inspiron 1420, the choice ant time?

Hello, everyone.
i'm having trouble deciding whether i should buy inspiron 1420 or other machine right now or not.
i'll post this part that was required in the what should i buy forum FAQ.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
1400
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.

Taiwan

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No, i think
5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

normal academic work like read papers, referencing.
Later on, i would need to run 3D modeling for protein science.
Also, i like to use it the watch some films, tvshows at the lab, some are high-def actually.
i occasionally play games, i like GTA.

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
i plan to use it when i go to the lab, and bring it with me most of the time.
7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
i occasionally play games, i like GTA.
8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
the longer the better
9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
yes, as matter of fact
10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
windows xp
Screen Specifics
11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
i'd like standard ones actually
12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard

b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.


13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
i'm ok with any of it
Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
not really, i'm ok with simple lines
15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
4~5years actually
Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB?
the more the better
17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
i'd like a dvd writer

Actually i have been taking inspiron 1420 as my priority.
but the penryn upgrade and a new product line have kept me from making the choice.

I'm a student in college, and require a laptop to help my research.
I'll be using it to read papers, referencing, and documenting.
Also, i will be using it for 3D modeling protein structure, so i'm worried about the performance of it.
i'll be watching tvshows, movies and listening to music on it.
i occasionally play games, but i think i'll put GTA in it.

i'm thinking about buying a inspiron 1420 with a T7500 processor.

Should i wait for the penryn upgrade??
or should i wait for new products??

i'm thinking about using it for 4~5years.

Hope you can give me some advice.

Really appreciated
thanks!!

 

If you're in Taiwan, why not check out the Asus F8 series. It doesn't come with a standard screen though.

 

if you want standard size and durability, look at Lenovo Thinkpads...

 

You can get the 1420 with the 128mb nvidia card - which should be good for what you listed. For 15.4'' Dell laptops you can get the vostro 1500 that can have the 256mb nvidia 8600m gt card.

 

is there any cons about inspiron 1420??

 

The 14.1'' T61 is going to be physically smaller than the inspiron 1420, yes. Quality is debateable.

 

There are plenty of posts from satisfied 1420 owners. There are two 1420s in my house and they both perform without problems. No regrets here.

 

Thanks alot!!!

i'm actually choosing between 1420 and hp's pavilion DV 2756.
The 2756 has better specs, T9500, 4GB RAM 250GB 5400rpm HDD
but i'm worried about the battery life and product reliabiligy.

chould you guys give me some advice?
inspiron 1420 with T7500, 2GB RAM, 160GB 5400rpm HDD, a 9-cell battery.
DV2756 with T9500, 4GB RAM, 250GB 5400rpm HDD, a battery which i don't know how many cells it has.
Both come with Geforce 8400M GS 128MB dedicated memory
The cons of DV2756 is that it's really hard to downgrade to windows xp.


thanks alot

 

Maybe things have changed. But last summer I briefly had a 1420 and the screens were terrible. The first screen was a sec (samsung) and had really bad viewing angles and was dark. The replacement was grainy all to hell. But I know at that time 14 inch screens had bad viewing angles overall.. Even the Sony CR at that time had bad viewing angles. It was a common problem with 14" screens and most manufacturers. At that time, I don't think LG made a 14 inch screen. I believe they do now and my guess those may be better. But generally, dell uses many sources for LCD's and quality can vary greatly. I think thats what scared me away from dell was the lack of quality control with screens. They do have a good return policy if you order online so just be prepared to replace/refund because its anyones guess if you get a good one. Luck of the draw with dell. I ended up going with HP since they generally have very nice screens and speakers compared with Dell. But HP only offers the wxga screen on their DV6700. But I don't mind this resolution. For me, what the point of a high resolution screen from dell if it looks all grainy, dark with bad viewing angles.

Maybe things have changed, but last summer the wxga screens on the 1420's had less complaints then the wxga+ screens. Personally, I think the wxga is better suited for that size screen anyways. But to answer your question, their is no cons for the 1420 if you get "a good one". The con would be that dell's QC and build quality have frustrated many customers on this site with having to go though repairs and replacements.. me included. But after my replacement I just went elsewhere.

And interestingly, the most positive comments that I remember hearing on the 1420 was with the regular plain Jane matte screen. I don't even know if that is offered anymore but customers that ordered that said they looked great.

 

I'd say the HP will probably have a nicer display. For some reason HP seems to have fairly nice looking 14" panels which oftentimes look like crap with many notebook manufacturers. I know from experience that dell has shipped really crappy looking 14" panels.. Maybe thats changed in the last 6 months.

One think nice about the 1420 is its quiet and runs cool. You might hear a little more fan noise on the HP and from what users say on the HP forum the 14 inch HP notebooks can get a little warm. But still many HP users say this is not that big of deal and they really like them. But when I had my 1420 with the 128mb 8400m gs it ran surprisingly cool and quiet. Personally, if I were you, I'd probably get the HP since I don't have much faith in dells displays. Another thing is the DV6700 15 inch HP is not that much bulkier and heavy then the 1420. Yes there is a big difference between a 15" vostro and a 1420.. the vostro is a tank.. bulky heavy etcc.. But the dv6700 from HP runs cooler then the 14" HP and has a nice slim design. Just something you might consider in all your options. The other thing worth mentioning is the built in speakers on the 1420 are crap compared to the altec lansing ones that Hp uses. Its nice since I don't have to drag out my external creative travel sounds like I did with the 1420. So yes, for me the dell speakers were bad enough to go through the effort of plugging in the AC adapter and run them to the travel sounds and get another double ended 1/8 inch mini plug and route that from from speaker to headphone jack.

Also I believe the 1420 still does not offer hdmi. If you order the Hp with nvidia option you will get the hdmi.

As for reliability, I'd say HP has better hardware, build quality and quality control. Nothing scientific here, just it appears to me that the HP forum lacks the numerous fit and finish threads and grainy screen threads that you see on this forum. My first 1420 had a crack in the back of the lid/hinge housing. A quick inspection would have discovered that flaw in the factory. So I have my doubts about QC at dell. You see alot more talk on the dell forums about misaligned panels, hinges, wobbly feet, grainy screens etc.. on this forum then you do on the HP forums. What you see more on the HP forums are electronic failures which is normal. But when you combine the normal amount of electronic failures with built quality and bad displays, I'd say HP has the upper hand. With dell, is mostly about luck getting a good one with a decent LCD panel.

I keep stressing about displays and speakers because those effect the senses. Most of the time when your on a notebook you are staring at the screen.. and maybe listening to music. If the music sounds bad and you got a grainy screen then as far as I am concerned, who cares about the rest of the machine. I admit, Dell probably has a bit sturdier case and it runs cooler then HP. Although I still feel the case is more then strong enough on the HP and neither are probably going to survive a drop anyways. The bottom line is the display and speakers for me are extremely important since that directly affects your senses. I strongly feel that dell needs to step it up on their LCD and speaker choices. They pretty much ruin what could be killer machines.