E1405. how happy are u

How happy are you guys with your E1405... would u recommend it to the average computer user.

 

I got one with T2300, 1GB, WXGA+, 60G 7200rpm hard drive etc.

Performance is good. Heat issue is definitely better than xps 140. It is much cooler while it is on. It is quiet too.

However, the screen is TERRIBLE. Seriously, my previous xps140 with Quandra had much much much better screen. I have AUO screen on this E1405. The screen looks like washed out and has light leakage problem. My girl friend has E1505 and now I can say that it has really really good screen. It is LG (LPxxxxx)

Even though other things are good, I may return this because of the LCD issue. It ain't good seriously.

If you don't care much about screen quality, it is good to go with E1405.

 

Feel the same way EXCEPT for the screen.

The screen is fine. A bit of light leakage at the bottom. Not washed out at all. Viewing angle really isn't that bad. Maybe not the best screen in the world, but for your average user, they aren't going to know the difference. They are going to think it is great.

The e1405 is my wife's laptop. She thinks the screen is great. Her father and brother thought it looked great, too. All three of these people are "average computer users."

Personally, I wouldn't keep it for myself, mainly because the keyboard is clicky, but I am definitely not an average computer user.

So, I would say that the e1405 is great for mom and dad, or sister/brother who knows nothing of computers, or anyone else like that.

 

Can i return it if i see the screen and dont liek it? full money back from dell? i coudl look on the site i guess but ill just ask here ;P

 

I don't consider myself the average computer user...I've been employed in the software industry for 15+ years and have used/ owned numerous systems; desktops, laptops and their displays (way too many to count). I today use a variety of systems at the office and at home on a daily basis.

While I've only had it for only 2 days now, the e1405 is a fine balance is power, features and value. I also went with the WXGA+ TrueLife and the screen is fine (and I am a picky person). Sure the gloss is different...and pretty much all LCD's have some leakage and dead pixels. Mine has some minor light leakage on the bottom...but no dead spots.

And, While the overall build is not as rugged as say a Thinkpad, its not that bad either. Better that a Toshiba, HP Compaq...every bit as good as Sony, ASUS and Apple books I've used.

For $702 including shipping (after coupons) I got an e1405 Core Duo T2300 1.66 with 1 GB of 533 DDR2, an 80GB 5400 SATA drive, a 8x CD & DVD burner, 14.1 TrueLife WXGA+, 950 Intel graphics, wireless card, 10/100 Network and modem, high-def audio and XP Media.

You cant find another machine like this near this price anywhere else.

 

Has anyone been able to get their battery to last 7 hrs let along that Dell claims?

 

I dont know if it was my EPP discount, but for like 13 dollars more buying the e1505 was a better choice for me. My e1505 came out to $714.19

 

My E1405 only came with a 40gb hard drive and 1 stick of 512 so it I can feel that slowing it down. If I decide to swap some new memory in to gain the advantage of dual channel memory, that will help. I didn't realize it was SATA when I ordered it, so I don't have an SATA upgrade drive at the moment. Otherwise, I would have bumped up the size of the HD.

My three biggest concerns for a laptop is screen, noise and size. Speed is also an issue, but with every generation, that issue takes care of itself, along with adding more memory..

So I do like the fact that it is a quiet laptop. The fan doesn't kick in unless it needs to, and otherwise with light office tasks it won't jump in. This is pretty nice. In an environment with slightly higher ambient noise, you won't hear it. It helps that the drive is only 5400rpm. This is the only source of noise. A 7200rpm drive is noticeably louder, but not by much. Still, this is a reason why I won't be upgrading to a faster HD. I think 40gb is a bit tight, but I am not using my laptop for storage, but rather portability. For this, it suits my purpose.

I purposefully avoided the E1505 because I have had this chassis before with the Inspiron 6000 and I did not like it. Among other things, the fan on that thing would not shut off, so it was loud.

In fact, I would like to go lighter and thinner, but I can not get that for cheaper.

One thing I do not like about the E1405 vs the M140 is the trackpad. It is the same chassis, so you'd think the trackpads would be the same, but the E1405 is not as responsive. It is stickier and more erratic. With the M140, your finger slides with ease and always corresponds to what the mouse pointer is doing on screen. With the USB 2.0 battery drain issue, I am using the trackpad only on the E1405 and not an external mouse. Again the trackpad is an annoying issue.

