March 2004
Dell has long been at the leading edge of desktop replacement development, so it comes as no surprise that the company's latest system in that class is simply killer. The key to its sparkling performance is the combination of a fast Hyper-Threading Pentium 4, 512MB of fast RAM, and -- this is a big one -- a hard drive spinning some 70 percent faster than is typical. Supported by the appropriate motherboard and chipset, those components allow the Inspiron 9100 to handle even the most demanding tasks. Even intensive photo retouching or video editing, long thought to be the last reason (other than price) to choose a high-end desktop system over a laptop, are handled with ease by the Inspiron 9100.
A good chunk of the credit for the Inspiron 9100's video prowess must go to the ATI Mobility RADEON 9700, whose dedicated 128MB of VRAM has no trouble keeping up with the 15.4-inch wide-aspect screen's 2.3 million-plus pixels. This new GPU is a gamer's delight not only for its speed--its processor delivers a 30 percent MHz boost over its predecessor -- but for the level of control it provides within the Direct3D submenu of the video control panel. The default (i.e., application-controlled) settings for anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering (which sharpens blurry textures to bring out finer detail), and other parameters can be adjusted on an individual basis. Aside from being fast and flexible, the RADEON 9700 provides excellent support for multiple monitor installations
In addition to our review sample's WUXGA (1920x1200 pixel) resolution, Dell also offers the same size screen in WXGA (1280x800) and WSXGA Plus (1680x1050) versions. The combination of razor-sharp resolution and a cinematic aspect ratio makes the Inspiron 9100 an excellent choice for movie fans. The screen refreshes very quickly, with no ghosting even in fast-moving scenes. The widescreen format also comes into its own when you open two side-by-side windows.
Given the Inspiron 9100's fabulous video benchmark, we weren't at all surprised at how well it performed in the real world. We played Splinter Cell into the wee hours one night, and were constantly amazed and delighted by the cinema-like quality of the images and motion. Even the dark-on-darker scenes looked terrific.
Movies and games are made all the more enjoyable by the Inspiron 9100's exceptional sound system. In addition to the normal left and right speakers, the system has a separate subwoofer, powered by its own five-watt amplifier. At the same time as it's delivering surprisingly good bass, the subwoofer is removing some of the burden from the stereo speakers. As a result, you can really crank the volume without losing clarity.
Our system's optical drive was a 4X DVD+RW drive, which worked smoothly and, it's worth noting, very quietly. We burned a test selection of 4.04GB worth of files in 17 minutes. The Inspiron 9100 has good, if not exemplary, I/O facilities. On the positive side of the coin are the unusually extensive multimedia facilities, including a digital audio output and an unusual DVI port. As big fans of dual-display operation, we were especially pleased to see the DVI port. It allows a similarly-equipped external monitor to be driven with a digital signal, eliminating the potentially degrading analog conversion process. The only significant I/O omission is of a multimedia card reader, which would provide direct support for digital cameras and camcorders. (The absence of legacy ports--serial, parallel, etc.--is no longer an issue for us. If it is for you, your peripherals might just be ready for replacement!)
Although the Inspiron 9100's extra-wide chassis would appear to have plenty of room for a full-sized keyboard, Dell went to the parts bin and chose one that's more suitable for a smaller system. Still, the response is nice and snappy, and uniform throughout the entire surface, and the layout is very good. Dell provides both a touchpad and a pointstick, along with a driver that supports touchpad "gestures" that are analogous to keyboard macros.
As is generally the case with Dell systems, the Inspiron 9100 comes with a good selection of software. Our system was shipped with the Word Perfect Productivity pack, but you can substitute various versions of MS Office for a bit more money. The DVD burner is supported by easy-to-use RecordNow, digital imaging chores are handled by Dell's Picture Studio, and music & multimedia by MusicMatch Jukebox, RealOne Player, and Dell's own Media Experience shell.
It's probably tempting, when designing a high-end laptop, to try to include every imaginable feature. Dell's designers wisely resisted that urge, and came up with a very attractive blend of high performance and useful-but-not-frivolous features.