Last Day! hot 5% off + $100 rebate - Dell Inspiron 2650 Laptop P4-1.6GHz $1039 + tax shipped, Inspiron 8200 $1182

[DorkBoy]

WOW !

Thanks for the Post

 

[rehany]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
rehany - If you purchase your Dell laptop using a Visa, MasterCard or Amex you will receive 1 FREE year of extended warranty after the manufacturer's warranty expires. So if you buy 1 year or 3 years from Dell, you'll still only receive 1 year extra from Amex.

That good.. I bought the laptop on Saturday, and chose only the 1 year option. However, I was thinking that since i'm using my Amex blue, then i should get another year of warranty.

anyways, any suggestions as to wether or not i should get the 2 or 3 year warranty?

thanks!

rehan

 

[RossMAN]

rehany - You're welcome. Does Dell even offer a 2 year warranty on their laptops?

I'm not sure if you have to register your laptop with Amex in order for the FREE 1 year extended warranty to kick in, I would check the American Express Blue customer service website or give them a call and ask.

 

[rehany]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
rehany - You're welcome. Does Dell even offer a 2 year warranty on their laptops?

I'm not sure if you have to register your laptop with Amex in order for the FREE 1 year extended warranty to kick in, I would check the American Express Blue customer service website or give them a call and ask.

Rossman, yeah your right. Dell only offer 3 years, but the cheapest 3 year warranty is like $275 (estimated) extra from the 1 year warranty.

Amex website says to call to see what's the plan (i'll do that tonight)

btw, here is what i bought - total price after rebate & tax - $1340

Dell 2650

Mobile Pentium®4 processor,1.6 GHz-M 15.0 XGA Qty: 1 Unit Price: 1,527.00
Memory 512MB 200MHZ 2 DIMMS
Video Card 16MB DDR 4X AGP NVIDIA GeForce2 Go?Vid
Hard Drive 20GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
Floppy Drive Floppy Drive
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
Network Adapter Integrated Network Card
Modem Internal 56k Modem
Fixed CD/DVD Drives 24X Max Variable CD-ROM Drive
Bundled Software Microsoft®Works Suite 2002 w/ Money 2002 for CD Drives
Digital Music Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch
Primary Battery Lithium-Ion Battery
Carrying Cases Nylon Carrying Case
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service
Internet Access Service at no additional charge 6 Months AOL,Featuring the Netbusiness Service for Small Business
Mail-In Rebate Offer Mail in Rebate (can not be combined with Free Memory Upgrade Offer)


They charged me shipping for some reason.. have to get them to credit that back.

Hope it's good, b/c they already made it

rehan

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Originally posted by: SXMP

As far as floppy drives as someone mentioned, I see no real need. Now days most Bios allow boot-from-cd and with the extremely cheap prices of CD-RW drives and CD-R media, its almost cheaper to buy a CD burner and pack of 5 CD-RW's and use those instead of floppies.

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I wouldn't get a floppy since it adds weight, bulk and expense. Unless you have an O/S which absolutely requires you book from a floppy disk I wouldn't get it because you can bootup in Windows from a CD-ROM startup disk.

Then again it's only $30 and you may need it some day, maybe get it if you never use it sell it on eBay.

Yeah, if you don't use floppies, you certainly don't want the internal floppy drive. For $30 you may want to get the external one and store it in the closet in case you need it someday.

For some of us though, we absolutely have to have the floppy still, it is not a dead storage solution. If the majority of files you need to transfer around non-network are small text files (like under 300Kb) and security is a concern, then floppies are superior to anything else right now. They are cheap, usually faster than CDR, much much faster than CDRW, and you can securely erase the data with a Gutmann or DoD writeover. CDs on the other hand cannot be securely erased and are a pain in the neck to dispose of...you have to use that scratcher machine to remove the silver or melt them or something.

The laptop I am buying has to have an internal floppy or it will be a pain. If I could find one with an internal LS-120 that would be perfect...why did this great device never catch on? It allows 120MB of storage on a Superdisk in a device that can use regular floppies as well. Far superior to the Floppy/Zip combo.

