Refurb Vostro 1500: No problems yet

I just received my eagerly-anticipated Vostro 1500 from the Outlet.

Some initial impressions:

I can't tell where the "Scratch & Dent" came from. It looks flawless.

The WSXGA+ 1680x1050 display looks wonderful! No issues whatsoever. No dead pixels, no grainyness, not too much reflection.

Oh, BTW, the panel is an LG.

I can't tell any CPU whine issues, yet.

No headphone issues, yet.

Even the brushed-steel Vostro desktop wallpaper looks cool. Imagine that, for a Dell.

I upgraded the NVidia drivers to current for XP-32-bit from laptopvideo2go, added NVTray/Tune. Installing Bioshock, now.

I ran the Dell DeCrapifier and it had nothing to delete.

Installed Firefox and Thunderbird. Same with AVG, Spybot, AdAware.

In the Vostro memory thread, I noted that I swapped out the SODIMM in bank B for a 2GB Hynix model from Dell. I got it for $79 shipped, after a $100 coupon. Now I'll E-bay the OEM 1GB to recop some of that cost (if anyone wants a 1GB Samsung 667 SODIMM, PM me).

More testing to come. Need to burn some DVDs. So far, so good, however.

And I detest Windoze, PC manufacturers, and have an Apple sticker on my Jeep, FWIW.

 

Good stuff... I usually have good luck with refurbs. 90% of the time I end up with something I can't tell isn't new and works for years and the other 10% it comes out of the box in pieces and I get it replaced or refunded with no trouble.

Question though, was there a reason for buying your RAM from Dell? Seems like $179 is a bit high for a 2GB stick...

 

PM sent!

I have a scratch & dent coming in tomorrow or friday(YAY!)
I've got a slipstreamed & hotfix-integrated xpcd ready-to-go; and a plan for a linux dual boot instead of


He got the 2gig stick for $79....seems like a good deal to me

 

Yep, what Simpler said. I could have gotten 2GB from Newegg for $79+shipping, but I wanted to use the coupon, shipping was free, and it is then covered under Dell warranty.

I am DL-ing a new Knoppix to see if I can resize NTFS without destroying the main partition.

One discrepancy from the list was that thsi drive was supposed to have been custom partitioned 40GB for Xp, the rest clear for data and linux. Well, it was MediaDirect+Restore+XP @149GB. So, that wasn't quite as advertised.

I could just run linux in VMWare, I guess. Sort of sacreligious, however. :-/

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. runs pretty well in 1680x1024. Looking forward to Orange Box and Bioshock (as soon as I get some DL DVD media, heh).

 

how do you like the vostro 1500's design; I'd like to know as I might be getting one

 

It's rather plain. It looks like old Latitudes and Inspirons. It's fat by post-millennium standards. My 2001 titanium PowerBook is still far sexier.

But, it's not all plastic. It's no worse to carry than all of the other laptops my companies have made me lug since 1997.

I plan on skinning the lid in faux carbon fiber to personalize it and take away some of the all-encompasing black. It's "Smell the Glove" black. How much more black could it be? The answer is None. None more black.

Damn, the display looks good. Bit of a large border with the webcam integrated. But, since the webcam and 1680x1050 were free, I can't complain.

I'd get an Apple or a Vaio if I cared about aesthetics. One of the reasons I bought this instead of a MacBook Pro was because it is so generic, and hopefully built like a tank. It has to last at the South freaking Pole for a year. If it does that, it can look like a Barbie or My Pretty Pony laptop for all I care.

Oh, and I don't know if you saw this on other threads, but apparently the Inspiron's colored lids are a direct replacement. So, if you want the top view of a Midnight Blue or Red or Yellow Inspiron 152x, the new lids are only $35 or something from Dell Parts.

You could also take the chassis off and paint it with Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy. I find that stuff can withstand a hammer and looks great.

 

What do you mean?

 

This: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=171841