DELL INSPIRON 6000

SPECIFICATIONS AND REVIEW OF DELL INSPIRON 6000 NOTEBOOK :

DELL INSPIRON 6000 Notebook

Specifications

General :

* Platform technology
Intel Centrino
* System Type
Notebook
* Built-in Devices
Stereo speakers, Bluetooth antenna, Wireless LAN antenna
* Width
13.9 in
* Depth
10.2 in
* Height
1.5 in
* Weight
6.6 lbs


Processor :

* Processor
Intel Pentium M 740 / 1.6 GHz

* Data bus speed
533 MHz

* Processor features
Enhanced SpeedStep technology, Execute Disable Bit capability, Power-optimized processor system bus

* Chipset type
Intel 915GM/PM


Cache Memory :

* Type
L2 cache

* Cache size
2 MB

RAM :

* Installed Size
512 MB / 2 GB(max)

* Technology
DDR II SDRAM - 400 MHz

* Memory specification compliance
PC2-3200


Storage Controller :

* Storage controller type
IDE


Storage devices :

* Floppy Drive
None

* Hard Drive
80 GB - 5400 rpm

* Storage Removable
None


Optical Storage :

* Type
DVD±RW (+R DL)

* CD / DVD read speed
8x


Optical Storage (2nd) :

* 2nd optical storage type
None

Display :

* Display Type
15.4 in TFT active matrix

* Max Resolution
1680 x 1050 ( WSXGA+)

* Display (Projector) / Widescreen Display
Yes

Video :

* Graphics Processor / Vendor
ATI Mobility Radeon X300 - PCI Express

* Video Memory
128 MB

Audio :

* Audio output type
Sound card

* Audio output compliant standards
AC '97, Sound Blaster

Input Device(s) :

* Input device type
Keyboard, Touchpad

Telecom :

* Modem
Fax / modem

* Max transfer rate
56 Kbps

* Protocols & Specifications
ITU V.92


Networking :

* Networking
Network adapter

* Networking / Wireless LAN Supported
Yes

* Wireless NIC
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG

* Data link protocol
Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet

* Networking standards
IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Expansion / Connectivity :

* Expansion Slots Total (Free)
2 ( 0 ) x Memory, 1 ( 1 ) x PC Card - Type I/II, 1 ( 1 ) x SD Memory Card

* Interfaces
4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45, 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11, 1 x Display / video - S-video output

Miscellaneous :

* Features
Intel PRO/Wireless

Power

* Power device form factor
External

* Voltage Required
AC 120/230 V

* Power provided
65 Watt

Battery :

* Technology
Lithium ion

* Installed Qty
1

* Battery capacity
96 Wh


Operating System/Software :

* OS Provided
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

* Software type
Drivers & Utilities

Manufacturer Warranty :

* Service & support type
1 year warranty

Review :




Dell's Inspiron 6000 is one of the first laptops to come with Intel's new Sonoma Platform and Alviso chipset, the 915GM/PM. This next-generation of Centrino technology represents a big step forward in performance and battery life.Dell seems to be slightly heavy but sleek-looking 7.5-pound ,widescreen notebook with all sorts of multimedia features, including stereo speakers, a full set of multimedia controls, and a DVD burner.


The first major improvement is the PCI Express bus, which not only allows for a higher data , but is also bidirectional, meaning it can transfer data both to and from a PCIe card at the same time. The Inspiron 6000's 533-MHz front side bus (FSB) is 33 percent faster than previous Pentium M systems.

Another big advantage of the Alviso chipset is DDR2 memory, which doubles the clock speeds of DDR SDRAM. A stick of 400-MHz in DDR2 runs at 800 MHz.Compared with a 1.6-GHz Intel Pentium M 730, the Inspiron 6000 is faster than older Centrino notebooks with higher clock speeds.

Possibly the best feature on this notebook is its long lasting battery over 6 hours.No laptop has the same performance. With a wireless Internet connection, the battery life dropped only by 10 minutes.
A set of multimedia buttons along the front panel lets you control volume and playback functions.

Other features include four USB 2.0 ports, an SD slot for swapping files with your camera or PDA, and FireWire for those to connect a camcorder.This laptop comes with a dual layer 8X DVD burner that also handles high-capacity dual-layer discs.

The Inspiron's DVD playback was smooth and reliable. The maximum resolution on our model was 1280 x 800, but UltraSharp models can reach 1920 x 1200. The stereo sound from the speakers is clear, but about what you'd expect from a two-speaker laptop. An S-Video port is there for outputting the signal to a TV.

This Inspiron features a Wi-Fi connection and optional Bluetooth 2.0 technology, so you can connect to the Web wirelessly and communicate with all sort of Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Intel's Media Accelerator 900 graphics processor won't confuse gamers with chipsets from Nvidia or ATI, but the Inspiron did an adequate job running Doom 3 at 640 x 480 and low quality, producing minimal frame stuttering.It did not successfully support to load Half Life 2.

The software bundle and warranty are about average for this type of system. Dell includes a copy of WordPerfect 12 and McAfee Security Center, and you get a year of coverage on the warranty.

There are only certain things that is not good with dell inspiron 6000. One is a power-saving feature that drastically dims the display while the system is running on battery, but that can be altered in the power manager settings to a more reasonable brightness. Other one is noisy optical drive.

Overall, the Inspiron 6000 is a shining example of what the next generation of Centrino technology can do. It's very fast, lasts a very long time between charges, and is very reasonably priced, especially considering all of the high-end features Dell includes.