Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Buy a Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop Computer

Just How Limited is the Limited Functionality of This Popular and Affordable Machine?

The Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop is a decent, popular with students and with anyone looking for an inexpensive laptop.  In my experience, Dell’s support network has been fairly helpful, but this model is simply not equipped to handle a lot of the tasks that make owning a laptop enjoyable. If you want to have wireless internet, a DVD burner, or a USB 2.0 or Firewire port for fast data transfer, you’ll need to shell out money for costly and bulky accessories. These features are available conveniently built in to many other laptops close to the price range of the Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop. If you only need very basic functionality, the Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop is a relatively affordable and reliable choice, but if you want anything other than a bare bones machine, you may find yourself loaded down with a lot of auxiliary equipment. The biggest problem with the Inspiron 4100 is the design of the PCI slots that you’ll be using to hold a lot of these accessories. Read on for a rundown of what this machine lacks, what you can do to improve its functionality, and some problems you’ll encounter in doing so.

1. Monitor Bulb Burn-Out

After about 3 &1/2 years of regular use, the monitor on my Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop suddenly went dark. It turned out the problem was only a minor one: the lightbulb that makes the screen visible had run out of juice. This is not an unheard of problem for laptops, and the repair usually costs between $150 and $300. Average bulb life is definitely worth considering when you compare laptops in a given price range: my experience with the Dell Inspiron 4100 Laptop was that the bulb ran out about three months after the end of the warrantee period.

2. Outmoded Graphics Card