Inspiron vs ThinkPad?

Right...sorry, I should've worded this better.

Which is better in terms of performance?  Being able to crunch numbers?  Reliability?  Process graphics?

Thanks.

- Matt

The question doesn't make any sense. Its like asking me 'which is better, a Honda or a Toyota'? All of this depends on your needs and desires for laptop, as well as the model you are looking at. Both the Thinkpad and the Inspiron have such a wide range of models within that that you need to specify your needs (budget, speeds, uses) and models you are intered in before anyone can give you a useful answer.

Given that this forum is sponsored for Dell support, by Dell, it would be better to ask that question in a more general forum such as Usenet.

 

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@AzonWehttam wrote:

Right...sorry, I should've worded this better.

Which is better in terms of performance?  Being able to crunch numbers?  Reliability?  Process graphics?

Thanks.

- Matt

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Again both the Dell i series and the IBM TP series have varying models and different CPU speeds in each of there models but they will use the same CPU, Intel Pentium "M" or a Pentium 4M (Not to be confused with the Mobile Pentium 4M). 1 to 1 / model to model both will do what you want. Flip a coin. In either brand you will need the TOP of the line to get the BEST performance, big bucks for either, and will be outdated in 6 months or less and not upgraded easily if at all.

Well, in all honesty, if I had to run over both laptops with a car, I would choose the Thinkpad:  it would survive (I'm not joking - I actually did that one time, and the laptop worked when I powered it up, though I had a cracked screen) whereas I think that the Dell would have more problems.   But in terms of power and functionality per dollar, I'd choose the Dell.  I've been keeping an eye on Thinkpad sales, and I still haven't seen a laptop unit (at least in the A/G/R/T 5X series) that matches the 5150 I have (see sig below).  A lot of the question's answer would lie in how you use the machine, and what you use it for.  I have a thinkpad R40 as well, and the slowness of the machine drove me to buy a 5150 when my management wouldn't replace it with something more up to date (words that were used:  "everybody does their time on each laptop" - I wasn't amused).   The 5150 blows the R40 out of the water.

Postnote:  I generally have the following running at any given time

MS Access with customized databases

Outlook

Act! 6.0

Internet Explorer (5 or 6 instances)

Photoshop/Acrobat

Netterm (2 - 4 instances)

Quake II/F22 (for those times when frustration needs an outlet!!)

PC Cillin antivirus

Farstone Virtual Drive CDROM drive emulator

Powerquest Datakeeper

Research in Motion Desktop Manager

Powerstrip 3.49 NVidia Display Driver Manager

 

I'll be shifting back and forth between these various programs during the day, so task switching ease is a must.  On an R40, the task switching is painfully slow.  On this machine - no problems.  

Message Edited by 4fluke on 06-27-2004 11:03 PM

I was looking at purchasing a Thinkpad.

Dell seems to offer more power at a lower price.

IBM's computers seem to be more business oriented. They are also more pricy but as anyone will tell you, their quality is amazing as well. The feel of the keyboard alone made me consider an IBM. But ultimately, you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal than what Dell offers (especially if you wait for the rebates and offers)

IBM's all black.. n i just can't take it.. dell looks much stylish to me.. n the lower price and better specifications..

Well, guys, I was wondering too few weeks ago, whether to choose Dell or IBM. To be honest, if you are looking for a perfect mobile workstation, then I would just suggest you to look for IBM thinkpad. Coz what they provide is far more better than Dell, sorry to say that. However, if u are looking for balance between performance and price, I would advise you to go for Dell, since so far as I have surveyed, Dell seems to be the cheapest among the famous worldwide brands. Anyway, for my case, I have made my choice to choose Dell finally, since its service is really good, so far as I know. And of course, the price is still the main factor. I am now using Dell Inspiron 600 m 1500 GT, specs as below, so far so good:

Intel M Pro: 1.5 GHz and Centrino

Ati Mobility Radeon 9000 (64MB)

512 DDR PC2100 SD Ram