To Dell or not to Dell! That is the question...

Time to get another laptop...and I just about pulled the trigger on the Deal that Newegg had on the Asus F3 with the 1.8 Turion and ATI HD2600 for $800...and then the deal expired the day before I was going to order.

Since a grand is my max to spend, the best I can find now at the Egg is the same F3 with a 2Ghz Turion / HD2600 for $1000 with more ram and slightly larger HD. You gotta kick up another hundred or two more for a C2D.

My main priority is a desktop replacement that has enough GPU power to play Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander, etc. and spend less than one Grrrr...but I still travel a lot so it has to be tough enough to take a few bumps and 2 year old that likes to bang on stuff.

Anyway...on to the question... my current laptop is a E1505/6400 with a t2300 and ati x1300...and I swore I wouldn't get another Dell... but here I am again because they always seem to offer the GPU deal for the money. When I bought this one it was the only thing out there with a discrete card for $750 or less. I've been reasonable happy with the performance, but the thing broke 4 times in the first year (dead Mobo, DVD, adapters, etc.) and it still has a couple of minor bugs but I got tired of chatting with Apu in Bangledor about reinstalling the same driver 10 times. The other things that really bothered me was the screen was really of sub par quality (my Compal built in 2003 Compaq R3000 was way better) because of excessive light leakage, diminshing brightness, and general fuzziness. I remember other Dell owners at the time being dissatisfied with their screens too. I also disliked the touchpad as the buttons have too much travel to operate quickly and the scroll feature on the pad is buggy and hard to use at best (the driver also doesn't recognize button pushes while scrolling which is my favorite feature of Opera to switch between browser tabs)...AND one month after I bought the laptop they automatically switched to the Core 2 with out warning (which I would have waited for) which peved me at the time.

However, the Vostro and Insprion 1520/1720 seem like smashing good deals with the current coupons with enough left over the get a 2Ghz C2D, 1440x900 screen, a 9 cell batt, and of course the 8600GT.

Before I commit to giving Michael Dell more money and Indians named George or Bill my time, I'd like to know...

Has Dell improved on the screen quality any?

Is the quality of the XWGA+ (1440x900) screen any better than the glossy 1280x800?

Has the touchpad improved any or did I just get a funky one?


I really like the look and design of the Asus and it's a no brainer at $800 (Anybody at newegg reading this ) and it has a DVI output (Hello Dell beancounters?? ) and I see the HD2600 and 8600 GT as pretty close in performance depending on the benchmark used. But the Dell has a few things going their way. My experience is Nvidia does their homework better on drivers (especially concerning Linux), but I run Folding@home and it would be nice to start folding with a GPU since it can be many times faster and the new ATI's are likely to be supported way before the Nvidia stuff.

The other criteria that might sway my decision is that Asus has a gigabit LAN (thought that was standard now), but Dell is still supporting XP which is a BIG plus. My opinion like many others is we'll switch to Vista once we have no other choice and maybe not even then as OS X and Linux are getting more mainstream everyday. :tongue:

If I do backslide to a Dell, which is better : the Vostro, 1520, or 1720?

I think the 1520 is better looking as the Vostro got a few licks from the ugly stick, but I'll put up with it if it's a tougher book and not too much heavier...but the 17" screen would be nice... is the 1720 portable enough to use on a plane or too big to get from under the seat?

I'm gonna pull the trigger in the next day or two... Thanks ahead of time for ya'lls opinions.

I wonder if they would void the warranty if I painted the Vostro?... I got a new mini HVLP gun I'd like to try out.

 

I would suggest having a look at the xps m1530, it's quite nice. Of the 2 mentioned I would go for the 1520.

 

I have not been around these NBR forums for long, but it appears that there have been widespread problems with the 1520's screens, and the problems are continuing with the XPS 1530.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141895&highlight=poll+1520
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=146153&highlight=poll+1520
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=147320&highlight=poll+1520
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206015&highlight=poll+1530

There also have been other problems with the 1520, like headphone noise.

By the way, it looks like the 1520 is being discontinued and replaced by the 1525. Possibly the Vostro 1500 will also be replaced. The 1520 and 1500 are identical apart from colour, price and available configurations.

Frankly, I get the impression that you will be disapointed with a Dell. Wait a while, if you must, to scrape together the extra money.

 

Dude.... Go to the Dell Outlet. 30% - 40% off. You should be able to get enough RAM, better graphics card, and larger HDD for you're $1,000.

 

This is disappointing. I'd call the screen on my 1505 acceptable, but something that needed improvement, and it sounds like they've gone the wrong way in that department. A year and a half ago it was a crap shoot like described in the current crappy LCD threads, where it depended on the lot and manufacturer that you happened to get according to the supply chain at the time...guess some things don't change.

...if the Vostro really has a true money back guarantee then I guess I could roll the dice and send'er back if the LCD really sucks. The notebook check review said nothing about a color deficiency...makes me wonder...
I guess I can call my friendly Dell salesperson and see how good of explanation they can come up with
This is starting to remind me of the bad capacitor Omniplex fiasco.

BTW- The 1525 didn't appear to have the 8600GT option.

 

the screen in Dell is luck. the question is . Do you feel lucky? if yes I advise you to get Vostro 1500.. you can get very good one for 1000$.. I think they look nice

 

The Vostro's and Inspiron's are identical right now just varying configuration options and prices (obviously different paint job as well).

You could look into the 1530, or 1520. Although if you plan to get the 1520, jump fast because they are slowly phasing it out - so anyone wanting higher-end options will need to look to the XPS line.

Yes, Dell screens can suck but the one I just got today, yummy, ever so sexy.

Gigabit LAN is useless, because no internet connection available to consumers can even take advantage of it. Only time you even get the pros out of it is if you're networking two computers together directly for file sharing. Theres no opinions or debating on this because it's a simple fact.. lol

The 1525 ain't gonna have anything you're looking for, don't waste you're time. Dell watered it down so you gotta look at the XPS's for the power.

 

A definate marketing mistake on Dell's part. I seriously doubt they are cannibilizing many XPS sales by offering a decent video card in the sub 1000 price point...now people who want a video card on a budget will be lost sales to somebody else who does offer it.

I find Gigabit ethernet beneficial during backups and transfering media files. Right now I just use a USB drive to transfer movies from my media server as thats much faster than a 100 mb ethernet...it would be a convenience to only have to plug in once.

Actually, I'm now wondering if the 8600 GT part will fit into my E1505... I seem to recall that Dell uses a MXM like format that they customized for their own use...but I'm probably remembering wrong.

 

I personally have never had a problem with any Dell laptop, desktop, for me or clients. I think they are a truly great company and recommend them to all.

Could there be a problem sometime? Sure, but they will be there to fix it. I also always recommend the full 3 year warranty. Dave