got my E1405!!

Instead of writing a full review of the system, I'll let you guys ask about the system and I'll give my impressions. I won't reformat until Friday so assume this PC is sraight out of the box.

I'll check back a bit later and comment on anything you've posted at that point

 

Well, what do you think about it? How's the screen? How's the weight and size? Easy to carry around? How do the buttons and keypad feel compared to any other computer? Tell us about it! Mine just got in the boxing phase and is expected to come in two weeks...I'm so anxious. Hopefully it will come sooner.

 

Yeah did you get the WXGA or WXGA+ trulife? Can you take some pics of it with a piece of normal 8.5 x 11 paper on top of it (l want to see how the size compares to it)?

And after you have had it for a bit longer l'd like to know which battery you got and how long it lasts

 

how does it compare to the previous 630m or xps 140 ? ?
is it almost thes same buy with core duo and intel 950 (over 900)
what's the size compared with the 630m ?

 

So far so good. The build is fine, the laptop feels very sturdy It is very compact and the 14" screen doesn't seem at all small compared to a 15.4". The keyboard is nice though the touchpad buttons feel a bit mushy(I'll be using a USB Mouse so that won't be an issue). I ordered the ruelife screen and so far I like it, though it does reflect a ton of light from the b ackground. The screen is bright and colors stand out and seem very vivid. There is some noticeable light leakage at the bottom where the taskbar is, it can be reduced by changing the screen angle but at my preferred angle it's pretty noticeable. There's also a darkish "spot" near the lower left corner of the screen and I've heard that this can be a problem but if it doesn't get any worse and theres's nothing else wrong then I don't think I'll send it back to Dell since they replace new notebooks with refurbs.

That's all I have to say now, I'll play around with it a bit more to see if everything's working correctly. So far I'm happy though

 

As far as I know that's the case, I never owned another laptop so I can't comment any further.

 

Wow, glad I read this. I may want to see one of those screens before I get one now...

 

I think its to early for them to have refurb. 1405's. Any dead pixels? I dread this everytime I get a new laptop.

 

No dead pixels that I can see, I'd gladly post some pics of the screen but I don't know how to host the on the internet so i cn access them via URL.

 

http://imageshack.us/

 

^^^Amen, great site to post some pics we can see

 

alright I think I'll be able to get some pics up of the screen.
n batery power all this ti
Forgot to mention before that I've been using the notebook on battery all this timem straight out of the box. Also Dell automatically sent me ALL of the CD's I'll need for the reformat,

OS CD
Resources CD
MS Office 2003 CD
Integrated Audigy software CD

 

what are the basic stats the one u got?

 

First, my specs:

Intel T2500
2GB SOR2 533Mzh RAM
100GB 7200RPM HD
Intel GMA 950
Integrated sound with Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD AUDIO
14.1" display WXGA+ with Truelife
6 cell lithium ion battery.


Now my pics: please excuse my less than amatuer photography skills, they came out a lot bigger than I thought they would.

This image is of the whole screen, notice the "sparkle" in the white areas


This one is to show the darkish spot near the lower left corner, the light leakage is a bit exagerated in the photo

 

Could you do a farther back pic so we can see the screen as a whole (light distribution, etc)?

 

Oh, and thanks

 

man all you guys that are wanting size pics just need to find the reviews on the m140/630m. the e1405 used the EXACT same case as the previous models, you are just getting a dual core cpu, SATA drive, wxga+ screen and a gma 950 gpu. other than those differences the old model and the new one are cosmeticaly the same.

 

Well, I wanted to see the new screen....so...

 

Yes, the XPS M140 (630m) and this E1405 are exactly the same case... only the innards are different.
The Inspiron 630m on the left and Inspiron E1405 on the right.

[/IMG]

 

Trackpad looks different actually.

Oh, and the icons on your desktop/taskbar. j/k

 

Does the truelife screen look as good as other dells?

 

How long will it take that light leakage to take over the whole screen? I hear thats what happened eventually. I was excitied about ordering this system but now that I hear it comes with defects kinda ruins it ;/

 

I think you hear wrong. Everything I've heard in the last 2+ years of researching notebooks indicates that leakage tends to decrease some (although not go away completely) rather than increase.

