Is there a quality difference between Inspiron and Studio laptops?

I know inspiron is the budget line and studio is a mainstream/productivity/higher end laptop.. but what qualifies the difference if they say had the same specs?

Build quality?

What about parts used.. Will they use some parts from one company for Inspirons and another for Studios?

I want a laptop that will feel like it's better built and will last longer than the inspirons

 

There is no reason an Inspiron could not last just as long as a Studio.

However, with the Inspiron line you have several things:

1. Reduced connectivitiy. The latest Inspiron 1545 does not have:
HDMI
eSATA
option to include WWAN available as an option
finger print reader
Only 1 half mini pcie available, Studio has 2 half mini cards & 1 full mini card
onboard LAN is only 10/100 whereas Studio is 10/100/1000
No firewire
No line input (audio).

Additionally, processors available from Dell are maxed out at the P8600 for the Inspiron, whereas they are maxed out at T9400 on Studio when buying from Dell.

Having seen and played with both an Inspiron 1545 and a Studio 1555 in real terms there seems to be no real difference in build quality between the two. I guess the question is how future proof do you want it to be?

I personally don't care too much about that for the Inspiron. It's mainly for work stuff, and the spec I have will easily last the next 3 years; hell some of my colleagues are working on P4 machines. Most of the really intensive stuff is done on servers that ARE TOP OF THE LINE and kept that way,

If I was buying a machine and work was not a factor, would I consider the Inspiron? I guess I probably still would. Technology moves so fast that by the time I absolutely need HDMI and eSATA, there will be something better than the Studio at the same price as the Inspiron is now. That said, I've a Sager for gaming on, and an i7 that arrives next week as a desktop machine. Meh, I wouldn't have done that had I not had a small win on the lottery (5 figure payday).

As always, it's down to the buyer to make the decision in relation to how much newer technology they want, and how much they are willing to pay for it. In all likelihood the Inspiron 1545 would suit a fair number of people.

 

I think the line between Inspiron and Studio is pretty thin nowadays, in terms of build quality. But Dell doesn't build awful machines, to start with. Studio machines are built more for looks, in theory, but as Fragilexx pointed out, they also have different customization options.

That said, I've been a fan of Latitude and Precision notebooks and avoided all other Dells except XPS. There, I think the jump in build quality is more noticeable, since those laptops are built for more rigorous business purposes. They have sturdier frames and whatnot, often have better warranties, etc.

 

bestbuy, staples?

 

You need a laptop for more than 5 years? My old Inspiron 9100 served me quite well albeit the screen did die on me once. Maybe I should not have left it on so much, 24/7.

 

Other way around. The Studio has two full-height and one half-height mini-card slots.

Overall, the Inspiron and Studio series notebooks are similar in terms of build quality, but as others have pointed out, the Studio has more options and neat features, like the backlit keyboard, the drop-hinge design (also shared with the XPS series), and the subwoofer audio system on the newer models.

 

I see, so there are things like expandibility and better speakers like with a subwoofer. I was hoping there would be better build quality but I suppose I'm just rough with my laptop.

Is there a 35mm expresscard tv tuner?