Insprion vs. Vostro

My mom is interested in getting her very first laptop, ever. She wants to get a Dell, but is wondering what one to get.

She just needs it for things like email, quickbooks, internet, and (of course) a little solitaire So, she doesn't need anything too fancy.

I reccommended that she get an inspiron. Aside from my xps m1330 (which I only got because of the small size), I also have an inspiron e1505. My laptop before that was also an inspiron and worked incredibly well for over 6 years. The only reason it broke was because I let a friend borrow it and she mistreated it. So, I have always liked inspirons.

But, sister-in-law just got a Vostro and my mom is wondering about that. She asked me the difference between the two, but I honestly don't know.

For what she needs it for, would you guys recommend the insprion or vostro? I told her that either one would probably be fine since she has basic needs and wouldn't take it out of the house. Is this true - or are there any significant differences?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

They're basically the exact same laptop. It's just that one has an all-back chassis geared towards business consumers, whereas the inspirons have a silver/black chassis with coloured lids. Besides that, the two lineups are the same inside (same internal components and design). A good choice for her might be an inspiron 1420 or 1525.

 

Thanks! Before she started thinking about the vostro, I recommended that she get the inspiron 1525 I saw my sister-in-laws vostro and didn't like the bulky appearance of it. But, beyond that, I wasn't sure how they were different.

Thanks for letting me know that they are basically the same. I wasn't sure. But, I kinda figured that even if there was a difference, she wouldn't even notice for what she needs it for....I was going to just tell her to go for whichever one is cheaper.

 

I believe the vostros keyboard is sealed and the inspirons is not , not 100 % sure though.

 

That is true for the Inspiron/Vostro 1420/1400, 1520/1500 and 1720/1700, but the 1520 is being replaced by the Inspiron 1525, which is quite different from the Vostro 1500. The 1525 is slimmer, lighter, has an HDMI port, but no dedicated GPU.

Your experience seems to be atypical. Frankly, none of the Inspirons or Vostros have a reputation for build quality or longetivity. If those are very important, a Dell Latitude or Precision would be better, or a Lenovo Thinkpad.

 

Well both lineups do offer sealed keyboard protection and strike zone protection at the bottom, so I guess it's better than nothing

 

The 1525 isn't replacing the 1520, it replaced the 1501. Just get the cheaper one. One plus to the Vostro though is you get Dells Biz support which I think is better than there consumer support.

 

Really? I guess I have just been lucky. Although, my e1505 is only 2 years old, so we will see *knock on wood*.

What is the price difference of the precision or lattitude versus the inspiron or vostro? I know it all depends on deals and what is added. But, generally speak, are the vostros and insprions cheaper or more expensive than the others?

 

You tend to get better support for business machines (e.g. the Vostro). I recently looked at identical Vostro and Inspiron, and found the Vostro, with same config, cheaper. Changes day to day. Best always to compare alternatives before deciding.
As for Latitudes and Precisions: they are much much more expensive, generally (I have a Precision). Very nice too. Lenovos are good too, but feature for feature, not as good value as the Inspiron/Vostros.

 

Thanks! She doesn't want to spend a ton, especially sicne she needs it for basic stuff. So, I don't think I'll mention the precision or latitude to her.

I think I will just go ahead and get tell her to get the cheapest one. But, if they are about the same, I'll recommend the vostro to her for the tech support.

I'll probably be the one who orders it for her anyway...so, I'll be able to compare and contrast.

 

Check out the 1525. You can buy it at best buy now. (So you can see it in person before you buy it)

 

I didn't even think about that. I forgot that stores like Best Buy carry Dell's now. Great idea!

I'll tell her to go by there and check it out. She already knows what the vostro looks like because my sister-in-law has one. So, it will be nice for her to see the inspiron too.

Thanks...you're so smart

 

basically same laptop internally, just the look of it is diff.. vostro doesnt have all the diff colors like the inspiron does

and vostro is cheaper, for basically the same laptop...

if looks are really important, id say go with the inspiron, if not go with the vostro

 

There are good deals on the Vostro now, so I just told her to go with that. I gave her the idea to go check out the new inspirons, but she is too busy. She doesn't care much about the appearance either. She just wants a laptop that will allow her to do work (and play spider solitaire) on the couch at night.

I emailed her the deal on the Vostro yesterday and told her that she should just get this one.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone

 

If you're not arsed about having a silver chassis and coloured lid it's a no-brainer. Exactly the same machine for less and they come to you to fix it the next day rather than being without your machine for a week to 2 weeks.

 

They are the same thing, its black vs. silver with fancy lids. If your interested in the 1520 though you had best hurry while it is still up for grabs.