$220 off Dell Inspiron 8100 + 5% off for students NOTE: $70 rebate over

[NazzyG]

I just purchased a Dell Inspiron 8100 notebook custom built and found that there's rebates on it if you are a student that total $200 IN ADDITION to the 5% you get off automatically.
NOTE: One of the rebates for $70 or a free HDD upgrade (20GB to 30GB) ends TODAY!

Here's the rebate pages:
$70 Rebate
$100 Rebate
$50 Rebate

Here's the system I purchased for just over $2200 (after tax & shipping and before rebates):

Dell Inspiron 8100

Processor
Mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor at 1.0 GHz-M
On-die 512 KB cache
32 KB Internal Cache (L1)
133 MHz Pentium® III external BUS frequency
Intel® 815ep AGPSet Chipset with 4X AGP

Memory
256 MB SDRAM
1 expandable SoDIMM socket, both are user-accessible

Displays
15 inch Ultra XGA TFT active-matrix display with 1600 x 1200 resolution

Graphics Cards
32MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce2 GoTM video controller

Storage
20 GB1 Ultra ATA hard drive

Optical Devices Learn More
1 Fixed Bay integrated in left side with 8x max. DVD-ROM (8x max/2.4x min)
1 Modular Bay with choice of CD, DVD, 8X max. CD-RW or 8X CD-RW/DVD Combination drive

Audio
Internal Harmon/Kardon Premium Audio Sound System
ESS Maestro 3i audio providing SoundBlaster® Pro compatability with wavetable

Communication Devices
3com Mini-PCI 56K2 + 10/100 network interface combo

I/O Ports
IEEE 1394 integrated port
9-pin serial connector
25-hole pin parallel connector
Serial infrared communications port (lrDA-1.1 compliant)
Audio jacks:
headphones (same as line-out)
external mic-in
1 line-in/audio-in
15-pin monitor connector
6-pin PS/2-style keyboard, mouse, and keypad
2-USB (Universal Serial Bus) compliant 4-pin connectors
S-Video for TV-Out
S/PDIF port for AC-3 digital audio out (Sony, Philips, Digital Interface)

Chassis
Height: 44.5 mm (1.75-inch)
Width: 331 mm (13.03-inch)
Depth: 276 mm (10.8-inch)
Weight: 7.9 lbs with CD-ROM and floppy drive

Battery: 8-cell "Smart" Lithium Ion battery
59 WHr
Additional second primary battery available
Approximate charge time (approx.): ~2.5 hours (computer on), ~1 hours (computer off)
Approximate operating time: 2 - 3 hours per battery (depends on usage)

AC Adapter: Input voltage: 90 to 135 VAC and 164 to 264 VAC
Input current (maximum): 1.5A at 90 VAC, full load
Output current: 4.5A max. at 4-second pulse, 3.5A continuous
Output power: 70 W
Dimensions: 1.1-inch x 2.3-inch x 5.25-inch (H x W x D)
Weight: 0.9 lb.

Power Management
Suspend-to-RAM mode
Suspend-to-disk mode
Stand-by mode (turns off LED and HDD)

Slots
Connectors: (2) Type I or Type II cards or (1) Type III card
3.3 and 5 V cards supported
Warm-swap Capable

Services & Support
3 year Limited Warranty and Next-Business-Day At-Home/On-Site4 service, CompleteCareTM service5 (accidental damage protection)

 

[namlook]

Is $2200 a hot deal? That's an awful lot of money to spend on a laptop unless you need it for business or something.

 

[NazzyG]

I think $1980 after rebates is because this is one of the only laptops that you can get the 32MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce2 and the 15 inch Ultra XGA TFT active-matrix display on as well as some of the other high end options. You'll notice that enough of the key systems are tweaked to make the price worth it IMHO. Now I'm ready to play Neverwinter Nights. *grin*

By the way, remember that this is including about $350 (I think that's what it was) for the 3 year service plan with CompleteCare which means you could toss your notebook out in the middle of the highway, retrieve the pieces, send it in to Dell, and they'd either fix it or send you a new one!

 

[NazzyG]

Bump for college students who need the $70 off rebate that ends TONIGHT!

