Sounds GREAT!! I have a Dell too, but the cheapo end of the notebooks. The only problem that comes with the Dell notebooks that I have heard a LOT about is they start overheating which becomes a big pain. Other than that I am very happy with mine :-)
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
Really? I haven't heard that at all. If anything, the model I got has been praised for running cool and quiet thanks to the Pentium M processor. Maybe you're thinking of older models that had full Pentiums in them.
Justin Williams
· 4 years ago
Agreed. Dell laptops are horrible in terms of quality. Their Desktops aren't nearly as bad, but I wouldn't touch a Dell laptop with a 20' pole. The best I have found is the Fujitsu Lifebooks. Of course, YMMV
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
The reviews of the Inspiron 9300 have been very, very good. [Here](http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Inspiron_9300/4505-3121_7-31303861.html) . [Here](http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2256&review=Inspiron+9300). No mention of quality issues that I can tell. Some griping about the screens on notebookforums.com, but Dell seems to be addressing those issues. I'll have 21 days to return it if I don't like it, which is comforting.
Kimberly
· 4 years ago
Hmmm maybe so. Mine is less than a year old and I've had quite a bit of overheating, to the point of shutdown and other issues.
But you won't :-)
Kimberly
John
· 4 years ago
If you're worried about laptop overheating issues, then you must buy the LapCool2 made by Vantec. I own the Inspiron 9300 and use it with confidence in knowing that my baby will stay cool! Check it out at www.newegg.com
carl
· 4 years ago
This may seem like a silly question, but..
Is the 9300 capable of receiving, displaying and recording television signal (via cable)?
cj
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
No, it doesn't come with a TV tuner. You have to go with a 3rd party device for that.
Jesse
· 4 years ago
Saying that a DELL laptop is "horrible in terms of quality" is not only completley untrue, but it's nonsense. Do just a simple Google search on their latest Laptops (ie. Inspiron 9300) and you'll see the most respectable critics in the laptop community singing praise. Don't believe negative propaganda that you happened to come across on some shady web site, or from some disgruntled customer, or from older models.
I ordered an Inspiron 9300 after well over a month of research and planning and I can't wait to get it! I'm also a web/graphic designer by profession and feel it will be excellent... can't wait to get out of my apartment for a change!
Fais
· 4 years ago
No heat issues. I'm playing Doom3, Act of War:DA and the exhaust ports feel cool.
Possibly the best price to performace ratio laptop here in Malaysia.
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
I've been very pleased at how cool this laptop is. My iBook usually feels warmer.
Joel
· 4 years ago
I purchase the exact system that the author did about 2 weeks ago. When I got it the screen was a total loss, about every fourth column of pixels was screwed up. The problem was worse at a resolution of 1400x900, but even evident down to 1024x768 I called Dell and got a very plesent customer service person who took about 1.5 hours on the phone to determine that I needed to send the computer back in for repair. She then mentioned that her manager would like to talk with me... That is were the conversation went sour! I couldn't believe what the guy said, he actually said that I had made a mistake ordering their standard screen, and if I wanted to operate at the higher resolutions I would have to upgrade the screen (like 1024x768 is hi-res!), he was kind enough to offer this to me (Not free of course!). I pointed out that my 4 year old HP notebook operated clearer that my new Dell at 1024x768, and I did not appreciate him blaming me for ordering their standard LCD just to get an "Up-Sale" out of the deal. The conversation quickly degraded from there. I am now waiting for my repaired Dell back, but I can say this, if the screen isn't up to my expectation, I will be returning it, and I doubt I will ever order a Dell again.
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
Joel, it does sound like you had hardware defects in the original monitor.
I will say this, the Dell screen was very poorly calibrated when I first got it. It's worth the time and effort to tweak calibration, and I've found the ATI built-in color controls (Control Panel -> Display -> Settings -> Advanced -> Color) to do a great job but you have to do it by eye unless you have a hardware calibration device.
The before/after difference in my screen is striking compared to when I first got it. I think what a lot of folks are saying are poor screens are in fact poor calibration. I'm still constantly tweaking the settings for best results.
[This site](http://www.jasc.com/support/kb/articles/monitor.asp) and [this site](http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal/index.html) are very helpful for doing visual calibration.
corey
· 4 years ago
HI, I am wating to get my new Inspiron 9300. are they a good labtop or what, for the money i spent it was good buy.
Harry Grundle
· 4 years ago
I just ordered a Dell 9300. I went with the upgraded monitor because of the problems I have heard with the standard screen, I also upgraded the video card to the GeForce 6800 Go card so hopefully that will make the difference. Also I went with the 60 gig 7200 rpm to speed up boot times and performance. And I went with the 512mb dual channel ram. Hopefully by just doing those upgrades I will see a huge difference in performance and hopefully I won't come across any heat issues. I did purchase the Vantec laptop cooler, just in case. I will post again when I get it in a few days.
