The New 1520 is a POS

Was working with a co-workers 1520 today that he just got. The specs are pretty decent but the build is SO bad. Picking it up yields creaks and rattles from almost every place, the keyboard feels like plastic things holding on for dear life and the screen wobbles back and forth when opened up. I highly recommend reconsidering and buying an HP or equivalent.

 

yay warranties!

 

you better buy em if you plan on actually traveling with this thing cause its bound to break

 

I have a 1505 which is basically the same and I really love it. It does the same thing though, creaks cracks.. but it's really a desktop replacement so I wouldn't complain

 

You mean better not right?

 

no i think he meant better..as in...better buy a warranty

 

I heard that other people love theirs, no offense but i will take their opinion over yours just because they see more of it since they actually own it(and mine is in the boxing stage and don't want to get stressed out about it)

But, if you are buying an inspiron for build quality and "life expectancy" you probably shouldn't be here.

Edit: Or don't buy a warranty and just get the thing insured for less.

 

As expected from a consumer line model.
Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. *Shrug*

But on a further note, I'd really like to see a full comparison between the Inspiron and Vostro line. It'd be interesting to see if there is a distinctive difference between build quality, even though the Vostro is pretty much identical to the Inspiron.

Also, keep in mind that the Original Poster is coming from a Thinkpad T60p.
He'll obviously feel that the consumer line model is far inferior in build quality as he's adapted for the Thinkpad.

It's simply not fair to compare a Business Line to a Consumer Line ( Consciously or Subconsciously ).

 

Your coworker must have a defective model or you must be a flat out Dell hater. My 1520 is a rocksolid build, has the best screen hinges and keyboard of all its competitors. The hp dv6500 is lighter but its build quality is terrible compared to dell's. Its touch pad is so smooth that it isn't very responsive, the screen actually flexes while the 1520's doesn't (and any of the notebook.com reviews state this specifically; here's one http://www.reviewpub.net/2007/07/inspiron-1520.html), and mine doesn't creak at all. The next closest competitor the Asus G1S suffers a similiar build quality problem as I just found today at Best Buy (Yes, they carry the G1S now in store). It's lighter but ridiculously reflective and has an even weaker screen strength than the HP and isn't even wide screen (at least the dimensions don't look wide compared to my dell and the hp's)
It might be a little faster if in fact the Dell's GPU is underclocked, but you can get a slightly faster hard drive installed with Dell with accidental damage coverage and a solid waranty that probably covers the poor build on your "co-workers" laptop. Assuming you aren't full of more crap than what you overtly spewed out on this forum.

 

hp has the worst keyboard in my opinion, the keys are as soft as pie

 

I agree with everyone else, other than those few points, nice thread.

 

I would never buy an HP laptop, just because of those touchpads. Seriously, the most rubbery touchpads ever. Terrible.

 

Something doesn't sound right wrt the original poster. I own a recently purchased T60 and just received yesterday a Inspiron 1501 which is the bottom of the bottom of Dell's laptops.

First the screen is impressive, the keyboard is great and there are no creaks or other noises coming from the laptop. I'm also awaiting a Vostro 1500 early next month and will get an opportunity to check out the build quality.

I'm not saying that the 1501 is as good as my T60, lets get real but i'm also saying that the "el cheapo" 1501 doesn't feel like a POS in fact i'm surprised how nice it is.

 

Wow... that was actually the first time i have heard someone with both a hp and a 1501... this is very comforting, especially knowing the 1520 will be better than the 1501
Nice post, thanks for your insight

 

Maybe I am because my company only uses Thinkpads but just giving a heads up to people that are buying them. It surely was improved over other Dell's I have seen and I thought that the screen and graphics options were awesome.

 

Yep, I think that is because you are always using business class notebooks. They ARE built to be strong, sturdy, not cheap . While the inspiron line has in fact been made to be the best "for your money" or cheap (in the past), but they had to improve them sometime.

 

I have a T60 and a 1501 and soon to be Vostro 1500.

 

Alright we get it, You are rich we are not... just keep buying your laptops

Lol jk, i would like to know how the Vostro sizes up to the T60

 

LOL, i'm not rich. I bought the 1501 from Dell for $374. I let you know how the Vostro 1500 and T60 compare.

 

Most non bussiness laptops (consumer models) will make some noise or move and flex in some way. if you want your laptop to be a tank, then spend a couple of thousand dollars more and get one that is built to survive a nuclear explosion.

 

That would be great.
Please do give a thorough comparison between the Vostro and the T60.

 

Just about every review on the 1520 I've read has noted how good the build quality is. The title of this thread is stupid too, nice way to characterize this new laptop model! I wouldn't buy an HP for the keyboard alone, otherwise they're nice. But still, I don't go into the HP forum and tell them their laptops are a POS because the keyboard sucks or they squeak and rattle. What a load!

 

WHOA, i didn't find his original post to be too terrible. Yes the title is a little strong, but he did have good intentions even if he is dead wrong .
With the exception of the title i found nothing wrong with what he said or how he said it, he saw, felt, and messed with a 1520 and found problems, so he posted them as a warning.

 

I work with all kinds of notebooks including IBM T/R/X, HP nx/nc, Dell Inspiron/Latitude. Once I get my 1420, I shall able to offer my view.

Yes, the old 1505, 1405 tend to have minor squeaks but they are not bad at all especially consider their loaded features for home use and low price. The next in line for squeaks probably is the old IBM R but the newest R shares the same chasis as the T.

 

No complaints here. My 1520 is rock solid with no noises or creaks or wobbles. Feels very sturdy to me.

 

eveb my Inspiron 1501 don't do any of those creaking, rattling etc you described

 

Note that sturdiness is all relative and very personal, kind of like "which screen resolution is best?" For some people, even today's thinkpads creak too much. For others, as long as it doesn't physically snap, the laptop can flap like a noodle and they wouldn't think it's too bad.