Dell Inspiron 8000

Dell is no newcomer desktop replacement notebooks. Its Inspiron 7000 and 7500 models were fast and highly-capable models, but at ten pounds apiece they were almost prohibitively heavy. With the introduction of the Inspiron 8000, Dell has managed to trim the weight of its desktop replacement system to a more portable 7.9 pounds, while simultaneously delivering a giant leap forward in both performance and features.

Like all Dell systems, the Inspiron 8000 is highly configurable. The system we tested was the current top-of-the-line configuration including an 850MHz Pentium III processor, 128MB RAM, and a 32GB hard drive, and running Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition. But the key difference between the Inspiron 8000 and other desktop replacement systems is that is uses a desktop chip set, the Intel 815E, that significantly boosts the system's performance across the board.

All this power was evident on our benchmark tests. Put simply, the Inspiron 8000 is the fastest, most powerful notebook PC we've ever tested. Compared to the Gateway Solo 9300cx, the Inspiron 8000 was incrementally faster (13 percent better score) on everyday business applications, but pulled away on 2D graphics (85 percent better score) and especially 3D graphics, where its score was more than 2.5 times better. In addition to the chip set, this is primarily due to the Inspiron 8000's cutting-edge graphics (the new ATI Rage M4 with a whopping 32MB of SGRAM) and faster hard disk. (The Gateway Solo 9300cx was equipped with an 800MHz Pentium III, 128MB RAM, and the ATI Rage Mobility-M1 graphics chip set with only 8MB memory.)

We did run into one notable performance problem with the Inspiron 8000. According to Dell, due to incompatibilities between the 815E chip set, the system BIOS, and Windows Me, we were unable to measure battery life using our BatteryMark test. Unfortunately, this isn't just a technical glitch, it is also an inconvenience for users because the power-saving SpeedStep Windows applet is not loaded. So in order to switch between full-power and battery-optimized modes, you must select the mode in the BIOS and then either power down the notebook or place it in Suspend mode and then unplug the power supply. In anecdotal testing, we found the Inspiron 8000's battery provided a satisfactory battery life of about 2.5 hours.

The Inspiron 8000 supports simultaneous display on the LCD and an external monitor, or you can use the monitor as a second, unique display for additional screen real estate. Not that you'll need it though; the 15-inch LCD supports an extremely high 1,400x1,050 resolution. The only possible downside to such great technology is that standard-sized text looks rather small on such a display.

Despite the number of pixels that have to be moved around during video playback at this extremely high resolution, DVD movies were smooth and jitter-free. The tiny internal Harmon-Kardon speakers provide very clear sound, but little in the way of volume. Throw on a pair of headphones though, and the sound is great, thanks to the enhancement of Dolby Headphone support in the DVD decoder.

The Inspiron 8000 features an unusual drive setup. When configuring your unit, you can choose between built-in, non-removable CD, DVD, or CD-RW drives. The unit's Media Bay slot can house a floppy, Zip, or an additional optical drive, as well as a second hard drive, or an additional battery. And because of this three-spindle design, you can have two batteries installed simultaneously and still have access to an optical drive.

The case looks like a scaled-up version of the curvy Inspiron 3800. Rather than offering different colors for the entire shell, Dell sells snap-on color wrist rests in gray, blue, purple, and yellow. The well laid-out keyboard is comfortable, with a set of function keys above the keyboard for launching applications or for DVD and audio CD control. And you won't need to choose your loyalty when it comes to the touchpad versus the pointing stick - the Inspiron 8000 sports both, each with its own set of buttons.

The Inspiron 8000 doesn't skimp on connectivity either. All the requisite connectors are here, including a pair of USB ports, S-video, and -- in a first for a Dell notebook -- IEEE 1394 (Firewire. A mini-PCI slot lets you choose between a 56Kbps modem only or a combo card which adds a 10/100 Ethernet adapter.

The unit is backed by a three-year, next-day on-site warranty, with 24-hour toll-free tech support. The SpeedStep problems give us pause, and we wish the system's speakers could pump out a little more volume, but these considerations aside, the Dell Inspiron 8000 is the fastest, most capable portable PC available anywhere.