This review is written from the perspective of a laptop technician. If you are interested in what a professional in the industry thinks then read this review.

Recommended for potential buyers!

PRO's: The Dell CPx is built like a rock. It's heavy, it's been around for ages, and it will never wear out. All kidding aside, it's a great model for it's age. Most laptops don't last as long as a CPx, but Dell accidentially built them to last forever. I've noticed Dell's new laptops use some sort of sheet metal that dents like aluminum, you won't find that cheap stuff on this machine. The top speed is only 650MHz Pentium III, but if you load them with 512MB of RAM they do great. For the price you won't find a more reliable laptop. They were built without any common flaws, which is very hard for me to say because I can find something wrong with almost any laptop design. This laptop reminds me of the very first VCR's that lasted for 15 years. They greatly reduced the quality once they realized they were going to last forever, Dell sort of did the same thing. I recommend this model as a beginner laptop or for someone on a budget that doesn't need all the bells and whistles. It's just a basic laptop that is very reliable.

Cons's: The only real complaint I have about this model is the lack of built in 56K modem or 10/100 Ethernet. It would have been a nice addition. You can just add a PCMCIA card. Sometimes we sell this model to customers and they are suprised when it arrives without a way to connect to a wired connection. We include a free wireless card, but that doesn't help the 56K crowd.

Final Comments: Make sure you address the internet connection issue when purchasing this model. If the seller doesn't carry the cards then they are about $10-$15 online. The cards are really easy to install. They slide into the side of the laptop. Usually they are called a PCMCIA card or PC Card Bus. If you want to search for a card you could put the words PCMCIA 56K in eBay and find a card for a 56K modem. Once you address that issue, it's smooth sailing. Time has shown that the Dell CPx was the most reliable model that Dell has ever produced, they have a great track record, and they still get the job done. I would buy one if I needed something basic or for use as a secondary computer.