 

[LivinLaVivaPollo]

That's a whole lotta ram,

 

[Dug]

You might want to cancel that order and do it through the home site.
TWO BIG REASONS-

1. You don't get the 30day price protection when you order through the education site- and believe me- the price will go down in 30days.
2. You get a lot more for just a little more money by ordering through the home site.

1Ghz, 256MBram, Ati Radeon 7500 64MB DDR video card, 30GB hd, 8xDVD, 8xcdrw (not recommended btw), 15"UXGA screen,
+ all the standard stuff like usb, firewire, ethernet, etc. comes to $2016. + when the price drops next month you'll get the difference credited to your credit card.
+ a free printer.

I would also check out that Complete Care package- it doesn't work in quiet a few states. (And they won't tell you that when you order it. So it becomes worthless.) Your laptop will be covered by any renters or home insurance policy anyway.

Or if your smart- you'll ditch the cdrw (-$179) and the printer (-$50) and the 30gb hd (-$70) So your total would only be $1717 with a video card that is easily twice as fast as the geforce.

Oh- and there's no tax when you order through the home site.

 

[vegetation]

<< You might want to cancel that order and do it through the home site.
TWO BIG REASONS-

1. You don't get the 30day price protection when you order through the education site- and believe me- the price will go down in 30days.
2. You get a lot more for just a little more money by ordering through the home site. >>




Another reason: Go through ebates first, and earn 2% back just by clicking through it. That's a substantial amount on a full system purchase.

 

[cneo]

<<
Or if your smart- you'll ditch the cdrw (-$179) and the printer (-$50) and the 30gb hd (-$70) So your total would only be $1717 with a video card that is easily twice as fast as the geforce.
>>



I agree with Dug on this. I would definitely go with the ATI card over the Nvidia. The geforce2go is known to have alot of problems and the radeon is faster. The cdrw + 30gb are too much for a notebook, imo and the printer is usually total crap (ink-guzzler).

And if you're a student... I don't know why you would need such a notebook. Either way, I see it as a trade off. Not a good gaming machine, which it sounds like you want. A notebook is seriously mostly for typing. I just purchased my Thinkpad and went with it over a dell. The thinkpad lacks the powerful graphics card, but I paid about 1200 before tax, and overall build quality to me is > fast graphics card.

If you really want a game notebook, wait it out a bit. Nvidia is releasing Nv17, their new mobile chip, soon.

a hot deal advocate =p

 

[Herbman]

I just ordered one a week ago with the $200 Dell mail in rebate $ 50 discount coupon off TechBargains and going through Ebates for 2%


Intel® Pentium® III Processor 1.0GHz-M 15in UltraXGA TFT Display

Memory: 128MB,SDRAM,133M,2DIMM

Video Card: 64MB 4X AGP ATI Mobility Radeon 7500

Primary Hard Drive: Special! 30GB Hard Drive for the price of 20GB

Floppy Drive: Modular Floppy Drive

Operating System Software: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

Modem: 10/100 + 56K Capable V.90 NIC/Modem, Internal Mini-PCI

Fixed CD/DVD Drives: 8X Max Variable DVD

Bundled Software: Microsoft®Works Suite 2002 with Money 2002 Standard

Norton Antivirus®: Norton Antivirus® 2002, 90-day introductory offer

Digital Music: Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch 6.0 for XP

Carrying Cases: Nylon Carrying Case

Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 3Yr Ltd. Warranty- 3Yrs Mail-In Service + 3Yrs Phone Support

Internet Access Options: 6 Months of America Online Membership Included

Digital Imaging Software: Image Expert®2000 for XP,Dell Edition

Power Protection: Notebook Surge Protector


Sub-Total $2,033.00

Tax $0.00

Shipping $45.00

Discount -$50.00

Mail in Rebate -$200

Ebates -$40

Total cost after dust settles $1,778.00


The 64 meg Radeon is well worth the upgrade. I also added and additional 256meg Sodimm to increase the memory to 320

 

[NuTs62]

I was thinking about purchasing a laptop sooner or later, and want it extremely light. How heavy are those suckers that you guys are talking about? I was actually lookin at the Sony Super-Slim R505 series. I like the looks, and the fact that its extremely light. Although the dvd or cdrw is on a dock, its ok considering I won't need those everywhere I go. No big screen like the Dell, but thats why I have my home computer! Considering I'd be using it for typing notes in class, and I'd be already carrying around 10+ lbs of books, I think this is more ideal in terms of portability. You guys still think the Dell would be a better idea for people in my situation? The deal for the Dell seems pretty sweet..

