Dell Vostro 1500

Not heavy per se, just solid. It is quite bland, but not unfashionable- just smooth lines and basic black plastic. Build quality IMO is great. The only problem I have with mine is the Dell badge on the lid :p

Anybody know how to get it off (safely), and are there 3rd party replacements?
 
Ok, sounds good, thanks. My Fijitsu Siemens is a big black heavy thing, but also looks/feels cheap and it's quite ugly. Would love an XPS but with the specs I want (8600M GT 256 mb (essential), 2 GHz C2D, 250 GB HDD, 1440*900 screen (essential) ) they're just way out of my price range. Those specs for £550, vostro is the only laptop in the market that's offering all that AFAICS.
 
As others have said, it's just black. Build quality is really good. It feels sturdy.

Some laptops I have used, when you put pressure on the keys the whole keyboard flexed and the whole thing felt flimsy.

The vostro doesn't. It's solidly built, and whilst not a flashy good looking laptop, it's not ugly, maybe just bland. But hey, I didn't buy it to look at I got it to use!

I just weighed it, and with the larger battery it weighs 3.2kg.
 
Anyone with the 1680x1050 resolution?
How good is such a high resolution on a 15"? Can you fit a 800x600(plus scroll bar) firefox and word processor like Word side by side?

One final question; I head the 8600M GT is a crippled version of the DDR3 ones, any truth in that on the gaming front on e.g. Oblivion, Sims, Simcity 4, S.T.A.L.K.E.R?

Also interested in DanTheMan's question too, there isn't any finance deal with Dell for non-business users.

Many questions, sorry :p
 
I would say that this laptop is definately not a gaming machine, for the reasons already stated at the beginning of this thread on the performance of the mobile GFX card.

However, as far as laptops go it is a very competent gaming machine- that is, I've never used another 'bog standard' laptop that can play games as well as this can. If you are a serious gamer, this laptop is not a replacement for a gaming desktop. An 8600M GT is distinctly mid range compared to even last generations GFX cards.

If you are a gamer that uses a laptop, and maybe wants to do some gaming whilst travelling, or have a machine you can use in the living room while the missus watches Project Catwalk, or you fancy a spare machine for LAN games with a visiting friend, this is a really good value for money machine. Laptops with similar gaming performance that are designed for gamers seem to be significantly more expensive.

Edit: Forgot to say, for this very reason, that is why people who are thinking of gaming on this machine rarely upgrade to higher resolution screens. I went for the 1280x800, for maximum FPS at native resolution in my games.
 
I've tacked my Vostro 1500 onto the end of a server order...

Core2Duo 1.4Ghz
2GB RAM
120GB Hard disk
1440 x 900 True Life screen

Free delivery... £300

Should have upgraded the graphics card, but this was supposed to be for work. :o

DanTheMan said:
Can you pay monthly for Vostros as they are classed as a business laptop by Dell?
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If they are above the minimum amount required for finance and you meet the finance criteria, sure.
 
Anyone know if Dell have an easter sale? (beyond the offers that are currently available) Just wondering whether to wait till bank holiday monday to order my Vostro 1500.
 
fish99 said:
Anyone know if Dell have an easter sale? (beyond the offers that are currently available) Just wondering whether to wait till bank holiday monday to order my Vostro 1500.
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At the end of each quarter, if you have an account manager they can get you some crazy deals because they have targets to meet. :)

Generally you'll get the best deals on things above the base spec with your upgrades, i.e. don't expect to get a base spec any cheaper than it already is.
 
Well i just got my vostro yesterday, and i got to say its pretty good. Been playing World in Conflict on it in work at a res of 1440*900. did have to drop the detail quite a bit, but it was very much playable. Got some other games to try out on it later.
 
daz said:
At the end of each quarter, if you have an account manager they can get you some crazy deals because they have targets to meet. :)

Generally you'll get the best deals on things above the base spec with your upgrades, i.e. don't expect to get a base spec any cheaper than it already is.
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Ok. No I don't have an account manager, or an account for that matter :) The one I'm looking at is the Vostro 1500 NB(N0315021) but with 1 yr warranty, 1440*900 screen and XP which is £551 inc. Just thought there might be something extra off over easter. On the other hand though the current offer expires in 2 days and I wouldn't want to miss it.
 
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The current offer always seems to end in two days. I got mine in a bit of a rush thinking the offer was over the next day, and its still going now a week later.
 
cobrax said:
The current offer always seems to end in two days. I got mine in a bit of a rush thinking the offer was over the next day, and its still going now a week later.
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I hope that will last, I cant afford it till pay day end of this month, very tempted by the 1680x1050 with the 8600M GT, for light / medium gaming but mostly photoshopping, music, movies, uni work and multitasking
 
OK call me Mr Thicko Thick but....
I want to do a fresh install of vista on my vostro but got instantly lost...
1. Can I use the drivers on the CDs that came with it on the reinstall?
2. Do I choose the internet vista (connected to internet) update option on install?
3. How do I get rid of the partitions on the hard drive?
4. How do I reboot from the DVD?

I might not bother as usually when I mess with things they never go back to how they were...is it really worth it? Laptop is only five hours old!:confused:
 
cobrax said:
Well i just got my vostro yesterday, and i got to say its pretty good. Been playing World in Conflict on it in work at a res of 1440*900. did have to drop the detail quite a bit, but it was very much playable. Got some other games to try out on it later.
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Can I ask how you are finding the 1440*900 screen, especially the viewing angles, and whether you had chance to try any more games yet? Thanks :)
 
Ok, decided not to wait to see new offers in case the XPSs come down and the Vostros go back up, so I've just ordered my Vostro 1500-

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 3 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)
3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (1x1024 + 1x2048 MB)
256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
Genuine Windows® XP Professional - English
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - UK
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe
6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera

Total price £551. Just a regular order from the main site, not the outlet. Still an amazing price compared to everything else I've seen with these specs. Can't wait :)
 
the one thing to be warey of with the vostros against the XPS is the fact the 8600s have DDR2 not DDR3 on the vostros, the 1440x900 screen is fine on mine, decent viewing angles, and iv got the 8600GT which powers it adequatly, but its not really used for much gaming.
 
Cheers. Yeah I know about the DDR2 but it's only going to be for some light gaming. Main purpose is for 3D developement where it needs a fully functional 3D capability with proper drivers but not any great level of performance. My current lappy with intel 945 literally won't run most of my code at all, even really basic 3D apps.

I won't be running crysis/stalker on it since I have a nice desktop for that. TBH the XPS is so much more expensive it's way out of my budget, plus I didn't want Vista.
 
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