Ok well a friend of mine is looking into getting her son a notebook for college use. What should I be looking for in a computer for college use? I know a good battery life is a good feature. I was thinking 1GB of RAM with maybe an Intel 2 dual core? I found a nice looking Inspiron 1420 but then I also found an Inspiron 6400... I don't see any differences in these systems, do you?

Any ideas on notebooks you might own or have heard good things about will be well appreciated.

EDIT(Dell Sales support is stupid):

11:19:51 AM SystemInitial Question/Comment: I was wondering what some key differences there are in the inspiron 1420 and 6400. What would be better for a college student?
11:19:56 AM SystemBE_Rep_Ma has joined this session!
11:19:56 AM SystemConnected with BE_Rep_Ma
11:20:06 AM BE_Rep_Ma Welcome to Dell Sales Chat. My name is Ma. I'll be your personal sales agent today Give me a moment to review your concern. Please don't go away.
11:21:21 AM BE_Rep_Ma hi Michael,6400 is more on business application while 1420 is more on home and student purpose.
11:22:10 AM Michael Taylor when you say "buisness" what does that entail?
11:22:56 AM BE_Rep_Ma what do you mean by "entail"? can you be more specific pls.
11:23:33 AM Michael Taylor when you say "buisness application" what do you mean by that? What makes that computer more for a buisness suite?
11:23:56 AM BE_Rep_Ma yes your correct.
11:24:26 AM Michael Taylor...I was asking what made the 6400 more of a buisness computer
11:25:22 AM BE_Rep_Ma most of the software comes with it is more in business use application.
11:26:51 AM Michael Taylor ok so then what makes the 1420 more for a student and home use?
11:27:22 AM BE_Rep_Ma yes.11:27:43 AM Michael TaylorBut what makes the 1420 so ready for student and home use?
11:28:22 AM BE_Rep_Ma the software is more on home applications and student Michael.
11:29:45 AM Michael Taylor can I get a link to what software comes with the 1420?
11:30:03 AM Michael Taylor May I* :P
11:30:48 AM BE_Rep_Ma what was the starting price of the 1420 that your referring?
11:31:18 AM Michael Taylor I was looking at the $819 model
11:31:38 AM BE_Rep_Ma let me double check.\
11:33:16 AM BE_Rep_Ma still checking.
11:34:00 AM Michael TaylorAlright
11:35:11 AM BE_Rep_Ma thanks for waiting Michael, it comes with basic music and photo software also ms works8 but it has an option to add other ms software like ms home and student software...you can check the configuration below.
11:35:26 AM BE_Rep_Ma The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
11:36:28 AM Michael Taylor So what your saying now is the only difference in the 1420 and the 6400 are the optional software it comes with? Are there some other hardware difference also?
11:37:01 AM BE_Rep_Ma dell sales chat has limited access to 6400 since it's not available under dell home dept.
11:37:21 AM BE_Rep_Ma you can check one of the 6400 configuration .
11:37:47 AM BE_Rep_Ma the other components depends on the promo available.
11:38:10 AM Michael Taylor Alright thanks for your time
11:38:17 AM Michael Taylor Have a good one
11:38:27 AM BE_Rep_Ma welcome Michael.

LOL I would have shot myself half way through that conversation! "Ma" needs to take a refresher course on his/her/its products, not to mention LEARN TO TYPE COHERENTLY!

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Yea man. I was about to ask, "did you actually have to qualify for this position?" Any ideas on some good laptops though?

Strangely Dell has actually been helpful to me when no one else can answer my questions. They kindly instructed me that I was trying to install memory in my PCI slots for about two weeks (it was a long time ago), and that I needed to get the RAM slots lol. Then they helped me determine my PC won't support over a GB of memory.

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From my dell experiences,I will say that if a person is gunna do just everyday stuff like homework and browsing...their basic machines will do the job pretty good. As for anything like gaming...you're gunna have to spend the big bucks and get their top end stuff...which is basicly alienware gear in a dell case now.


The thing that is great for everyday users,is their warranty and support. I know they're not the best,but way better than alot of others out there....and they will bend a little if you let them believe you know what you're talking about.

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Agreed. For school work and internet use, a basic laptop (nothing extravagant) is all that's needed. In the case of school, one of the biggest needs would be applications. People probably benefit the most by having Office installed on their system. Then there would be other specific programs needed, depending on the classes being taken. Like Auto Cad, or special design programs (PS), You know what I mean.

As for comparison with those two laptops (the basic versions), the 6400 has a slightly faster processor. If the screen size is important, the 6400 is a lil' bit bigger. Now the memory, the 1420 comes with 1GB I believe will make up for the .36GHZ lacking in the 1420 toward processor speed comparisons.

Identical hard drives and optical hard drives exist. I'm not to sure about the video card in the 1420, but I know 6400's card is quality. I'm sure they are both pretty equal in quality.

The 6400 specifies it's wireless capability and that is a definite plus considering that most schools have a connection that students can log in to on campus or in class. Battery life between the two is pretty close. If you want to see a different, you could get a 85WHr (9-Cell) vs. the 56WHr 6-Cell) they offer and gain a lil' more life out of the battery.

So in comparison of those two, I'd get the 6400.

Looking at Latitude D520 (on the same page) it may not be a bad buy either. I'd say it may be better (in hardware and price) than the 6400. If the $600 range is the range they are looking to maintain and staying basic, go with the D520.

If a few hundred more for some faster memory quality, larger hard drive, and a few other extras could be in the plan; the other two 1420 upgraded a little may be a way to go: Dell Inspiron 1420 - Notebook

Thanks for the replys! I just talked to the woman today and gave me more exact specs to work off of. She doesn't want to spend a boat loan of money so I decided to venture to Newegg. I found another laptop that looks promising. HERE it is. Comments?

She probably got the specs from her son, they are as followed:

1.66Ghz Core Duo
80Gb HDD
1Gb RAM
>12in screen (lol)
wireless G (and a modem for dialup at home)
CD/DVD combo (preferred CD RW)

She sounded a little unsure when I told her laptops are around $800-900. Anything that I can change on the specs without compromising speed?

My buddy just got this from Best Buy, good bang for the buck IMHO

Acer - Aspire 2080 Notebook - AS5570-2067

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Not too bad if you format it and install XP.

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Thats like the perfect one... Has he had any problems with vista on it? Does he or has he run any office products on it? Problems?