Official Inspiron 1545 Owners Thread

I'm afraid I don't have either of those games so I had to use systemrequirementslab. I don't particularly like that tool because it's not always accurate, but here are the results.

Left 4 Dead



Warhammer Online



So based on those I'd probably say you can run them at maybe medium settings, possibly with some details on high for L4D.

Ignore the fact that it says the operating system does not pass; I'm using Windows 7 and it looks like the tool is not setup to recognise that yet.

My spec is P8600 (2.4GHz 3MB L2 Cache 1066MHz FSB) / 4GB RAM / HD 4330 GPU (256MB GDDR3 RAM)

 

Thank you very much for doing that Fragilexx! I think I will go ahead and order mine now. Appreciate your time mate!

Cheers,
Dex

 

Um, probably writing papers, music, surfing the internet, pictures, stuff like that. Nothing too crazy.

 

Then the standard processor will be more than sufficient.

 

Thanks lots!

This board was a major factor in getting the inspiron 1545 too

 

One more thing!! What is the average battery life of the 6-cell battery?

 

Hi all, I'm going to buy an Inspiron 1545 laptop, but my hiccup is whether to get a 32-bit or 64-bit system. I was going to get the 32-bit system, but when I went to order, almost all the options were for 64-bit Vista only, so it's made me have a think (I'm ordering from the UK btw, I don't know if this OS is being pushed as hard by Dell elsewhere). The 64-bit option gives you slightly more of a system for slightly less money.


I've read various articles about 32 bit vs 64 bit, and they seem to suggest I may as well stay with 32-bit for my needs, but is it still a good idea to go ahead and go to 64 bit? I'm not a gamer. I don't look forward to device driver incompatibility problems when I use old software or devices on my new laptop (IF that will be an issue).

Also, I've spent hours today trying to find out if certain programs/devices I have will operate on a 64-bit system. There is a Windows site where you can check compatibility, but it just gave the answer as unknown!

Does anyone know if the following programs will work on a 64-bit system?

Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (full version, not the Elements one)

Macromedia Dreamweaver 6.0

Also, a Seagate external hard drive that is about 4 years old

Thanks for any help!

 

You should have absolutely no problems with any of those pieces of software on a 64 bit platform.

Realistically though, unless you do lots of multitasking and need more than 3.5GB of RAM, then 32 bit will be fine.

 

Thanks, it's good to know they will work if I get the 64-bit OS. I think the 32-bit sounds like it will be enough for me.

However, for 20 UK pounds LESS than the 32-bit system, I can get the 64-bit system with the same setup but with a 320gb hard drive instead of a 250, and with a 6-cell battery instead of a 4-cell. Getting more for less is nice, I just would rather not have the headaches some people have getting things to work in a 64-bit OS. I don't buy a lot of software and use what I get for years, same with peripherals.

We bought my husband a 1545 in May with a 32-bit system (at the time the offers were automatically 32-bit and you had to request a 64-bit upgrade, rather than the only offering being 64-bit as it seems to be on most of these 1545s now). We plugged his in, installed some of our old software, including the stuff for the printer, and it's worked absolutely fine. I'd love that experience with my new one, too.

 

This is what my husband got last month. He's not a big gamer, but he had Civilazation IV for a long time and never bothered to play it on his old laptop because it ran too slowly. Now he stays up way too late playing it on his new machine. Which is to say, he's quite happy with the speed!

 

To be fair, unless you are using a really old device or use a lot of opensource software that requires low level unsigned drivers, 64bit will present no problems. I use 64bit for all of my machines, and the only issue I had was with an external soundcard; and that was not 64bit related but vista related.

 

Would you really notice that much difference in everyday use between the T4200 and the T6500?

 

Depends what you are using it for.

The T4200 is an old dual core with a lower level of L2 cache. The T6500 is a Core 2 Duo with increased L2 Cache. L2 cace is basically memory that can be accessed by the CPU faster than normal RAM. Typically it is used to store things that are accessed multiple times.

