Official Inspiron 1545 Owners Thread

(sorry mi pc got a glitch and couldnt post this yesterday)
i know at 800 would be unplayable (even at 720)
but the lowest widescreen setting can help having a playable framerate. its just trial an error. and i dont gonna play survival on the 1545 is gonna be for testing the settings.

i cant wait till tuesday 1!!!!!!

 

Hey. What do you guys feel about the Dell 1545 w/ the specs below running The Sims 3?

Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T6400
Features 2 processing cores, 800MHz system bus, 2MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed per core.

4GB DDR2 SoDIMM memory
For multitasking power.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.

15.6" WXGA widescreen LCD display
With 1366 x 768 resolution provides stunning resolution from your movies and graphics.

320GB Serial ATA hard drive
Provides plenty of storage space.

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD graphics
With up to 384MB shared graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista. Intel® High Definition 2.0 audio.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled
For a stable operating system.

 

The Sims 3 will run on just about anything. You'll have no trouble.

 

thats great news!!!

 

I am interested in buying an Inspiron 1545 with a T6400 Processor, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD. I mainly use Adobe Photoshop and Flash and other graphics software.

So would it run smoothly if i run Adobe Photoshop and Flash CS4, iTunes 8.1, along with a web browser all run together?

And one more thing does any one know what is the max graphic memory of the 4500MHD?

 

I would get 4GB of memory if I were you, with all that multitasking with heavy programs like that, although don't buy it from Dell. Just get whatever yours comes with, and buy a 2x2GB RAM kit and install it yourself later for like $40. It's an extremely easy process.

 

CRYSIS BENCHMARK: HD 4330

I was going to run some Crysis benchmarks on this machine a while back but my disc was broken. I have tonight borrowed a friends one to run said tests.

Before anyone says anything:
1. Yes I know they are rubbish for gaming
2. No, I don't plan on using the laptop for gaming; well except older games such as Far Cry, Deadspace, Civilization IV etc (which all run flawlessly)
3. These benchmarks are really to guide anyone who is looking to buy this laptop (well one like it, not my laptop).

I will get round to writing that review eventually; just so much has started kicking off with work...!

All tests were run in DX9 mode with no anti-alliasing. The GPU label refers to the GPU benchmark test script, whereas CPU refers to the CPU benchmark script. The difference between the two (for anyone who has not played with them) is the GPU one concentrates on the scenery, whereas the CPU is geared more towards the physics of the game, such as blowing stuff up.



So comparing this to other GPUs via Notebookcheck.net we can see that the HD 4330 is better than or on a level playing field with the following based on the Crysis benchmark:

NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650

Now before anybody says anything about the above statement; I know it's a little more complicated than that. There are more elements than just the GPU that go into those results; but it gives people an idea.

By the way, for anybody wondering, my machine spec is listed in my signature. However, I'll re-post incase I change my signature:

Dell Inspiron 1545
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz)
RAM: 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 256MB GDDR3
Display: 15.6in Widescreen WXGA with TrueLife - WLED
HDD: 320GB Serial ATA (5400RPM)
Wireless: Intel WiFi Link 5100
OS: Vista Ultimate x64


Hope some of you find this of use!

 

Sure! If you would like to run a few more tests (800x600 on Low and your native resolution on High) I'd be glad to include them in our benchmarking effort.

 

Hi,

I looked at your benchmarks and I can run those for you. However, I don't think the "high" setting is a fair comparison. The reason being that in order to make a fair comparison they all should be on the same resolution setting; ie a HD 3450 should be on the same resolution as the HD 4330. By allowing users to set these to their native resolution you are not creating a level playing field.

 

Maybe. But the High setting is more for gaming laptops, low-end cards such as the 4330 and 3450 cards are best compared in the Medium settings.

 

drfelip, I've updated the chart and added the benchmarks you wanted. By the way, 1366x768 is the native resolution on this machine.

 

Given my tests above, I started to tinker a little with the settings in order to find out what the HD 4330 was really capable of in Crysis. I set up the following tests, all run at 1024x768 DX9 0xAA and was quite suprised:



Now this is not an exact science, if you'll note that some of these results are actually better than the settings for low quality 1024x768 detailed above (though only marginally).

Still, I was suprised by how well it coped with most things.

