Great Desktop Replacement Laptop
Written: Feb 17 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, reliable, good WiFi, nice extra features, good screen, battery life
Cons: Size, too much trial software
The Bottom Line: This notebook is powerful and reliable. It can replace your desktop and can go mobile if you don't mind a slightly big machine.
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| jamesa9791's Full Review: Dell Inspiron E1505 (DNDWEA38) PC Notebook |
I have owned my Dell E1505 for 6 months and it has been very reliable and easy to use.
Specs:
2.0Ghz Intel Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon 128MB graphics card, 1GB memory, 60GB 7,200rpm hard drive, DVD+/-RW drive, and 15.4" TrueLife Display.
Speed:
This notebook screams! Video and photo editing does not slow it down, and it can handle multiple tasks easily. My only speed-related complaint is boot-up time, which is about 1 minute for everything to load. If you use hibernate, it's only about 10 seconds.
Screen:
I got the brightest, highest-resolution screen and it is amazing. I can use it anywhere without having to shade the screen, and DVD graphics are great. The screen is big enough that you can use it for hours like you would use a desktop. If you have the ATI graphics card, you can also plug in a second monitor and extend your desktop (It's like you have two computers, and you can move your mouse from one screen to the other).
Keyboard and touchpad:
The keyboard responds well, and I do not have to type any differently on this keyboard than I would on a normal one. The touchpad has amazing prescision. When cropping pictures I can make tiny adjustments by rolling my finger slightly. You can also do horizontal and vertical scrolling on the touchpad. As with most touchpads, it will be uncomfortable if your hands get sweaty, and there is no track point. You can, of course, plug in a mouse.
Extra features:
The computer can boot into media mode in about 20 seconds to watch DVD's, listen to music, and look at pictures. Hotkeys for turning WiFi on and off, and adjusting screen brightness, are useful. There are also media control buttons on the front of the machine. The media stick slot can accept most common cards from cameras and is easy to use.
Security:
The laptop lock slot is good, although it does not lock the hard drive. The system and the hard drive itself can be locked with separate passwords.
Mobile performance
Wireless reception is good. I can get a signal from another floor of the building, or even the next parking lot over from a hotspot. I got the upgraded battery, and I have run it for three hours and only depleted it by half. I used the notebook on a bus for about one hour, and although the bottom did get warm it was not uncomfortable.
Minor Complaints:
Although the laptop is portable, it is not something you will want to take with you everywhere due to its size. Dell loaded too much trial software onto the machine, like Word Perfect, Wild Tangent game demos, and AOL. There should be a way to adjust the volume in smaller increments in Media Mode (not a problem in Windows).
Problems Encountered
The day that I got the computer out of the box, one of the trial programs that Dell installed was causing the system to occasionally hang after booting. I stopped that program from loading with MSCONFIG and the problem stopped. In the last 6 months, the computer failed to wake from standby about three times. Occasionally I get an "insufficient memory" message (I have 1GB which should be plenty) but it does not seem to effect performance and I suspect that it is just a program that I installed.
Other notes
The notebook is quiet, and the fan is usually off. You might hear the hard drive if you listen carefully. The top of the computer never gets very warm.
If you are looking for a notebook to replace your desktop computer then the E1505 is the perfect choice. It is fast and reliable, it has a good screen, and has some useful extra features. If you can deal with its size, it is also a very capable mobile computer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1787
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
jamesa9791
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Reviews written: 3
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