I'm beginning to HATE all these deals! It's addicting, and it tempts me to spend all my money! AHHH!:frown:

 

[billmaine2001]

Sounds like you got screwed to me.......That's alot of jack for PIII with a 15" monitor. Hope it lasts a looooooooooong time.

(_|_)

 

[NazzyG]

Dug, I do appreciate your reply, but I did do the same setup on the Dell Home site before buying through the Student Plan and it came out cheaper with the student with the same options.

As far as video, I purposefully didn't spend the extra money to get the 64MB ATI because it's a POWER HOG. I mean, it specifically states that if you get that video card you cannot use an extra drive in the extra drive bay. I don't want that kind of power drain all the time (even if I'm not using the card to it's full potential).

Note that I did not get the CDRW, I only got the DVD. I plan on getting a firewire CDRW.

Also, if you read my first post carefully, I did opt out of the hard drive upgrade and the free printer to get the rebates plus the $100 one they normally offer. That's how I got $220 off. Remember also that my price is including tax and shipping which brough it from $2017 to over $2200.

Gaines

 

[NazzyG]

cneo, Read the specs from my post, not his.

As to how you think I shouldn't get a laptop, I don't mean to be rude but that is in no way on topic and I didn't ask. I happen to work as a security guard and am able to use a laptop while at work. This means that a desktop does me little to no good. I want to play Neverwinter Nights so I needed a decent system and a GOOD GRAPHICS CARD. The 32MB Geforce will be quite enough and since I don't play first person shooters I don't think I'll suffer from not having the ATI (which by the way, I know from experience that ATI has TERRIBLE driver support and they even say on the order form that it wont work with Win2k).

billmaine2001, that price included the (1) 256MB chip (so I can add more ram as opposed to herbman's system. I also paid $300 for the plan which DOES apply in my state and I feel is worthwhile on such an expensive notebook (with an expensive UXGA screen).

Gaines

 

[cneo]

<< cneo, Read the specs from my post, not his.
As to how you think I shouldn't get a laptop, I don't mean to be rude but that is in no way on topic and I didn't ask. I happen to work as a security guard and am able to use a laptop while at work. This means that a desktop does me little to no good. I want to play Neverwinter Nights so I needed a decent system and a GOOD GRAPHICS CARD. The 32MB Geforce will be quite enough and since I don't play first person shooters I don't think I'll suffer from not having the ATI (which by the way, I know from experience that ATI has TERRIBLE driver support and they even say on the order form that it wont work with Win2k).
>>



I apologize if I offended you. That wasn't my intention. I didn't say don't get a notebook, but rather based on what you said I indicated that possibly a notebook wasn't the best solution. But now you've mentioned that you will be primarily using it for gaming @ work, and that makes sense. I still would not agree with the Geforce purchase personally. I know ATI is not as strong as Nvidia in the driver arena on the desktop, but on notebooks ATI seems to have less problems and is pretty solid. I remember someone says that the geforce2go has alot of complaints within dell's forum.

Here is a comparison review
http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?rev=gf2go-vs-7500/index.html

Hopefully you don't have any problems with your unit. =) Is Neverwinter Nights already out? I thought it was due out in summer.

 

[NazzyG]

No offense taken. Just a misunderstaning.

That's an article I wish I had seen before buying...not because I think I would have changed my choice of video, but just to be better informed.
They never mention one of the key reasons why I chose the Geforce2 Go card over the ATi Mobility, which is power consumption. They state on the Dell purchase site that if you choose the ATi Mobility Radeon that you cannot use an extra drive in the media bay...my suspicion was because of the power usage of the video (please correct me if this is mistaken). Since I don't play games that require high frame rates such as first person shooters, I figured the constant power consumption and extra cost would be a waste. I'd like to be able to add another internal drive if I want to and the laptop already sucks up a full battery in under two hours (from what I've read).

Gaines

 

[tyfukuro]

thanks...

