What games will I be able to play?

Recently purchased a e1505, but have not received it yet!!

core duo 2.0 ghz
1 GB RAM
80 GB 5400 Hard Disk
Ati x1400 256 hypermemory GPU

Will i be able to play the latest games out there,
Such as fear, call of duty, need for speed most wanted, and so on??

Or will they run a bit sluggish

 

Well, the X1400 is a good card (better than the X200M) so you'll be able to play most games at decent settings (Med-High) at Decent Resolutions, with good Frame Rates (AVG. 35+). so you dont need to worry about playing games

BUT,

the thing you do need to worry about is: DELL.
they are not a very good company and dont last long. they have poor build quality, and they underclock your video card (X1400) alot! (so you dont get the pure performance of the X1400). they mainly have alot of screen problems too.
the only upside for the Dell E1505 is that they are cheap (cheaper than most notebooks with an X1400)

so that is up to you (DELL)

on the other hand,
as long as it lasts, your Dell will be able to play games just fine


but then again.............DELL????

 

thanks for the reply dello,

i'm very glad the graphic card will respond to the latest games...but don't you think you're exagerating a bit on the build quality? I have not received mine and hope to not have any screen problems

 

Well maybe i am, but this is all from my experience of DELL.

they may be ok for some people, but i had to exchange my Dell laptop 3 times before i finally quit and moved on to HP (HP IS GREAT IN BOTH CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND REFUNDS) HP Build Quality is better than Dell.

by DELL i mean their Mainstream Laptops, not the top end)

i really do hope your comes in fine and lasts for you.

 

Look, don't believe ALL the negative hype surrounding Dell. I'm sure you've heard the saying "If it's positive, you tell two people...if it's negative, you tell ten". Well, so goes it for Dell. Seriously....as long as you're not dancing a jig on top of your notebook, and you're not doing something retarded with it, like hovering it over open flame or a bathtub full of water....you'll be fine. Just read online reviews and check out forums to get an idea of any major issues...most of the time, people get so upset because they didn't do their homework. Then they act like they should be able to get a hold of a service agent IMMEDIATELY. Well, guess what....Dell is a HUGE company.....so, like any large company...you're gonna be on the phone for a little bit...deal with it. Also, proper maintenance will go a long way to extending the life of your system. Use common sense+don't try using the notebook for things like a cupholder = you should be just fine......enjoy your new system!!

 

Just as a contrast to what dello said, I've heard no evidence that the E1505 has low durability - and it certainly doesn't feel like it, just from holding it. The Inspiron 6000 was apparently rather durable, with a few issues, and I've heard the E1505 has improved on the i6000 chassis rather substantially (though don't take my word for it, never seen a 6000).

Also, the x1400 on your system will be able to play Oblivion (first-hand experience), so you should be able to play just about anything . Don't know about FEAR, though - is that more or less intensive than Oblivion?

 

looks like we got a dell fan here

but i am only speaking from my experience on dell laptops.
i had to exchange it 3 times before i finally quit and returned it. now i am with HP and i am Perfectly happy (look at my siggy!)

 

do you consider the e1505 a mainstream laptop or not?
cause you're kind of scaring me!!!

any info on problems with the e1505??

 

Speaking also from personal experiences: Dell's build quality is poor and their service & support has eroded in recent years. Yes, they are cheap, d@mn cheap compared to what you can get for the same price but that comes at a price. If you are looking for gaming you should have gone with the XP line and not their Inspiron. Their Latitude series is decent, afterall, it's their business line of notebooks.

I have an Inspiron 4150 that suffered a motherboard meltdown and since it was out of warranty I went to Dell who wanted to charge me $700 all in to replace + labor & shipping. Luckily, I was in hong kong and was able to replace it for 160 all in. That series of laptop has a known heat issue with the MB melting down (core temp reaching near 80C)

But in response to your game - Dello is correct in stating that Dell underclock the X1400 to avoid heat issues because they have not address that fully so that's their work around, a temporary stop gap if you will. Hence, in actuality you're getting an X300 card because of the underclocking. I would get tools to overclock it and get some serious cooling pads to mitigate the heat issue.

And Dello is correct again that you should be able to play the latest games at decent setting, just don't expect it to run like a hot knife through butter or blow your pants off!

 

To answer the original question (let's keep this on topic please, thanks), the X1400 is a good midrange card and a nice step up from the X600 which it replaced, but will struggle in FEAR and Call of Duty 2. Need for Speed Most Wanted is also very demanding, and the X1400 will also be forced to run that at lower settings.

That being said, if you return it, what is your budget? I would go for something with a better video card if you plan to game. Check out the MSI-1039. It has a better card (X1600 256MB dedicated) and design/quality than a Dell.

 

My Take on the e1505, x1400 and Dell.

x1400
Its a solid mid range card... its not a top of the line gaming card by any means... but it will run just about anything out there at medium settings. Ive personally tried Doom3, BF2, and Fear... and all seemed to run well at medium to high settings... in fact the more you crank up the settings the better BF2 seemed to run. I got a 3dmark of 1786 with catalyst drivers and 1876 with Omega Drivers, no overclocking. Repectable! Especially considering moving up to the x1600 or better in a core duo system gets EXPENSIVE by comparison.

e1505
Ive had mine a few days now... and I can say that its definitely better built than my 600m and that lasted me nearly 3 years and is still working fine (yes I got one of the first dedicated video 600m models). I got a 2ghz, sxga+, x1400, 100gb, 1gb e1505 with tv tuner... and so far its lived up to my expectations admirably.

Dell - The Company
Their huge, and their a volume seller... they also have very unique marketing... If you dont like dells prices... wait a day, they will change. The secret is buying from dell when the deal is there... not when you need it. Dell used to have support second to none, but thats not the case since they outsourced overseas... its still good, its just hard to get things done due to department transfers and language barrier issues.

Dell - Support
My first e1505 had to be returned due to a bad screen... there was a column of pixels that were bad. It took me about 45 minutes being transferred around before I got it resolved... but once it was resolved they did it right... I called them on a monday... had a new machine built and delivered to my house that friday, and had a shipper come pick up the original machine the following monday. Not bad in my book... 5 day turn around having the machine built in mylasia and delivered to the midwest in that short of time. And btw the replacement was a keeper.

 

I am neither a fan nor an opponent.....mine is working for me, this is actually my first. However, I've known people who've had Dells both Inspirons and the XPS lines. As long as you don't do anything stupid...you'll probably be okay in the long run. Now, that being said, I'm not saying that you DIDN'T find the service atrocious, I never said they were the best....and I also didn't say their build quality was bullet-proof. But I personally know a handful of people who went out and spent $5,000+ on Alienware laptops.....and experienced FAR more bugs and glitches than I've ever seen on a Dell...again, just my $.02.....people will have their preferences and they will differ, that's life =)

 

yeah i agree with ya,
maybe my dell experience was not too good (after all i exchanged 3 laptops all Inspirion)