Methodis' Vostro 1500 Full Review.

Long, formal review, based off of this sites Inspiron 1520 Review.


Initial Impressions:
While I was awaiting my laptop to arive, I was dwelling these forums and reading others impressions, specifically taking note of what they think of the initial bootup and initial unpacking. The popular opinion was that the Vostro 1500 is a bit on the heavier side, and is alot bigger then you would expect a 15.4" laptop to be. While I certainly didn't totally disagree with this opinion, I can express that my initial reaction was, "Oh snap, this thing is heavy." Followed by, "Wow, it's alot bigger then I was expecting." But those initial impressions where quickly diminished when I looked and picked up some similiar sized laptops. While the Vostro 1500 remained a bit heavier, it's size wasn't much of a tangible difference. I do think that most people will be initially dissapointed by the size because they're expecting the consolidation that Dell and others put into their Home laptops. People should remember that the Vostro 1500 is a Small Business laptop, and therefore the heftyness is more of a positive for those of us who want a laptop to withstand our businesses for more then 2 years.

As for initial bootup, I was dissapointed, but I was comparing Apples to Oranges. I came from a HP Pavilion desktop using Vista Home Premium, and the configuration time of Vista was much faster then the configuration time on the Vostro 1500. Configuration itself was fairly simple, but at one point I was afraid that the system had locked up as it sat on a black screen for about two minutes. Worries traveled through my head as if this would be a common occurance on bootup, but those where quickly remedied after a restart and the Vostro 1500 started to boot up extremely fast as compared to my Pavilion. Perhaps it was just Dell's initial configuration software and not Vista itself. All worries are now gone.

Design:
As referenced before, the Vostro 1500 is a Small Business laptop, so I wasn't surprised by the heftyness and weight of the laptop...but if it's aesthetics you're looking for then you're probably barking up the wrong tree. The Vostro 1500 is black. Let me say that again. The Vostro 1500 is BLACK. If pretty pink or pleasuring purple is what you're looking for then you'll be dissapointed. Now, that's not to say the Vostro 1500 is ugly, because it certainly isn't, but it's not what you'd expect if you where praying for Inspiron like beauty. But enough about the others, let's talk about the Vostro 1500.

The Vostro 1500 is wonderfully "woven" (can you use that when refering to laptops?) in probably one of the better looking laptop cases I've ever seen. A constant worry of the forums was if the laptop was a fingerprint magnet because of the black, but I can assure you that through 24 hours of straight usage I have yet to see one fingerprint on the actual casing. So those of you who regret every time you let your friend touch your fingerprint magnet hardware (PSP + iPod i'm looking at you!) then you have nothing to worry about.

As for the keyboard and touchpad, well, that's possibly the only downfall in this package. While the keyboard is beautfilly modeled and in a nice centered position and identical to any normal keyboard, they do look a certain "umph" to each keystroke that you might expect from a keyboard. Sometimes I find myself hitting two keys instead of one because my finger tends to "roll over". Another worry of mine is the size of the space bar. While I know room is limited on a laptop, I feel Dell could've spared about another inch and made the space bar bigger. It get's very uncomfortable writing long, drawn out reviews and having to hit that space bar .

But that leaves us with the touchpad. If you where looking for the one trule bad thing about the Vostro 1500 then my friends you have come across it. After using it for about....5 hours and coming to the conclusing that it's possibly the worst touch pad I've ever used, I quickly disgarded it's existance and hooked up a USB mouse. As for my complaints about it, those go to the fact that it feels extremely cheap and not to the level of responsiveness that I expect from a laptop touchpad. I also consistantly found myself clicking links on accident because the touchpad thought my thumb rolling across the pad was actually two taps.

Also on the bottom are the media buttons which are very nice and surprised me when they lighted up blue upon touch. They are extremely responsive and this is surprising as another common problem I heard on the forums was how they lacked any durability and general quality.

As for general build quality, as I mentioned previously that this feels like a sturdy business class laptop, and that it has some nice durability. To test this I used my 25 lb Cat (not joking) and had him lay ontop of it. Needless to say, the laptop still works, and I can't notice any visible damage (although I'm sure my cat lost all his dignity). There is one problem that has transfered over from the Inspirons in the latch is really not that great. It's filmsly and not that tough and I like to equate it to those on a DVD cover.

