Dell Inspiron 700M - Taking the Widescreen Display to Ultraportables
by Andrew Ku on December 11, 2004 1:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Battery Info & Performance
There are two battery pack options:- 4 cell standard battery (14.8V, 2.2AH, 32WH)
- 8 cell extended battery (14.8V, 4.4AH, 65WH)
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| Left: 700M with standard battery Right: Extended and standard batteries side by side | |
It costs $53 dollars more to upgrade from a standard battery to the extended, or $116 to just add on the 8 cell extended battery. Our recommendation is just to add the extended battery if you can. The extra battery life will go a long way, especially for an ultraportable, since you are likely trying to avoid using a power outlet as much as possible. We should note that unlike other notebook designs, the extended battery doesn't limit the range of how far back the display can bend.
If your battery power is low, the battery stats icon will blink green even if the system is turned off, and there will be a BIOS warning along with an override prompt once you turn on your system (displayed after BIOS initializes). If the battery power is actually at 0%, there will be no blinking low power indicator.
We have redone the way we benchmark notebooks for battery tests. In the past, we have always run under "Always On" for the battery scheme under the power settings in Windows XP. This puts the CPU to max performance, but the side-effect is that power is going to be drawn from the battery rather liberally.
The main reason we did this in the past was two-fold:Because performance has increased to such a degree that even automatic power management isn't a hindrance, our benchmark method was long overdue for an overhaul. These scores are reflective of what you should expect in the typical day-to-day use.
- you would know what you should at least get with your notebook; and
- using the recommended Bapco setting of "Portable/Laptop", which has automatic CPU speed management, often times wasn't up to par with what normal users in the past needed for something as simple as visualizations in WMP.
Our past benchmarks can be referenced, but with those laptops, keep in mind that it is the minimum score that you should expec, and automatic power management increases the scores from roughly 10% to 35%.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
10 Comments
View All Comments
ScArE2100 - Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - link
http://www.700mUsers.com/">http://www.700mUsers.com/I'm starting the 700m Users Community up.
Check it out, a great resource for 700m owners to collaborate and take full advantage of their notebooks.
holygrail - Sunday, July 3, 2005 - link
This is a great computer. But be aware. The microphone port is broken. This is a problem on all inspiron 700m's (google for it). Dell ignores the problem. Maybe that they don't want to recall all their computers.They replaced my motherboard and wanted to tell me, that i have software-problems. They still don't believe (or don't want to believe) me, that this is a hardware problem. I can't count the hours i waited on the hold, when i wanted to contact a dell customer care, or dell support.
mrminator - Monday, May 16, 2005 - link
These laptops are defective. The 700m audio input is not functional. Try recording something using your 700m and you're screwed. If you own a 700m check it out. I'd call Dell and complain, these units are defective and Dell continues to sell them. They are the bottom of the heap.pg22 - Saturday, January 15, 2005 - link
Hi josannakaytwo - Sunday, December 12, 2004 - link
Fujitsu called, they want their P5000/P7000 design back. Well they probably don't, seeing as they do it better in the first place, with longer battery life, more 'multimedia' features, etc. In laptops, you really do get what you pay for.segagenesis - Sunday, December 12, 2004 - link
I use a Inspiron D600 at my job. I am unsure of what to expect from interchangeability from notebook parts but wouldnt it be asking a bit much to have ultraportables use the same stuff as standard notebooks? The D series parts will work in thier SX small form factors though...ElFenix - Saturday, December 11, 2004 - link
dell's new policy of not using d-bay devices on the 700m and 9200 is piss poor. i realize that the neutral gray of the other notebooks doesn't work with the black from the new ones, but they could at least have made the form factor the same for those of us who don't care about the looks and already have a substantial investment in d-bay devices.Losttek - Saturday, December 11, 2004 - link
"Measuring at 8.5" x 11.7" x 1.5" thick, the DV1000 is the smallest multimedia notebook that we have seen to date, making it very unique."I thought you were suppose to be reviewing the 700m. Might want to proofread your articles next time.
kuljc - Saturday, December 11, 2004 - link
well if you get the extended battery, you'll be geting around 4 hours of normal usage out of this thing. Which is plenty of time.bob661 - Saturday, December 11, 2004 - link
This at the bottom of the barrel as far as battery life is concerned which is one of the main reasons you buy ultra-ports in the first place. That HP kicks ass.