Dell Inspiron 7500 R450VT: Why it's great, why it sucks and why you need to read this before you order anything from Dell
Written: Jan 26 '00
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Pros: Fastest, baddest notebook out there.
Cons: Lousy support, Lousy drivers, Lousy Customer service
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| nrubenstein's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 7500 R500VT |
The Dell Inspiron 7500 R450VT:
This is one awesome computer. I ordered it with:
--Pentium III 450
--15" SXGA+ (1400x1050 LCD)
--128MB RAM
--25GB HDD
--6x DVD/Floppy Combo
--Internal 4x4x20 CD-RW/Floppy combo (uses same bay as DVD)
--Internal 56k Modem
Why I like this computer:
1) It flies. This is an extraordinarily fast computer. I can honestly say that with the exception of 3d acceleration it is as fast as my PIII 450 desktop.
2) The screen. The reason I was willing to switch from my old 1.85lbs. Toshiba to this 9.5+lbs. monstosity is and was the screen. The 1400x1050 resolution is unequaled by any other brand or model. It is gloriously sharp, with good color saturation. I would note, though, that this screen is not for everyone. The pixels are tiny. For me, that is wonderful--I hate big pixels, but some people have stated that they can;t read my screen.
3) The hard drive is a substantial 25GB. Moreover, the platters rotate at 5400RPMs, making it noticable faster than other notebook drives.
4) Because it's huge, the keyboard is truly full sized and has the stroke of the keys is longer than any others I've seen.
Things that really irritate me:
1) Software support. In particular, the drivers are awful. The ATI video drivers are buggy, unstable and slow. This is a huge minus to an otherwise nice machine.
2) Reliability: I really don't know how much I would trust this computer. It took all of THREE days for my modem to die. The LCD then
developed an uneven backlighting problem.
Things about Dell that really concern me:
In order to purchase this system, I called up and talked to a sales rep. The next week, I was called and told "Hi, your order is ready, but the shipping address was messed up. If you could give that to me now, your computer will be out the door this evening." It was Thursday. It didn't ship. The ship date was extended two weeks EVEN THOUGH NO PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER AND OTHER COMPUTERS WERE STILL SHIPPING IN UNDER A WEEK!!! I cancelled the order and made some small changes on Monday, and the computer was at my door Friday.
Because of the reliability issues with this system I will send it back. However, I first ordered another system. Same specs except with the 600MHz PIII which just came out.
Apparently, the sales rep mis-entered the credit card number, causing my computer to be held up in order processing for five days! When I tried to call the rep, I only got his answering machine. I never received any callbacks. It took three calls to customer service, one customer service manager and a direct call to a sales manager to get this issue fixed.
When I'm trying to spend $4,000 of my money, this sort of run-around is awfully irritating.
Neutral, and can be applied to every new computer out there:
One thing I strongly reccomend to anyone who buys a computer new is that they wipe the hard drive and re-install Windows from scratch. People have found that this results in a far more stable computer that runs around 10-15% faster in most cases. Dell's OEM insatllations are, unfortunately, particularly unstable. You really have to wipe.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, the Dell Inspiron 7500 is still the fastest, most impressive notebook out there, with a most impressive array of options and features. The standard three year warranty should handle all defects. If you are in need of a truly portable desktop replacement, then this is your choice. There is no other.
MAJOR WARNING!!!
The I7500 has two latches holding the screen closed. These are very prone to failure. If they break, get them fixed immediately. Dell will cover this. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS OF SCREENS CRACKING IF THIS IS NOT FIXED!!! Don't let yourself be put out of $1,500+.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3900
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 401-500
Screen Size: 15"
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 12
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Epinions.com ID:
nrubenstein
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Location: Bethesda, MD
Reviews written: 1
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