"Everyday use" is a very very vague term. What is everyday use for me might be more use than someone else in a month.

Would you notice a difference with say web browsing and word processing? Well there definitely would be a difference, but probably not one that would bother anyone by having the cheaper and older T4200 if that was all they were using their laptop for.

 

Both the T4200 and the P6500 are made from the exact same die, the latest R0 stepping of Intel's lower cache 45nm processor and both were released at the same time.

The difference between the two processors are:
1. 5% greater clockspeed for the P6500. Not much difference.
2. 2MB of L2 cache for the P6500 vs 1MB for the T4200. Perhaps the only apps that most users use where cache levels become important are hardware intensive games. On my desktop I can get up to a 40% increase in frame rates by switching between my Celeron (512KB) and Core 2 with 6MB of cache at the same clockspeed if I turn down the graphics. If you weren't held back by the graphics card, you could notice a 10-15% difference between 1 and 2 MB of cache.
3. P6500 has SSE4 and Intel Dynamic Acceleration. Neither really gets you much. SSE4 can be beneficial, but again, nothing you can feel, if it is even implemented for your apps. Intel Dynamic Acceleration is just a process scheduler that might net you an extra minute of battery life on a good day.

You also have to think about the fact that you really aren't going to push the processor to 100% doing word processing, watching videos, or browsing the internet. I keep my T4200 at 1.2Ghz and it is still more than enough for these tasks. The single core celeron processor that they sell is more than enough to do anything like this, so having two cores literally almost doubles the processing capability. I bought the T4200 because I could crank down the clockspeed and lower the voltage to consume a lot less power than the celeron (newest 45nm stepping vs old 65nm CPU), but my girlfriend got the 1545 with celeron because battery life is not really an issue. The celerons in both of my parents' laptops are more than sufficient as well.

So really, think about what sorts of tasks you are going to do on your laptop. Gaming along with the 4330 GPU, or running some very CPU intensive applications where you need to reduce their run time, go for the T6500. Otherwise just get the T4200 and be happy with it as it is a great cheap processor. My dad's work always purchases top of the line gaming laptops, but they need the mobile processing power in addition to their amazing dell xenon workstations.

 

Thank you!

 

They were not both released at the same time. See link below for proof:

http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=39311,37251,

 

By "released at the same time" I meant that one is not old and one is not new and that they are the same exact processor core, the latest R0 stepping of small cache 45nm CPUs, all of which came out (to the mobile market) within a few months of each other earlier this year, not that Intel started shipping them out to OEM laptop manufacturers on the same day.

 

Fair enough. However, when I said "old dual core" I was referring more to the fact that in terms of technology, it does not implement all of the same newer features as the T6500.

Also, IDA is not a process scheduler. IDA is the ability to automatically overclock one of the cores when only utilising one of them.

 

I bought the 1545 that came with Ubuntu and the only upgrades were the T4200 and the LED backlit screen. It came a few weeks ago and I'm very happy with it for $388 shipped. I bought a new 500GB drive, 4GB of ram, and a 9 cell battery. I bought the Toshiba 500GB hard drive because it has the lowest power consumption of any laptop magnetic hard drive but is middle of the pack performance-wise. I'm going to return the memory though as I'm not even using all 2GB I have right now. My original idea was to install Vista Ultimate as I have a spare copy, but I really like this Ubuntu 9.04.

So far my only problem with the laptop is the low resolution of the screen. It really gets on my nerves. I see that the 1545 now has a higher resolution screen as an option and I'm thinking about buying one just to swap the screens with. One of those for 7% off with only the screen upgrade might make it worth it and I can sell the laptop on ebay. The glossiness gets on my nerves a little bit too.

I also want to add that this is my first laptop and I've got to say it looks and feels way better than my mom or stepdad's different cheapo laptops they recently bought at a brick and mortar for more than I paid for mine. It is also a lot nicer than my dad's old work laptop he got to keep, a first generation XPS with 3.4Ghz P4 EE.

