ugh.. Just got my vostro 1400...

Well my 1400 just arrived, and heres my thoughts.

I thought Vista would be okay, but I don't like it. Maybe I should try giving it more time, but right now, it is a pain. It's seemingly oversimplified and/or bloated to the point of annoyance. My sound seems to be occasionally popping. The trackpad has tracking issues, occasionally not registering my movement. My screen IMO is ugly, I ordered the matte, but I most definitely expected more from it. It's hard to explain, it seems almost blurry, washed out, overly white no matter how I adjust it, black text sometimes appears "rainbowie"...(this is my biggest issue). And of course the wobbly battery, but thats not such a big deal to me, I was expecting it. I am giving my desktop to my brother, and as this is going to be my sole computer, I need it to be in excellent condition...

Now heres the thing, and I'd like some suggestions if possible. I could exchange it for another one, but thats unlikely since I don't like vista, and on my next one I want a true life xga+ screen.

I could return it for a refund and order a 1500, but this is where I really need some help. One reason I chose the 1400 was because of mobility, I really like the size of the 1400 especially after using it in person. How much bigger is the 1500, and how much heavier? I plan to take it to school maybe 3 times a week... Getting it for the current value deal is appealing, especially since its the same price I paid for my 1400, but instead it has a 8600...

Or, return and get a different brand, any suggestions? Price range is up to 850. School usage, light gaming, decent mobility(models just like the 1400/1500). Will be my only computer.

Lastly, I could just keep it, call dell and probably get some credit back or a gift cert or something...

Any help? Thanks...

 

Vista's not bad at all. Turn off UAC (Google it) and you will immediately begin to appreciate it a little bit more. Overall, it's sleeker than the previous versions, if just a little slower (I think the consensus is around 5-6% on average). It's future-proofed, though; after all the kinks are ironed out via updates, it will be a very solid operating system. It already is to a reasonable extent.

Also, install the two most recent big updates (Performance and Reliability):

http://windows.about.com/b/a/257785.htm

This generally speeds things up and fixes nagging issues. Chances are, the update has not yet been applied on your machine.

I say give it a little time. I'm no noob myself; I am a computer technician by day, and a programmer/web designer by night who reviews videogames.

I can't help you with that screen, though. I love my glossy WXGA+.

 

My sound seems to be occasionally popping.
Not really a good thing, might need to be looked at.

The trackpad has tracking issues, occasionally not registering my movement.
Easy to fix. Go the the Control Panel and you should see an item for the mouse. Click in there and look around to change the Sensitivity. Dial it lower.

My screen IMO is ugly, I ordered the matte, but I most definitely expected more from it.
From what I'm reading this is a common complaint with most screens now. You might need to find a way to adjust this in the GPU drives and it might help. You might also want to look into a Spyder2 kit to calibrate your screen.

Now heres the thing, and I'd like some suggestions if possible. I could exchange it for another one, but thats unlikely since I don't like vista, and on my next one I want a true life xga+ screen.
If you want a different spec'd laptop you'd have to return this and then re-order. Exchanges must have identical specs.

One reason I chose the 1400 was because of mobility, I really like the size of the 1400 especially after using it in person. How much bigger is the 1500, and how much heavier? I plan to take it to school maybe 3 times a week... Getting it for the current value deal is appealing, especially since its the same price I paid for my 1400, but instead it has a 8600...
It might make somewhat of a difference, but only for 3 times a week? I wouldn't worry too much.

The 8600 is only important if you really play a lot of games. Battery life will suffer some.

Or, return and get a different brand, any suggestions? Price range is up to 850. School usage, light gaming, decent mobility(models just like the 1400/1500). Will be my only computer.
For lower budgets you really cannot go wrong with Dell at all...they typically find a way to include a lot for so little.

 

Sorry to hear that. For the touchpad, just spend the few days until you return it or whatever. You'll probably get used to it quickly.

Popping you say? Try that Vista anti-lag thing. It cut down on my popping significantly.

 

Thanks a lot for the responses, they are really helping a lot.

To the above poster, Vista anti-lag? I'm not sure what that is. I'll see what I can find on google.

 

logo908,

I originally ordered BOTH the 1400 and the 1500, and they both arrived on the same day. I wanted to try both of them out, hoping the 1400 would work out best, but wanting to see the 1500 with the WXGA+ Ultrasharp Truelife screen (not available on the 1400).

So, I had both the 1400 and 1500, identically spec'd (except for the LCD). I also liked the size and weight of the 1400 over the 1500, but the LCD was lousy, and the 1500 WXGA+ screen is beautiful.

I got (from ebay) Dell topload bags for both a 14.1" and a 15.4" (yes, there are two different bags), and although they are different, the sizes are pretty close, so carrying them around, there isn't much difference.

Overall, I like the layout of the 1500 and the fact the power jack is in the back and not on the side as some moronic designer saw fit on the 1400. I liked the 1400 size, but screen is everything to me...that is my interface to the PC, and if ain't right, the whole thing ain't right!

Anyways, if I were you, I'd shoot for the 1500 with XP. Much faster response too. (Yes, I've tested Vista and XP on both the 1400 and 1500 an even though I am a seasoned veteran with Vista as I use it daily on my desktop, on my laptops, it's just too slow...XP is the king!)

Good luck on your decision.

 

Try turning off ClearType in the control panel... that should fix the "rainbowy" text issue.

