dell laptop options

rockinrobinw · May 11th, 2002, 06:39 PM

I'm thinking of buying a dell inspiron 8100. I'll use it as my main computer overseas for a while so I'd like to have a cd-rw drive. It comes with a dvd but can upgrade to a combo drive for 130$. On a thread I saw a post saying cd-rw in a laptop heats up a lot. Would it be better to get an external cd-rw and if so how much would they cost? Also, are all laptops dual voltage?

newbie~wan · May 11th, 2002, 07:59 PM

I think on average the externals go for about twice the price of the internals. They use a conection called firewire, I think. I don't know too much about them because I don't own a laptop or have any need for an external.

Check out www.newegg.com for some prices on externals. They have good prices, but not always the best. However, the peace of mind that comes with buying from as reputable of a customer service champ as newegg is priceless.

plucky duck · May 11th, 2002, 08:40 PM

imo, for your purposes, you'd be better suited going with an internal cdrw drive instead. If it were for home use or office use where the laptop isn't travelling much then an external would be ok.

Keep in mind the firewire port in the 8100 may not be powerful enough to power the external firewire cdrw, so an external power adapter may be needed.

I believe the faster spinning 16x cdrw causes more of the heat. They also cause A LOT of noise and vibration. If noise is a factor, stick with the slower 4x/8x. The last thing you want to do is have people come staring at you and figuring out what all the noise is about.

Just my 2 cents.
Plucky

Tomteriffic · May 11th, 2002, 09:18 PM

I'm not sure if the deal is still on, but Dell was offering a free CD-RW upgrade on their laptops recently. I'd suspect that heat wouldn't be a huge issue under most reasonable circumstnaces, but using the thing whilst all the vents are blocked by a blanket, whilst working in SE Asia could be a problem.

rockinrobinw · May 12th, 2002, 08:27 AM

Thanks for the tips. I'm looking at the dell deal now but can't get the free upgrade for this version. I will get a nice 300$ rebate though. I think I'll just go with the internal combo drive right off the bat. And I'll remember not to wrap my laptop in a blanket!