The screen for me is a negative point. I want a natively glossy screen with no sparkle, good contrast and color. I want the option to set the brightness really high, but want everything to look right when I set the brightness low. I usually set brightness really low on LCDs (my personal preference not to stare at something really bright for extended periods of time). The E1405 does not deliver on this point.

 

Took pics of E1505 and E1405. The screen of E1405 is even worse in pics. The first one's E1505 and the second is E1405. Mine may be the only one that has this much light leakage problem, but I am showing you at least it is possible you may receive this kinda screen

 

still waiting for my E1405 but now im getting a little worried about the screen issues. i hope i'm not too spoiled by my 700m screen because the 700m has virtually ZERO light leakage... (and its an AUO screen)

 

Good deal as well depending on your config. I wanted the smaller 14.1 form factor.

 

My e1405 has a screen much like your e1505. Your e1405 screen definately has major leakage (sorry). Must be hit or miss like alot of stuff these days.

 

I haven't actually tried to get it to that point, but with very light web usage, and brightness turned down to 4 (out of 7), the battery meter reported over 7 hours left. This is with the 9-cell. However, I felt that 4 was just a touch too low in terms of brightness, so I bump it up to 5 when unplugged. Fully charged, looking at the 6 hour range.

 

My wife's doesn't have that much leakage, but I also haven't put it on a black screen in a dark room. However, I seriously doubt my wife will ever be using a program with a dark background in a dark room.

I think it must be some of the screens. I can see some leakage at the bottom of hers, but I saw the same thing with my Asus z70v when I first got it. I was a little concerned, but then I realized that based on my usage, I am only going to see it when 1. the screen saver is on (black background), or 2. the book is powering up.

Same goes for my wife and her e1405. The problems aren't noticable in her regular usage. Maybe if she watches a DVD on it, but I doubt she is going to be doing that much at all, if ever.

 

Can u return it and get a new one if the leakage is bad? does dell allow this?

 

If you are within 21 days from the invoice date, dell will take it back and refund you. Make sure to firmly express your disappointment with the light leakage defect and ask them to waive the 15% restocking fee.

If you simply want to try another of the same config/ machine, they will also do an exchange for you. Make sure to be clear that you want a new replacement not a refurb. if you choose to take this route.

 

My E1405 screen looks the same... don't know at this moment if Dell is shipping 2 models like they did with the M140, but a post on another forums indicates that Dell uses LG for the WGXA+ matte screen on the Latitude D620, maybe this will eventually find its way to the E1405 w/ a TrueLife coat...

 

My screen is quite good (Truelife/Glossy). No excessive light leakage. As a matter of fact I have to look quite hard to see any leakage at all. There is a small dark spot in the lower left corner which the windows taskbar masks completely when it is on, but I don't think I would have even noticed it if somebody else hadn't mentioned it on these forums.

I am not and average computer user. I work on a computer as a graphic artist 40+ hours a week and have for 10 years. Then I go home and spend more time on my home computer. While I have avoided LCD screens for work because I do not like the way they render type, for my personal use I fnd this laptop screen great.

And has been said, for the price(mine was $602+tax), I am thrilled with the speed, noise level and screen of this machine.

 

It must be different builds. My wife's wasn't put together until Monday, May 8th, even though I ordered it on May 3rd. For those with leakage, when was yours put together?

 

Mine was also ordered on 5/3, built on 5/8, shipped on 5/10 and delivered on 5/12.

As noted in prior posts, I have only very very minor leakage on the bottom (you can barely notice it). Everything else about the screen is fine...great viewing angles, brightness, contrast, color rendering, no dead pixels, no sparkles, no major reflections from gloss. I do have the faint dark spot on the lower left corner (also barely noticed).

 

How's the sound and speed of your guy's laptops?

 

Speed and performance overall is great. Noise level is very low (fan/ drive) and audio is also great for a laptop...surprising as I also chose the standard/ base audio option.

 

The sound on mine is solid (base audio). It is clear with plenty of volume. I don't really intend to listen to music on it, but when I played the opening sequence from Lord of the Rings it sounded very nice.

