One of the first laptops with Intel's new Core Duo processor to hit the street, the Dell Inspiron 9400 inaugurates the company's new entertainment line of laptops with a bang. In addition to its top-shelf processor and graphics card; its bright, 17-inch widescreen display; It was only a matter of time before Dell switched over to Intel’s Core Duo platform, offering the dual-core chip in its flagship Inspiron 9400 notebook. Powered by an Intel 2GHz Core Duo T2500 processor, a Gigabyte of DDR2 memory and 100GB hard drive, there is little to worry about in terms of performance or future proofing as this machine can handle anything currently on the market and other leading edge technologies, the Inspiron 9400 adds a few welcome multimedia features not found on the model that it will eventually replace, the Inspiron 9300. These include a five-in-one media card reader and Dell's MediaDirect software, though there is no integrated TV tuner. We think the slightly less expensive HP Pavilion dv8200 is a better deal for basic users who want more features than performance, but the Inspiron 9400 owns the other end of the spectrum as an incredibly powerful laptop that can speed through virtually any multimedia task from video editing to gaming.
The new Inspiron 9400 laptops from Dell (aka the E1705) don't make many changes from their hefty but powerful 9300 line, but they have a change of heart with options for 1.86GHz or 2.0GHz Core Duo processors in the 17-inch lapsters. They do come with Windows Media Center 2005, which can take advantage of an optional external USB TV tuner, and the nVidia GeForce Go 7800 256MB graphics card should do the trick for most apps. The 'books are available now on Dell.com, starting at $2000, so if you haven't been holding out for Yonah for the portability, you can get at these relatively soon.
Design
The Inspiron 9400's design is nearly identical to the Inspiron 9300's. Crafted out of sturdy and stylish magnesium alloy and measuring 394 x 288 x 41.5mm. Our test unit weighed 3.6kg (4.2kg with its AC adapter) -- 100g lighter than the HP Pavilion dv8200. Still, the Inspiron 9400 is too heavy for regular travel.
The Inspiron 9400 includes a full-size keyboard, though it lacks a separate number pad, as found on the HP Pavilion dv8200. The Inspiron 9400's mouse buttons are very big, however, and the touch pad is adequately sized. The latter features arrows running along its right and bottom edges, outlining where to place your finger when using the software-enhanced pad to scroll through documents or Web pages.
Features
A minor but appreciated upgrade from the Inspiron 9300 model is the Inspiron 9400's inclusion of Dell's MediaDirect software, which plays CDs and DVDs and lets you access photos and other media files stored on your hard drive without booting up Windows first. The two speakers and the internal subwoofer -- a rare feature among laptops -- deliver crisp and rich sound. Better yet, because the speakers sit in the corners of the laptop's front edge, your hands won't muffle them while you're typing and you can play music with the lid closed. Sandwiched between the speakers, a row of seven buttons lets you control disc playback and adjust or mute the volume. However, the Inspiron 9400 lacks an integrated TV tuner found on more expensive systems, such as the Toshiba Qosmio G20 and the Fujitsu LifeBook N6210. Considering there are notebooks on the market for half the price of this system you would have thought that the 9400 would come fully loaded with the latest kit. Sadly, you’ll the graphics at this price point are integrated, which means no 3D games, making this more ideal as a work machine than a multimedia option. Strangely, the Inspiron 9400 ships with Microsoft’s Windows Media Centre Edition operating system (OS) as standard.
The good news is you can always choose to upgrade to dedicated graphics at the time of purchase but this will cost you between £80 and £150 depending on your options, which suddenly makes the 9400 a less appealing option.
There's no dearth of ports, jacks, or slots here: The Inspiron 9400 offers FireWire, S-Video out, VGA, a whopping six USB 2.0 ports, 56Kbps modem, 10/100 Ethernet, headphone and microphone jacks. Also available are Type II PC Card and Secure Digital slots and a swank DVI port should you want to connect the laptop to an even bigger digital LCD. There's also a five-in-one media card reader, a key feature that the Inspiron 9200 lacked. Last, but definitely not least, the Inspiron 9400 includes a multiformat double-layer DVD drive.
Performance
Weighing in at 3.5kg, this isn’t a machine for the faint of heart, or wrist, and will no doubt be bought by those looking to replace their desktop PC. With a 17-inch WUXGA screen, images are sharp and crisp but you won’t find a Super-TFT coating – this will cost you a further £90 (inc. VAT) for the privilege.
One of the first Core Duo systems we've tested, the Dell Inspiron 9400 did not disappoint. Using a collection of multithreaded and single-threaded multimedia applications, we tested the Inspiron 9400 to determine how well it handled multimedia workloads, such as ripping MP3 and encoding video. Generally speaking, the Inspiron 9400 delivered roughly a 25 per cent performance boost compared with a Pentium 4-fueled test system, the Acer Aspire 1700, and its performance was approximately 50 percent faster than that of a ThinkPad Z60t equipped with Intel's previous generation 2.0GHz Pentium M processor.
The Inspiron 9400 also delivered very competent gaming performance, turning in 57 frames per second in our Doom 3 test. That said, the Acer TravelMate 8204, outfitted with the same processor but twice the RAM, bested the Inspiron 9400 in a few of our multimedia tests and posted the highest SysMark score we've ever recorded, though its gaming performance was lacking. Though we did not test an Inspiron 9400 configured with the less expensive Core Solo processor, Dell said that its performance would be comparable with that of an Inspiron 9300 loaded with a Pentium M, a configuration that we tested last year.
The build quality of the machine is solid but to the point of being bulky. Considering the panel size means there is plenty of chassis to go around, Dell has opted for a standard notebook keyboard. While it’s comfortable and reliable, it feels a little cramped surrounded by plenty of space. Being a desktop replacement we were expecting it to be quite loud but it proved to run quietly, even when we were editing a rather large piece of video footage, which bodes well for long-term use.
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