Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Someone asked me to do this so here goesFeel free to ask me any questions you may have. I refrained from posting pics since those are easy to find.
Packaging/Unboxing experience - 5/10
The packaging the laptop arrives in is a generic Dell box. Shaking the box revealed a good ammount of movement inside the box. Opening up the box revealed that all of the contents are in one smallish box, and the laptop is surrounded with ~1.5 inches of hard foam. Most of the package space is taken up with cardboard spacers and emptiness. Everything inside the extra box was in good condition, though the presentation was poor. Its basically some CDs and manuals shoved into a box along with the power brick. My other notebook is a MacBook Pro, which is a much higher price point, however the packaging is much, much better, and significantly less wasteful. If the Dell box was more effecient, this would be a higher rating. No one really cares about the packaging though, as long as nothing is broken.
Look and feel - 7/10
For a black laptop, the Vostro 1400 is very nice looking. The material feels good and nothing on the laptop is cheap. The chrome accents look good without being over used to make it look tacky. The screen does not have a latch, just a hinge that works like a flip phone so it "snaps" shut when closed all the way. The resistance of the screen hinge is perfect. The chassis feels very firm without any twist or flex. Surrounding the cooling fan on the bottom of the notebook is a cover panel for some of the hardware. On my PC this bows out just a little bit where the exhaust vent is, so that when you pick it up with a hand there, you can feel it bend back in. The optical drive tays is a bit loose however is about average with the other laptop I use. Keyboard feel is very nice with almost 0 flex. Where this looses points is the loose battery. I have the 9 cell, and it moves quite a bit more than I was expecting. This is easily fixed, so keep that in mind. Between the access panel flex and the battery moving around, handholding the laptop around with the lid shut does not give you that "rock solid" feel people like.
Screen - 6.5/10
I recieved a WXGA LPL0000 screen with the TrueLife feature. LPL0000 designates this as a LG screen. The display is extremely sharp and colors are decent. I was worried about the TrueLife glossy finish though I am quickly finding myself liking it. Yes it reflects a lot, however the reflection is on a different focal plane then the screen itself. I even tried the screen out with a setting sun coming through a window behind me and I was fine. If you want to see the refelction though and focus on it, its right there clear as day. The viewing angle of my screen is medicore and at the best angles, the bottom is just a bit washed out. Similarly, the bottom of the screen has a bit of light leakage. The screen is better than average, and its hard to know what you are getting since Dell uses multiple OEMs to make screen.
Performance + Battery Life - 9.5/10
For the price, I think you would be very challenged to find a Santa Rosa base notebook with a discreet graphics card. The base Core 2 Duo 5470 CPU is not gimped like some people believe it is. Everything is quick as long as it is not RAM limited. When surfing the net with wireless connected, Bluetooth on, and the screen at 4/7 brightness, I got just over 4 hours of runtime yesterday and I installed a couple apps while that was going on. This was with a fully charged 9 cell. The video card works great so far in WoW, CS:Source, and some misc demos.
Vista Home + Included Software - 8.5/10
Most of the trashing Vista Home Basic gets is simply the result of misinformation. You still get the Aero UI which is very nice, just not Aero Glass. Aero Glass is somewhat of a hack anyway since the transparent window borders go away if you full screen an app, which gives Aero Glass an inconsistent feel if you multitask a lot. For the needs of most people, Home Basic works good. It uses more resources than XP, everyone should have expected that. I have been using Vista since release without encountering any huge flaws that would force me to go back to XP.
Now a real nice part about getting a Vostro is that I have not had to uninstall a single trialware or useless demo application since getting it. I deselected all of the optional software when I ordered. Everything on the laptop is a Dell utility. When I first turned on the system I had two desktop icons, one for Recycle Bin, and another for Internet Explorer, very nice.
Extras + Intangibles- 9/10
I purchased the optional webcam and Bluetooth module for $30 and $20. I think the pricing on these was very good and both work well. Personally I will never use the webcam however the other members of my family will love having the built in camera. Under the battery in the laptop is a GSM card slow and beneath the keyboard is an open slot for a mobile broadband card. I replaced the standard Dell 1390 BG card with an Intel 3945 ABG card. The process was simple and clearly laid out in a printed paper manual. I can't even remember when the last time I received a full owner's manual for PC hardware. The WiFi slot is pre wired with 3 antenna wires so a future N card should go in no problem. It is very nice to have this much hardware readily accessible to even have all of the wires in place for future upgrades, and have a printed manual that shows you how to get to it all. Media Direct looks decent however I have not had a chance to watch any movies yet.
Final Score - 8.5/10
I work with PCs all days so I see a lot of hardware come and go. The flaws of the Vostro 1400 do not undermine the value, performance, and features you are getting with the purchase.
Vostro 1400 Review by Ocellaris
Discussion in 'Dell' started by ocellaris, Aug 9, 2007.
