HP - but no experience to back those up, just what I've read. Not that there's anything wrong w/ that Gateway you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InyaAzz Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) I always recommend an external HD...as a BACKUP. Not a primary HD. All those pics and vids of your family? Gone. No one prints pictures anymore unless they have to, or computer phobic. At a minimum, invest in some cheaper SD/USB cards/sticks for backup purposed.If you're not backing up your data, then don't cry when your HD fails and you lose everything. It's not a matter of 'if', it's 'when'. Edited October 28, 2009 by InyaAzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) You settle on a laptop yet Fonz? The Gateway one you posted seems like a decent deal - my home tower is a Gateway I got before college, and I'm still running it. 8 yrs later - 2.0Ghz, 512MB RAM... all I did was add 250GB to the 80GB it came with.Probably goin' to pick up that Gateway shortlyIn the past, I know my parents and I both were dicked over by Gateway, then dicked over by Dell, and then went back to Gateway. I had the bearing fail in my fan, but that was a $30 replacement on my tower. For lappy's though, I have a preference for Toshiba, Sony, and HP - but no experience to back those up, just what I've read. Not that there's anything wrong w/ that Gateway you posted.Only comparable Toshiba I've seen had 1gb less RAM, 70gb less hard drive, 2 less USB's, & no HDMI or SD slot...... And was $30 moreSonys are wayyyy more than I want to spend. Haven't found an HP with all those features in that price range either. Did find a sweet carbon fiber lookin' comparable Asus, but keyboard acted all goofy when I was typing, didn't have the HDMI slot or a scroll mouse pad, and was more expensive also Edited October 28, 2009 by Fonzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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