Inspiron 1520 questions before purchase

Hi! regarding Dell Inspiron 1520

I have decided to get the Inspiron 1520, I'll be ordering today, but before I order I'd like to ask a few questions.

Here are the specs.
Dell Inspiron 1520
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250 (1.5GHz,667MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Windows Vista Home Premium
Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish & 2.0mp camera
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with TrueLife
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB DDR2
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery

How much space will the laptop already have used out of the 160gb?

I'm thinking of getting the Jet Black Colour, but how does the Ruby Red and Midnight Blue look, good?

The processor T5250 (1.5GHz,667MHz,2MB L2 cache) should I change it to a T5550 (1.83 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB)
or a T7250 (2.00 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB) or should I stick with the default.

Is the £60 and £70 jump in price worth it with those processors.

Whats the difference/improvement between 1390 802.11b/g and 1490 802.11a/b/g as the latter costs only a £1.17 more.

That is it thanks, I just need to get those answers before I order.

 

I'd go with the T7250...its worth the price jump....

Midnite blue will make ur laptop take longer to maker...


I'd never buy the dell wireless cards cause they blow...get the intel pro card for a few bucks more (like $29)

 

Def go for the T7250, it wont cost you anything extra cos you will get 10% off of your order...

enter this voucher code at checkout...
7LZTMMW5L0M$WT

Look in my sig, i ordered much the same that you are ordering, and they have quoted 14days.

Good luck

Oh, with the wireless, i opted for the wireless N card, as that will make it more future proof for me when the technology is more avalible.

im not sure whats wrong with dell's wireless cards, but i havent had trouble with them in the past. i dont think they are that driver friendly for linux users though.

 

Ok thanks for that I'll go for the T7250, and the coupon also expires today so I'll definately be ordering it today.

By the way what colour lid did you go for? I'm trying to decide between the Jet Black and Midnight Blue.

Will the Wireless N Card give me good extra range for web connection if so I'll go for it. Its better than the Intel Pro though right, and from what i read Wireless N is like you said more future-proof.

I read your other thread, so is it compatible or was that just poor dell tech support meaning you're still getting it.

I had a budget of £600 and with addition of T7250, 8600M GT, Wireless N and then applying the coupon, I reach a total of £599, can I upgrade the battery later if I wanted to or do you think I should get the 9-cell now, that will add a extra £20.

Thanks for your post I'll be ordering in a few hours so I needed someone to help answer my questions, thanx.

 

regarding the battery, you should upgrade that now, i wish i did. they are very expensive if you try to buy them at a later date from dell website (£120ish) so £20 aint a lot of money in that respect, but im not too bothered about battery life as it will be plugged in 90% of the time.

Wireless N will only be better if you have a wireless N router to get the signal from, if not, then you wont see any greater speeds or distance.

it will be compatable with the processor, just dell support are stupid. cos i tryed to have 2 wireless cards, which were unneeded as i only need one... (Wireless N supports B/G as standard)

go for it, you shouldnt be disapointed

im happy with the jet black choice, i dont know if any of the colours will delay your order, as they used too, but i think they are alot better then that now.

i have heard of great reviews about the quality of the colours, so i dont think you can really go wrong.

 

oh, an i think the laptop has about 149gig free when you get it, maybe a little bit less.

what are you gonna be useing it for?

 

Thats how much space you have TOTAL (149 GB on a 160 GB hard drive)

If you format, remove the recovery partition, remove the media direct partition, and wipe vista and install it from scratch, after putting your programs on, it will use about 20gbs. (If you have sperfetch and system restore enabled then an extra 10-15% of that remaining will also be taken.)

 

ahh right, so free space would be more like 120ish?

exactly how much free space does it have out the box?

 

Its ok I'll stick with the 160gb, I have already made so many changes, its stretching my budget.

Laptop is for mainly work and watching videos, although I'll do some gaming.

With Intel Pro Wireless I get the Centrino technology package, should I get that or it doesn't matter and I stick with Dell Wireless N.

'A Led Rock' says Dell Wireless isn't that good, does it really blow?
I've read a few other posts, not many I could find, comparing the two, but Intel Pro was still recommended.

I don't mind getting Dell Wireless N but over quality if Intel was better then I'd go for it, and also if I didn't really need it then Intel I guess

Thats the last issue, Thanks to all for answering my queries, I'm set.

 

I've got an Inspiron B130 and the Dell wireless doesn't bother me at all.

 

Don't remember, I guess about 25-40 Gigs

I got black - looks good.

 

i dont think dell wireless would be a problem, but i havent got it yet so i cant compare.

 

i have owned 4 laptops with dell wireless in them and have had no problems. actually my x300 would get better range than other laptops with the intel chip. I liked being asked where i was connecting to and then watching them not have that router in range

 

Ok no probs, Dell Wireless N it is. Everything configured specs wise, I just added a poll to see which colour you guys favour?

I can't decide between the Jet Black and Midnight Blue! they both look good?

Here are some pics I found for Midnight Blue.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=174338

 

i went for black cos its a cool colour, matches my tv, and matches the bottom of the notebook perfect...

photos
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2112803

 

Yes black will be good, I haven't seen many blue laptops but I think on this ocassion I will go with the Jet Black.

Is it going to be too heavy to carry around places?

And If I have to downgrade to XP not that I plan to but will be able to?

 

its about 8.5pounds with the 9cell battery and the cable to carry around... or about 3.8kilograms

Source:
http://www.reviewpub.net/2007/07/inspiron-1520.html

 

any luck? did you order one?

 

Yes its done, after leaving it late, I ordered it. Total cost a cool £617
Not bad for the specs.

Its more or less the same as yours except I decided to stick with 1280x800 screen resolution.

I just hope I don't regret it being big and bulky, as I was looking at the Sony Vaio's they're slim, light and look good but they're like £800 with the same specs and 8400M GT.

I just hope I don't end up with a grainy screen as there seems to be a thread about this.

Anyways now I'm just eagerly looking foward to it.

Thanks for all your help guys, good responses.

 

Congrats! But I hope you realize that there is a big difference between the Inspiron and VAIO - If you plan to carry it around with you then I don't know if the 1520 is the perfect choice (although I myself do so almost everyday)

 

Thanks, Yeah I do but 1520 should be fine but aesthetically the Vaio's do look good.

How is your Inspiron 1520, Are you liking it? what are your feelings about it?

 

hey. well done. it was all about the power for me, couldnt beat a spec like that for that price. i paid £670 for mine
cant wait to get it an start playing games again
i dont think weight is that much of an issue with it, as long as you get a good backpack with solid shoulder support you should be fine... they are very popular laptops so im sure many people travel with them.

 

Found more pics of Jet Black and Midnight Blue on this forum, thought if anyone buying wanted to have a look.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=170268

Why has the black one got that thing sticking out, is that the power brick?

By the way since I went for the dell Wireless N instead of the Intel Pro, does that mean I won't get the Intel Centrino badge on the laptop. Its ok just wanted to know.

 

the black one has a better battery (9cell not 6cell), as its bigger it comes out a little bit.
you should still get the centrino badge, as that is to mark the processor, and not the wireless.

oh, btw, did you get an estimated delivery date yet?

 

Yeah they have only given that date so far, the estimated delivery date is 21/12/2007, Thats like two and half weeks.

 

Hmm... i got quoted 2 weeks, 10buissness days... it may come earlyer though... they tend to overquote the time to allow them to meet targets, if they exceed them then they look good to the end user... or thats what ive been told at least... should have mine by next friday, ill let you know what its like

 

Mine have 125-129gb free.