Inspiron vs Latitude

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>So I found a really cheap Inspiron 1525, for $999.99.<br>
Costco</a> - $999.99 after $400 OFF Dell 1525 T8300 2.4 GHz 4GB DDR2 250GB HDD</p>

<p>But the school's cheapest laptop that they are selling is a Latitude E6500, for $1,263.00
[url=<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/bookstore/dell/latitude.shtml%5DJMU"&gt;http://www.jmu.edu/bookstore/dell/latitude.shtml]JMU&lt;/a> Computer Purchase Program<a href="Scroll%20down%20to%20the%20E6500%20A">/url</a></p>

<p>The only downside of the Inspiron is it's worse graphics card (but I don't plan on doing too much gaming on that laptop anyways) and it's slightly worse Processor (but still very similar). </p>

<p>Any input or opinions will help, especially since I must decide before the 14th! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Latitude. Inspiron is a cheap plastic toy in comparison.</p>

3

<p>The Dell representative I talked to said that you really don't need all that the Latitude has to offer. I mean, all I'm going to be doing on this laptop is writing papers, surfing the web, and putting some accounting software on it.</p>

4

<p>^so would a netbook suffice? You'd save a couple hundred that way if that's all you need.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
The Dell representative I talked to said that you really don't need all that the Latitude has to offer. I mean, all I'm going to be doing on this laptop is writing papers, surfing the web, and putting some accounting software on it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>the Latitude has solid build quality and no bloatware. it's designed to do simple tasks like you stated (it's a business laptop after all) and be carried around a lot and potentially dropped without falling apart.</p>

<p>or if you just want get something cheap that does those few things, you can go with what tisthemorning said.</p>

6

<p>Alright, sorry, what I meant to say didn't go well. I want a decent laptop, but I think the Latitude is a little bit of overkill. I want to be able to run MatLab and Quickbooks and all that kind of stuff, as well as use my laptop a lot.</p>

7

<p>I'd go with the latitude.</p>

<p>Th build quality would be worth it and I assume our school would have more support available for it.</p>

8

<p>The Laitude has 2 GB of RAM vs the Inspiron's 4, and has a 160 GB Hard Drive vs the Inspiron's 250 GB.</p>

<p>Go with the Inspiron. You get to save $250. If you are not going to do much gaming and the most taxing software you plan to run on it is MATLAB, the differences aren't going to hurt you one bit. On the contrary, you will benefit from the saved money, a larger hard drive, and more RAM.</p>

<p>Also, I agree with tisthemorning you might be overkilling it even with the Inspiron. I can run MATLAB 2007a fine on my old Toshiba Satellite (512 RAM, 1.73 GHz Intel Pentium M). Maybe not a netbook, but surely you can find a laptop that can cover your needs for $600 or $700 instead?</p>

9

<p>I agree with the above, for the tasks the OP want to perform on the computer, the inspiron is more than enough. Additionally, the inspiron's specs are pretty good and it's from costco. </p>

<p>However, I want to point out that more RAM and a bigger HDD should not be deciding factors in buying laptops. Both are relatively cheap and easily upgradeable. Processor and graphics on the other hand, are definitely not upgradeable. When they are obsolete, the only way to get a better one is to buy a new laptop.</p>

10

<p>It might be good to point out that some people do not know how to upgrade their laptops, or simply do not want to. OP should specify whether s/he is comfortable with that option.</p>

11

<p>However, it's not hard to find people who can and would be willing, especially at a college. Heck, my college's OIT help desk will do it for free.</p>