 

Yup, the screen resolution is a killer. That is going to be my next upgrade for the laptop, just to buy one from eBay and fit it myself. It's not too difficult to fit the display, just time consuming and can be a little fiddly.

 

The U.S. version of the 1545 can now be configured with a 900p (1600x900) LED display for only $40 (or just $15 more than the 1366x768 LED).

The 900p display looks great on the Studio 1555, I wonder if it's the same on the 1545?

 

$40 more? Here in the UK its £95 or about $150

 

Ouch! Here in the US, it's $25 to upgrade to the 720p (1366x768) LED (from the CCFL) or $40 to the 900p (1600x900) LED.

The upgrade on the smaller Inspiron 14 is a bit more expensive, though. Going from the standard 720p LED to the 900p LED is $75...but still not horribly expensive.

 

It looks like I may wait to buy my new laptop after all. The plug for the power cord in the back of my laptop had broken, and I paid to have it repaired a little over a week ago. but then the computer kept switching to battery power and not recognizing that the plug was in (my current laptop is an Inspiron 6000, btw). My husband's had done this two months ago, but his required a new motherboard too so we bought him the 1545 instead of doing repairs. So when mine acted up, I thought that's it, it's time for a new one for me too. But since that day where the power went in and out, the power has been working fine. I thought I had it plugged in well, but maybe I didn't and that may be the problem.

Anyway, I had planned on getting a new laptop in 6 months to a year anyway. Now with the uncertainty of further problems and my desire for a new one after doing all the research, I'd like to get one in October when Microsoft 7 comes out or by Christmas.

I'm wondering if I will really gain anything by waiting though, price-wise? If not, I should just get it now. In just those two months since we bought my husband's 1545, I can get the same model with more bells and whistles for the same price he paid (I can get a bigger hard drive, an extra mg of ram, a free color upgrade, and a web camera. I think I would get a slightly faster processor, too). So can I expect more extra goodies in three months' time for the same price? Does anyone follow pricing closely enough to know what to expect? Thanks for any help.

 

I love my Inspiron 15. I just got it today and haven't stopped using it since I got home from work. I thank this forum a lot because it really helped me in setting it up and knowing what problems i might have with it. Although I havent had any problems with it that i've seen other people talk about. I'm sure I'll be back around for solutions to any questions I may have about it...

Thank you guys again!!

 

No problem hhhhaannah; glad we have been of some help and hope you enjoy your new machine.

Any problems, just post back here and we'll do our best to try to help or point you in the right direction.

 

Is the inpsiron 1545 with 2.1Ghz T6500 Core 2 Duo and GMA4500 priced at £399 about the best value laptop in the UK? You can get laptops cheaper but they have processors like the T1600 Celeron

N0054505
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 2MB)
Genuine Windows Vista® SP1 Home Premium (64 BIT) - English
15.6" Widescreen WXGA WLED (1366 x 768) TFT Display with TrueLife™
3072MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x1024]
250GB (5,400rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Intel Integrated GMA 4500MHD
DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD)
4-cell 24WHr Li-Ion primary battery
Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)
1.3 Mega pixel Integrated Web Camera

 

Thanks for explaining that,

I really only use my current PC for web browsing, iTunes, organising pics from my digicam. Its OLD..a.desktop PC with 667mhz Celeron and integrated Intel r810 graphics and 320MB RAM... The only game i've installed was some freeware one called Super DX Ball lol

 

Oh man, I completely forgot about Super DX Ball! I'm gonna try to find it and put it on my 1545!

 

I still don't get why my 1545 shipped with the 65w adapter when it has the ati graphics. I wonder if it's hindering my laptops performance any, since my old Inspiron 9100 power adapter no longer works correctly and doesn't register with the machine as being the right one. This probably doesn't make any sense at first, but the older power adapters had some sort of chip in them to identify their wattage, and when the chip went bad your power adapter would no longer recharge your battery and the cpu would run at half speed. I used a program called winthrottle to fix the cpu speed, but the adapter still won't charge the battery on it. Stupid Dell.

