Size and appearence of Vostro 1700 ? Is it a good Notebook ?

Hi there.

I am about to order a VOSTRO 1700 and have a quick question.
As it is sold primerally as a "business" laptop, does it look ok in the house as a Home Laptop ?
I:E: Is it bulky to look at ?

I have seen all the threads saying it is well built and solid and i have decided on the Vostro ahead of a Inspiron due to some differences in the spec plus it works out cheaper.
It will be used mainly by my daughter for Internet, School, Music and light Gaming.She will take it out to relatives occasionally but mainly use it at home.

SPEC :
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5670 (1.8 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
17" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™
Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
128MB nVidia® GeForce® 8400M GS
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data Rate
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Euro
Total all in = £433 or approx $860.


Does this all sound like a good deal and on the Whole, are you happy with yours Vostro's, especially the Vostro 1700 ?

Thank you for your time.

 

Mine arrived today. They are bigger than a 15" machine, but once you have it, any concerns about it looking out of proportion are soon put to bed.

I ordered a simple machine(Celeron 2ghz, 1gb RAM, 120gb HDD) but with the WUXGA screen. The screen is fantastic, and IMO perfectly proportioned to the size of the screen.

I would advise you to consider the higher-resolution screen, as it is something which cannot really be enhanced at a later date, but it is the biggest aspect of your interface with the machine.

FWIW, Dell UK prices for the 1700 went up in the last 10 days. The base model was £229 + VAT back then, but is now £279. You may find it worthwhile to hold off on the ordering for the time being.

Mine cost ~£375 inc VAT, with free delivery.

 

I got a Vostro 1500 a few weeks ago, and I have to say that compared to the Inspiron 1520, it looks really classy. The only down-side (looks-wise) is that the lid shows fingerprints VERY easily. I got myself a eye-glasses cleaning cloth though, and that keeps it smart.

 

I had a Vostro 1500 and loved the look. I just ordered a Vostro 1700 as part of the $500 off sale. It should arrive Monday and can't wait. As someone else said they look very classy and have a solid build quality minus the mouse buttons which feel light and cheap. But then again the Inspiron and XPS notebooks I believe use the same mouse buttons.

I found a way around it. I ordered a Microsoft Wireless Notebook mouse and will use that instead.

 

Thanks for that.

Is the overall look of the Vostro bulky looking compared to other Notebooks ?
or is the look of quality of it, a feature which impresses ?
My only concern is that being a business Laptop, it will look out of place in the home, compared to a standard Laptop.

Any thoughts ?


Thanks.

 

Yeah I would say slightly bulky but in a good way. It looks like there's quality to it. Also keep in mind that the Vostro does not use the same case as the Insprion laptops. It's made from a stronger material that gives it that rugged look. I think it looks snazzy, classy and well built. I wouldn't worry.

I bought a very nice Vostro 1700 with a 256meg card and lots of other goodies including a carrying bag and wireless mouse for $833 as part of the $500 off sale. I was planning to wait for the new "E Latitudes" but I couldn't resist the sale.

 

Any thoughts please ?

 

Well, I guess that depends. It isn't a bad looking machine, it looks well made, feels well made, and so far seems like it's fairly well thought out.

Would it look out of place at home? That definitely depends. If ones' home consists of nothing but those horrible, tacky, silver-faced electronics, then it won't be in the same style and would look out of place.

However, if ones' home is based on items bought for their quality rather than the flashing lights on the superwoofers of the stereo, then the laptop will fit in perfectly and is not likely to disappoint.

 

I think it looks very sleek, is all black, and is appealing in an understated way.

It has a solid feel, and has a dedicated number pad in the keyboard, so Delll made good use of the extra width that the 17" provides.

 

I noticed that. No free delivery when using evalue codes on Home site ATM. Shame because I like the current top spec deal that's running and you can now get XP Pro, however, it's too pricey right now.

Hopefully, on the next deal cycle day they'll drop again.