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1681
April 12th, 2004 14:00
9100 thoughts and observations
Having used my new 9100 for a little over a week now, here are some general thoughts.
1.) The machine itself is big, but not as big and heavy as I feared. However... the friggin' power adapter is HUGE! Just HUGE! That, in itself, will make this machine very hard to travel with. My advice is that if you are moving with this laptop, (between home and office, for example), buy the second adapter. You don't want to carry that bad boy around.
2.) The emulated dual processors in the task-manager is kind of cool.
3.) The CD/DVD drive is VERY noisy.
4.) I got bluetooth in my machine. Using it soley with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard from Logitech. It is kind of hit and miss. Having to re-pair the keyboard each time I boot up is a PAIN, and the mouse and keyboard both are a little 'spotty' in how reactive they are. I am new to bluetooth tech... I wonder if this is normal or if the technology just has a little maturing to do.
5.) Got the WUXGA display. It seems very nice, at times. Other times, however, many graphical objects seem a little grainy. Is this normal? Never having used a wide aspect monitor before, nor one of this quality, I guess I am little surprised at some of the details while using the display at 1900x1200.
6.) The machine is really fast. Some of my 8 and 9 minute compile times are under 1 minute now. The machine just screams with Flight Sim 2004, graphic settings turned up high.
7.) I really wish some sort of docking solution would have been devised.
8.) Really happy, overall, that I decided on this machine versus the 8600 or another vendor.
jamesCS
13 Posts
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April 12th, 2004 14:00
A few more thoughts...
My machine died over the weekend when the battery ran out. However, I got no warnings or offers to hibernate... etc. I checked and double-checked my power settings. Anyone else seen this?
WolfJe63
16 Posts
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April 12th, 2004 18:00
Hi, here are my comments (have my i9100 since 4/6):
1) YES. I totally agree. However you can buy a third party 150w adapter which is much smaller (ie targus). Watch for the right connector!
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2) I think so too. Cool to have the sysinfo printed out and share with co-workers
3) I have the DVD+RW and it is not overly noisy.
4) I do not have bluetooth in my i9100. My work-laptop has though (Toshiba) and I have the same re-pairing problems. So this is not a Dell-issue, but a generic bt problem. That's why I did not opt for the bt in de i9100.
5) I am very pleased with it. Becuase it is so sharp, a lot more JPEG artifact can be seen though. Maybe that is your conclusion too?
6) Speed is very good (even with my 3.0Ghz).
7) I use a Sitecom USB 2.0 dock to put my external keyboad, wireless mouse, scanner etc into gear. I have to connect two cables: one to the USB port and one for the monitor. Allthough I will lose my 17" crt monitor. It is too blurry in regards to the WUXGA ultra sharp i9100 screen.
8) I have not found any machine with the same specs as the i9100 (especiallly the WUXGA screen) in the same price catagory whatsoever.
Regarding the hybernation problem: I have had problems with hybernating in all my Dells in the past too. Also the i9100 has this problem: it does not come back on from a hybernation session. So I only use standby for short-time (max 12 hours) and normal power off.
WolfJe
bic0r
12 Posts
0
April 13th, 2004 05:00
My power adapter died on me after 24 hours of delivery. I was intending on using the laptop for work and I would probably leave it on all day. If the power adapter fails after such a short use I'm not sure what I'm going to do. This is indended to be a desktop replacement and it sure is. I'm still worried about the power adapter issue. Let's keep posting any other problems we might see.
Oh BTW, Dell Media Experience is worthless. It's crashed on me everytime. I guess I could reinstall it, but since my 9100 is inop I will have to wait till I get my new power adapter in.
jamesCS
13 Posts
0
April 13th, 2004 13:00
I am really getting concerned about the power management features on the 9100. Again, even after trying to re-tweak my power settings, I get the following:
1.) NEVER more than about 1 1/2 hours of reported battery life. Is this normal?
2.) The machine just SHUTS DOWN at about 35 minutes left. No warnings, no hibernation, no standby... just turns off.
Anyone else seeing this?
The ArchAngel
19 Posts
0
April 13th, 2004 16:00
To those complaining about battery life, please consider the following...
You have a very high performance laptop with some of the fastest equipment available today. If you expected battery life to be a selling point on this computer, you should not have purchased a 9100 or an XPS.
Over the last week, I have found that just web surfing I consistantly get about 1:45 out of the battery. 3D intense gaming takes that down to roughly an hour. Honestly though, I have no deal with that, because it is a desktop replacement computer with desktop power. My suggestion, don't keep it far from an outlet without an additional battery ready to go. For long trips, I plan on purchasing another battery with my tax returns.
As far as the screen resolution goes, I am extremely satisfied with my WSXGA+ screen. I had a feeling WUGXA might be a bit hard to read when doing school work, and I felt that WSXGA+ would be a good call and I was right. Works perfect for my needs and multitasking.
The DVD drive can be noisy at times, but I often do not notice as the audio on this system really overtakes any other noises.
I do have a strange buzz coming from the computer that annoys me, but I only noticed it last night and it because I was working in a quiet room and the fans on the computer were on low.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the computer, looking forward to keeping it for the next several years.
jamesCS
13 Posts
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April 13th, 2004 18:00
bic0r
12 Posts
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April 13th, 2004 18:00
The ArchAngel
19 Posts
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April 14th, 2004 01:00
jamesCS
13 Posts
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April 14th, 2004 01:00
bic0r
12 Posts
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April 15th, 2004 02:00
I'm already on my 2nd power adapter and waiting for a 3rd. As was mentioned above I had a bad power adapter within 1 day of use. The second one received yesterday is already broke today. I'm thinking there's something wrong with my computer. Dell Tech Support agrees. Probably agreed only cause they're in the USA and they might actually give a hoot. My 9100 is already headed back to Dell for repairs. Good deal eh? 4 weeks of waiting, 2 days of use, and now already going back to Dell. I had the thing for 6 days now.
BTW, I'm really hating Dell's India support services. They really know how to screw things up. I had to go to Airborne Express to go pick up my new power adapter because idiot tech support guy didn't ship it to the correct address.
Mike Griffin
8 Posts
0
July 1st, 2004 16:00
I just bought a Dell Inspiron 9100, however, no AC adapter, odd I thought, especially after paying for priority delivery, well, it turns out Dell has no AC Adapter in stock for the 9100's, two weeks they said, so they sold me a laptop, knowingly, a laptop that would not work within a hour after turning it on.
Thus, I am returning it and urge anyone considering buying from Dell to beware, they're perfectly willing to sell you a laptop that you cannot use, just to get you hooked into the deal rather than buy from a competitor.