Graphics:
I had took some previous benchmarks and you can find those here, but from some casual playtime of Company of Heroes, STALKER, and Battlefield 2, I can say that the 8400m GS is extremely satisfying. I was told that the card couldn't even compare to my desktops GeForce 7500LE, but it far surprassed it and even allowed me to play STALKER with an acceptable framerate with dynamice lighting on. So awesome.

 

Sound:
Another common problem is the occurance of a "hiss" sound stemming from the headphone port. Sadly, I have to report that I do get that hiss sound when I have headphones plugged in with NO audio coming out of the speakers, but once audio is juiced out the hiss is long gone. As for the built in speakers, there decent, just like all notebook speakers but lack the bass that most people will crave. Of course, most people who will buy these laptops will more then likely have the sound cards disconnected or always turned to muted so that information probably doesn't bother you .

Performance:
Three words: Get 2Gigs of RAM. If you're using Vista. Okay, that's more like 7, but it could never ring more true. I once was a Vista user with 1 gig of RAM on my desktop and it was horrible. Luckily, I had the common sence to upgrade to 2 Gigs and this puppy is fast. Fast boot-up times is one nice pleasure, but the ability to have open many programs at one time and not suffer from dramatic slowdown. Games ran phenomenally and as you can see from the aforementioned benchmarks, when increasing details in Company of Heroes, you didn't suffer from a major performance loss. My Windoes Experience Index was pretty decent overall, although my video card dragged the score down to a 3.7:



But again, for those who are using this laptop for actual business and no games or anything, I do believe you'd be hardpressed to find something that performs as good and as fast as this does for it's price. Santa Rosa is certainly a wonderfull thing.

Screen:
The screen overall is pretty impressive, showcasing amazing colors (i'm using TrueLife WSXGA) and the size is nice, but there are some downpoints. On first boot up the screen was overly bright, washing out the colors and making it hard to appreciate how good it looked. With some tuning in the nVidia Brightness settings I was able to create a amazing picture, so be forewarned that you may have to tamper with some settings to get what you feel is a decent overall picture. Also, the brightness settings aren't exactly amazing. You get one decent bright level (nothing shocking) followed by about 10 settings of dim to none at all. I would've liked the option to have another brighter setting when you plug in the AC adapter, but if you can live without it, then certainly do.

Battery:
Using the 6 cell battery, I put the computer to the test and the results are pretty...low. For having the computer on the second to highest brightness and with the WLAN switch ON, I only managed about 2 hours of total time. Of course, results may vary as the next time I tried it I got about 2 and a half. Certainly, these times fluctulate if you change the settings, and you'd absolutely get more time out of the lowest brightness setting, WLAN off, and only word proccesing.

Heat:
I've had the Vostro 1500 on for about 3 hours straight now plugged into the AC adapter and while there is some heat, it certainly isn't unbearable. The major points of heat build up, atleast from my testing, are on the palm rests and the back ends of the laptop. While it's nothing earth shattering hot, I can tell that it'd be pretty uncomfortable after a while having it sit on your lap.

Conclusion:
Overall I am pretty pleased with the Vostro 1500, although I'm sure I had different expectations of it then others. I'm assuming that most people jumped on the Vostro bandwagon expecting a cheaper Inspiron but of course that doesn't ring true. As for a business laptop, again, I think you'd be hardpressed finding better. But for something personal, and you're looking for looks, light-weight, and style over substance then....perhaps the Vostro 1500 isn't for you.

Pro's:
*Great screen, no grain
*Amazing build quality for a business laptop
*Great performance
*Tremendous price
*Quiet, hardly ever noticing noise unless inserting a CD/DVD
*Lack of trash software pre-installed

Con's:
*Slow start-up configuration time
*Dissapointing touch pad
*Small space bar
*Lack of "amazingly bright" setting .

-Methodis

 

You should be able to adjust the touch sensitivity of the touchpad. I did this on my Inspiron I got a few years ago (and am still using). As shipped it required a very heavy touch, but I adjusted it and it's fine now.

