The Bottom Line
Dell's Inspiron 8500 is a unique desktop replacement offering a wide screen display for excellent multimedia uses, but it lacks some of the key expansion and connectivity all portables should have.
Pros
- Large High Resolution LCD Displays
- DVD+RW Drives Available
- Wide Range of Options to Customize System
Cons
- Limited Number of Expansion Ports
- No Integrated Wireless Options
- Large Dimensions to Support Display
Description
- Intel Pentium 4M 2.4 GHz Processor
- 512MB DDR PC2100 Memory
- 15.4" WUXGA (1920x1200) TFT LCD Display and nVidia GeForce 4200 Go with 64 MB
- 80 GB Hard Drive
- 2x DVD+RW Optical Drive
- SB Pro Compatible Audio
- v.92 56 Kbps Modem and 10/100 Ethernet Port
- Two USB 2.0 and One IEEE1394 Ports
- 14.2" x 10.9" x 1.5" @ 6.9 lbs. (without optical drive installed)
- Windows XP Home Operating System
Guide Review - Dell Inspiron 8500
7/15/03 - Dell is one of the few companies that offers a wide aspect ratio display with its Inspiron 8500 desktop replacement systems. This screen is truly amazing with a total resolution of 1920x1200 which surpasses many desktop displays. Driving this large display is an nVidia GeForce 4200 Go processor which should produce excellent video results. The Intel Pentium 4M processor gives it more than enough processing power to compete against desktops. All of this adds up to a great machine, but it does have some flaws. Almost all desktops today have some form of optional integrated wireless networking but that is missing here. It also has limited expansion with only two USB 2.0 ports and a single IEEE1394 port.