Are you the same person over at Notebookforums.com that said you never heard of an EPP coupon worth more than 20% off? lol

 

how is the integrated audigy hd sound on the e1405 comparted to the regular audio on the m140?

 

My E1405 Review:

I just got my E1405 yesterday also, and I have to say that so far I am rather disappointed. Granted, it was only $700 total, but compared to my 700m, the screen SUCKS. It has a viewing angle of about 10-degrees. full-screen movies with any black involved look washed out unless you are at a PERFECT angle with the screen... so forget about watching a movie and having it look normal if more than 1 person is watching.

I'm thinking this E1405 is going to go to a client that recently called me up and wanted a new laptop... I'd rather tough it out with my 700m and wait for something that has a good screen to come along.

As for the Audigy sound... I only have my 700m to compare my E1405 to, so it's hardly a benchmark, as the 700m has the worst sound on earth. the E1405 seems to have a good, rich amount of bass for a laptop... but being that the "integrated audigy" is nothing more than software, I feel ripped off. I wonder if dell would take back their stupid audigy CD and give me my $25 back?

Overall, I'd rate the E1405 as follows:

Speed: B+, I can tell a slight difference between this Duo 1.66 and my P-M 1.8 in my 700m.

Battery Life: A, I've only run it down once, but it seems to hold up for a good 5-6 hours... impressive for a 14.1" laptop.

Screen: D+, After using my 700m and 2005FPW screens for over a year, this one just looks terrible. I don't care if it's glossy and hi-res, if you can only see it from a 10-degree angle, it looks awful... mine also has a fair amount of light leakage which just adds to the washed-out look of colors and blacks.

Other: I was impressed that the wireless card was a newer minipci-x rather than standard minipci, but this also limits your upgrades, as minipci-x is fairly new... ditto with the SATA HDD... nice feature, but currently limited upgrades. The "integrated audity" is just bullsh*t. It's a software cd that just adds bloat and adds NO HARDWARE ADVANTAGE over the normal sigma-tel audio. In short, unless you love distorted (EAX) audio, the audigy "upgrade" is a ripoff.

I guess overall I'd say it's a good deal for the speed and battery life that you get... but the screen kills it for me... it's either going back to Dell or I'm selling it to a client and using my trusty 700m until something with a good screen that is 12-14.1" comes out.

 

"Battery Life: A, I've only run it down once, but it seems to hold up for a good 5-6 hours... impressive for a 14.1" laptop."


Is that with the 6 or 9 cell battery?

 

sucks to hear about the screen. seems like a waste to get one now.

 

That's with the 9-cell... which I would recommend if getting this laptop... it sticks out the back but not as much as the 8cell on my 700m.

 

That really stinks about the screen. I got one for my wife, so hopefully she won't be bothered by it. Otherwise, I guess it might go back.

 

There's a chance that I'm just a screen snob... because I've been spoiled with my 2005fpw and 700m... but that's where I set the bar.

 

oakleez,

I have also been spoiled by the 2405FPW and Inspiron 700m, so far no Dell notebook screen matches those.

 

I did my reformat today, everything went perfectly. I really like this machine, unless something breaks I'm definately keeping it

 

Happy for you

 

When you reformatted it, were there any problems for example with MediaDirect or anything else?

 

How far does the battery stick out the back?

 

About 3/4".... not too far, and it also doesnt extend to the edges... it just comes straight out from the battery slot compartment... which is good i guess, for fitting in laptop bags that it normally might not fit in if the battery went edge-to-edge.... I'm personally selling my E1405 to a client the next time someone needs a decent setup, and keeping/upgrading my 700m until a new/good/cheap 12.1" or 13.3" widescreen dualcore/vista solution comes along. Until Vista is mainstream, my 700m will do just fine...

One more note about the E1405, a pleasant surprise was that the integrated (WHY NOT MODULAR?!) dvd-r was an NEC 6650A... easily re-flashable with bitsetting firmware... big plus in my book. My 700m initially came with a **** Sony dvd-r that I eventually RMA'd for an NEC 6650A. I flashed my E1405's drive with the latest liggy&dee firmware and it works great... too bad it has a **** screen, this lappy has a lot of power!

 

Does anybody have any pics of what the 9 cell battery looks like in it?