Is there a touchpad icon in the system tray? Right-click it and do Properties > Device settings > Settings. You can also get there by going to Control Panel > Mouse > Device settings.

 

Responsiveness that I'm talking about is different from the sensitivity. I mean it more like not recognizing certain strokes or the little thing on the right hand side to move the page up.

 

Nice review, thanks. It looks like you have the exact same specs as the Vostro 1400 I ordered, so I'm glad to see that you like the performance.

 

Very good review, thanks for posting it. I'm curious though, is the Inspiron 1520 that much lighter / smaller than this Vostro 1500? I'm trying to decide between these two and Dell certainly isn't making it easy.

 

Thanks, and if it's performance you're going after, then performance you'll get.

 

I don't actually know the difference in weight between the 1520 and 1500...Although from all accounts that I've seen (or actually, read) is that the 1520 is light, where's the 1500 is pretty heavy. The 1500 is heavy, but I don't think it's end all, be all heavy and that it's mostly over dramacized by people who where expecting the lightest notebook ever.

 

I am curious about durability and build quality. How would you compare the Vostro 1500 to a Latitude D830?

 

While I couldn't fairly compare it to the Latitude, as I don't have one, I can attest to the fact that the build quality of this Vostro is very good. Especially since it survived the FCDT (Fat Cat of Doom Test).

 

I am starting to think Latitudes and Thinkpads are overrated. I think I should have gotten a Vostro 1400 instead of a Dell Latitude D630.

 

Aren't the Vostro 1500 and Inspiron 1520 almost exactly the same? Officially the 1520 is 6.4 pounds w/ 9-cell, the 1500 6.33 with 6-cell.

 

I think so. The Dell Inspiron E1505 was the same as the Inspiron 6400. The only difference was one was sold in the consumer line and the other was sold in the business line. I think the Vostro is the Inspiron sold on the business side.

 

No, the 1520 is 6.4 pounds with the 6-cell.
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspnnb_152x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs#tn10
Footnote 10:

Starting weight of 6.40 lbs (2.90 kg) for the Inspiron 1520 is with a 15.4" WXGA LCD, integrated graphics, 1Gb Memory (2 dimms),CD-RW/DVD and a 6-cell battery. Weight varies depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.​

 

i would think that the vostro is a lot more durable than the inspiron since its heavier and a business class notebook.

 

The Vostro is the same weight because it is the same laptop.

 

the hell it is!! Vostro is all black!

 

So a green Honda Accord is different from a black Honda Accord.

 

of course, one is a green Accord the other is a Black Accord lol

there are some subtle differences between the Inspiron and Vostro. The 2 entry C2D processors and mobo pair on Inspiron are not Santa Rosa based, even the entry C2D processor on the Vostro have 800mhz FSB and can be upgraded to higher end Santa Rosa based C2D later if desired.

 

Please, could you tell us if Vostro cames with a dockstation port?

Dell rep. told me that "at this moment" there is no D/port you can use with Vostro line and offered me the D830. I'm thinking about the meaning of that "at the moment", and if it's planned Vostros will come with the bus ready to plug. If not... well, Dell's rep was only trying to never say "no".

Thank you!

 

Nice review! You've just saved me £200 as I was originally going to go for the Inspiron 1520 but after reading a few positive comments about the 1500 and now this review I've changed my mind.

Be sure to get this review up on the main site, one of the reasons I was wary about this laptop at first was that it's cheaper than other lappys with similar specs and the total lack of reviews on this site.

Cheers again.

 

No, no docking with Vostro/Inspiron.

You can only use any USB solution.

 

Do you guys know if these laptops have any known reliability issues? As I'm considering ditching the three year warranty and going for just the one.

Also if I did have a problem once the warranty expires how much would Dell likely charge to fix it?

Thanks.

 

I was just about to post a new thread asking about Dell warranties, but here will do. Could anyone give info about them for me and Jam?

 

Heh, I don't know who'd I'd contact to get this up front.

But the Inspiron looks different then the Vostro, appearance wise. It's a different color (obviously).

 

what else differs between the 1500 and 1520?

