Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition Laptop (Refurbished): i7 3610QM 2.30GHz CPU, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HD + 32GB mSSD Drive, 17.3" (1920x1080) LCD, 2GB GeForce GT 650M, 6 Cell, Win 7 $695 +

Quote from sportzguy : Is this a good deal on a laptop to bring to Afghanistan (i.e. might get sandy) to play games and watch movies? Seems like a powerful machine for a relatively low price-point. Or should I wait until Black Friday?

you should buy the laptop now and wait until Black Friday 2050 to go to Afghanistan .

Quote from RoundSparrow : Just to be clear, I didnt spell it right. My email says: "Dell Backlit Keyboard with Multi-touch Touchpad, English-Int'l"

yeah i dont have that ): i was in too much of a rush to add it to my cart and kinda messed up i guess ): sigggggh.

Quote from Mechfire : It's a BIG difference. I've carried both types and those few pounds can be a killer. I traveled alot with a 7lb laptop and I can't tell you how heavy those few extra pounds got. Not to scare anyone away from buying this laptop, but if you're going to be traveling alot with it, you might consider paying a little extra for a lighter version. (I know weight is very subjective - I'm 6'4" 240lb and fairly athletic, my 7lb laptop is too much for my 5'6" wife).

It's a personal thing. I've got a 9-pound HP dv8t (and had a 9.7 pound Toshiba Qosmio before that) and the weight never bothered me...but, then, I'm only 215, so I guess I that gives me an extra 25 pounds available to devote to portable electronics for things to be equal.

(BTW, I cannot guarantee this, but I read on another message forum that the Special Edition 17R--at least some of them--has a space to install a second hard drive even if it's not marked on the case. Unfortunately,.the regular 17R does not.)

Quote from dubleo : Try reading the original post...

It was out of stock when I tried.. Seems like it is back

Quote from mugupo : 6 cell battery is terrible.

Yeah, with specs like these it would burn through the battery really fast. Any benchmarks on it?

This has an Intel wireless display for connecting to a TV.

Heads up: Dells return policy is not that great.

21 days normally, 14 days for refurbished products. Dell may charge you return shipping and a 15% restocking fee.

decent gpu

Quote from sportzguy : Is this a good deal on a laptop to bring to Afghanistan (i.e. might get sandy) to play games and watch movies? Seems like a powerful machine for a relatively low price-point. Or should I wait until Black Friday?

This sounds like a decent deal on a perfomance friendly computer, but I think it's too big for international travel, never mind military deployments--a 14 or 15 inch system sounds bettter to me. Too bad the "Panasonic Tough Books" cost an arm and a leg---they're resistant to almost anything..

I'm surprised if you're not aware already, but you can buy thin, flexible plastic or rubber overlays for many specific laptop models, that'll keep sand and liquid out of the keyboard. Some school supply companies sell them, to keep students from destroying systems.

Of course many soldiers in 'sand land' improvise panty hose to cover M4 rifles, sensitive motor parts--anything that windblown sand might jam or slow down. With some tape and panty hose (the Gorrilla Glue folks make some good duct tape) you can probably 'MacGyver' some sort of arrangement.

After my 16 y/o son accidently let Gatorade get into an $1800 Macbook, ruining it 31 days after he got it (if it had been 30 days, Apple/Best Buy might have just replaced it) I wanted to put his whole BODY in panty hose and drop him off the nearest bridge.....

Quote from dubleo : Well , low quality laptops tend to overheat more than high quality laptops.

Actually that's not been my experience, simply because more expensive laptops generally have more beefy CPUs and GPUs and therefore have much more heat to dissipate. It makes sense because a current-gen core i7 with dedicated graphics is going to generate a LOT more heat than a current-gen i3 with integrated graphics. Having a slightly better cooling system can't make up for the difference.

Quote from AMAF21 : Inspiron 17R Special Edition Save $230 on any Dell Outlet Inspiron™ 17R Special Edition desktop priced at $925.00 with coupon* code below! http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnli...1&fid=9876 Was $925.00 Now $695.00 Certified Refurbished Aluminum Intel® Core™ 3rd Generation i7-3610QM Processor 8GB Memory 1TB Hard Drive DVD/RW Integrated Webcam 17.3-inch Full High-Definition (1080p) LED Display With Anti-Glare Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M 2GB Intel® Centrino® Wireless 2230, 2x2 bgn + Bluetooth® Limited time, while supplies last! Coupon code: HSBWQQTGW0H1DT

This should play Guild Wars 2 very well, right?

Quote from tp4tissue : Pretty good deal, but still, HUGE, laptop, not very portable. You're better off getting a desktop, which would have way more power at $700. Most people regret getting a 17" because they're usually a pain to carry around, so they just sit in as desktop replacements, but then a "REAL" desktop is faster for the same price. And considering the screen is Freaking too tiny for a laptop.

not necessarily...I have a 17 inch inspiron with no discrete graphics and is pretty convenient doing work sitting on my sofa & watching TV, but also the same time can be connected to my monitor in my study when in need of a dual mode. like the big screen and the big keyboard..Agree though that I don't use it to travel . For that I take my netbook..planning to upgrade to an ultrabook when the price is right for those....but again, that is me.

Quote from Bushrod : Actually that's not been my experience, simply because more expensive laptops generally have more beefy CPUs and GPUs and therefore have much more heat to dissipate. It makes sense because a current-gen core i7 with dedicated graphics is going to generate a LOT more heat than a current-gen i3 with integrated graphics. Having a slightly better cooling system can't make up for the difference.

My W530 with a Core i7 3610QM and a Quadro K1000m ran much cooler than my Acer with a 2nd gen Core i3 with an integrated GPU.
BTW both used 15.6" screens

Idle CPU temp in W530 : 42 degrees C
idle CPU temp in Acer : 53 degrees C

Ambient room temp : 26.7 degrees C


After using workstation class machines , most laptops seem inadequately built to me.

Dell customer service, like usual, disappoints. Tried calling and tried their "Chat now!" feature. Both couldn't fix the issue because the price is 929 instead of 925. Refused to do anything as their Outlet dept is closed. Coupon was applied but discount not applied.