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Originally posted by: SXMP

5) While I don't view this as too benefical, there are those out there who REALLY REALLY would find it benefical that the normal viewing range of the Ultrasharp is quite larger than the normal UXGA. Normal displays +/- 40 degrees of horizontal viewing angle with nominal "wash out" or loss in detail. Ultrasharp has horizontal viewing with nominal decrease at +/-70, which if you figure, thats 80degrees larger viewing angle. Not benefical to me, as usaully I am the only one viewing my display, but perfect for those frequently showing collegues or friends whats on their display. Also the vertical angle goes from +10/-30 to +50/-60 again the numbers speak for themselves.

On the other hand, that can also be a minus for some people...if the viewing angle includes the person in the seat next to me, I can't use my laptop on a plane except to play solitaire. I can't even watch a movie because the grandma sitting next to me might object to heavy p0rn!

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Mr.Diggler
The laptop I am buying has to have an internal floppy or it will be a pain. If I could find one with an internal LS-120 that would be perfect...why did this great device never catch on? It allows 120MB of storage on a Superdisk in a device that can use regular floppies as well. Far superior to the Floppy/Zip combo.

Now that would be cool. An internal LS120/floppy drive along with the optical 8x CD-RW/DVD, I can dream. I can really dream considering I still don't own a laptop

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Originally posted by: elways07

--Concerning memory for the 8200, you can buy 256MB from the Dell S&P store for $59.95 a stick with free shipping AND an additional 10% off, so $53.95 total SHIPPED for each 256MB stick you buy. The same memory at Crucial (the non-generic) costs $94/stick with the 15% off discount. Only downside is that Dell is low on stock and it'll take a week to ship the memory (no problem since the laptop will take just as long to get here).

Thanks, I'll probably do that instead of crucial if I use Dell.

Originally posted by: elways07

--Don't know about you guys, but I sure as heck got a much better deal in the home division for my config WITHOUT trying to get the coupon to work and all the rebate BS...you guys should really check it out.

When I tried to see if Home would save me money over Small Business with the 8.6% tax rate for me, my config was several hundred dollars more. If you are going for a more high end machine, I think the free add-ins at Home can save you money. If you are trying to just get a basic laptop, you cannot come close to the Small Business prices with Home. I noticed the warranties with Home are a lot more than with Small Business for some reason too.

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Now that would be cool. An internal LS120/floppy drive along with the optical 8x CD-RW/DVD, I can dream. I can really dream considering I still don't own a laptop

Wouldn't it though?! I guess we can spec out the RossMAN special now and see if any company will make it:

15" UXGA (or maybe UltraSharp?)
P4-1.6M (we could go faster, but why be greedy?)
256MB RAM (with a slot free for another stick if wanted)
Internal LS-120
Internal CD-RW/DVD
Internal Modem and NIC
under 7 lbs
1" thick
4 USB ports
Parallel Port
VGA Out
Flip out handle (never seen one, but I'd love a handle when I just want to carry the thing down the hall quickly instead of using two hands or craddling it in my arm like a teen school girl with her books)
LARGE touchpad...they are all too small
Scroll wheel.
At least a two year warranty
Under $1700


Close?



I would personally settle for the Costco special if that was a 15" screen. Now that I've decided to wait, I'm not sure what to get... Mine has to have:
1GHz +
15" Screen
128MB RAM with a slot free or 256MB standard
Internal Floppy
Internal Modem/NIC
3x USB
VGA Port
DVD/CD (don't need CDRW)
2 Year or more Warranty
I think it needs to run Win98 too, which apparently many laptops won't now (or their control system doesn't run on Win98 or something).

 

[ElFenix]

anyone else suspect that the 4150 actually uses the mobility radeon and not the 7500?

 

[joe678]

extremely hot deal...

 

[RossMAN]

Mr.Diggler - Very close, I don't have any need for parallel (printer and all other periphs are USB) and I would like FireWire.

If I could get a machine like that for $1,500 I'd be happy.

 

[bit]

$50 Price drop on inspiron 8200 and some other notebooks, Last Day!

 

[tzengCS]

Rossman or anyone:
Can you elaborate on the 1 year extra warranty on the Mastercard. What are the details behind that? Is Dell giving that free extra year warranty or is it through Mastercard? Is this only for laptops? Where do you find more information about this warranty?

Thanks!