The speed of the computer(1.66 Duo) is excellent as well, though I haven't run any comparison tests. I use Office as well as Photoshop on it. No games.

Also...the wireless card has performed flawlessly so far on 3 different networks.

My only complaint is that the DVD burner seems to be a bit on the loud size when it spins up, but thats all.

BTW...mine was ordered on 5/3 and delivered on 5/10. I think we all have the same screens. Perhaps there could be a quality control problem and I just got lucky.

 

I just ordered one of these yesterday, I hope the screen isn't bad.

 

Geez, that looks very bad. I just ordered E1405 myself. I hope I don't have that problem. I wonder why Dell has such a bad quality control.

 

UPS just picked up the laptop, dell is paying for shipping and no restocking fees. would have kept it if the screen wasnt so grainy.

 

I still think some of the ones with the bad leakage were probably the first off the line, and something has been tweaked since then to correct the problem. But when I get home I am going to put it in a dark room and see what the leakage actually is.

 

phew..... finally got the return approved with free shipping and no re-stocking charges....

glad that i am returing it.. i guess it's what you get what you pay for...

dell laptops (inspiron ones) are not worth any more than their selling price including the all the discount coupons. the built is just really poor and the materials plastic....

DUDE I WILL NEVER HAVE A DELL. ThinkPad z61t is coming out tomorrow. I know it costs more than DELL but the built it solid. I am going to use the laptop for the next 2 years and I want to be happy that looks and feels good and perform well....

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2323

hope you all are happy with your Dell. I just am not...

 

The Dell Inspiron series is a consumer multimedia notebook. It is not meant to compete with the Thinkpad series. For a better built Dell, and similar cheap pricing, look at the Latitude series which boasts better build design. The Inspirons are sold so well a lot because they are so cheap, but offer a pretty decent notebook for such a great price. They are not known for great quality, rather for their prices. I considered a Thinkpad, but after looking at them, they are not very multimedia friendly. They are ugly, don't have multimedia features, not very great speakers, etc. They are made more for the business notebook.

 

I know Inspiron is a consumer notebook but trust me it's worse than Compaq, HP & Toshiba and Sony consumer notebooks. The materials used are really cheap.

Why do you think Dell is giving out this laptops for cheap and it's not only once they have this type of deals going through out the year.

By the way, ThinkPad z60/61 is consumer notebook not business oriented like t60.

 

Here you go:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2

 

I've had my E1405 for nealry a week and can say that there definately is light leakage on my screen, though it usually isn't noticeable since it is just a line at the bottom where the taskbar usually is. not sure if I should try replacing it, it has the following "defects"

small dark patch at lower left corner of LCD
rigt hinge clicks when I open it after it's been closed for a while
CD drive can be pushed a few milimeters into the laptop(when closed)
one of my stickers is crooked
the CD drive is really loud compsred to the rest of the laptop, which is otherwise silent)

 

I checked my wife's laptop last night in the dark. definitely a nice strip of leakage along the bottom, and maybe just a touch at the corners, though I did notice that positioning yourself like you would be when actually looking at the screen, the top leakage wasn't visible at all.

But again, my wife is never going to be looking at a black screen in a dark room. We have a DVD player hooked up to our TV for watching DVDs, and we don't travel enough to be using this thing as a DVD player.

I do have three other minor complaints about the book. 1. The keyboard is very "clicky." It is something you learn to ignore, but when we first started using the book, it was very obnoxious. B. The track buttons are very soft and very deep. I feel like I am touching the table the book is sitting on when I push one. III. There is a bit of play when the lid is closed and latched. I would say probably around 1/16 of an inch, but still.

I kept all of my worries about the book to myself, and let my wife come to her own conclusion about it. And she has decided to keep it. Then I brought up all of my concerns, and, after thinking about it some more, she still decided to keep it.

So, for those who frequent this site, the E1405 is probably not for you (I would have preferred to get her an Asus, but it was out of our price range). For friends and family who know little to nothing about laptops and computers, this is a good book, and a great one if you get the replacement service.

 

I have extensive experience with computers and this is a fine machine...build, screen, etc.

