Good laptop back in the day, would make a good second machine now (Dell Inspiron in general)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	Dell Inspiron in general
Date:	21/05/09 (13 review reads)
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Advantages: Could be picked up quite cheaply now

Disadvantages: Slow by today's standard

My review is specifically about the Dell Inspiron 8600, a laptop which I have replaced with a new one, but did use for a couple of years. It's relatively old (for a laptop) meaning you can probably pick one up quite cheaply from eBay, computer fairs or local computer shops.

The laptop itself was high-end back in the day, but now seems outdated with the pace that technology moves forward. The overall design of the laptop is pleasing on the eye, with this particular model having a blue trim around the keyboard to break up the otherwise all silver surface. The keypad and touch mouse are both easy and comfortable to use, although there's no separate numerical keypad - probably because the screen is only about 15 inches.

The Inspiron can get hot quickly and doesn't have a fantastic battery life (around 2 hours), but the built-in wireless card is great for browsing the web in different rooms of the house.

I wouldn't recommend getting an Inspiron 8600 as a main machine (due to its age), but if you're looking for something to use as a backup or possibly to give to a youngster, then it still has its uses.

Summary: Good for younger users or as a storage machine

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