Finally got my E1505 - Verdict

I love love love this machine. It is so fast. First of all, it is NOT large at all for portability. Compared to that monster 8600 I previously owned, this is a lightweight. It feels light and is surprisingly very slim.

My config is the base Duo core speed with 1GB RAM equipped. It has about 5-6 hours battery life (the reading from the battery jumps all over the place) and the standard equipped Wi-fi is great. I use this mostly for light tasking such as email, web browsing, office suites. I don't play any video games on my laptop (I have a desktop for that).

The screen is great, I use the default brightness setting and the Truelife is great. Everything looks much sharper and it doesn't hurt my eyes as much like the 8600 did. I have the 1280x800 w/ Truelife, which is a good size for me. The keyboard feels like any other previous Dell laptops, which is just average, light touch, press.

Overall, I would give this 9/10. Would of been higher if Dell included the Windows Media OS CD and did not add so much bloatware.

I think the Dell E1505 aka 6400 is one of their best model/design to date.

 

i'm happy too, although i went all out on the spec!

 

Nice specs.

Did you get the 9-cell battery too?

 

I bought the E1505 last night:

Core Duo 1.86ghz
15.4" UltraSharp TrueLife WSXGA+
1gb DDR2 ram (2*512)
100gb 7200 SATA HD
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400 HyperMemory
Intel 3945 pro wireless
Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module 2.0+EDR

I hope I like it as much as you t.i...congrats!

 

Believe me, you will fall in love with it, minimum like it very much.

 

When I had the iBook, I thought it was the best laptop ever made and vowed to use iBook from then because of its quality of build and performance.

However, after using E1505, looks like Dell is the choice for me when it comes to laptops.

 

I can't wait till mine arrives.. I suppose it will arrive next week.. btw I haven't seen any good pics of the E1505.. can anyone post some pics of yours laptops please??

 

I love mine too. It arrived last Fri and I've been playing with it ever since. I've had no hardware/software issues with it. -Tom

 

well so post some picsssssss!!!!!!!!

 

i got mine monday and i have been up till 4 every night playing with it
its the best computer i have ever owned

Dual core 1.83 GHZ cpu
2GB Ram (that makes me smile)
Intel 3945 pro wireless
8X DVD+/- burner
9 cell battery, lasts me 6 hours which is incredible
128 MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1300
100 GB 5400 sata HD

the only problem i have had so far is that they gave me just the centrino sticker instead of the Core Duo sticker
not a big deal but it would be nice to have

 

Could anyone who's been with the e1505/6400 for a while (obviously not a very long while seeing as it's fairly new) comment on the machine's build quality ?

 

As a ibook owner I would say it's ok.
I heard many rumours/reviews about the poor build quality of dell before I got it, but it's not poorly built at all.

 

Just got my e1505 last night. Took me awhile to figure out how to hook up to my wireless network. So far quite impressed except I'm trying to get use to the high resolution screen. Great for pictures and not so great for type. I'm going to go back over all the forums on the screen and see if I can get the type larger on the internet browser. Have the type larger on the windows but need it larger when I cruise the internet. This forum doesn't look too bad. My resolution is the 1680x1060.

I'll set up a new thread in a few days to give a better update.

 

Have you tried (in IE) View/text size/ larger , or largest

 

in firefox its cntrl ++ and cntrl +-

 

Minor quirks...Touchpad buttons sometimes squeak...The ati catalyst program doesn't open.(i reformatted without burning the drivers...oopsie. so i re-downloaded from the dell site). Says something about "cli.exe" failing to initialize 0xc0000135. And I think it's attacting ants....yea...

Other than those....laptop is all good in the neighborhood coming from a computer with 333mhz p2.

 

Make sure you install .NET framework, the error message should go away...

 

I got my E1505 last week. My only real but very real complaint is that the finish is very fragile. I really baby it, watching out for fingerprints, etc. I gently handle it, slipping it into a soft bag to transport in my leather case, etc., and after only a day or even less there are scuff marks and almost nicks in the upper cover and the "bumpers". Even babying it, I can see that it will look really like a "user" in a very short time. Very disappointing, as appearances count for a lot out there in the real world. I haven't put much into it software wise yet, other than Photoshop Elements 4, Picasa, and a couple other of my favorite apps. I haven't even tried to burn a cd or dvd yet.

 

I went into the view and increased to largest text size from the default medium. NO DIFFERENCE! What gives?

 

Meanwhile I'm getting use to this large desktop with the higher resolution! It is like having a larger desk! It makes the dual core multitasking more achievable.!!

 

Microsoft makes a wireless mouse that includes a side button that is a magnifier. That's pretty cool, you can click the magnifier on. make it bigger or smaller to your liking, scroll it around, and click again to turn it off. It's where the back button on a regular mouse would be. It's a nice complement to the higher res screen.

 

What is the model number of the mouse. I'm looking for one that will access my built in bluetooth.

 

Hi,
I just purchased i6400 (e1505 in US). Have 1.66 dual core, 1GB, 80 GB 7200 rpm, x1400 256MB.

My battery is 85Whr 9 Cell battery. Its 1 week old and never ran more than 3 hours!
I read ppl saying 5-6 hours with 9 cell battery.. should I check with dell?

thanks
Varun

 

i have found the e1505 a little glitchy or slow ..but mainly when i have the fan or processor area ontop of a blanket or couch or somthing..i have the techstyle bag for it and i think its overheating..im thinking of buying one of those PC slot fans and mount it underneath..