Clearly you'd want to run with a combination of low+medium settings if playing online; but offline you can (and I have) play with the last group of settings from the table above. There are points at which the game gets a little jerky as they drop below 15 FPS - but these are not very frequent in all honesty; and just goes to show that benchmarking in itself is not always a measure of how well a game will play, but more a comparison between different components.

Not bad for a budget GPU if you ask me.

 

Hey everyone, I am new to the site and have just bought an Inspiron 1545 (Should be here next week). This site has been great in my research for the right notebook. I'm graduating from college in a few days and wanted something I could take to work when I finally get a real job, and I also wanted it to be capable of gaming as well. While I know its not great for high-end games, it will suit my needs just fine (most likely WoW once I start playing again). My current laptop is five years old, an Inspiron 9100 I bought refurbished from Dell and has ran strong ever since. The old 2.8 Pentium 4 and ATI Radeon 9800 video card just don't quite cut it anymore, and the laptop is HUGE and heavy, so I think this new notebook will be a huge upgrade.
There were a few options in the outlet center, and this is what I came up with for $546 shipped after a 15% off coupon that expires today.

-Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 (2.00GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
-Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
-4 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (2 DIMMs)
-160 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
-256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330
-Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
-6 Cell Primary Battery
-15.6 WXGA Laptop Screen Display with TrueLife
-8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
-Bluetooth Wireless

I would have loved to get the LED backlit screen, which I found odd that it was only an extra $25 for the option when you buy new. I wonder if it's possible to install the LED backlights in a non-LED monitor? Also, isn't there XP drivers out for this? If so, I may be downgrading it, because I am not a fan of Vista. My other complaints is the somewhat small hard drive, but it whoops the 40 gb hd I have in my current laptop. All in all, I think its a pretty sweet deal for what I got. For an extra $200 I could have got the perfect setup, but decided not to go all out seeing that it is a budget model. I'll be watching this thread and hopefully the 1545 gets some more love!

 

You can swap displays, but it's a pretty involved process. You're basically going to have to strip the laptop down to its skivvies.

To be completely honest, it's not worth it. There is nothing wrong with Vista, and you will gain absolutely no performance from downgrading to XP. If you're going to change operating systems, you should go forward, not backward; get Windows 7 when it comes out.

160GB isn't bad if you don't have a huge music library to store, or oodles of high-end games. But you can always upgrade it yourself; the hard drive is one of the easiest user-performed replacements in a notebook.

 

To be fair that is a relatively good price for that setup. There are XP drivers available for everything on the machine; Dell ship XP, Vista x86, Vista x64 drivers all on the same DVD so you should get these by default.

Downgrading to XP will of course mean you lose the 64bit features, unless you are going to use XP 64bit; which I don't recommend because I had no end of problems with it on a previous machine. To be fair though, it's not going to make a huge difference.

Not sure on the LED front; but believe me, it makes all the difference. My friend has the non LED screen whilst I have the LED backlit screen and it really does make the screen much brighter and more clear.

As you can see from the tests above, this GPU is capable of playing some of the latest games; but just not at full settings. You'd need to play around a little to see what you can achieve. WoW should run without problem on the machine though.

One thing I would say is, heed Mastershrooms advice with regards to cleaning it; it is a finger print magnet. So much so that I'm thinking of taking mine apart and covering with something, perhaps finding a spray paint that will adhere to the plastic properly and wont react to the heat or maybe just one of those laptop covers but cut to fit the model.

The smallish hard drive; well take a look online at the prices of HDDs. They are VERY VERY cheap nowadays. Replacing the HDD on the Inspiron 1545 is as easy as pie. On the underside (toward the front and left hand side when facing you) there are two screws which when removed allow you to pull out the hard drive bay, replace with new hard drive, then screw back into place without taking your machine to pieces. Great idea, absolutely love it. almost like a smart bay, but not quite.

 

That may be the case, but this is the Inspiron 1545 ;o)

Check out this link Dell Inspiron 1545 drivers

Oh and Mastershroom, great tip about cleaning the laptop... works a treat! Will get tired of doing so though, so going to look for a more permanent solution ;D

 

i got it!!!!!!
not so much bloatware.
not keyboard problem yet
i love mi first lappy

tomorrow imma get a wireless mouse which you recomend ( cheap plz)

 

Personally for non gaming use I can't get enough of the Logitech VX Nano, in particular because the reciever is tiny and tucks away into the mouse when you are travelling (though it's so small you could just leave it plugged into a USB port all the time). Also love the free wheel scroll. Not sure of the price of them though; I played with a friends one and I had to have one regardless of cost!