The recommendation should be that people be a bit careful dealing with Dell as their quality is hit or miss. This is not limited to this model....its across their entire product line. Its unfortunate that some of us get a great product while others don't. You should not have to roll the dice when you buy something in good faith...even if it is at a discount or below the rest of the market in price.

As for some of the other complaints when we think something is bad maybe we go looking for problems. Crooked stickers, etc. as an example.

 

e1405,

Having owned about 10 different Dell notebooks and having just SOLD my Thinkpad z60t in favor of my current E1505, I have to say I don't agree with you AT ALL!

I've also had HP and Compaq notebooks, and it comes down to what you buy. If you buy the cheapest DELL notebook, it will compare to the cheapest HP and COMPAQ. You get what you pay for...in cars, appliances, and PC's.

I always buy the middle-of-the-line models, and out of ALL the Dell notebooks i've owned, i'd say none of them were made "really cheaply". Apparently, you got a "bad apple". You also bought a new model, probably one of the first one's off the assembly line. Any product has to have some time in the publics' hands to get a good gauge what needs to be "tweaked" and discover what works and what doesn't.

Now regarding your high praise of your future z61t, let me tell you this--I hope it is better than the z60t was. My fully loaded z60t was a PIG. It took forever to boot up and the wide-screen was horrible (a matte screen that was under-lit). Overall performance was lackluster (probably due to the enourmous amount of "system support" software installed for fingerprinting, security, etc. Not bloatware ****, but required "system software"). For $2000, I was GREATLY disappointed with this computer. For around $1100, I have the E1505 you see in my signature below. Beautiful screen, boots in 15-20 seconds, and is, by far, the fastest notebook i've owned. I couldn't be happier with the E1505.

Good luck on your z61t. Since the z61t is brand new, I hope you wait awhile, read up on what the "first buyers" are saying about it, before you buy. And hopefully, Lenovo has made a racehorse from what was a pig.

BTW, the Z series is NOT a consumer line. Look at their web site, and you will see the phrase "business mobility" throughout the descriptions for the Z series. Fingerprint readers, encryption software, more security than you'd ever want to see in a notebook, no real multimedia standout features, titanium lids, docking stations...that doesn't add up to a "consumer notebook".

 

Well, I knew this was going to happen.

Apple has released the 13" MacBook, and it is within the price we paid for the E1405. And my wife officially wants to send the Dell back and pick one up.

Women

 

This is prime reason why prices are so high everywhere and why Dell and others are losing money - and probably why there are compromises in quality and components. Your wife has been using the computer for days and loving it according to your posts....now you are returning it because something else became available she likes better.

 

Dell won't lose money. They'll charge them a 15% restocking fee, then put the unit on Dell Outlet, and give it a 15% discount!

I just looked at the new Macbook 13". Apple makes money by charging $500 for a 2GB upgrade! I just bought 2GB of DDR2 667 (2 x 1GB) for my E1505 at newegg for $178. Considering the wholesale cost of the RAM, that'd put Apple's profits on that option alone at around $350!

 

I just received my E1405 yesterday. We got the matte screen (1200x800). Unfortunately, the screen has a fair amount of light leakage along the bottom.

More importantly, however, the screen makes a noticeable buzzing sound, which can be temporarily stopped by gently squeezing or twisting the screen. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Hi onedeep,

Hold on to buying 1st generation product from Apple. They have a long list of problems from 1st gen of everything, G5, Macbook Pro, etc, and every one of them have the heat issue, burn out capacitor.

 

Aren't they being made by Asus now? Definitely something to consider. I am not sure which way I want to push her on this issue.

And I agree that Dell is not going to lose money. They will sell the book for a profit, even if I get out of the restocking fee.

 

Just the other day Dell shares slumped to a three-year low after the company warned first-quarter profit and revenue would fall short of Wall Street expectations, saying it had been forced to cut prices amid heated competition.

Refurbs are the bane of the computer industry. With margins already razor thin due to competition, returned systems are basically sold at a loss, with the PC makers or retailers looking to recover as much of their cost as possible.

When a company's margins are off they cut in places that ultimately hurt the consumer; cheaper parts, less support staff (or move to outsourcing staff overseas as many here complain about), stricter policies, lessened quality control, etc.

