Dell Inspiron 8100 + Mobility Radeon 7500 - Got One, Benchmarked It.

[Dug]

<< Good news Dug. Any word if the Radeon 7500 will work in the Inspiron 4100? >>


Although technically it could work, Dell would have to release a bios update for it to work correctly.
And knowing Dell, they won't do this.

There is always a slim chance that they will release a 4100/ Ati 7500 combo. Then all you would have to do is update the bios.
I can't believe you would want to get rid of your 8100 for a 4100 though.

I just don't see enough difference in them to justify the smaller screen.
Maybe it's because I don't consider the 8100 that big in the first place.

 

[Apex]

We just did a direct test of the Inspiron 8100 with the 32mb GF2Go and the 64mb Mobility Radeon 7500. Man, that Radeon just smokes!

 

[Killer Ape]

Nice review Apex. I'd agree with all the observations, particularly regarding the fragility of the case and the bulk.

I'm having a very hard time getting used to the UXGA screen/ATi 7500 combo though.

- I find it too bright for 2D and too dark for most 3D.
- It never gets truly "black".
- The viewing angle is very restrictive.
- The 1600x1200 native res is too high for a 15" screen, and gets a little fuzzy at lower res (This is probably just a personal preference since I run in 1024x768 on a 19" CRT at both home and work).
- I'm now starting to notice more "ripples" and other minor surface imperfections in the LCD. They would probably be imperceptible if the screen were a little darker.

If possible, I'd probably have ordered it with SXGA instead.


BTW: I installed the leaked 6011 drivers and they appear to have a degree of gamma control (no contrast control that I could find). They also improved the 3D Mark 2000 scores to 5808 (statistically insignificant). I still find the D3D performance a little underwhelming on this card, particularly when compared to the stellar OpenGL performance.

 

[Dug]

Killer Ape-

Have you changed your fonts to large and your dpi to 120?
You can also change your text size in IE.
And some sites like AT allow you to adjust text size also.

You can make your desktop and screens look like 1024x768

Turn on clear type too

 

[Soccerman]

They also improved the 3D Mark 2000 scores to 5808 (statistically insignificant).

in your first post you mentioned 3DMark2K to hit somewhere around 5400, so a 400 point increase is fairly good. actually it's amazing for a simple driver upgrade! lol.. I got a 250 point increase and am quite happy (though hoping they didn't decrease quality anywhere.. at least I can't see any evidence of that yet).

 

[apoppin]

I just stopped in to say, aloha.

I am in Hawaii (finally) with my Dell Inspiron 4100 . . . I doubt that there will ever be a 7500 upgrade for it. Anyway, yours looks like it is a very nice gaming system. I was able to watch TWO good DVDs on the flight (2 batteries).

I am running an older Radeon in mine (16MB DDR) and it is sufficient for all the current games including RtCW and Max Payne . . . of course, I also went for the cheaper 14.1" TFT and lowest native resolution of 1024x768 . . . with the money I saved, I can stay here an extra week (or two).

 

[Soccerman]

lol you guys are lucky I wish I had a 233mhz laptop (for MP3's), let alone what you have!

esp. you apoppin! Hawaii???

 

[apoppin]

<< esp. you apoppin! Hawaii??? >>



Yep, it's all about escaping those brutal Southern California Winters.

(I Surf)

And . . . it's a working vacation (that's what I tell the tax man; seriously).

I' ll be here 10 more weeks. Anyway, back to ONtopic, that 8100 sure seems nice as a desktop REPLACEMENT . . . my 4100 is adequate, but I do miss my desktop (a little).

Uhh, surf's up Pipeline is looking pretty good . . . I'll check back in later.

 

[Killer Ape]

I'll try all the tweaks suggested when I get home. Many thanks for the tips.

Yeah I guess +400 3D Marks may not be insignigicant (it is only a 7% improvement though). I was looking for something more along the lines of my GF2 64MB's 7309 score since the Mobility Radeon 7500 was equal or better to that card in all other tests. This included 3D Mark 2001, also a D3D test. Maybe there's something about DirectX 7 optimized benchmarks?

There's definitely something lacking in the D3D performance. If you look at the GotApex review the Radeon 7500 looks like an underachiever in UT as well, especially since it is about 2X faster than the GF2 Go in the other tests.

Apoppin: Aloha back at you (I mean hello - not goodbye ). Let's see...39 degrees, raining, windy, yep I'm in NYC in January .

Have you tried playing Max Payne and surfing at the same time? THAT would be "highly mobile"...

 

[apoppin]

<< Have you tried playing Max Payne and surfing at the same time? THAT would be "highly mobile"... >>


No need. Surfing - especially the Winter season in Hawaii kind of grabs all your attention (just like you wouldn't [likely] play Max Payne and Web Surf at the same time . . . well, maybe through some of the longer cutscenes.) Then there is the problem of getting the electronics wet . . . a big plastic bag maybe?

39 degrees ? . . . Cali was high 70s when I left, I won't even mention the weather that is Perfection in Hawaii right now.

And I mean 'aloha' as goodbye for now . . . some waves in my size- "range" today.



Good news for Mainlanders, Hawaii is as 'inexpensive' right now as it gets . . . some really good deals on vacations right now.
Oh, and I got my old job back for the next 2 months . . .

 

[Apex]

Killer Ape (btw, great handle):

I agree. Their D3D is definitely lagging behind their OpenGL performance. In terms of the blacklevels, unfortunately, laptop LCD's have pretty poor contrast compared with desktop ones (mostly due to backlighting and power drain concerns).

 

[Killer Ape]

Apex: Thanks for getting the pun Apex . I guess our handles kind of make us relatives ... Nice site too.

I'm looking to do a lot of tweaking (and gaming) this weekend so I'll report any significant results, as I hope others will too.

Apoppin: The one reason you may want to consider exchanging your I4100 for an I8100 is that the 8100 is so damn big you could probably use it as a surboard. And the 2 fans could propel you out to the waves with little effort. Save you some packing...