 

D'oh! That's what I get for having 8 simultaneous NBR tabs open, two thirds of which are about the Studio 15. >_<

Which tip was that? I honestly don't remember.

Reinstall Windows from the disk, not from the recovery partition. It will be a completely clean install without bloatware.

If your Inspiron has integrated Bluetooth, try a Bluetooth mouse. The Dell 5-button Bluetooth Travel Mouse is excellent; I've been using it for a couple months. 5 buttons is an absolute necessity for me in a mouse, and the Dell BT Travel Mouse is one of the few that actually have that.

If you don't have Bluetooth, look at the Logitech VX Revolution or VX Nano.

 

It doesn't bother me taking things apart, so I plan to do some research to see if you can't add in the LEDs to the non-LED screen. I wouldn't imagine it would be too hard, the only thing I'm unsure about is where the LED's would pick up their power from. I've ripped my Inspiron 9100 apart enough times and did some mods to cool it down a little bit, so working on laptops doesn't scare me

I actually did try out Windows 7 on my 9100 and didn't like it, but then again it might be too old for Win 7. I'll have to download the 64-bit beta version since the release candidate has been released and try on the 1545, but won't that void the warranty? I mostly dislike Vista for the difference in visuals, changing settings, etc. I had Vista on my desktop for a year or so until I downgraded to XP, and like it much better.

I have an external hard drive, so the small hard drive doesn't bug me. I'm going to keep my eye out for a deal on a 7200 rpm hard drive to upgrade in the future.

 

It's not quite so simple with displays. The actual display and backlight are one thing; you can't really separate the CCFL backlight or add an LED backlight. You'd have to get a separate LED-backlit display. Once you get that, though, the installation should be fairly straightforward, especially since LED displays don't use inverters. It's one less thing to worry about.

You can do whatever you like to your software/operating system, there's no way to void the warranty by doing that. If I recall, the only things that do void the warranty are removing/replacing the heatsink/fan assembly, processor, and motherboard.

If capacity isn't the biggest issue, then that's what I would do. Perhaps even an SSD if you really want maximum performance.

 

Ah, I see. I doubt I could find anything too soon since the laptops are relatively new, but maybe in the future. I was hoping that the LEDs were replaceable when they failed, but apparently you'd have to replace the whole display. I still find it weird its only an extra $25 to upgrade to the LED backlighting- I would have opted for it if I could, but since its refurb I was SOL.

 

well ppll i experirenced the first keyboard glitch
it has something to do with the left CRTL and Shift, they seem to keep pressed (software wise) like capslock stile. pressing the crtl and shift resolved the problem. so im gonna keep looking if it happens again.

what is this cisco thin that is installed? it says is for improving networking. if i reformat (maybe on saturday) i wouldn wanna losse it.

no i dont have bluetooth i tried mi dongle but dell keep asking for toshiba rfusb somthing. i install it but just gave me a BSOD when i transfer somting. and i dont see vista bluetooth stack. i read somting like wireless feature pack for vista but couldn find it. any suggestions.

PD: Guitar hero 3 v1.31 plays very well on intel4500mhd.
PD2: i like the circular scrool thingy when it works
over and out

 

Great! I'm very busy this days, but I'll add your benchmarks to the general table ASAP. Thanks!

 

Check to make sure you don't have StickyKeys on.

 

well i got i omega brand wireles mouse is like a copy of the logitech VX dont know if you guys know that brand. is working great i like the fact that the reciver hides inside the mouse. so now less touching the laptop. imma buy 1 meter of cloth and cut it to make one for just the sxreen and other for he palm rest and other for the lid. to much gloss to clean !!!!!

btw imma format in 30 mins so wishme luck

 

Godspeed! Also, 10 characters.

 

all set!!!!
even the screen brightness is better lol.
installed the blutetooth dongle rigth away. i want to run the dell os tool( the thing that updates your drivers) i installed but i dont see it


about that brightness i did notice a difference, after installing some dell crap ( i think was power profile or os tools) the brigthness of the lcd comes from down the screen (more brigth at the bottom ) is there a way to fix that. or is just hte way it is.

