Vostro 1500 vs 1510

Can someone explain why they are no longer offering the 8600GT in the 1510?

 

Probably because "Thinner and Sleeker" means less room for a discrete graphics card and uses a GPU soldered to the motherboard like the M1330 and M1530. I would guess it's 8400 or nothing.

 

what he said

 

I see, ok. So when July rolls around, the Vostro 1500 won't be sold anymore? It was on my list of cheap laptops with at least an 8600GT in it.

 

yah this is disappointing, I really hope the 1510 is just as solid as the 1500 or it's got another point against it. I also miss the exterior media buttons but I like the USB/headpone/wi-fi switches placement better. Also a 2.0ghz C2D is smokin' as the slowest proc on the "dell Deals" version.

 

no DVI and geforce 8400 as top graphic card kill it for me...but it looks much better than 1500. Maybe wait for the latitude E?

 

Anyone happen to know till when will the 1500 be sold till?

 

My guess is until they sell through their inventory. Once the Vostro 1510 goes into full production and is announced for sale in the US the older models will no longer be produced.

Best advice is if you want one get it while their still available. I just bought a Vostro 1700 and i'm glad I did. I'll probably get a 1510 when they become available.

The new models look sweet. From the pictures i've seen it looks like they are using the old style mouse buttons which were last seen on the Inspiron 5100.

 

Hopefully for a long long time and then Dell will realise they are still getting more sales than the 1510. Would save me scrambling to buy one before they disappear from their cyber-shelves.

 

That's what I meant. What was the date that they are supposed to begin sale of them?

 

I wonder why Dell is systematically getting rid of all high performance graphics cards other than on their XPS lines? I mean the XPS's GDDR3 cards are nice and all but are they really worth the $400+ premium? I will miss the ability to configure a $600-700 decent budget gaming laptop.

 

yep... I don't see how this will help Dell's marketshare

 

With my budget (I'm a college student) I couldn't even consider a 1530.. that's why I had to settle with the 1525 (and I'm very happy with it) since I don't even play games on my laptop. Since I'm not a gamer, it wasn't really a hard decision.

The 1525 is essentially a 1530 - dedicated graphics.

 

Also glad I got mine when I did, it's gone up in price ever since.

I don't think Dell were happy with the model dilution that they had, hence the new models having a more rigid config policy. No incentive to buy the more expensive kit when you can just spec up a base model for a couple hundred [insert you local currency here] less.

I think the days of the killer-spec base model config are gone from the Dell site.

 

Which confirms a thread I started. That DeLL is moving away from customized systems in favor of "here's a spec unit, you want it"?

 

If that's the case, sucks for Dell. They'll have lost one potential customer (me), and many, many more I'm sure.

 

Dell has been slowly removing higher end discrete graphics from most of their lines... For me there are three things I look for in a notebook... a mid range graphics card that I can game with and do 3d work, at least a 1680x1050 display, and a price point around 1k so I can upgrade more often and dont have to worry too much about it getting swiped.

My first machine that fit this bill was a 600m with ati 9000 video... the next was an e1505 with x1400... and most recently is my vostro 1500 with nvidia 8600 video.

Before i got the vostro i looked at the inspiron line... and the 1525 just wasnt in the game for me, the 1520 was ok but the vostro was a bit beefier and I could get vista on it which I wanted (I develop software and wanted to test vista compatibility) and couldnt get on the 1520 insprion.

Now... honestly... I think my 'next' machine is likely to be the nextgen mac book pro the way they are going now. I guess the frequent upgrades will be a thing of the past... but nothing that it looks like dell is/will be offering is interesting to me at all.

 

Have a look at this if you haven't already. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dell3apr03,1,3890719.story

 

If Dell didn't offer a 8600 on the Vostro 1500 I would have chosen a MBP (high side) or a Sager. In other words no graphics choice would have left me spending my money on a non-Dell option. They laid off the wrong people if that is their new direction.

 

That doesn't make any sense to me 'cos the M1530 is thinner than the 1510 so what's the logic in not putting a 8600M card if it can fit into the M1530 in the first place?

 

Because they want defined market segments. They want you to purchase the XPS if you want better graphics.

The 1530 doesn't have a seperate card (discrete) - the chip is soldered to the motherboard to save space, as is I suspect the 1510.

 

Okay now I get it. I didn't realised a GPU can be soldered onto the motherboard. I suppose for marketing reasons it now makes sense why Dell doesn't adopt the 8600M cards for the 1510.

 

x infinity. If the only 15.4" laptop with at least a 8600GT they'll have when July rolls around is the overpriced XPS systems, then Dell gets scrubbed from my potential buyer list.

 

Maybe Dell took out the 8600GT and plan to replace it with an equivalent 9 Series card since they use less power and could probably fit in a slimmer case?

 

Again I think that unlikely. I think Dell will wait for the new Montevina platform and then up the graphics tech but keeping the current distinction.
XPS with a decent GPU, the mainstream consumer/business with a medium GPU or onboard and cheap machines with onboard. Expect far less customisation in the near future.

 

Confirmed by this. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dell3apr03,1,3890719.story

 

Hello , great topic for me, Im eithr getting a Vostro 1500 or a Vostro 1510. Im getting the Vostro because of the XP (if not it would be the inspiron 1520).

My basics are :
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5670 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with Free Fall Sensor

However the problem is that the 1510 has integrated video, I would have to pay an additional $150. But I like it because is a bit lighter than the 1500, and its a brand new model.

My laptop is intended for office and home use. No gaming or DVDs.

Or should I get the Inspiron 1520????

thanks to all who can help.
best,

 

I think one of the big selling points of the 1500 was the 8600m GT, if you are not looking to be gaming then that and the added weight of the 1500 probably would not suit your needs.

 

Yes the 1510 seems lighter and slimmer.
What Ive been reading is that between the inspiron 1520 and the vostro 1500, the vostro is quite similar minus the looks of the inspiron?

 

That's basically what Vostro is, a rebranded inspiron series that's targeting the small business market. I don't understand why Dell mix their Consumer line with their small business line, and then decided to degrade both just to promote the now consumer gaming line XPS systems. It makes sense from a business stand point, XPS are more expensive which equals to higher profit, however, if Dell spend some time fixing their chaotic price system, ambiguous model vs. target audience, and have better quality control that reduce returns and exchanges. They can increase their earning through cutting cost the right way and not by limiting consumer options.

 

price comparison:

VOSTRO 1510 US$864
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5870 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with Free Fall Sensor
15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen WXGA+LCD Display w/TrueLife™

VOSTRO 1500 US$849
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS
160GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive, 7200RPM, for Dell Vostro 1500 Notebook
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife™

The 1510 should be slimmer and lighter. Plus the surface can be cleaned easily.

 

Like others, I don't think it is the best idea for Dell to get rid of their CTO ... that is one advantage they definitely have over other manufacturers.

Guess it doesn't matter too much to me ... I buy from the outlet.

 

depends on how you use it,
if you'll only carry it once a month go with the 1500 for its far superior graphics, cooling and (for me) external media buttons. If you'll be carrying it everywhere and you don't play games or use CAD programs I'd go with the 1510.

spec. for spec. the 1500 is a better deal.