Inspiron 15 or Vostro 3500?

I am looking for a little expert advice on a Dell 15" and wonder what are the main differences between the Inspiron, Studio & Vostro models? I will be using it to display photos and websites and will not use it for gaming. The display and overall looks are probably the most important. . BB has a Inspiron 15 with a i3 processor for $649.

I am also looking at the Lenovo 15" models because I think I have narrowed my choices down to these 2 manufactures.

 

Inspiron and Studio are consumer models, the Vostro is for small businesses. The Studio is a higher-end consumer model than the entry-level Inspiron.

Head on over to Dell's site and take a look at the offerings. There's really not much difference between these product lines other than exterior design and price.

http://www.dell.com/inspiron

http://www.dell.com/studio

http://www.dell.com/vostro

 

I'm trying to decide between these two also. I have an i7 920 machine as my main PC but I'm looking for a portable PC to use for browsing the internet, minor programming and stuff for when I go home occasionally. I decided on an i3-330m model but none of the ones I've seen are perfect. The differences between the Vostro 3500 and Inspiron 1564 seem to be this:

Vostro: ~£25 cheaper, anti-glare screen
Inspiron: numpad, 64-bit OS, looks nicer

I'm not really pleased with both of them having 3 USB ports since my 4 year old Inspiron has 4 but I don't really have much choice - both Acer and Sony are more expensive and it isn't worth paying £50+ more for a USB port.

The Inspiron apparently has a glossy screen - in my past experience, these screens are bad since they just reflect light, making it hard to see stuff. Are the latest Inspirons' screens better somehow or do they still just have glare all over the place?

If the screen isn't any good then maybe I can persuade them to give me Windows 7 x64 with the Vostro rather than x86 if I call them up? Their website says you can't have a 64-bit OS with less than 4GB of RAM, which is rubbish.

Any advice that'd make this decision easier would be appreciated.

 

You can call them at anytime and ask them to send a 64-bit disk out to you, so that won't be a problem.

As for the number of USB ports, if that is really is an issue, be sure to take a look at the Latitude too.

 

OK so I can get the 64-bit OS with the Vostro, that's good. I don't want to go with a Latitude because it costs more. I was looking to spend £350-400 (I don't want a netbook small screen) but I was willing to spend slightly more on the Vostro/Inspiron because they have i3-330m CPUs.

 

After talking to tech support they said they cannot send me a 64-bit DVD if I don't get a 64-bit OS pre-installed, which I can't. :/

 

Search the forum about 64-bit DVDs, there is a way to request your disks, but you can only request the disks after you have your computer. They won't factory-install 64-bit for you, you need to do it yourself with the reinstallation DVD.

 

Well according to some research I've done elsewhere, pre-activation isn't specific to x86 or x64 anyway so I should be able to just order it with 7 Pro x86 and then format it and use a burned ISO of 7 Pro x64 without needing a serial.

I already have an ISO since I got a free 7 Pro x64 licence from MSDNAA which I'm using on my main machine.

 

No, your ISO won't work with OEM activation. You need an OEM disk, or else it will prompt you for a key because MSDN issues retail disks and keys.

 

Vostro is a good choice for small business. But I am not very happy with its design.

 

What are you not happy with? Which model do you feel would be better suited to your liking?

 

I can modify my MSDNAA disc to be OEM by simply changing one line in one file though.

 

The Vostro 3500 actually comes with 4 USB ports, 1 doubles as a USB/eSata.
I took delivery of mine yesterday after being a long time studio 15 owner. I have to say it doesnt look as attractive as a studio but it feels alot more solid!! The speakers are much better than the studio which sounded like it had earphones subsituted in for them!! Runs nice and fast. Has the activity lights the studio series dropped in the later versions.
I do miss a couple of things tho' the studio had a battery meter on its battery which the vostro doesnt and i think you need to strip the vostro down to get to the heatsink where as with the studio you just had to remove a part of the base.

I quite like it even tho' its quite plain, oh and the fan is continous like the newer studios and i think that maybe due to the new intel processors being used.

Not sure if that helps with your decision.

Regards
FH

 

Yeah the design is not the best but I will basically only be using it for when I go home at weekends or to my dad's house, etc. so I don't mind. Build quality and the anti-glare screen are the most important things to me.

I managed to get a better version (more and faster RAM, i5-540m, bluetooth, wireless n, 64-bit OS) for less money than the one I was originally looking at by calling them up and using a voucher I found on the internet. It's expired but they let me use it anyway.

7 business days for delivery though, a bit depressing.