Dell Inspiron 3500 C300XT

Dell Inspiron 3500 C300XT

SUMMARY

PRO: Fast, modular bay accepts range of devices, AGP graphics bus for peppy presentations CON: Awkwardly placed AC adapter jack

Dell's Inspiron 3500 C300XT proves that high-quality business notebooks don't have to cost upward of three grand.

Our budget Best Buy for the second month in a row, the $2029 C300XT barely beats out its neck-and-neck competitor, the Gateway Solo 2500SE, by offering lighter weight, a bigger screen, and a better reliability score. The two models performed similarly in our WorldBench tests, with the Solo enjoying a slight edge due to its larger onboard secondary cache.

Compared with its larger sibling on the power chart--the 10.4-pound, $3295 Inspiron 7000 A366LT--the C300XT makes a better choice for the average business traveler or budget buyer. And although the larger Inspiron has a longer battery life, the C300XT lasted for a tolerable 2 hours and 45 minutes in our tests.

Also, the C300XT's modular bay accepts the same type of devices as the 7000 A366LT does, including the bundled floppy drive and CD-ROM drive. Among the several available add-ons are a second battery ($119), a DVD-ROM drive ($229), and an Iomega Zip drive ($139).

The C3000XT is well designed, overall. However, the placement of the AC adapter connection, with all the audio jacks on the right side instead of separately in the back, struck us as awkward. The notebook boasts a comfortable keyboard and a mouse with programmable buttons. Dell's beautifully designed manuals and generous support policies, including around-the-clock toll-free phone lines and a three-year parts and labor warranty, complete the package.