 

I just got mine today in the mail, but it came with a 65w adapter. Shouldn't it have a 90w adapter instead? It warned me when I first booted up the computer that the wrong adapter was installed. If this is the case, I'm assuming the CPU will throttle itself down, because this thing has been running pretty slow. I haven't had time to investigate yet, but the computer does run with the 65w adapter. Should I contact Dell and ask for the 90w adapter? I can already see them telling me a 90w adapter is an "upgrade" and screwing me out of it....

 

Hey guys i'm about to buy a 1545 inspiron (india) and this forum's been a great help! I'm placing my final order on monday so i'd appreciate some help regarding the customization...this is the configuration that i am ordering

1) Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2GHz/ 800 FSB/ 2MB Cache)
2) 4GB Dual-channel 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
3) 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
4) 15.6 " 720p WXGA (1366x768) Display with TrueLife(TM)
5) Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 Edition 32 bit (English)
6) Integrated 1.3 mega pixel web cam
7) Integrated Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 4

Now for the questions...i'll be really grateful if someone can help me out...and i'm not much of a gadget savvy guy so sorry if some questions sound dumb!...i basically need this for emailing,chatting,downloading and playing movies

1) I'm concerned about vista...i've heard so many bad things about it...i use xp right now...will this model support xp or linux?
2) The Dell guy on the phone told me that they dont sell this model with the 9 cell battery...is that true? i really need the extended battery life and i find it difficult to believe that they wont sell it...what do you guys suggest?
3) Which is better - Intel(R) High Definition Audio 2.0 or
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution
4) Will the 4 GB RAM be compatible with 32 bit Vista Premium?
5) They are giving me the 65w adapter...should i ask for the 90w adapter? what difference does it make?
6) Will an Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache) make a very huge difference in terms of performance and speed?
7) Any other accessories or features that you would suggest? Please help me out guys...really need it!

 

1. Concern about Vista on a machine like this is not warranted. Sure on an old machine it will run like a dog, but this will be just fine. However, the Inspiron 1545 does have windows XP drivers available for all hardware options.

After some rummaging around I was able to get it up and running on Ubuntu also.

2. In the UK we have the option of buying with 9 cell or 6 cell; but although the laptops are all made in the same place, they do for some bizarre reason have different options in each country. If the 9 cell is not an option on the website then it's simply not an option. You could however buy one from elsewhere afterwards?

3. I wouldn't bother with paying extra money for the Creative software. It's a laptop; the quality of the sound is not going to be knock your socks off amazing anyway, so why spend extra cash on it?

4. No, 32bit Vista / XP will only see approximately 3.5GB. Losing 0.5GB is not really that much of an issue though is it? Personally though, I would recommend going 64bit now. There are actually not as many issues nowadays as there used to be, so unless you use relatively specific or quite old software / hardware, you'd be ok to go 64bit. However, if you go 32bit to start with and find you'd like 64bit - Dell will send you the disc for free.

5. I'm not sure about the power adapter, so I'll leave this unanswered rather than give you bad advice.

6. I'd highly recommend two options for you. Firstly, if you can afford to upgrade to a "P" processor, such as the p8400 or p8600 - that will aid in your power usage and hence extend battery life (which you said was important).
Secondly, the WLED screen really makes a difference, and I believe they are a relatively inexpensive upgrade (they were a free upgrade at one point).

Finally, consider going for a minimum spec with regards to RAM if you are comfortable upgrading it yourself. Buying RAM from Dell is slightly more expensive that buying afterwards from a reputable dealer. RAM is cheap as chips at the moment (for the 2x2GB DDR2 sticks you'll want). However, the saving is likely to be marginal and if you are unsure about upgrading it (which is really really easy), then stick with having it pre-installed by Dell.

 

Oh and finally, I don't know what you intend to use the laptop for, but don't expect to be playing 3D games on this machine with the GMA 4500HD. It'll do ok for many many games, but don't expect to be playing Crysis on it or anything.