 

[lytylim]

I don't think having an ATI card prevents you from using a drive in the media bay. I have a DELL Inspiron 8100 with 64MB ATI Radeon 7500 video and I use a DVD drive in the media bay in addition to a CDRW in the fixed bay.

 

[NazzyG]

You would know better than I. I simply repeated what the configuration page said when you choose the 64MB ATi Mobility Radeon.

 

[SCSIfreek]

a friend of mines just got one for $1500.00 but its through the black market (hint) dell employee(hint)


--Scsi

 

[DowntownII]

Id be careful with Dells rebates. I am still waiting for my $150 rebate from my own Inspiron 8100 that I bought in September! I sent in the paperwork in the middle of October and heard nothing from Dell until I called mid-December. I hate calling Dell. I was told they could not find any of my documents! Thankfully I had scanned in everything before I had sent it in. I FAXed in new copies and waited. A few weeks later I called again (did I mention I hate calling Dell?) and I was told that my check had already been sent out. I asked to verify the shipping address and found out they had sent it to the wrong ZIP code :| After a few strong words from me I was told they'd send a new check but it would take ANOTHER 12 weeks!

Moral - Be sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING and keep checking with Dell to be sure you will get your money.

On the bright side I love my laptop! Bright 15" SXGA screen with no dead pixels. 16 MB NVIDIA GeForce is enough for me. RTCW ran fine at 1024 x 768 with only a few slowdowns here and there.

Also be sure to use your AMEX if you have it. They are great about matching price drops.

Have fun!

 

[NazzyG]

OK, here's a big question for ya on the Amex thing. I have an Amex Blue Student card. This card doesn't have the price protection (aka. price matching) that the normal Blue does so this might be a mute point, but how do you compare prices later for the laptop? Do you go to their page and configure it the same way to see what it costs then? I would think that this would not be possible since it's a custom built system therefore price varies so greatly.

I'm very interested in hearing from someone who can give an informed answer here.

Gaines

 

[Diego101]

Has anybody used the Gateway 9550? It is similar in specs to the Dell 8100, but is supposed to have much better battery life. Some reviews are saying 4+ hours vs 2.5 hours for the Dell. The Gateway also has a 15.7" screen available. Both of these machines are huge and the Gateway is 8+ pounds heavy.

Link to Solo 9550

Also Gateway claims no sales tax in most states if ordered through their "home" site.

If anyone has any negative experiences with this machine, I would certainly like to hear about it.

BTW, Configure the machine with 128M ram, DVD drive, and XP Home for a $1475 price.

 

[NazzyG]

One major difference I see is that this is SXGA instead of UXGA. Maybe not a big difference for some, but it's a feature available on the 8100 that you can't get with Gateway. Another major thing for me is the CompleteCare you can get with Dell that will cover ANY and ALL damage for as long as your covered (for me it's the next three years).

Other than that, I'd say that this is a good looking laptop. Not sure of how stable it is or the quality, but specs look comparable.

 

[NuTs62]

<< OK, here's a big question for ya on the Amex thing. I have an Amex Blue Student card. This card doesn't have the price protection (aka. price matching) that the normal Blue does so this might be a mute point, but how do you compare prices later for the laptop? Do you go to their page and configure it the same way to see what it costs then? I would think that this would not be possible since it's a custom built system therefore price varies so greatly.

I'm very interested in hearing from someone who can give an informed answer here.

Gaines >>



Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this is to my best knowledge.

To pricematch using Amex Blue, your item purchased must be identical to the new price ad you see. I'm not too clear about custom built systems, but I think if you can somehow show the identical spec system for a lower price, just call Amex price protection, and get the claim #. Then fax or mail them a copy of your receipt, and the identical model system. Pricematch is limited to $250 per item up to $1250 a year, if I'm not mistaken. Hope this helps.

 

[hans007]

if you dont need the 1600x1200 screen, or 15" you can get a toshiba satelite 3005 for around $1500 on ebay NEW, or a inspirton 4100 . i mean since you are getting a gf2go anyways, might as well get a lighter one. i personally wouldnt spend over $1200 or so on a laptop, because expensive laptops depreciate a lot faster than cheaper ones. that $800 you save helps you buy a fastert laptop the next time you buy one.