No. Hence why ordered the i8600. It is thinner, lighter, have over double the battery life and is almost as powerful. The i9100 has a slight power advantage over a 755, MR9600 equipped i8600 but is not worth the extra baggage IMO, but its all up to preference.
stu
But........ after looking at the 8600, it's limited on processor (up to 2.0Ghz) and is running only 400 MHz bus. The 9100 runs above 3GHz and has a 800MHz buss and the 865 chipset. So is it really worth getting a lower grade laptop for about the same $$.
After configuring the 9100 ver 8600, I will pay over $400 more for the lower grade 8600. I got a fully loaded 9100 for $1600. I can't get close to that with any other model close to the specs the 9100 has. Bulky, yes, but a power house. I might just keep it. Makes for a good desktop replacement.
I have one (9100) too and love it, the weight really isn't much of an issue to me. I have had a toshiba tecra s1 and an inspiron 5150 and the 9100 is the best laptop by far.
You cannot directly compare the Clockspeeds of the Pentium 4 in the i9100 and Pentium-M in the i8600 as they are totally different CPU's. The 2.0GHz Intel 755 offered in the i8600 is actually much, much faster than it appears due to advanced technology. It is actually comparable in speed to a P4 between 3.0GHz and 3.8/4.0GHz, depending on the applcation. It is also a true mobile chip, offering less heat and longer battery life.. the i8600 lasts twice as long as the i9100! In all honesty, the i8600 is almost as powerful as the i9100, only losing a little bit to the MR9700, but has many more advantageous features in portabiity which make it, IMO, a better choice.
stu
I currently have a Inspiron 8600 which I bought recently,I sold my desktop and I am looking to replace it with a nice powerful notebook.I am in a dilemma wheather to buy another 8600 and upgrade it with certain feauters or go for 9100. I really like the power of 9100 but I have only three concerns/questions if any one could advice me on that that would be great.
1. Is there a big differnce in the computing power between Intel Pentium 4 chips and Intel Pentium M, I understand that Intel P M 1.5GHZ is an equivalent of Intel Pentium 2.8GHZ, although the FSB for a M is 400MHz but the L2 Cache is 2MB
2. Does the Inspiron 9100 Laptop heat up too much? I am amazed at the 8600 with the Pentium M processor because it produces very less heat. My friend had a Inspiron 8500 with Pentium chip 2.8GHz it used to get really hot.
3. For the HD is it better to buy 60GB(7200rpm) or 80GB (5400) I mean which one makes the computer fast? In the same context is the Memory chip they use in 9100(400Mhz) better than the one they use in 8600 (333Mhz)...does the RAM frequency make the system faster?
Actually, I sent my 9100 back. Heat, yes. The 9100 gets very hot. The maine reason for my return was weight, and battery. The battery capacity was less than 50 minutes. I was not impressed with the overall appearance as the laptop looks like it came from early 1995 (big and fat). If purchase for a desktop replacement, it's a good machine. But protability is an issue (atleast it was for me). I would recommend staying with the 8600. You can't compare the specs of the pent 4 against the M class procesors. They are totally different processors. Even though the M process is rated at a lower MHz, the performance is greater than the pent 4.
I have a 9100 and I like it alright, it is fast and does most of the things that I want. The one thing that I am really upset about is the lack of a port replicator. There is the USB ones but to me those are nothing more than fancy port extensions. I am really upset because I was led to believen one would be available and it turns out the computer is not even designed to have one.
What use is a a desktop replacement if you can't connect an external monitor properly and you have to keep the notebook open so you can turn it on?
It is my fault that i waited a bit too long to realize this and now I can't even return it.
I bought my 9100 as a desktop replacement for my PC. I had hoped to get a KVM switch to connect to the docking station (yes, I know, no docking station available) and have it share a monitor and a keyboard with my Linux server (PS/2 mouse and keyboard).
I can live with the 'keep the lid open' feature to start-it up but I would greatly appreciate if someone from DELL can write-up what options we should be looking for to remedy the lack of port replicator for our 9100s. This is a "top of the line" notebook!
In particular, some advise on what hardware do we need to buy to connect my 9100 to a monitor and a keyboard?
Better yet, what KVM or port replicator would I need to buy to connect my 9100 and Desktop PC (PS/2 keyboard and mouse) so I can have one monitor/one keyboad for both?