 

hey fragilexx...thanks so much for replying...i intend to use the laptop for email,downloading movies and tv shows,music and burning dvds...no i'm not into games really...ok a couple of follow up questions if you dont mind

1) The only option for me on their site is Vista - SP1 32 bit...i'll ask them and confirm but i doubt they'll send me the 64 bit disc for free...Dell India has the customize option just for namesake I believe...they hardly give any options to customize...it is so frustrating to see more options in other countries! Not fair Dell!!!!
2)WLED screen is also not an option on their website though I'll talk to them about it when I call them tomorrow
3)Thanks for the tip on P8600...fortunately it is an option on their website and i'm looking at extending my budget and accommodating it
4) Anyone else who knows why a 90w adapter might be better than 60w? Please lemme know

Fragilexx,thanks again for your prompt and detailed reply...i'll be totally thrilled if you could give me any more suggestions

 

Just had a look at the Dell site for India; shocked to see the lack of options for the Inspiron 1545, but suprised to find they offer smaller display versions also...very bizarre.

Anyway, after looking at the Dell India site, I would actually suggest not going for the Inspiron 1545, but instead going for the Studio 1555, see spec below:

Processor Options Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 32 bit (English)
Color Options Jet Black Colour with Black U-Trim
Software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (English)
Warranty & Service 1 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Display 15.6” 720p WLED (1366x768) Display with TrueLife™ and Built-in 2.0MP Web Cam
Memory 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory
Hard Drive 320GB SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Audio Solution Integrated Stereo Sound with Subwoofer
Wireless Network Card Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card
Bluetooth Module Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
Palmrest Option Silver Palmrest
Carrying Cases No Case
Batteries 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Keyboard Dell(TM) Keyboard with Touchpad (English)

The following options are default selections included with your order

Intel(R) Centrino(R) 2 Label
Integrated Fast Ethernet 10/100/1000
34mm ExpressCard Slot, (DOES NOT SUPPORT PC CARDS)

This has more connectivity than the Inspiron 1545, and is available with WLED screen & 9 cell battery. They do also offer 64bit upgrade; but apparently they charge for it there - though it looks so small an amount to be honest.

Now the price for the system above comes to Rs.51,809.23 without tax etc. You could bring that down to the same price / cheaper than the Inspiron by dropping the processor down to the T6400. Whilst it is not as power efficient as the P8600, it will be fine for the tasks you are looking to accomplish I think. Changing this option brings the price down to 45,796.50 pre tax etc.

But don't place your order online. To the best of my knowledge, Dell India doesn't have many (if any) coupons available on line, so your best bet at getting any form of discount is to phone your order through.

Hope that helps.

 

Hey thanks so much for taking the trouble to look up the Dell India website...my budget is maxed out at Rs 45,000 and I'm really confused now about what to buy! You're right about the coupons...so I'm already in touch with Dell through phone...I'll get back to you after I brainstorm both the options and decide what's best for my needs (and my budget too!)

Thanks a ton for all the help

 

Perhaps if you fill in the FAQ in regards to what laptop to buy, I / others could offer further assistance perhaps?

Good luck with your phone call.

 

How about this:

Processor Options Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2GHz/ 800 FSB/ 2MB Cache) edit
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 32 bit (English) edit
Color Options Jet Black Colour with Black U-Trim edit
Software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (English) edit
Warranty & Service 1 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
Display 15.6” 720p WLED (1366x768) Display with TrueLife™ and Built-in 2.0MP Web Cam edit
Memory 3GB (1X1GB + 1X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM edit
Hard Drive 320GB SATA Hard Drive edit
Optical Drive Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability edit
Video Card Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD edit
Audio Solution Integrated Stereo Sound with Subwoofer edit
Wireless Network Card Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card edit
Bluetooth Module Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module edit
Palmrest Option Silver Palmrest edit
Carrying Cases No Case edit
Batteries 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery edit

For under 45,000 rupees.

Slightly slower processor; but it'll likely do the job. Not 4GB of RAM, but again, 3GB will more than likely be enough, and if not you can always upgrade at a later stage.

