Catch on The Vostro

I went to the Dell website and configured a Vostro 1400 and an Inspiron 1420 to identical specifications. However the Vostro comes out to be $150-200 cheaper than the inspiron even though they have identical frames.

What is it about the Vostro that make them cheaper than the Inspirons. The discount that Dell offers on the Vostros isn't significantly higher than the discount offered on the Inspiron 1420s.

Is there something we don't know? Is there a catch to the Vostros? Is there something Dell's trying to hide from us? Or is just that Dell's trying hard to promote the Vostro line?

Thank You

 

The Vostro is targeted towards "small business" users. Basically... its the same but they get more money off the Inspiron line because most consumers automatically order from there w/o knowing the price difference. Small business has a history of being cheaper than ordering from Home

But... it really depends on the configs you choose and the coupons available.

 

Not really... my Vostro 1700 costed about $100 more than my inspiron 1720 or so.

But I'm willing to have that difference if I can get mine faster.

 

I was talking about the 1400, which for some reason comes out almost $200 cheaper than the 1420 in identical specs.

 

Yeah, but it just highlight the eccentricities in Dell's pricing. The Vostro and Inspiron sometimes switch places in pricing, too. Before the Vostro 1700 was cheaper I believed.

 

The "catch" is that different configurations come out cheaper depending on starting option, may it be from Home to Small Business, or "good, better, best" etc. Dell makes you "hunt" for the best price. Thats the only real thing I'd consider the catch.

Also there may be different warranty lengths etc varying from Home and Small business.

 

Business users are more savvy and home user are more gullible .
So Dell get out of you what they can

 

But you know, half the people here are squeezing every dollar they can out of Dell so its sort of fair

 

I just looked at the difference between my specs on the 1420 and the Vostro 1400 with the same specs. The 1420 was $200 plus cheaper. It gets better though. When you apply the 325 off 1299 coupon for Inspiron then the Vostro is $500 plus more than the 1420.

I am not sure where you are getting your numbers. Here are my upgrades:

Intel T7300
160 Gig HD 7200 ROM
1440 x 900 truelife LCD
2 Gig Ram
6 and 9 cell battery
Nvidia 8400 GS

I ran them on the Dell site today for a friend. There is quite a difference in the price and Vostro was always a lot more expensive.

 

It is totally option dependent for which is a cheaper configuration

 

Timing is huge too. They use a lot of E-Value codes and deal sites link to these often. These come and go real quick as Dell fills quotas. When I got my 1420, 2 gigs of RAM was free, as well Intel pre-n wireless was free, not to mention my hard drive upgrade was only $50, it is now $160.

 

I got my numbers from the Dell website.

Let me clear this up:
Both PCs had the Following Specs:

Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
Standard Display
128 mb GeForce
2 gb RAM
160 Gig, 5400 RPM Hard Drive
Bluetooth 2.0
Intel Wireless-N Next Gen
2.0 camera
9 Cell Battery
CD/DVD Burner

the Inspiron 1420 is in the 1400-ish range, the Vostro about $1173

EDIT: I'm talking about the price comparison as of now, when you bought your 1420, it was a bit cheaper than it is right now.

 

there isn't really a catch except for the business section is geared more towards... business lol

since they're different departments, they have slightly different pricing and promotions that don't always match. even if you go into home you can configure the same system for different prices based on the 'good, better, bests' options.

honestly dell's just that way for everything

 

I get $1362 just now for those specs on a Vostro 1400.
However, minus $325 for the Inspiron 1420: http://techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/98375

And the Vostro no longer seems to compete. Again it has to do with specs, the Inspiron seems to give a bit of a break on high end specs. Thats why my system was cheaper with my specs. Not to mention the coupon.

I got my Inspiron for under $1000, but that was when they were first being pushed. At that time Vostro was new too, but had no coupons, which is normal for small business items. I've been waiting for small business coupons forever, I wanted the D630, but no such luck.

 

They outsourced production of Vostros out of SE Asia and into the African jungle, where an isolated group of chimps build them for 2 bananas a day.

 

2 bananas? They should have asked for 3. Stupid chimps.

 

Guess I kinda figured it out. Mikeusvc, thanks for pointing this out.

Did you configure the laptop that was supposed to be the "good". I started off with "best" 1420, which already has a $273 discount on it. All that the $325 off coupon does is add a few more dollars to the discount. But if you start off with the "good" 1420, you get a laptop with the same configuration but it's significantly cheaper.

What the hell's going on at Dell?

 

I always start with the basic configuration and upgrade from there. Usually the other configurations have warranty stuff and other hidden "gems". Dell obviously caters to the chimpanzees that are stupid enough to think they are getting "the best" deal. You beat them by starting from scratch and building up.

Another thing to consider is that the Vostro is a half a pound to a pound heavier than the 1420.

 

Thanks A lot for the advice! Dell definitely made a fool of me.

 

Huh??!? The Vostro 1400 should way the same as the 1420, if it's configured the same, with the same battery and all. They're the same laptop.

 

@ordinateurcomputer,

he lied. The Vostro 1400 and the Inspiron 1420 are the exact same weight.

When I ordered my laptop choosing the "best" option gave a lower price than the base configuration and had 3 year warranty and complete care. It all depends on timing. There is no one "win all" formula for buying with Dell. All depends on what current prices are, the configs you need, the coupons available.. etc

 

My 1400 ran to 800 dollars while a similar 1420...oh was probably in the thousand range. If I wanted the Inspiron to be 50 bucks cheaper, I'd dump the 8400 GS, the Intel Core 2, and the DVD burner.

Mine was 800 AFTER getting Vista Business. So that just shows you it all requires a lot of tinkering

 

You're right about the tinkering.
I set a "best" Vostro 1400 and a "best" Inspiron 1420 to identical configurations with the base warranties. The Vostro came out to about $1173 and the Inspiron was in the 1400-ish range. Since the "best" Inspiron already has a $273 off coupon attached to it, what the $325 off discount does is reduce the price by about $70~.

In the case of the "good" Inspiron 1420, it has no coupon attached to it, so you can save the full $325. It all comes down to being much cheaper than a "best" 1420 in identical configuration. (Of course, it comes with a cheaper sort of warranty)

The folks at Dell sure are weird.

 

All of the Inspiron deals seem to be spend $1,000 and get free $325 in upgrades, while the Vostro's are a bare bones setup around $619-699 and you can then limit what you add to keep it under $1,000.

Also small business support is US, and Inspiron support is India.
I guess the business user backlash was sufficient for Dell to move the support back to US, but consumer not so much.

 

I'm just going off reviews that I have read and specs. You could be right. But everything I have seen puts the Vostro at 5.5 to 6.5 pounds, depending on which model you get. Thats with a 6 cell. My 1420 come to about 5 pounds with a 6 cell and about 5.4 with a 9 cell.

I don't claim to be an official, just reporting what I have read and know.

 

With pricing you are all talking about different specs and set ups. Whoever is deciding between the two models needs to give us the specs they want. Then from there we can get exact prices with deal, coupons and e-val codes. Right now everyone seems all over the place with AMD cpu and Video cards or no video cards to get a warranty or not get one. Which all obviously effect the price.

 

It does seem too good to be true, but when you consider they are mass produced in a sweat shop in Malaysia, they're really saving on labor costs. Be sure to post petitions for human rights violations on that new Dell !