 

a dell CSR said that the plastic of the vostro is supposed to be more durable than the plastic covering on the inspiron, therefore they are not just different colors.

 

The CSR had no clue what he was talkin bout. Well it's new stuff to them as well.

Nice review, thx

 

Well, the CSR did have a clue, he was probably refering to how the Vostro is 100% magnesium alloy wheres the 1520 isn't.

 

It is the same case.

 

As I mentioned before Dell sells some of the same laptops in the business and consumer line. The E1505/6400 was one example. There are a few minor differences. The case is the exact same though.

 

I wouldn't argue with someone that actually has the laptop.

 

Let me try to explain it... I KNOW it is the same case...

 

I wasn't arguing it isn't the same case; it probably is. What I'm arguing is that the Vostro has small differences; for one, the magnesium alloy. Also the black vostro is very different compared to the black inspiron.

 

No difference here.

 

Nice review, thanks
I love my 1500 and I must say I find both the keyboard and touch pad very up to par with my needs. My experience rating is 4.7. Can't wait to play Stalker on it. Played Quake 4 and Doom 3 on highest performance so far, but those two aren't exactly saying much in terms of pushing the 8600M GT to the limit.

 

, let me know what you get for FPS with STALKER on the card.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Inspiron is not covered with as much as the Inspiron.

 

I guess it's the best I put in a quote from a german forum. They are lucky having a Dell press guy posting there.

He has been asked about the magnesium alloy, the HDD prot and the keyboard more than once, here is one of his answers:

Zum Gehäuse kann ich nur nochmal bestätigen: Vostro und Inspiron haben die exakt gleiche Qualität. Auch die StrikeZone (HDD Schutz) gibt es bei Inspiron und auch die versiegelte Tastatur. Das scheinen leider noch nicht alle Vertriebler zu wissen.

Roughly translated:
About the case let me confirm once more: Vostro and Inspiron bouth having the exact same quality. Also the StrikeZone is part of the Inspiron, as well as the sealed keyboard. Unfortunately it seems not all or marketing ppl know about yet.

http://www.notebookjournal.de/forum/thread5533-31.html
post #605

 

Do you have the headphone noise problem ?

 

Ugh ok I remember reading about a high pitched noise being emitted from the 1500. Mine just started doing that last night, not sure where exactly it's coming from. It's not overly loud, but noticeable and stops for a few seconds when I click on a link or shortcut. For anyone who has reported a noise problem before: is this similar to what you experienced? Did it go away?

 

^^that sound is born with the core 2 duo. May be u should get used to it.

 

Well, I have a D630 and a Vostro 1500. The Latitudes aren't overrated (at least in my opinion). Higher quality everything, much more durable, and a standard 3 year warranty. Oh, and the D-dock connector (if'n that matters).

 

Ah well then I'm glad it's normal

 

Methodis,

Can you try this color test on your screen and let us know the results whether your display is 6 bit or 8 bit color.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/downloads/Colour_Gradients.exe

Article is here
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/6bit_8bit.htm

It might be helpful to a lot of people out here.

 

I'm seeing 8-bit, but I don't have the best eyes for the test

EDIT: And yeah, I have extreme sound hissing when running Dell Media Direct.

 

Just a little update on my system:


For some reason, it still starts up fast, but it takes about 20 seconds more for Windows Sidebar, AIM + Dell Network Assistant to run also. Very annoying. Am going to clean install soon so I can give a update on how fast it runs on a clean install soon too!

 

I got my laptop a couple of weeks ago but I hadn't got to use it until now due to being abroad etc. but now that I've spent a day with it I'm very pleased so far.

The only negatives I have at this moment in time are the ones that have already been highlighted by other people i.e. the weight, the latch etc. I might be in the minority here but I found the laptop to be very quiet, however that might have something to do with me just coming off my Xbox 360 which sounds like what you'd get if a cement mixer had *** with a jumbo jet so just about anything seems quiet by comparison. I also found that the larger 9 cell battery didn't extend from the end of the laptop too much, which is good (though it's still a beast to lug around).

So yeah, good buy, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone still on the fence.

Anyway, back to separating the software I want to keep from the stuff I don't.