You might be able to get the model I previously suggested under 45,000 though if you bargain hard enough ;o)

 

Just to summarize my options (with respect to my budget which is 45,000 Rs)

a) Dell Inspiron 1545 - Rs.43,912.74

1. Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
2. Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 Edition 32 bit
3. 15.6 " 720p WXGA (1366x768) Display with TrueLife(TM)
4. 3GB (1x2GB/1x1GB) NECC Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz SDRAM Memory
5. 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
6. 6-cell Primary Battery

b) Dell Studio 15 Laptop - Rs.44,649.16
1. Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2GHz/ 800 FSB/ 2MB Cache)
2. Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 64 bit
3. 15.6” 720p WLED (1366x768) Display with TrueLife™
4. 3GB (1X1GB + 1X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM
5. 320GB SATA Hard Drive
6. 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Should I take the P8600 Inspiron and miss out on the WLED display and 9 cell battery of Studio 15 or should I go in for Studio T6400 and miss out on the superior P8600? I guess I'll spend a sleepless night today...any ideas are welcome!

 

Could you fill out these few questions:

What are you going to be using the laptop for:

Where are you going to be using your laptop:

What peripherals do you intend to use:

 

Hey I hope I'm allowed to fill out the FAQ in this thread!

General Questions

1) What is your budget? - Rs 45,000 (US$ 1000)

2) What size notebook would you prefer? 15"


3) Where will you buying this notebook? - India

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

I am looking at just Dell for now

5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Music,downloading torrents,email,watching and burning dvds

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Desk use mainly,might have to take it with me once in a while

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
No

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more,the better! >3 hours at least

9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Its ok if I dont see it

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows XP/Vista

Screen Specifics

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Not a big issue for me

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Both will do

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not my top priority

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying it this week,want it to last 5 years at least!

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
250/320 GB SATA

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

DVD Burner

PS - I dont need any major peripherals,just a mouse (the webcam and mic is included in the model)

 

Given those answers I'd probably say go with the Studio. The 9 cell battery should give you good battery life; not sure if it will be 3hours +, but the 6 cell on the Inspiron 1545 gives about 2.5 hours if lucky (normally closer to 2 hours).

Plus, it has better connectivity (eSATA/USB port, 2 other USB ports, HDMI, Firewire, VGA, RJ45) in comparison to the Inspiron which has 3xUSB, VGA & RJ45 only.

The WLED Screen on the Inspiron is great; I imagine they use the same on both so would highly recommend that. The processor is not as great; but for what you plan to use it for it will be enough. I'd still recommend trying to get the p8600 on the studio 15 and try to haggle haggle haggle.

 

Hey thanks...will talk to the dell guy on the phone tomorrow and then decide

 

I've found something I'm not too fond of. I installed I8kfanGUI to monitor my temps and fan speeds and found the thermal cycle a bit odd. The CPU temp starts around 35*C with the fan off. The fan remains off until the CPU temp hits about 49*C and it then comes on, and remains on until the temp reaches 35*C and shuts down. I wouldn't think this constant cycle of heating up and cooling down would be too great on the CPU, since the temperature range is so much. I'd rather have the fan speed running at a low speed all the time than have it shut off.

I've had some sort of keyboard glitch too, but I don't think its one everyone is posting about. Sometimes when I am typing, I hit a key once and it types the character 2-3 times. It hasn't happened very often, but it has nonetheless.

Overall I like this machine a lot, with the exception of the ports. I'd prefer the ports on either the rear or right side, when most are on the left. I can see how this makes sense, but in my case it isn't the greatest. Also, an eSATA port would be nice, but hey, I can't complain for the price. I just need to test out some games to see how the GPU runs.

For those concerned about the LED backlit screen, my screen without the LEDs seems plenty bright. I actually have it at 3/4 brightness right now because it seems too bright at the highest setting. I still haven't seen an LED backlit screen in person, so I can't comment on a comparison between the two.

I'd still like to know the difference with the 65 and 90w adapters. Guess I should email Dell.

 

I must be fortunate then; I have had no problems with my machine and I've seriously put it through it's paces.

The LED screen does make a difference. I've been able to compare the two; because my friend did not spend the extra £10 or whatever to get the upgrade. The real differences are:

1. The colours look more true to life on the LED. It's not by much, but certainly the blacks appear darker and the whites appear whiter.
2. The display is thinner and apparently slightly lighter. I myself did not actually notice this; but apparently it is the case.
3. Over time, you may notice your screen takes longer to "warm up" or loses some of it's brightness. With an LED screen this will not happen per se. The technology behind the CCFL screen means the display will worsen with age. Not massively, but say after 2-3 years you would notice the difference if you compared it to a brand new one of the same model. An LED however gives off the same amount of light throughout it's life; until eventually it just dies.
4. Theoretically the LED screen consumes less power. There is truth in this statement, but it depends on how many LEDs have been used in the backlight as to whether this will actually be the case.