Also, what kind of battery life does the 6 cell offer?

 

only 5-6 hrs with the 9-cell? doesn't dell claim 8.5?

and have you figured out which screen you got? is it the samsung?

 

I just took some pics on my webcam. Quality isn't very good but you get the idea.






I have the XPS M140 by the way but the external shell is exactly the same. With the 9 cell I get a little under 7hrs. I don't have a 6 cell but I have heard around 4.5hrs. The E1405 should get very similar battery life.

 

Thanks mate!!! Appreciated.

Does anybody know if I get the 1x 1gb stick of ram, and if I purchase another Corsair etc 1gb stick later, will it work in dual channel without any problems?

 

Yes, it will work no problem. Just be sure that your buying the right speed of RAM. DDR2 533mhz vs DDR2 667mhz. Zipzoomfly and Newegg are great places to buy.

 

For Dual Channel to work, you must have 2 stick of the same size

ie.: 2x1Gb

 

I'm with you, oakleez. I've had quite a few models of of Dell notebooks also (I buy Dell notebooks like women buy shoes!), and agree, the 700m has the perfect screen! I have a 2405 LCD and am spoiled by it also. I currently have the E1505 with the Ultrasharp WSXGA+ screen, and am pretty happy with that. It compares (but not equals) the 700m.

Too bad Dell has to use cheap panels, but I guess it helps to keep the costs down!

 

Got my wife's laptop today. I am probably a screen snob as well, though maybe not such refined laptop tastes as you guys.

Overall, the screen isn't really that bad. A bit of leakage, some narrow angles if two people are trying to look at it, but overall very nice. I don't think it would meet my standards, but I am a matte kind of guy anyway. My wife, on the other hand, thinks the screen looks great.

I said this in another post, but it can be repeated here. If the laptop is for a tech snob, then the screen is probably going to disappoint. If it isn't for a tech snob, then it will probably be just fine, unless they are moving from another laptop with a nice screen.

 

I just received my new Dell E1405. It’s been only about 1 hr. First impression after opening the box just by touching the laptop…. IT’S CHEAP…. The laptop materials are really cheap and I really didn’t expect this from Dell after using their Latitude laptops. This is my first Inspiron. Some people would say that the material is cheap because it’s for home use and they are not built like Latitudes. I have a HP home laptop too, it’s zt3010us and trust me that’s plastic too but the built on that laptop far superior than this Inspiron. No, I am not comparing this with ThinkPad.

I guess Dell is selling the laptops for darn cheap price for only one reason… because the laptops are cheap. So, in fact Dell is actually charging us the right amount for the right product. The Inspirons are not $800 up material laptops.

I got the WXGA+ screen with truelife. The screen is really washed out even in normal light, I have to tilt LCD further down to get the perfect color. And there are light leakage from the bottom.

I am thinking about returning this laptop.

 

oddly enough, according to the pictures i have seen, the e1405 is in the same case as the xps140. did people think that was cheap? I am not trying to defend it, just curious.

As for the cheapness, my wife agrees a bit. She thinks it is the white trim that makes it look cheap. The buttons on the pad are also very soft (which is not that big of a problem since she uses a wireless mouse), and the keyboard is a bit "clicky."

 

I've decided to sell my E1405 to a client, and use my 700m and switch to either an asus or sony for my next laptop... sure sony vaios are more expensive, but their new dual cores are VERY attractive... 13.3" widescreen, etc etc. The only thing that stinks is the accessories (extra batteries, etc) cost a TON.

Maybe that new 12" dell with dedicated graphics that is on the horizon will have a screen as good as the 700m... if so, I'll go for that one... but for now nothing available from dell (in my mind) beats my 700m.

 

I didn't encounter any problems durring the reformat other than the fact that the Resources CD(which I was only using as a reference since I had all the drivers on my flash drive) was waay out of date, didn't even have MD Repair.

I was also a bit alarmed when I reinstaled the Sound Audigy since it installed a couple of apparently useless apps with it.

Anyone know if these can be removed safely?

 

There is no problems with the fact they will be different brands of ram?

 

Brand has nothing to with it; only speed and quantity. You can't have a 512mb stick and a 1gb stick run in dual channel because they are not the same size, but two 1gb sticks or two 512mb sticks will run fine.