Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Intro
I finally received my vostro and no one can be happier than me. Actually I am very happy since it seems like ordering a Dell laptop is kind of a game of luck. My friend also ordered a Vostro and also received it today. His, on the other hand, had a giant crack in the middle of the screen with massive light bleed. Mine on the other hand, is nothing short of perfection.
Reasons for Buying
All my previous laptops were all consumer laptops with integrated graphics and slow processors which were only adequate for word processing. I wanted this new laptop to have that "top of the line" performance when it comes to, well, everything. I wanted it to have a fast processor, great gpu and a great price. The Vostro had all of that. It had a consumer feel to it, with dedicated media buttons, and the build quality of a business laptop. The best part of the laptop was the price. I got "top of the line" hardware and it only cost me $1190 without the loss of quality.
Packaging
Most people actually do forget packaging when they open up a laptop. But I was impressed with the organization dell had with the vostro. Software and the AC adapter was neatly placed in a separate box. And the laptop was cushioned in a styrofoam box which seemed pretty secure. I would say that the laptop seemed impenetrable, but my friends laptop came with a crack on the screen so... I dont know.
Build Quality
Like other people have said, it is solid. Nothing more I can say about it. The keyboard has NO flex. The screen is stiff and sturdy. I know people complain about how the book is so thick. Yes, it is a thick notebook, but boy does it make it feel sturdy. Even though it is almost 3mm thicker than my toshiba, it is actually lighter. The laptop it self seems very sturdy.
Design
I really liked the black colors of the Vostro. At first I thought it would be a cheap rough plastic which made up to the laptop. But to my surprise it is kind of a smooth matte black color. In the light it shines as if it looks like metal. I have seen both the inspiron and the vostro. The difference between the two is that the vostro's plastic is more durable and looks like it will not fade over time or be affected by sweaty palms which the E1505 suffered from.
Another thing which is very stylish about the notebook is its lack of designs on the keyboard. The E1505 had a white border, Silver palm rest, all sorts of lines everywhere. The Vostro simply has two buttons on top, the power and media direct button, and a keyboard. That's it. The minimalist design adopted from the macbook really gives the laptop a sleek look. The blue media buttons look very good in darkness and are very responsive.
Screen:
Gorgeous. What else can I say? No graininess, no blurriness, no light bleed. When I saw the screen, I was speechless. The XP loading screen was phenomenal. Black was actually Black. The contrast levels on the screen were so good, that colors became more vibrant since there was a greater visible difference between dark colors and light colors. When I looked at my old laptop's screen it looked like a washed up screen. The blacks on my old laptops seemed like they were really dark gray. But on this laptop blacks are much darker than on any screen I have seen before.
Some initial problems I faced was the fact that text seemed so big, while pictures seemed so small. Since I got the 1680x1050 resolution, it seemed a little wierd. But this is because the default dpi setting with the laptop was 120 dpi, which increased the size of the text to 125%. But once you change it to 96dpi, everything looks fine.
This is also to future Vostro owners. Internet Explorer has issues with the WSXGA+ resolution. When I tried using the internet explorer, pictures were horribly distorted and pixalized. However, when I tried Mozilla Firefox, it worked perfectly
Performance
I'm not much of a gamer, neither do I use intense applications. But I can tell you that this laptop is fast. I've never seen a laptop this fast. The only game I have played so far is Halo. On my desktop, with a Nvidia geforce 6150 LE, it would lag at 800x600 resolution with medium settings. I played this game on this laptop at the highest resolution 1440x900 with maxed out settings and it played perfectly. It was a great feeling, since I've never played a game that ran so smoothly on a laptop.
The boot time was very fast, and this is with only 512mb ram. Once my 2gb ram comes in, I can't even imagine how fast the laptop is going to be.
Issues cited by Other members
Most people who have had the Vostro usually cited problems with the screen especially light bleed. My laptop has almost no light bleed. A black screen looks damn near perfect on my screen. If someone tells me how to, I can find out which screen I have.
Another problem people have cited is wobbly battery. My battery moves, yes. Does it wobble? No. Of course its going to move 1mm, its not glued on to the thing is it? Its nothing to return a laptop over because every laptop will have a battery which slightly moves.
People have also said that the screen moves once closed. This is true. But once again its nothing to get sad over. The latch itself does not look cheap. In fact I think it looks pretty classy since its a metal latch. The screen will only move if you decide to push on the screen.
People have also disliked the idea that the laptop speakers are under the laptop, but in my opinion, it did not affect sound quality at all. In fact, it seemed louder, since the speakers are actually closer to you.
I am also proud to say that there is no cpu whine on the laptop, and I have the fastest processor offered and it is quieter than my Toshiba with a Pentium M. The laptop also stays VERY cool. Palm rests almost never get hot and the bottom does not either. I have had this laptop on my lap for 3 hours now and I feel very comfortable.
Now for the most famous and most notorious problem: The headphone problem. Yes there is headphone interference. Its not a crackling sound or a distortion. Simply the sound of a computer. The best way I can describe it is that you are able to hear the computer working on the inside. It is annoying if you are not listening to anything. But it will go away if you are listening to something.
One problem I did have is with the touchpad. I don't know if the settings can be adjusted or if its me that needs to adjust. My old laptop had a 1280x800 resolution and I was able to move the mouse throught the screen with one stroke. But with the dell, it seems like I have to do some extra strokes to do the same things. This maybe because of the higher resolution, or maybe the dell touchpad may not allow the mouse to travel as fast.
Conclusion
The Vostro 1500 was a good buy. If you can get over the fact that you are getting a Dell and look at the positives of this laptop, you will be very happy in the end. Most people will say "for the price, this laptop is the best you can find". Even without the cheap price, this laptop is still a very elite laptop. It is comparable to the Asus G1S and the Sager NP2090. If you want a consumer laptop with a business look, then this is definitely the laptop for you.
Pros
Beautiful screen
Fast performance (even with 512mb ram)
Great Build Quality
Quiet
Very cheap
High-end hardware
ALL BLACK
Cons
Thick compared to other 15 inch laptops
touchpad is a little small
headphone noise
P.S. I will be uploading pictures of the Vostro and comparisons of the screens between the Inspiron 1000, Vostro 1500, and the Toshiba Satellite M45 S265.
Vostro 1500 Review + Comparison
Discussion in 'Dell' started by KillaHaZe, Aug 14, 2007.