I might not really understand the issue, but if you go to Control Panel, and go to "Power Options," and then go to the 'Advanced' tab, there is an option under Power Buttons that says "When I close the lid to my portable computer:' and a drop down menu, where you can select "Do Nothing"
So, from there I'm not sure what you could do next...
sakor1
2.2K Posts
0
June 10th, 2004 13:00
stu
sz71
37 Posts
0
June 10th, 2004 14:00
Thanks
sz71
37 Posts
0
June 10th, 2004 14:00
But........ after looking at the 8600, it's limited on processor (up to 2.0Ghz) and is running only 400 MHz bus. The 9100 runs above 3GHz and has a 800MHz buss and the 865 chipset. So is it really worth getting a lower grade laptop for about the same $$.
sz71
37 Posts
0
June 10th, 2004 14:00
After configuring the 9100 ver 8600, I will pay over $400 more for the lower grade 8600. I got a fully loaded 9100 for $1600. I can't get close to that with any other model close to the specs the 9100 has. Bulky, yes, but a power house. I might just keep it. Makes for a good desktop replacement.
Unmatched
13 Posts
0
June 11th, 2004 02:00
sakor1
2.2K Posts
0
June 11th, 2004 10:00
stu
Unmatched
13 Posts
0
June 11th, 2004 11:00
camvgk
6 Posts
0
August 3rd, 2004 20:00
Hey Guys
I currently have a Inspiron 8600 which I bought recently,I sold my desktop and I am looking to replace it with a nice powerful notebook.I am in a dilemma wheather to buy another 8600 and upgrade it with certain feauters or go for 9100. I really like the power of 9100 but I have only three concerns/questions if any one could advice me on that that would be great.
1. Is there a big differnce in the computing power between Intel Pentium 4 chips and Intel Pentium M, I understand that Intel P M 1.5GHZ is an equivalent of Intel Pentium 2.8GHZ, although the FSB for a M is 400MHz but the L2 Cache is 2MB
2. Does the Inspiron 9100 Laptop heat up too much? I am amazed at the 8600 with the Pentium M processor because it produces very less heat. My friend had a Inspiron 8500 with Pentium chip 2.8GHz it used to get really hot.
3. For the HD is it better to buy 60GB(7200rpm) or 80GB (5400) I mean which one makes the computer fast? In the same context is the Memory chip they use in 9100(400Mhz) better than the one they use in 8600 (333Mhz)...does the RAM frequency make the system faster?
Thanks
Vijay
sz71
37 Posts
0
August 3rd, 2004 20:00
Actually, I sent my 9100 back. Heat, yes. The 9100 gets very hot. The maine reason for my return was weight, and battery. The battery capacity was less than 50 minutes. I was not impressed with the overall appearance as the laptop looks like it came from early 1995 (big and fat). If purchase for a desktop replacement, it's a good machine. But protability is an issue (atleast it was for me). I would recommend staying with the 8600. You can't compare the specs of the pent 4 against the M class procesors. They are totally different processors. Even though the M process is rated at a lower MHz, the performance is greater than the pent 4.
My opinion only.
snm
3 Posts
0
September 29th, 2004 16:00
I have a 9100 and I like it alright, it is fast and does most of the things that I want. The one thing that I am really upset about is the lack of a port replicator. There is the USB ones but to me those are nothing more than fancy port extensions. I am really upset because I was led to believen one would be available and it turns out the computer is not even designed to have one.
What use is a a desktop replacement if you can't connect an external monitor properly and you have to keep the notebook open so you can turn it on?
It is my fault that i waited a bit too long to realize this and now I can't even return it.
gdimitog
1 Message
0
October 2nd, 2004 03:00
I bought my 9100 as a desktop replacement for my PC. I had hoped to get a KVM switch to connect to the docking station (yes, I know, no docking station available) and have it share a monitor and a keyboard with my Linux server (PS/2 mouse and keyboard).
I can live with the 'keep the lid open' feature to start-it up but I would greatly appreciate if someone from DELL can write-up what options we should be looking for to remedy the lack of port replicator for our 9100s. This is a "top of the line" notebook!
In particular, some advise on what hardware do we need to buy to connect my 9100 to a monitor and a keyboard?
Better yet, what KVM or port replicator would I need to buy to connect my 9100 and Desktop PC (PS/2 keyboard and mouse) so I can have one monitor/one keyboad for both?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Gregor Dimitog
salemnj1
1 Message
0
November 23rd, 2004 00:00
I might not really understand the issue, but if you go to Control Panel, and go to "Power Options," and then go to the 'Advanced' tab, there is an option under Power Buttons that says "When I close the lid to my portable computer:' and a drop down menu, where you can select "Do Nothing"
So, from there I'm not sure what you could do next...
But you woud think there would be a way.