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
I'm satisfied with the performance of my machine. I'm just not sure that I got enough RAM (1 GB) for the amount of applications I keep running. I did go through and eliminate as many non-essential services and processes as I could and now it's running in more comfortable space. I use TuneUp Utilities and its memory manager was often optimizing because I had less than 5% RAM available. I found that Outlook Business Contact Manager in addition to being buggy as all get out also used a lot of that RAM. Taking BCM out of the picture made a huge difference. Now I have about 40% free. I wasn't using it anyway.
Sam Yu
· 4 years ago
Judi, Did you purchase the Dell mainly for web dev? Does Dreamweaver actually run better on a Dell laptop than a Dual G5?
I love the Mac platform but is the PC superior for web developing? What's the best web developing tool for Mac users and is it comparable to Dreamweaver on PC? Thanks for your advice.
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
I do web dev on the Dell, but the main reason I purchased it is to use Outlook/Office, QuickBooks and Quicken. I have a PocketPC. I have a client that requires me to log in to a CMS that only works in IE 6. I wanted something that could sit on my desk 98% of the time but still be portable when necessary.
I prefer to use DW in Windows XP because the windows and palettes are neatly organized. The windows are available in tabs rather than all over the screen, which drives me nuts in the Mac version. I'm often copying information from Office applications or email and it's easier to do that on the PC where that info already is than get it over to the Mac. The PC version feels more responsive, however a lot of the bugs that are in the Mac version are also in the PC version.
I think DW is still the best WYSIWYG web dev tool for the Mac. Otherwise, I would recommend BBEdit.
Kim
· 4 years ago
I am also considering ordering the 9300 and I came across your posting.I have done my research and can't find a better machine for my graphic design needs, the only unattractive part to me is the cost.You said you found coupons online. Do you remember where? If I can get the price to come down a few hundred dollars I will be satisfied. Thanks!
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
[Here's a good link for Dell notebook coupons](http://notebookforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=3b47ddb2760688ff9cc7751fd654dda1&f=104).
acscerca007
· 4 years ago
My girlfriend recently purchased the Dell Inspirion 9300 for me as a gift and it is currently in transit. I was interested in some customer feedback from the web and found your site at the top of the list. This is my first laptop and I am quite excited. I wanted to post some details about it and would be very interested in any feedback about experiences with this specific model.
*Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) *17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen XGA+ Display *512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm *80GB Hard Drive *8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer write capability *256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800
Any comments would be appreciated and I'd like to thank you Judy for such a professional and well presented web site. I wish you the best and it's actually your opinion I seek most.
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
It's been about 2 months since I got this laptop and I'm very happy with it. The only thing I haven't tested out is its battery life, since it has been sitting on my desk plugged in the entire time. I'll get that chance next month.
The only thing I would say to a new owner is to spend some time in the display preferences. I didn't like the way the display appeared at first at all. I spent some time tweaking the ClearType settings and playing with the brightness/contrast and gamma and now it's nearly perfect. Still some blending in the darks, but I can live with that (if you look at an image that covers a wide spectrum of grays the last 2 or 3 steps towards black look black).
For close to $2K it's a great little (well, not so little) machine. I have no regrets in buying it, other than I'm thinking about upping the RAM.
Tomas
· 4 years ago
I have a Dell 9300 and a PowerBook 15.4 (1.33) and love them both. Somehow my wife has agreed that we can keep both (and her iBook).
One thing I've noticed on our WIFI network is that while both Apples will keep rock solid connections - the Dell is *constantly* dropping its Internet connection. My connection to the WIFI network remains strong - but the Internet connectivity on the other side of it just strangles away into nothing.
Has anyone else had WIFI problems with their Dell 9300?
Judi Sohn
· 4 years ago
It's terrible, but today is the first day I'm trying wifi on my Dell. It's been connected to my network via Ethernet since the day I got it. I always meant to check the wifi, but never got around to it. Later on this morning I'll be taking down my router and will count on getting my connection through whatever signal I can find for a week (Starbucks, our hotel in NJ, etc.) so it was time to put it through its paces.
I disconnected the ethernet cable and it switched right over to wireless, so far so good.
MadelBlue
· 3 years ago
I just got the 9300 for Xmas. I got the 2.0 processor and the Geforce 6800 graphics card. I LOVE this laptop. It is quiet and runs so cool. I havent had a single problem with my wifi access. I just turned the computer on and it connected right away. I dropped my wireless mouse on the keyboard and the L key flew off. I called Dell and had a replacement keyboard the very next day by noon. Aparently they couldnt just send me the L key. but they incuded the necessary instructions and tools for replacing the keyboard and i have had no problems whatsoever. In my opinion those of us who own this machine are lucky, this is a great machine.