 

Somone asked earlier about the build quality of this machine. I've had mine for a week now, and I can say this much: Dell went all out on the specs, but the reason the price is so low is because the chassis is CHEAP. The computer has a generally flimsy feel, the keys fall off easily, and the mouse buttons are just awful. Pressing lightly on the back of the screen will cause major ripples on the display, and the plastic bumpers scratch without much any effort at all. I I find myself amazed at the lack of quality in the build several times daily. However, when you conside the quality of the internals, I think it's a VERY fair tradeoff. The processor is blazing fast, and you can't beat the wireless. It has greatly surpassed my expectations in terms of performance. I intend to purchase a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, which will fix 98% of the issues I have with the computer. Plus, it helps your posture.

In short: For such a price, the level of performance of this computer is unbelievable, and the build quality is to be expected from a ~$1000 notebook.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

More for firefox enlarge text shortcut:

Hold Ctrl and scroll down the scroll button of ur mouse- enlarge text- scroll up: smaller text
Hold Ctrl and left-click on link to open link in new tab background

 

Varun,
I would check with the dell tech support as they might be able to get you a new battery.

Also, what company and model number is this mouse?

Thanks,
Varun

 

soodvarun,

How do you know if you have a 9 cell battery.? What does it say on the inside of the battery?

 

Yep, I've been playing with mine for awhile. I do get about 6 hours of battery life with hibernation. Luckily I got the Duo Core sticker instead. Your configuration is much better then mine.

 

Solid build, much lighter then their previous model of 8600 and less bulky and slimmer. Little filmsy but it doesn't bother me much. I looks much slimmer with curves.

 

The small text was the reason I didn't get the higest resolution available w/ Truelife. I had the high res. on the 8600 and the text were way too small. Good for graphic designers though.

 

Maybe you got the 6 cell battery? Are you putting your monitor brightness to the max? I use with medium or the default that came with the laptop settings.

 

yeah I configured a e1505 for $2002 and used these coupons, here is my configuration

Order detail - order placed 2006-04-19 18:13:34

E1505 Dual Core
Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Qty: 1

Unit Price: $2,002.00

Inspiron E1505 Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2MB Cache/2GHz/667MHz FSB)

LCD Panel 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
15SXGAS

Memory FREE 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
1G2DP

Video Card 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™
256ATI

Hard Drive 80GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
80GB72

Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005

Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
INTNIC

Combo/DVD+RW Drives 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
8XDVDRW

Wireless Networking Cards Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
TM1390

Primary Battery 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
9BAT
[312-0403]

Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support


Save $750 off select $1999 Inspiron notebooks (before shipping, tax, restocking fees, and handling) Affiliates only!
Expires on 2006-04-20 10:59:00 - $750.00



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Dell Home Customers: Free Ground Shipping on Dell Inspiron System orders!
Expires on 2006-04-20 11:59:59 - $49.00

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Expires on 2006-05-01 04:59:59 - $100.00


Sub-Total $1,152.00
Shipping Discount -$49.00

Shipping $0.00

Estimated Tax $72.01
Total $1,224.01

WIll stack with the 750 Off 1999.00
$100 coupon code: 43shs371z9m09r expires May 1 5:59 am CST

also add my 3% from fatwallet and the free $5 they gave me for setting up a new account for another $42 off comes to a total of

$1182

 

Awesome deal for $1200. I got mine for $800 with coupons.

 

yeah IF I had the actual 40% off without having to ebay it for a rediculous $80+ I would have done a much lower spec machine and eventually upgrade some of the components but since my combination of coupons etc.. I came out more than 40% anyways so I bit the bullet.

 

Question for anybody who uses the 8 (9? I'm forgetting already!)-cell battery and the x1400:

Have you weighed it? I'm curious as to how much it weighs loaded up with all this extra stuff (assuming HD/RAM/CPU weigh roughly the same among the various specs). I know it wasn't THAT light, and it wasn't THAT heavy (had it up until recently), but I don't have an accurate scale, so I couldn't measure it. The reason I want to know is to better be able to compare weight with some of its competitors and see if that's a factor (I know what I felt when I carried the E1505 around, but I don't know how many lb or kg it was =P so it's hard to compare until I get a number).

Thanks for sharing, if you have the weight or if you have easy access to equipment with which to take such a measurement.

 

Just ordered mine on 4-19.

Specs on mine are

T2400
15.4 Ultrasharp
1GB DDR2 533
X1400
100GB 7200 HDD
XPMC w/ actual installation disc
8x dvd burner
intel pro 3945 bluetooth wireless
6 cell battery
9 cell backup battery
2 yr warranty

total bill on mine was 1400 dollars after rebates and recieved free shipping. As of today it says in transit on the site. Any idea how long it takes from this point?

I have a few questions for the guys that already have theirs. One, Is the video card enough to handle games like Age of Empires 3, or Half Life 2? I'm not familiar with notebooks at all, only the little bit of research I did before the purchase. I don't quite understand the shared video memory, or how it will affect gaming. I know it somehow borrows from the 1gig DDR2 ram I will have, but that is only what I read in another forum, I have no idea how it decides how much or when to do it. I'll also be running 3D studio max 8, and Maya for school, so if it is borrowing from my system RAM I’m not sure how it will handle itself.

Also, what do you guys feel about the monitor? I heard things about leaks in the screen, which I have no idea what they are even talking about because I’ve never owned a notebook. Is it a problem, or something that only people that are very particular notice? I bought this mainly for school purposes, but like everyone I wanted to get something that would last me for as long as possible. Or at least the 2 years I have left in school, thus the 2 year warranty.

I read some questions about upgrading the video card in the notebook. I was under the assumption that it was impossible to do so in a notebook. Does anyone know if this is true? I always thought you could upgrade RAM and HDD, thats it. I hope I'm wrong about that though.