 

wow i soooo hope i get the lg it seems to be the one everyone likes in the wsxga+... man im just not that lucky.. maybe just this once though

 

Thanks, suggestions are really helping.
Well, I think I can get used to vista with time, my sound seems to still be popping though. Also, whats up with dell ONLY offering xga+ true lifes on their 1400s now. Think I can call and get them to exchange mine for one of those... because, this screen truly is the one thing right now that is giving me buyers remorse, its really quite bad. I could get use to it... but I know it could be so much nicer.

 

no the only do the exchange for the exact same thing. to get anything different you would have to send yours back for a refund while re-ordering a whole new system trust me i tried everything possible.. they will 150% not change out that screen for a lower model..

 

Wow, I sure like vista more now without clear type on, any other little tricks or tweaks I can use to improve my vista experience while I wait a few days to decide if waiting for a return and going through the hassle is worth a sharper screen or not...

 

Did you adjust touchpad sensitivity as Greg suggested? Should be in Control Panel > Mouse... or something like that.

Oh and this site may interest you:
http://www.tweakvista.com/

 

im really sorry about your laptop....i hope that these things wont happen to my vostro 1400 cause i have to give my desktop to my bro too so i want my laptop to be perfect lol .... maybe you should get an exchange cause the 1500 won't be as mobile as the 1400 thats just my opinion...

 

Well, I plugged in the power cord for the first time just now and the brightness automatically went way up, making it look a lot nicer, still not perfect, but a lot better. Also, my desktop is gone and I am running my LCD as primary and laptop as secondary extended desktop, and it is simply...awesome. Never done this thing before, and holy crap was I missing out, so many possibilities, especially with the dual core. Anyway, I decided if I'm going to do anything, it'll be a return for a 1500, but as mobility is a priority, I will spend a few more days considering that decision, the fact that this is my new sole computer, and that the 1500 has a way better graphics card is certainly guiding me in that direction... we'll see.

 

LOL... by the way you can adjust brightness by holding down the Fn key and using the up and down arrow keys.

 

logo908,

It sounds like you're just willing to "settle" for a bunch of little issues. Why not order a 1500 now, and by the time it comes, you should still be under your 30 days for the 1400, and then you can decide, like I did, with both of the units in hand, and just return the one you don't want!

Don't "just get used to it" with Vista and the other issues. Sure, Vista is pretty and new, but that will get old. The performance of Vista is just not there, and with all this new hardware and fast CPU's, why be bogged down with a slow OS?

If you order a 1500, order it with XP. That way, you can use XP on the 1500, or if you decide to keep the 1400, you can Ghost the 1500 over to the 1400's HD (assuming you have a license for it), and then if you want, you'll have XP for the 1400, the easy way!!

Good luck!

 

How about an external monitor...?

Just a thought...

 

remember if you are in the usa its 21 days not 30... this has been made very clear to me by many reps at dell

 

the audio popping probably can't be helped

Microsoft redid their vista audio stack and it still has some bugs (doesn't work with famous Sound Blaster by Audigy, for example)

try to update your drivers through dell support website

 

go the apple way

 

be enlightened and go the linux way!

user of SUSE 10.2

 

Still considering what to do... I really still don't know. Whats the 8600M GT in the 1500 like compared to the X800 XT PE. This was the card in my old desktop... help would be appreciated.

 

8600M GT is definitely better.
X800 xt pe is similar to a 6800 Ultra in performance
a 7600GT is slightly better than a6800 Ultra in performance
a 8600 GT is 30-50% better than a 7600GT in performance
the 8600M GT is 20-30% worse in performance compared to a 8600GT

 

About to pull the plug on a 1500 instead of this 1400.

Any quick advice would be appreciated, this is holding me back:
1. First thing I noticed on the 1400 was the size, I liked it nice and small, as I will be carrying it to school occasionally, 1500 is comparatively how much heavier/thicker/bigger? Portability is quite important to me.

2. Going back to XP... sure I know Ill like it more and find it faster and more responsive but it still feels like a step ...backwards after using vista... I dunno.. I'm sure XP will be around for a good while... and an upgrade to vista would not be too big a hassle when the time comes correct?

So yah, about to pull the plug here, any tips? Thanks again..

Edit: Well... this decision is really starting to piss me off(I'm the kind of person who always takes the longest just to decide what to eat)..
Anyway after reading around a bit more, this is what I'm thinking. BTW, new audio drivers seem to have fixed my audio popping nicely. Also, I running dual screens, external as primary so the subpar monitor isn't too big of a problem.

Now, the only reason I'm considering the 1500 and am still somewhat on the verge of pulling the trigger is XP and the 8600. I think it actually might just be the gfx because, when I think about it, Vista is the future, and I am getting somewhat used to it...

As for gfx, I dont even know if I'm going to have enough time for gaming, sure I might play wow sometimes and it does run pretty crappy on this 1400 but WC3 will run like butter, I'm mostly worried about SC2, and when that comes out if I can't run it fluently I'll sell this one and buy a different I suppose. I've never been one for gfx intensive games. Anyway... this is a HUGE rant and yah... it just feels better to put my ideas down somewhere and get them somewhat organized.. if anyone reads this... thanks haha...

 

Which "new audio drivers" did you end up installing that fixed the audio popping?

 

niiiiiiiiiice

 

logo908: what do you exactly mean by audio "popping"? I am experiencing similar things, but only when I use my headphone jacks.

Please clarify.

 

i don't get whats the problem with you and vista lol....I have no problems with it .....its actually a really nice OS but microsoft needs to do more updating ^^