Dell laptop comparison

[mathfreq]

Hi all, I'm looking at purchasing a laptop and I've found a couple of promising ones from Dell.

The first is the XPS M140, configured at $1033 after discounts.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=iXM140X1&s=dhs
Summary of the system after my customizations:
Pentium M 760
Windows XP Media Center
14.1" WXGA TrueLife screen
1 GB shared RAM
80 GB hard drive
80 WHr Li-Ion battery
3 year limited warranty

The second is the Inspiron 710m, configured at $1058 after discounts.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=710MSP1&s=dhs
Summary of system:
Pentium M 735
Windows XP Home
12.1" WXGA screen
1 GB RAM
80 GB hard drive
65 WHr Li-Ion battery
1 year limited warranty


It seems to me that the XPS M140 is pretty much superior in every way (except for the shared ram, but this isn't meant to be a gaming computer so I'm not hugely concerned about that). Yet the undiscounted price of the XPS M140 is $1333, compared with $1763 for the Inspiron 710m. Is there something that I'm missing here that accounts for this large discrepancy?

Also, if anyone happens to know of any better (cheaper?) alternatives to the systems I've listed, I'd love to hear that as well. Much thanks in advance!

 

[Guff1988]

Better Display
Better price
Better Battery
Better Warranty
Better CPU

Obviously the first one is better. Only thing i wouldn't like is the Media Center i would change to XP Pro

 

[Apokalipse]

after doing a bit of looking, I found this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834224047

for $1030 you get:
Athlon 64 3400+ - better than both

ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB - much better than integrated, plus it doesn't use system CPU and memory

512MB RAM - the only thing not as good

54MB/S wireless network card
10/100MB/S wired network card

80GB 5400 RPM hard drive

15.4" screen

DVD±R/RW drive

3 in 1 card reader

Windows XP Home

 

[Guff1988]

My only problem with that is who is ABS never heard of them are they good and reliable. If they are i back this choice.

 

[Apokalipse]

they should be quite good
http://www.abs.com/app/g3_specs.asp
they seem to be devoted to high performance systems.

 

[macdude425]

ABS has a very good rep.

My only problem with the mobile Athlon 64s is that they eat batteries for lunch. I had one borrowed from my school, brand new, that could suck a battery dry in about 45 minutes. Compare that to my dad's Pentium M laptop, which takes two hours and change to kill the battery.

 

[kmote]

i dont think that putting a desktop processor in a laptop is ever a good idea unless you really need a desktop replacment/ gaming laptop (not necessarily good ideas themselves)
out of the two first suggested, the first is obviously the better but i noticed that the price you put next to them is different to the prices in the paragraph

 

[Apokalipse]

the Athlon 64's don't suck as much power as Pentium 4's though. mobile pentium 4's I'm not sure though....

 

[mathfreq]

Thanks for all the great replies. I should have mentioned that this system is for a friend who is not computer savvy and wants only to use the laptop for mobility, internet, and movies and is not interested in games or a desktop replacement. If it were for me, I'd definitely go with the ABS system over either of the Dells, but for my friend, I think the better processor, superior video card, and larger screen of the ABS aren't worth the increased bulkiness, decreased battery life, and shorter warranty.

Sorry about the confusion regarding the prices of the two Dell systems. The XPS M140 is $1333 before instant rebate; the Inspiron 710m is $1763 before instant rebate. After discounts both of them come to around $1000. I'm still curious as to why the undiscounted price of the Inspiron is so much higher than the XPS when it seems clear that the XPS is the superior system.

 

[PZEROFGH]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834115223

6.6 lbs
Intel core duo
X1400
1GB
100GB hdd
Windows XP home