Vostro 1500 vs. Inspiron 1520 - LPL vs. SEC LCD - Some Interesting Pics

OK, here are some pics comparing my new Vostro 1500 to my Wife's 2 week old Inspiron 1520. Apologies for the quality of the pics. It is night time, so the lighting is not the best.

Here are the specs for the 2 laptops

Vostro 1500, Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 2.0GHz, 800Mhz FSB, 4M L2 Cache 1
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
LG/Philips LCD
Subtotal: $1,102.00

Inspiron 1520, Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 2.0GHz, 800Mhz FSB, 4M L2 Cache 1
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
160G 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Samsung LCD
Subtotal: $1,013.00

Both have:

15.4 inch Wide Screen SXGA+ display with TrueLife LCD
2GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 DIMM
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+R write capability, w/o Roxio Creator
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini card
Integrated 2.0 mega pixel webcam 1500
WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, for Vostro 1500
Dell Wirless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR)
Windows Vista Premium System

Observations:

1) Both have battery wobble
2) The lid on the Vostro closes properly, while the lip on the Inspiron has some "give" when it is shut.
3) The SEC (Samsung) LCD for the Inspiron is good, but it absolutely PALES in comparison to the LG/Philips. the LPL LCD is brighter and has no bleeding. The SEC has some minor bleeding. I took photos of the 2 LCD's next to each other. I hope you can see the difference. If you look closely, you will definitely see how much deeper the black is on the Vostro vs. the Inspison. Also, if you look at the closeup pics of the Monitor properties, you will actually see the major difference between the 2.
4) I like my 120GB 5400 RPM HD more than my wife's 160GB 7200 RPM. It's much quieter, and the fan definitely spins less on the Vostro.
5) If you are not techinically inclined, I would HIGHLY suggest that you not attempt to add more memory to your Vostro or Inspiron, but rather have Dell do it, or have Best Buy or some other store do it. To replace 1 of the DIMM's you have to remove the keyboard.
6) I like the black keyboard of the Vostro. It's not going to get dirty like the Inspiron. On the other hand, I like the ease of the Glossy Alpine White when it comes to removing finger prints / marks etc.
7) As is VERY clear by the Vista Experience Index, the 8600GT card makes a huge difference. 4.6 vs. 3.3.

 

The rest of the pics

 

Sorry, cant ant tell any quality difference from those pics . BTW whats up with the moire effect of the last two photos ? I’m sure the screen doesn’t look like that, problem with the camera ? Play around with camera settings (ISO, shutter speed etc) and use a tripod (or place it on something stable).

 

The shutter speed is faster than the refresh rate of the monitor (or vice-versa... can't remember). Same effect as taking a pic of your TV.

 

My Inspiron has a LG screen.. it's gorgeous. I've fixed the play on the 1520 lid's play. Opened up the computer and modded the palm rest's holes. For the record, the hard drive has nothing to do with the fan. theres a bunch of crap between them and they're 4 inches apart. Removing the keyboard is easy, 2 screws, lift up..tada..

Also, for the record, black is the worst color to get a keyboard and palm rest. If it has a texture to it, after a few months of use, the texture wares down to a glossy smooth black. Looks like crap then.

And seriously a wobbly battery?? People look into the dumbest things way to much. Who sits there and fittles with they're battery.. I'm sure people can find better things to fittle with..

 

god i hope i get the lg... nice overall review.. aside from the bad noise in the 2 pics if you look specifically at the color of the 2 i can def see a difference.. now it depends it they were set the same.. to be sure i would use calibration software and see how that makes them look side by side

 

also since when was the 8600gs available on the inspiron?? i thought they only offered 8400 gs and 8600 gt??? i better be getting the 8600 gt.. thats what i ordered

 

He made a typo

 

Yep he had actually meant the 128 MB 8400GS only I guess....

 

Typo.... fixed

 

Sheez..... get up on the wrong side of the bed or is it just that time of the month?

 

Maybe it's both..

lol don't take my cost as rude, wasn't ment to be. lol

It's just amazingly funny how much people look into things. One guy wrote a review and blew the new dell laptops off because the blue light on the media buttons shows unevenly from manufacturing or some bs.. lmfao..

 

You are awesome, thank you! I was just wondering about this. Here are my specs: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=169897

Thing is, I noticed how much cheaper yours is. Is that price the total cost (after taxes)? When I try your specs for the Vostro I get $1137 but that's not with the SXGA (that's a $100 upgrade from the XGA with TrueLife) also I didn't add Bluetooth for $20. My OS isn't Vista, it's XP.

If I add all of that, it's a $155 difference from your price and mine. Do you mind me asking about your discount details? I really need to purchase this soon and would greatly appreciate your advice.

Thanks!

 

No special discount. No coupon code. This was simply the price before Dell raised their prices. All of Dell's notebooks are about $150 more than they were about 1 month ago. Shoot, the inspirons are about $300- $400 more, now that there are no more coupon codes.

 

yeah it sucks.. if there were still coupons id cancel my 1520 and re-order the 1720 or 1700 instead... i cant givre up the deal i got though for the current prices..

 

LOL! That was funny!