My opinion is that return policies exist first to protect the consumer against products received damaged or defective, and second as recourse if you are not satisified with the purchase that you made. The later I read as being different than your using it and being satisified ...and then returning just because something prettier came along.

 

True, but that's business. Besides, I wasn't particularly thrilled with the book, but it wasn't for me, it was for my wife, and she was content, at least until this morning. But she always wanted an Apple, and now she has the opportunity to get one without us spending much more than we did on the Dell.

I understand we might be abusing Dell's return policy, but if they have a problem with it, they should write it so that it cannot be done. But when it comes to keeping Dell happy or keeping my wife happy, there is no contest.

 

I had to buy my E1505 sight-unseen. If Dell doesn't have a Brick & Mortar store for people to compare different models, they should be prepared for returns from unhappy customers. That is the price you pay to save on building rent, employees, inventory, etc.

 

I agree....that and for defects is why there is a return policy. But that's not the point of the original post. They bought it, liked it, were using it...but something else came along and now are returning it. Try doing that with a car purchase.

 

Lets keep up with that car analogy. If you bought a car, but were concerned about the way it drove, and after a couple of days, decided you couldn't live with it. You couldn't take it back either. But a lot of people do the same with laptops, and e1405 in particular. Yet no one seems to be giving them grief.

Quite honestly, had I been able to see one in person before we bought it, we wouldn't have bought it. My wife might not have been minding the quality issues, but they bothered me. The only reason I was not sending it back was because my wife was happy with it. And she was only happy with it because 1. it was a lot of book at a decent price, 2. a <15" Apple with an Intel chip didn't exist, and 3. even if it did, we figured it would be out of our price range. 1 is still true, but 2 and 3 are now moot.

But at the end of the day, does it really matter? I am sending it back because my wife wants something else. I could care less if I am abusing Dell's policy. And I could care less if I can't do that with other purchases. It doesn't impact anyone who has commented in this thread. I seriously doubt it is going to impact Dell. So I shouldn't do it because what? Moral reasons? I don't think so. I am the customer. I can do just about anything within reason, and so I am going to return a book we were content with because something that we want more came along.

 

If you and your wife are unhappy with it by all means you should send it back. But that wasnt the point. You posted several times that your wife was using it and was happy with the purchase. It wasnt until the new Macbook became available today that all of a sudden it was going back. Other folks here consistently stated that their machine had problems and that they couldnt live with it.

I am no great defender of Dell. Obviously they are hit or miss with quality. But we are all impacted by policy abuse. Dell used to give you 30 days to return now its 21 days. Dell never had a restocking fee...now there is a 15% fee. Dell is fixing their margins by cutting costs, using lesser quality components, sending jobs overseas and using market pricing (prices changing constantly). In the end its obviously your decision to make and if you were/ are unhappy with the thing then again send it back. But your "I am the customer. I can do just about anything" attitude is what hurts American business.

 

American business is hurting? You cannot be serious, right?

Let's look at laptops for a moment, shall we? Lenovo, Dell, and HP are three of the strongest players in both consumer and business laptops. All three are american businesses. Oh, and let us not forget the newly beloved Apple. American.

A few returns, justified or not, by a few consumers is not enough to make or break any company, American or not. What really impacts their numbers is the business market. Selling a large number of servers, laptops, and desktops is their bread and butter, and I am sure they don't have a 21 day return policy.

But I go back to the basics here. My reasons for returning the laptop are my own. I may be completely satisfied with it today, only to hate it tomorrow. And I am well within my right to return it, even if the reason is without merit in your eyes. And if my one little return is enough to hurt American business that much, then American business has got a serious problem.

P.S. - Dipping into politics on my way out, I have to mention that if you read any sort of news, you know that in fact it is the consumer that is being hurt by American business, not the other way around. Our rights as consumers continue to get stripped away by the politicians protecting the hand that feeds them. I am sure your efforts in writing would be much more effective in making a difference in American business by focusing them at your local Congress representatives, rather than here on an internet forum.

 

Lenovo is Chinese.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo

 

Actually you are correct it is your own business. However, the fact is it becomes anyone (everyone) else's business when you post on a public forum. When you post on a forum like this one all behavior/ comments are opened to opinion (positive or negative as it may be). Mine was only one opinion. I sincerely hope it all works out for you.