Moon H
· 3 years ago
Hi everyone,
I'm really wanting to purchase the dell inspiron 9300 and have been reading on it for at least a week. My only gripe is the customer service. I hear they are quite horrible. I also hear that if i decide to return the laptop, it's a 15% restocking fee. I just don't want a lemon and then dell doesn't exchange it without ripping it open 1001 times. (A new laptop with a defect should automatically warrant you an exchange!!)
I even read Jeff Jarvis' blog. I just don't want to get screwed over.
ON the positive side, the 9300 seems to be quite the laptop and has everything i want in it. Can you guys, who've owned one for over a couple months, at least tell me how the experience has been so far? TIA.
Judi Sohn
· 3 years ago
Wow, hard to believe I've had this computer so many months already.
I love it. I did have a problem with the hard drive (it died) after 4 months but I have to say that Dell's customer service was excellent. I had the replacement the next day after I called. Other than that, the machine has more than met my expectations and I would buy it again.
My only complaint is that it is quite heavy when I'm traveling around with it (which thankfully isn't that often). But I knew that when I bought it.
All Comments
But you won't :-)
Kimberly
Is the 9300 capable of receiving, displaying and recording television signal (via cable)?
cj
I ordered an Inspiron 9300 after well over a month of research and planning and I can't wait to get it! I'm also a web/graphic designer by profession and feel it will be excellent... can't wait to get out of my apartment for a change!
Possibly the best price to performace ratio laptop here in Malaysia.
I will say this, the Dell screen was very poorly calibrated when I first got it. It's worth the time and effort to tweak calibration, and I've found the ATI built-in color controls (Control Panel -> Display -> Settings -> Advanced -> Color) to do a great job but you have to do it by eye unless you have a hardware calibration device.
The before/after difference in my screen is striking compared to when I first got it. I think what a lot of folks are saying are poor screens are in fact poor calibration. I'm still constantly tweaking the settings for best results.
[This site](http://www.jasc.com/support/kb/articles/monitor.asp) and [this site](http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal/index.html) are very helpful for doing visual calibration.
I love the Mac platform but is the PC superior for web developing? What's the best web developing tool for Mac users and is it comparable to Dreamweaver on PC? Thanks for your advice.
I prefer to use DW in Windows XP because the windows and palettes are neatly organized. The windows are available in tabs rather than all over the screen, which drives me nuts in the Mac version. I'm often copying information from Office applications or email and it's easier to do that on the PC where that info already is than get it over to the Mac. The PC version feels more responsive, however a lot of the bugs that are in the Mac version are also in the PC version.
I think DW is still the best WYSIWYG web dev tool for the Mac. Otherwise, I would recommend BBEdit.
*Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB)
*17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen XGA+ Display
*512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm
*80GB Hard Drive
*8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer write capability
*256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800
Any comments would be appreciated and I'd like to thank you Judy for such a professional and well presented web site. I wish you the best and it's actually your opinion I seek most.
The only thing I would say to a new owner is to spend some time in the display preferences. I didn't like the way the display appeared at first at all. I spent some time tweaking the ClearType settings and playing with the brightness/contrast and gamma and now it's nearly perfect. Still some blending in the darks, but I can live with that (if you look at an image that covers a wide spectrum of grays the last 2 or 3 steps towards black look black).
For close to $2K it's a great little (well, not so little) machine. I have no regrets in buying it, other than I'm thinking about upping the RAM.
One thing I've noticed on our WIFI network is that while both Apples will keep rock solid connections - the Dell is *constantly* dropping its Internet connection. My connection to the WIFI network remains strong - but the Internet connectivity on the other side of it just strangles away into nothing.
Has anyone else had WIFI problems with their Dell 9300?
I disconnected the ethernet cable and it switched right over to wireless, so far so good.
I'm really wanting to purchase the dell inspiron 9300 and have been reading on it for at least a week. My only gripe is the customer service. I hear they are quite horrible. I also hear that if i decide to return the laptop, it's a 15% restocking fee. I just don't want a lemon and then dell doesn't exchange it without ripping it open 1001 times. (A new laptop with a defect should automatically warrant you an exchange!!)
I even read Jeff Jarvis' blog. I just don't want to get screwed over.
ON the positive side, the 9300 seems to be quite the laptop and has everything i want in it. Can you guys, who've owned one for over a couple months, at least tell me how the experience has been so far?
TIA.
I love it. I did have a problem with the hard drive (it died) after 4 months but I have to say that Dell's customer service was excellent. I had the replacement the next day after I called. Other than that, the machine has more than met my expectations and I would buy it again.
My only complaint is that it is quite heavy when I'm traveling around with it (which thankfully isn't that often). But I knew that when I bought it.