 

I'm sorry to hijack this thread but I have a problem with the webcam on my Inspiron 1545 and can't find how to post a new thread apart from this way.

I'm registered on this forum.

I'd be grateful for any advice please.

Thanks and apologies foor the hijack,


MJ

 

Whats up with the web cam?

First port of call I would suggest is to re-install drivers from here:

Dell Creative Labs WebCam driver

 

I don't know how you would check power usage on Vista, but if you look it up you should see that you are using a lot less than 65w. If you plug in a power adapter that isn't powerful enough it should pop up with a warning.

 

Every time I plug it in, it tells me that the adapter is 65w and that my computer will operate slower and the battery will charge slower.

 

Can anyone tell me how accurate the Dell shipping dates typically are? I ordered the Inspiron 1545 yesterday and received an anticipated ship date of 8/5/09. Anyone find that shipment takes place sooner than the date given?

Also, I placed the order on a Saturday afternoon. Now being Sunday afternoon, the order is still showing a status of "order processing". Is this normal for 24 hours later?

Thanks!

EW8000

 

Wow, you should be happy. Most people have to wait longer than that.

Their shipping dates are normally pretty good. Often you'll get the item before the estimated date, but not always.

 

Yeah, I think they made their dates realistic a couple of days ago. For a while they were extremely pessimistic.

Chill, it's the weekend.

 

Fragilexx

The drivers have solved the problem so thank you very much indeed.

I still can't work out how to make sense of this forum though. Everything seems to be in the wrong place.

Thanks again

MJ

 

Not a problem, glad I could help

 

OK, new to the forum and I'm hoping someone can help me. I have a Inspiron 1545. My kids knocked it off of the table with the AC adapter pluged in, and the broke the DC input jack. I ordered a replacement, and it will be here today sometime. I attempted to take the beast apart so as to gain access to the mainboard, but cant seem to get it all the way apart. Does someone have instructions for taking the 1545 apart so i can replace the DC jack? Any inputs would be appreciated...

 

See the service manual here:

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1545/en/SM/index.htm

 

Thank you very much.

This is exactly what I am looking for.

 

Hi

I'm looking at buying an Inspiron 1545 this coming year. However, I really don't want to go over £400 with it. My main query revolves around the graphics card. I will probably at some point want to play some older games on it- ranging from command and conquer, gta san andreas, civilization 4 and so on. I wouldn't mind trying out The Sims 3 either. I have noticed on the Dell configurator they are charging over £45 for the ATI upgrade- it's coming in at £60 for me but it is listed @ £45... My big question is will the integrated graphics handle the games I've listed here, or should I definitely go with the ATI upgrade?

 

I noticed this too. However, it automatically adds the 6 cell battery if you only have a 4 cell.

However, the 6 cell battery is a £15 upgrade, and the ATI card £45, so I don't know why they are charging more for the battery.

 

I didn't notice that...thanks for clarifying it!

 

Hi I just bought this laptop for my mom at best buy and I am having nothing but issues with it. The main issue is that when I first bought it and started it up it crashed when it got into windows, saying something to the effect that the graphics driver failed and recovered. After a fresh install and the latest drivers the problem is still there, but only if I enable aero. Please tell me someone knows how to fix this I rather not return it.

2 gigs or ram
Intel T5200
Intel 4500 graphics

 

Never mind returned to store. I finally did track down the problem... too bad it was hardware and not software.

 

Hi guys,

I bought my inspiron a month ago and I'm still unable to get the bluetooth working. Does anyone have the same problem?

I downloaded the latest drivers from support.dell.com that apply to wireless 365 bluetooth module but when I turn on my bluetooth a message appears:



When I click on it, a blank window shows. And this is it.

I tried to pair the laptop with a usb bluetooth device from my desktop PC. And the usb bluetooth found a bluetooth device named Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Mini-card, but when I tried to pair them nothing happened.

I really hope that anyone of you will have a solution to this problem. Thank you in advance.

 

Open the Bluetooth settings and make sure that this first box is checked:



Otherwise devices will not be able to find your computer.