 

[RossMAN]

tzengCS - I don't have enough time to write a custom reply so I'm going to paste what I sent in a PM to someone.

--

It's provided by the credit card issuer (Visa, MasterCard or Amex) _NOT_ CostCo. Although buying something from CostCo with an Amex is the best way to go, why? CostCo has _THE BEST_ most liberal no questions asked return policy and Amex covers you against unauthorized purchases, earn up to 2% rebate and the 1 year free extended warranty.

Here's extended warranty info from VISA and Amex websites. It's very important to remember that if you do make a purchase with your Visa/MC/Amex and want to ensure that it's covered by the 1 year extended warranty, you may need to REGISTER your purchase (the serial number, date/amount/location of purchase, etc.)

Hope this helps.

--

 

[airduct]

hey guys, i am typing on my inspiron 8200 right now and can give you my thoughts...since funding was a factor, i had to go with the lowest config and cheapest price possible:

1) i didn't get a fd, since it would save weight and i had no use for it. however, if you need to upgrade the bios, the fd is the only way to do it...you can't upgrade using a cd. also, if you decide to buy one later, it costs ~$30 for a refurb if you ever need it. so far, I have no use for one yet (so one free empty bay)

2) I also opted for 1 year warranty and amex 1 year match = 2 years of warranty... then i will probably ebay it and get a new i8200 in the future.

3) I configured normal uxga (not enhance) and the uxga is absolutely beautiful. I have never seen an enhanced uxga, so i don't know if it is a worthwhile upgrade...but if it is cheap, then definately upgrade. i had a xga laptop and have seen ibm's t23 and t30 xga screens...nothing compares to this screen. definately the clearest i have seen on a lcd. i have no problems w/ the font size, because I just increase the font size and the text and pictures are beautiful because the pixel size is so small (i keep the uxga resolution and don't reduce it to xga or sxga...that is important!!!)

4) When I use the laptop, I am always at a power outlet, so battery life is not a problem. i remove the battery to save some weight. I also don't use it on planes and buses, so that is not a factor...When I do fly, i play solitaire, tetris, and chess on the ipaq while listening to my mp3 collection I hate pulling out my laptop on the plane because of the hassle of small seats, nosy neighbors, and constant beverage services...too much of a hassle to deal with.

5) i am currently using 128mb after a clean reinstall of home winxp...had to clear out a lot of useless software that was taking up resource and space

6) only thing i regret is that it doesn't have usb 2.0...i don't understand why they didn't put it in this new line...what are they waiting for?

7) do understand that this is a desktop replacement, so weight will be a factor... if you want lighter weight, there are other models and brands.

so that's it...for the price i bought it for, it was a steal. good luck with your decisions. if any one of you bought an enhanced uxga, let me know how you like it.

 

[elways07]

My i8200 w/Enhanced UXGA shipped TODAY! I normally get Dell's in about 2 days so I'll have it Friday and will let you know. I had a normal UXGA on a previous Inspiron so I'll be able to compare. I bought it thru the HOME division (MUCH better deal!) and the enhanced UXGA was only a $30 upgrade from the SXGA+ screen thanks to the promotion they're running right now...there was absolutely no way I could pass it up. The brightness and viewing angle improvements have me excited.

 

[rehany]

Thanks to everyone who posted..

I finally got my FIRST(!) laptop the 2650

P4, 1.6, 512mb memmory, 15", 20 gig, normal cd - rom. $1340 after shipping, tax, and rebate.

only thing more i would have liked to have is a cd-burner .. oh well.


have to call AMEX to make sure i get my extra year warranty.

thanks again.

rehan

 

[tzengCS]

I ordered the Inspiron 4150 with this deal and it looks like there is a glitch in the Dell Website. For the Inspiron 4150, getting a configuration with 16MB Radeon 7500 vs. the same configuration except 32 MB Radeon 7500 has the 32 MB card at $1 less. That means you get a better card at $1 less.

I was able to call the dell customer service and reorder with the the same configuration and same coupons/deals except at $1 less and with a 32 MB Radeon 7500. Back then, when this deal was open, Dell only offered the 16 MB card. So if you ordered with this deal, call Dell back and ask them to upgrade you to the 32 MB Card. My shipment was delayed a few more days, but hey, getting a better card is worth it.