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 Dell Inspiron 9300Affordable, portable multimedia juggernaut. Price:
$2,216
replacements.
The 9300's keyboard fits perfectly just below the massive 17-inch screen, with a row of function keys situated next to the large, easy to find power button. The key layout is logical and intuitive. Dell placed multimedia keys on the front of the notebook, where you can easily access the volume and track-advance buttons. We also appreciate the DVI connection on the back of the notebook, which lets you use the laptop with a high-definition display. Oddly, Dell did not include a switch for enabling wireless capability, so we had to use Windows XP to turn off wireless when we plugged in with an Ethernet cable. The 9300 supports 802.11g networking and provided predictable wireless performance results of about 9 Mbps. As a multimedia machine, the 9300 amazed us with excellent performance. The exceptionally clear display, which dims automatically when you disconnect AC power, looked just as good while we watched our Spider-Man 2 DVD as when we played Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The difference is that, unlike other desktop replacements that weight 10 to 12 pounds, this system is light enough to grab off your desk and lounge on a sofa watching downloaded movies. The ATI Mobility RADEON X300 is a PCI Express video adapter that's more than capable of delivering the digital entertainment goods. The only slowdown we noticed came when we tried Half-Life 2, a game that stresses even the most super-powered desktop system. In Adobe PhotoShop CS, a Liquify test on a 15MB file took about 20 seconds, making the laptop about twice as fast as previous Inspiron models. The system felt snappy in both word processing and contact management applications, never lagging or stuttering as we loaded multiple programs into the 512MB of RAM. The multimedia and productivity power wouldn't have been as impressive if the 9300 required constant recharging. One of the primary reasons the system lasts more than four hours is Intel's Sonoma technology, which automatically disables hardware devices such as the Ethernet port when it is not in use, and dims the display. In fact, you'll know you are using a Sonoma system because of the pop-up messages about battery management, which occur without any user interaction and function separate from Windows XP. We loved being able to check our e-mail one last time at an AC-outlet-deprived coffee shop before heading back to the office. Another highlight is that the 9300 is the first laptop to provide Dell Media Direct functionality, which lets you access a media browser by pressing the Play button for about five seconds. On the 9300 that uses Windows XP, Dell Media Experience loads so you can browse photos, play movies, and listen to music without kicking up the operating system. If Windows XP is running, the program loads on top of the operating system. You can also copy files from external drives. If you opt for Windows Media Center on the Dell 9300 (an extra $39), that component will load when you press Play. Dell includes Sony MyDVD 5 and Sonic RecordNow, plus Dell-branded audio warehousing and playback programs, photo browsers, and Dell PC Restore by Symantec, a hard-disk recovery system that lets you reinstall Windows XP in about ten minutes (but, unfortunately, won't recover lost files). Overall, The Dell 9300 provides an ideal balance between performance and battery life, without making compromises when it comes to multimedia. It's a reasonably priced notebook for untethered power users. Compare Prices | Dell Inspiron 9300 Specifications
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