This latest Inspiron model is packed with top features, such as the 2.2-GHz P4-M, a 9 cell Dell Latitude E6400 Battery
, and the powerful ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics processor. Adding to an impressive array of hardware, Dell has integrated built-in 802.11b (Wi-Fi) support. At 9.3 pounds, this anchor won't be toted with you daily, but if the need should arise, you can swap out the optical drive for a second Dell Inspiron 8200 Battery
to extend life. A hearty software bundle will keep media lovers happy—though the inclusion of USB 2.0 ports would have knocked their socks off. The 15-inch display, which has a maximum resolution of 1,600-by-1,200, combines with impressive performance and features to make the Dell Latitude CPx Battery
an ideal desktop replacement notebook.
Dell offers a number of notebook solutions: the home-class Inspiron, the office-class Latitude, and the workstation-class Precision. Among the most powerful of the solutions Dell offers is the Inspiron 8200, a notebook Dell calls an "advanced multimedia notebook... packed with cutting edge multimedia features." We were recently given the opportunity to take a look at a fully loaded Inspiron 8200 outfitted with a 2.0GHz Mobile Pentium 4-M processor, 512MB of PC2100 DDR memory, a 6 cell Dell Latitude D520 Battery , and both an NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 (we were given the opportunity to test the system with both video products). Follow us as we take a look at what turned out to be the most able desktop replacement notebook we have seen to date.
The remainder of the specification is standard-issue Inspiron 8200: the hard disk is a high-capacity (60GB) 5,400rpm IBM TravelStar; the fixed optical drive is a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo unit; and the primary Dell Studio 15 Battery is a 4,460mAh Li-ion unit that can be supplemented by a second Dell XPS M140 Battery in the system’s front-mounted modular bay. Dell Inspiron 1521 Battery life isn’t likely to be critical with a bulky desktop replacement system such as this, which is just as well: with the standard Dell Latitude C600 Battery installed, BatteryMark 4.01 reported a touch under two hours’ life; with a second 4,460mAh Dell Inspiron 8100 Battery fitted in the modular bay in place of the floppy drive, this figure rises to four hours and five minutes -- but the system weight also rises from a hefty 3.74kg to a very hefty 3.93kg. Supplied with a one-year European collect and return warranty (various extended options are available), this £1,749 (ex. VAT) system currently leads the field in portable (or more accurately, transportable) performance -- especially when it comes to 3D graphics.
Though it should be up to just about any processing challenge, this 2-GHz Pentium 4-M model is not the best-performing Inspiron 8200 we've tested. Its PC WorldBench score of 95 is 5 points below the score that a 1.7-GHz version with the same amount of RAM got in our August Top 15 Notebooks review. The Dell Inspiron 9400 Battery life could be better, too: Relying on its standard power pack, the Inspiron 8200 lasted a subpar 2.4 hours in our tests, about 10 minutes shorter than the last 8200 we tested. One of Dell's heaviest notebooks, the 8200 weighs a little over 8 pounds not including its AC adapter, and 9.3 pounds with it.