Dell Inspiron 6400 User reviews

By Asher Moses on 12/07/2006

More Dell reviews , RRP: AU$3189.00

The good:

  • Affordable
  • Impressive general performance
  • Great battery life for a desktop replacement
  • Bright, high-resolution screen
  • Instant-on DVD payback feature
  • 5-in-1 card reader

The bad:

  • Hefty weight and dimensions
  • Poor gaming performance
  • Some minor design quirks

The bottomline:

The Inspiron 6400 is a mid-range notebook with an entry-level price tag. It’ll handle most applications nicely, but it’s a little on the heavy side and isn’t suitable for extensive gaming.

Buying choices:

Editors' rating:

8/10

Users' rating:

8.8/10

Tags:

6400 | dell | duo | inspiron | intel | laptop | mid-range


26/08/2006, 09:31 PM

rating
9/10

Brilliant

Pros: screen, aesthetics, front mounted speakers, dvdrw, ddr2 ram, and centrino

Cons: weight, size, intel primitive graphics gma 950.

Report offensive comment

comp165
23/08/2006, 09:21 PM

rating
8/10

good for price

Pros: runs well not to slow, multitasks well, and the speakers are alot better then you'd think

Cons: all the crap dell puts on before they send it

Report offensive comment

AZWarts
15/08/2006, 10:47 PM

rating
7/10

Good most of the time~

I'd probably look at other brands.

Pros: Affordable computing. The price was right.

Cons: Seems to have more problems than the HP products I'm used to. Customer support located in a 3rd world country leaves something to be desired. Troubleshooting is problematic and lengthy because of language barriers, although friendly & helpful. The lack of brick and mortar stores leaves you replacing parts one at a time, shipped from Texas. The software bundle isn't supported by a restore disc, restoring to an earlier time pont hasn't worked at all on my Dell laptop or desktop.

Report offensive comment


11/08/2006, 09:33 PM

rating
3/10

Simply suck!

Pros: support, stability.

Cons: graphics, sound, weight, price

Report offensive comment

abstaa
11/08/2006, 05:13 PM

rating
9/10

Great PErformance at an affordable price

1.83GHZ Dual Core
1GB 667MHZ DDR2 RAM
80GB Hardrive
1600x1050 resolution
DVD Dual Layer Burner
Ati Mobility X1400 Graphics

Pros: Excellent Game performance, can play just about anything I purchased the $1800 performance version with the graphics upgraded to the Ati Mobility X1400 256MB for only $43. No problems at all great battery life too make sure u get a 9 cell battery with it
Chews through just about everything
Can easily multitask a number of programs
Screen is superb

Cons: Bit thick, not the best aesthetics could have a more sleek design

Report offensive comment

Yojus
11/08/2006, 02:06 AM

rating
6/10

Too pricey for its specs

Pros: Sometimes this model can be featured for a great deal off dell's website although there are comparable toshiba and hp models available in stores with comparable specs with a lower price. Further, dealing with a store is often better than dealing with any online retailer

Cons: Too pricey at the moment.

Report offensive comment

Lachlan
10/08/2006, 08:51 AM

rating
9/10

Best Value, that is all.

Despite what CNet said about this machines gaming performance, I purchased it for university work and gaming. I paid $1525AU for this machine, and have been dazzled by its performance.

Granted, you may not see 50fps in Oblivion, but this machine is far from "crawling" in games. I play Battle for Middle Earth 2, and Oblivion, at the screens maximum resolution, and both play at 30fps. I was a little aprehensive about replacing my desktop with this machine, but it has been brilliant.

For Core Duo value, you just cant beat the Inspiron 6400

Pros: Great Screen
Gaming Performance
Battery Life
MediaDirect

Cons: Weight
Sometimes does not come out of standby

Report offensive comment

Wes M
10/08/2006, 05:42 AM

rating
8/10

Slightly odd looking but excellent value and build quality

It's hard to beat Dell's value. They generally provide an outstanding product in regards to durability and quality. That said, this isn't the prettiest Dell product that's been made -- it's an awkward mix of white, silver and black that looks worse in real life than in the pictures.

But for bang for the buck this beast can't be beat. 8/10 -- marks deducted for its ungainly appearance.

Pros: Great components at an unbeatable price

Cons: White trim looks out of place; overall look of the laptop is dated despite coming out in spring 2006

Report offensive comment

sree
08/08/2006, 03:59 PM

rating
9/10

Reasonable price, Great performance!

I bought the 14.1" version 640M, which has the same specs but smaller screen. I love this machine! It looks pretty good, a great performer.The Duo processor is fast. MediaDirect instant-on technology is too good. I can view picture & videos without logging on to Windows. Bluetooth is excellent.
The downside is that, I have the standard six cell battery, which gives me 2hrs of backup, which is not too good. Overall I am very happy with this machine.

Pros: Price
Lightweight
Instant-on DVD

Cons: Battery
Integrated graphics

Report offensive comment

Carbito
29/04/2006, 05:36 PM

Great laptop at a good price!

I just got one of these, and I'm impressed.

The performance of the Intel Core Duo processor is much better than I could have ever expected it to be.

Report offensive comment

  • Leave a comment

All fields marked with * are required

What do you think

Rate this product:

Need help? Read our guidelines for what each number rating represents.

Your e-mail will not be displayed

You must read and type the 6 chars within 0..9 and A..F

You must read and type the 6 chars.

  • Sony recalls VAIO TZ laptops

  • Dell Inspiron Mini 9

  • Father's Day Gift Guide

  • Dell Latitude E6500

  • Laptops for Father's Day

  • Intel's wireless power means no more batteries

  • Asus M51Va

  • Australia's neighbours get laptop for every child

  • Apple grows Australian market share

More articles »

Find the right laptop

Brand

    • Multiple options can be selected

    The Explain Series

    Telstra Explains ADSL2+

    • Dell Inspiron Mini 9

      Dell Inspiron Mini 9

      Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 solidifies the netbook line up in Australia, laying the final foundation stone in the establishing market.

    • Dell Latitude E6500

      Dell Latitude E6500

      The Dell Latitude E is a glimpse into the future of laptops. With high expandability, configurable and a strong design, it should suit most corporate environments.

    • Asus M51Va

      Asus M51Va

      Asus' M51Va passes muster as one of the better laptops out there, and the Centrino 2 certification means you'll be up to date with the latest spec. If you're in the market for a mid-weight laptop, make sure to give this one a try.

    • Dell Studio 1535

      Dell Studio 1535

      The Dell Studio 1535 is a good mid-range laptop that fills the gap between premium and mainstream, and offers good quality for the price.

    • ASUS EeePC 1000H

      ASUS EeePC 1000H

      The Eee PC 1000 is a fabulous machine. It precariously straddles the line between netbook and ultraportable, but it's well equipped, well designed and great for those who need a laptop on the move.

    More reviews »

    Membership benefits

    Create a personalised homepage

    Create a personalised homepage

    Choose your interests from our 16 categories and only see articles relevant to you. Sign up for a free CNET.com.au membership now!