I would agree about the lack of ports, it is a little disappointing. But so far that and the finger print magnet palm rest are my only upsets. You can easily get around the lack of ports by adding an expresscard with eSATA. Although unsightly, it should solve the issue. Unfortunately there is no easy fix for the HDMI port being missing; but holy cow, how often would I actually use that anyway.

And finally, yes the fan is slightly annoying in that it doesn't come on often, but when it does it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. However, my old laptop used to overheat like crazy, so I have a notepal infinite both at home and at the office, and find that helps the fan not come on as much; although it does add it's own little hum which despite what some people say, is noticeable (well certainly on the middle setting which is the best at preventing the internal fan coming on).

 

im liking my dell very much. i wanna see the led screen now, i dont know if ist me or the laptop but i find the vertical vewing angle a little small mayb is cuz the gloss, idk, but im not liking the bigthness it seem like they put a lamp on the bottom so is uneven if i look from up i just see white. i think they should put a mate screen and palmrest cuz the smudges are driving me crazy even using an xternal mouse i need to clean this sh** alot.

today i sat in front of my crt monitor and i looked wonderfull compare to this ultra birgthscreen.

i wanna know if any of the ccfl screen userae having the ultra uneven brigthness. cuz i think afther i installed some sh** from dell after the fresh install make the screen like that ( even when i first used it before reformating). ii wanna see if a bios update could solved this!!!

the temp today on hd and cpu dindt pass 45!!!! on highperformance, and the 4cell batterie can last like 105 min on dell recomended settings. even more on power saver + undervolting

 

I've decided to go for the Studio 1555 with T6400...thanks fragilexx for all the help
If anyone has any queries about this model i'll be glad to help out!

PS - Sorry for butting into the Inspiron 1545 thread but this is where I got all the answers! Thanks again

 

Will the 9 cell battery from an Inspiron 1525 work with the 1545?

How can you tell if the lcd is led backlit or not?

Thanks

 

sachinsharma; glad I could be of assistance. Hope your laptop arrives soon and provides you many years of service!

Dade0h0; not sure about the 9 cell inspiron 1525 working with 1545; might do. I don't have an inspiron 1525 to test it out, and although I can find the battery for the Inspiron 1525 on the Dell.co.uk website, I am unable to locate the same product for the 1545. However, looking at the part numbers for the Inspiron 1525 6 cell battery on the website, and the part number on my invoice, they are not the same.

Best bet would be chat to a Dell rep; but then they are probably going to say no to force you to buy a new one.

With regards to how to tell the difference between the two, don't think it says anywhere in system config or anything to be honest, so the only way you'll know if by looking at your invoice (if bought from Dell), or perhaps on the box it came in if from another supplier - eg PC World, Tesco, etc.

 

I just got my 1545 and am quite happy. As im not too much into gaming but more into things like photoshop, flash, dreamweaver etc its doing a good job with 3 gb ram. The speed is good too.

But i have a big problem. There is too much bundled along with windows something like 20 additional trial software etc. and i want to clean it up and repartition the hard drive. The partitions right now are 240 in the main and 10 in the recovery.

But the partitions i want out of the 240 gb currently the os drive are like

Windows - 30 gb
Backup - 10 gb
Media - 200 gb

But when i want to shrink the volume through the windows disk management tool it gives the new allocated space as only 10 gb!

And anyway i have to reformat and install windows again to get rid of the excessive bundled software can anybody help me in finding a way to repartition my hard drives as above? somebody told me to boot n do fdisk.exe but i do not know how that works.

Help would be appreciated!

 

If you boot straight into your installation media (by pressing F12 at the Dell screen then selecting CD/DVD drive) one of the very first prompts should be in relation to which partition you wish to install Windows onto. There will be an advanced button - push that and you can delete both partitions and re-create a new one that is the entire size of your HDD. This is assuming you have a full recovery disc rather than something that points to the recovery data on the 10GB partition.

I would highly recommend keeping your drive partitioned in some way though. The reason being is that you can install your OS on one partition and then save documents etc onto another. If you ever need to reinstall Windows again, you can do so without destroying all of your saved documents.