Dell's Inspiron 8200 is a powerful notebook with a large footprint and a plethora of advanced features.

The Dell Inspiron 8200 is the pickup truck of mobile computing: This desktop replacement is big, thick, and heavy, but thanks to its high-end configuration--including Intel's mobile Pentium 4--it can carry an enormous load without straining. A big display and one of the fastest graphics processors around also make it a great mobile multimedia machine.

One feature short of perfection
Powered by Intel's 1.6GHz mobile Pentium 4-M (although the unit supplied to us was actually a 1.7GHz P4-M), the Inspiron 8200 is built with the best and most up-to-date parts--with one exception. The 30GB IBM TravelStar hard drive is roomy enough for most users, but hardly stunning. Our evaluation unit also came stocked with 256MB of RAM; it can hold up to 1GB. The Inspiron 8200's two modular bays offer maximum flexibility in your choice of storage or battery devices; our unit came with a combo CD-RW/DVD drive.

Put it all together and you get a system that's the biggest and heaviest of the early mobile P4-M systems we've seen, measuring 5 by 33 by 28 centimeters and weighing 3.67kg. The system's AC adapter adds another 400 grams, bringing its travel weight to 4.07kg.

State-of-the-art display and graphics
The Inspiron 8200's display technology is its strongest suit. The 15-inch UXGA (1,400x1,050 pixels) screen is one of a new generation of LCDs from Sharp that allows a brighter display and a wider viewing angle (nearly 180 degrees horizontal and vertical). Text looked incredibly crisp, with vivid and detailed graphics. The only blemish was a barely noticeable hot spot (an area that was brighter than the rest of the screen) at the panel's lower left corner. The Dell also sports Nvidia's GeForce4 440 Go graphics accelerator with a whopping 64MB of integrated memory, which makes for a system that's just as good for watching movies as it is for battling onscreen aliens or pitching a presentation to a new client. Video playback was sharp, with no blurring or dropped frames; games were smooth and had lots of details. The Inspiron also comes with both S-Video and composite-video connections but lacks an S/PDIF digital audio output for connecting to multiple speakers.

Battery life was good considering the power hungry nature of the P4-M processor. The Inspiron 8200 managed 2 hours and 41 minutes between charges of its 4.46Ah lithium-ion cells. The battery pack has a five-LED charge gauge, but it's hidden from view when installed.

Communications major
The Inspiron 8200 has all the right connections. In addition to integrated 10/100Mbps Ethernet and a V.92 modem, the included ports run the gamut of old and new, from FireWire (IEEE 1394), parallel, serial, and PS/2 to audio-in and -out, external monitor, and a pair of USB ports. The Dell has two Type II (one Type III) PC Card slots, but there are no doors on the openings to protect against dust.

The Inspiron 8200 makes a pretty good boombox as well. Along the front edge of the notebook, you'll find CD-playback and audio controls, as well as a small, monochrome LCD display, all of which let you play audio discs when the system is turned off. The speakers on either side of the notebook have a reasonable volume range but sound tinny, and the system's two cooling fans interrupt frequently. While the volume controls were simple and easy to use, we really would have liked to see a Mute switch.

Pick your pointer
The Inspiron 8200 has a few more tricks up its sleeve when it comes to the keyboard, which has 19.4mm keys with a generous 3mm travel, resulting in a solid, comfortable typing experience. People who prefer a pointing stick over a touchpad or vice versa needn't fret with this notebook; it has both, as well as four mouse buttons.

Dell's Inspiron 8200 offers an awesome video system and very fast performance. The flexibility of its two modular bays and two pointing devices gives users lots of choices.

Dell Inspiron 8200
Company: Dell Australia
Price: AU$5,343.80
Distributor: Dell
Phone: 1800 812 393

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