Thinking about the 1525!

I believe I am going to get the new Inspiron 1525 when it hits the states, what do y'all think? I have been so indecisive about which to buy and have been kinda waiting on this one to be released! Any suggestions? Thanks Y'all!

 

Seems good to me. I'd compare it to the price of the xps1530 and see how much more the xps is. It may be worth it to get the xps instead.

 

The 15.4-inch machine doesn't come packing a ton of surprises -- 2GHz T7250 Core 2 Duo, X3100 integrated graphics, 2GB of RAM, 160GB or storage, and WiFi -- but it's at least kinda cheap. So I guess the only thing I see that I like is how it looks but I prefer the XPS line much more. I am moving form a 640M to an XPS M1330.


http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/featuresdetails.aspx/inspnnb_1525?c=au&l=en&s=dhs&cs=audhs1&~lt=popup&~tab=highlighttab

One thing I don't like about the Inspiron is the placement of the touch pad, to much to the left. I am right handed. But I do like that they got rid of the ugly boarder my 640M has.

It just doesn't seem to powerful as well.

 

you need to remember that the 1525 has yet to be officially announced (expected at CES 6th Jan on) and no doubtwhen it goes mainstream you'll be able to build the spec to what you want, as you could with the 1520. The link above goes to the austrailian site, but if you go in through the menu system the 1525 doesn't even show up. It might even be that different regions will get different options on the 1525 (this is certainly true of the 1520).

I think the XPS machines are very expensive for what is basically a pretty case for the same hardware.

 

I don't think the 1525 will get the 86xx gt card. If they did that, it would be too similar to the 1530. Not only case wise but internals as well. I think the most the 1525 will get is a BD drive and maybe a 8400m gpu.

 

The 1520 has a 8600GT card. Though its only DDR2... the difference between the 2 is almost negligible though.

I think the BIG selling points for the XPS line is the weight and build quality.

 

As the last poster says that would be a downgrade from the 1520, maybe you are right.. no-one here can say.
I think a 1Gb machine with integrated graphics is going to struggle like hell to play a BD movie, even with 2Gb it might have its work cut out.

Also remember that Dell do odd things, for example a month ago in the UK you could get a 1520 with a WXGA+ (1440x900) yet the 1530 is still stuck with the WXGA (1280x800) one, kinda dumb right ? but they were doing it.

I am waiting for a 15.4" 2Ghz, 2Gb machine thats got dedicated graphics, there are a couple of Asus models but Im not sure on those in terms of quality - certainly battery life seems to be poor on them.. Other than that I'm struggling to find anything - the XPS is too expensive, its just the same stuff in a pretty case for the fashion conscious.. my plan was to buy an end of the line 1520 and get it a bit cheaper (maybe) but dell screwed up that plan by removing dedicated graphics options from the UK site! I've looked at all manufacturers can't find what I want without spending stupid money, so Im hoping the 1525 comes up to the mark.

 

Maybe consider the xps series. mucho better

 

You have to remember, the 1520 is a tank next to a xps 1530. The 1525's size is closer matched to the XPS. If Dell put a 86xx gpu in the 1525 there would be little incentive to pony up the extra bucks for the XPS. Right now there is allot of incentive since the xps has a nicer case/size then the bulky 1520.

As for the integrated graphics.. or the Intel x3100 integrated graphics solution its pretty powerful for 2D stuff. As others have noted, it can output HI resolution video. The question is whether its compatible with BD or HD DVD drives. Not sure about the technical reasons why it may not work with BD drives but I can't think of the this combo being used.. anywhere. But as for outputting hi res video.. it can.. but not sure about 1080i or 1080P.. I am sure it can do 720P without problems. Even my HP dv6500t with the 8400m will drop some frames on 1080i files I have tried. It would probably do better if used with the optional HD DVD drive. I am convinced that Dell would have to put at least a 8400m in the 1525 if they decide to offer a BD drive.

The other reason they need to offer a BD and 8400m option is to compete with the obvious competitor to this.. the HP dv6700t. Leaving out a BD/8400m option would be giving too much incentive for folks to go HP over Dell. I mean this thing looks so much like HPs design. Customers will pick up on the dell disadvantage right off. Leaving out a dedicated GPU will force Dell to offer major discounts.... and forcing this model into a price driven mode right off the bat. Not very smart for sure.

 

The 1525 has been officially released:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2830776

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspnnb_1525?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=bundlestab