Dell Inspiron 8200 Pentium 4-M 2.0GHz

As the world's largest PC manufacturer, Dell has played an important role in ensuring the personal computer's success. It all started in 1985 with the release of the 8088 Dell Turbo. This computer was the first in a long line of quality computers and computing components that have allowed Dell to reach milestones other computer manufacturers only dream of: internet sales of $50 million per day, the number 1 PC manufacturer in global market share, and a staff of approximately 36,000 around the world. With all the success Dell has enjoyed, they must be doing something right.

Dell's success is on a large part based on the services and quality that the company offers; services and quality that other PC manufactures have trouble matching. Choosing a Dell computer means that you will be able to configure the system to your specific needs, have access to technical support 24 hours a day 7 days a week, be able to get driver and software updates on a regular basis, and own a product backed by the largest PC producer. As much as it may sound like an advertisement, Dell is doing things right. Going with any number of Dell machines, from the desktop Dimension, notebook Inspiron, or server class PowerEdge, is a pretty safe bet.

One area where Dell has managed to capture a good number of high-end computer users is on the notebook side of things. Many high-end computer users opt to build their own desktop systems as opposed to buying an assembled computer from an OEM. Attempting to do the same thing with a notebook, build one from parts, is essentially impossible. For this reason, even high-end and experienced computer users turn to companies like Dell to provide them with a notebook matching their needs.

Dell offers a number of notebook solutions: the home-class Inspiron, the office-class Latitude, and the workstation-class Precision. Among the most powerful of the solutions Dell offers is the Inspiron 8200, a notebook Dell calls an "advanced multimedia notebook... packed with cutting edge multimedia features." We were recently given the opportunity to take a look at a fully loaded Inspiron 8200 outfitted with a 2.0GHz Mobile Pentium 4-M processor, 512MB of PC2100 DDR memory, a 5400RPM hard drive, and both an NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 (we were given the opportunity to test the system with both video products). Follow us as we take a look at what turned out to be the most able desktop replacement notebook we have seen to date.