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General discussion

are some dell notebooks more sturdy than others?

Jan 25, 2005 11:38AM PST

I am looking for a thin andlight notebook. I have been reading reviews for inspiron 8600, 700, 600. It sounds as though they are made cheaply & might faill apart. Are there some dell models that are tougher than others? Are the latitudes more sturdy than inspirons? and what is the difference between the same laptops for home use or for business? Are they made differently? Thanks for helping me to anwser my questions. Lastly, any recommendations-looking in the 1500 range

Discussion is locked

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D600 v. i8600
Jan 25, 2005 11:54AM PST

I have heard this too, and I have a Dell 8600. I find that the bottom chassis portion of the laptop is solid. Some of the plastic around the frame gives a little but it doesn't by any means feel flimsy. The LCD bezel is, I must say, rock-hard. It doesn't flex or give at all, and you absolutely cannot put pressure on the back side and cause the screen to aberrate.

The Latitude D600 is what my mom has. It is lighter and therefore when you pick it up you feel less give in the bottom part. But the LCD bezel is the same old thin plastic that flexes and distorts when you push the back.

Something in between might be nice. I would like to replace the palmrest of my 8600 with the D800 palmrest, which has less room to flex.

But alas the 8600 is on its way out. The 6000 will take over soon.

I had occasion to use a 700m today (the architecture is similar to the 6000). The computer felt very solid overall, and the lcd bezel seemed somewhere in between the hardness of the 8600 and the flexibility of the D600.

I hope this is helpful.

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Business models often more durable cases than consumer
Jan 25, 2005 12:18PM PST

Toshiba Techra business notebooks are definitely a step up in solid cases over the Toshiba consumer Satelite models but they are pricey.

IBM notebooks (all business) are well known for their solid cases, best keyboards, and also self-parking hard drives (park when they detect a fall or sudden change of position).

The Dell business models have better cases as well.

Also, Dell moved back its business service from overseas because of complaints but that is not the case with their consumer support.

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thanks for the info, and
Jan 25, 2005 12:35PM PST

So, do both the latitude and the inspiron models have sturdier cases in the dell business section? Also, can anyone buy from either section? (though it does seem as though there are more deals offered in the home section-at least in the little time I have been looking

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No, Lattitude = Business, Inspiron = Home
Jan 25, 2005 11:34PM PST

The Latitude series is the business series and many of the models are parallel:

Inspiron 600m = Latitude D600
Inspiron 8600 = Latitude D800

and so forth. You can tell by their specifications and features.

The reason it seems there is more detail on the home models is, many times the Latitude has a slightly more solid case (emphasize slightly, that this does not mean the inspiron is flimsy), but it cuts out many features demanded by the home user (firewire, better sound options, etc). So the less detail you see may just be missing features from the Latitude. My solution to the whole thing is simple: Replace the palmrest on your inspiron and you can have the featues of the i8600 with the better case of the Latitude. You can pick up the part on ebay for less than $30. But as of yet I haven't been bothered by the case of the 8600.