Anyone who has bought the Vostro 1500...

I would appreciate hearing anybody's experience with the Vostro 1500. I am a sales rep that travels alot, by car and plane. My needs are: small office presentations(power point, excel, etc.), showing them to clients from the screen and using a projector (S-video), watching movies, internet surfing and email of course, downloading several large files(2-3GB) at the same time, and some light movie editing (creating chapters in videos files).

I am going to upgrade to Vista premium and the memory to 2GB. I know the weight might be on the heavy side for as much traveling I do, but that seems to be balanced out by the sturdiness and ability to "take some bumps".

I would love to hear your experience (pro's and con's) with this machine. Thanx to all who reply

 

Everything you described describes the Vostro. I would say its fine for you although its heavy its mainly plane and car meaning not too much foot time. And build quality is impressive.

 

I had an inspiron 1520, the consumer version of this laptop. I like it, carried it around every day in a backpack, but it was a bit heavier than I wanted it to be. I'd check out the Vostro 1400 if I were you.

 

I've had my vostro 1500 since october, it handles all that and more. My specs are 2gb, 1.6ghz core 2 duo, nvidia 8400. I used it for all sorts of multimedia tasks like VJing/DJing/editing etc... so it sure as hell can handle powerpoint, and then some.

I removed vista which came with it, because it was loaded with bloatware and installed xp professional. It's been a smooth ride since. JUST BEWARE OF THAT HOME KEY (next to the power button) if you ever plan on replacing the OS... it repartitioned my drive, and it took me a while to figure out how to disable it.

I never had a problem with the weight personally, it's only 6lbs and lives happily inside my backpack when travelling. The new vostro model (1510s) are supposed to be lighter if that's an issue.

 

yeh, I dismissed the 1400 because I think I want a 15" screen.

 

This site has all those bloatware removal guides. Was that your only problem with Vista and if so, do those guides do a good job of removing all that stuff? I'll look at the 1510 too, thanks.

 

The Vostro 1500 is one of the best-built laptops I've ever used. My sister has had hers for almost a year and had no problems with it whatsoever. I can't think of anything bad about this machine other than it's a little bulkier than most of the competition.

 

You will love the Vostro 1500, well at least I love mine. The ONLY thing I wish it came with is an HDMI port...but that's ok in the end as I'm yet to own an HDTV =P

It really is built very well. I dinged mine pretty good and all I have to show for it is a little dent on the corner of the outer screen bezel (battle-wounds).

Cheers!

 

I loved my Vostro 1500 when I had it. Solidly built, runs cool, stylish in a conservative way.

Unfortunately it was a bit too heavy for me to carry around (I am a student).

 

I'm happy with my 1500. No complaints here. It isn't lightweight, but I prefer it weighing an extra pound, and being able to take everyday use and abuse.