Comparison of the Asus G1S and the Dell 1520

I'm posting this because a couple of people have asked me about it and I don't want to clutter other threads.

Sound: The G1S speakers are terrible and the 1520 speakers aren't bad, but the headphone jack is really nasty on the 1520. The G1S jack is clear.
Screen: Both are Samsung screens, and identically grainy. The light leakage is much worse on the G1S, but I think this is just the luck of the draw.
Keyboard and Touchpad: The 1520 keyboard is really amazing, and the G1S keyboard is just okay. The touchpads on both systems are great. The buttons on the Asus are a little different and take more pressure than average touchpad buttons, which could bother some people.
Graphics: In 3DMark06, the G1S pulls 3788 out of the box and the 1520 pulls 2902.
Heat: The 1520 runs much cooler, but the G1S stays cool enough to be used quite comfortably on your lap if you aren't doing intensive tasks.
Sound: The fans on the G1S are louder.
Appearance: They are very different laptops targeting very different groups of people. The girl in me appreciates the soft mint green and rounded edges of the 1520, but the gamer in me appreciates the sleek black G1S with the sexy green accents and lighting (especially that awesome eye on the touchpad). The lid of the 1520 could be prone to scratching, and the lid of the G1S is prone to fingerprints. On the inside, the 1520 is typical Dell silver which tends to show wear quickly, and the G1S is, again, prone to fingerprints.
Price: As configured, the 1520 was $1640.55 shipped with all discounts included. The G1S was $2016.00 shipped.
Warranty: The 1520 as I configured it has Complete Care and in-home service for three years. The G1S only has a two year mail-in warranty.
Buying Experience: It was a pain trying to purchase from Dell for a bunch of reasons, and I still haven't received everything that was supposed to be included with my laptop as invoiced. I ordered the 1520 late on the 26th and it arrived on the 9th. The 1520 arrived in a pretty plain box, with just the basics included. Purchasing the G1S from XoticPC was pleasant and hassle-free, and they were very polite even though I called or e-mailed to check on my computer daily. I ordered it after they closed on the 20th, they shipped on the 25th, and it arrived on the 27th. I chose a custom HD, so that might have increased my lead time. Unpacking the G1S was more of an experience than the 1520 due to all the really neat extras that are included.

I still have not decided which one to keep. Last night, I was sure it would be the 1520. Tonight, I'm sure it's the G1S. The 1520 has the better warranty and can be overclocked to give good performance, plus it runs cooler and is cheaper. The G1S has great performance and has good sound over headphones. As I have them configured, the G1S has a faster processor, Bluetooth, and wireless n. The 1520 has a 160 GB HD and the G1S only has a 120 GB HD. As of this moment, I'm really leaning toward the G1S, and I'm ashamed to admit I think it's as much because of the "cool" factor as anything else.

 

Awesome. Thanks for your comparison of them

 

It's interesting that the g1s has a grainy screen as well. I've read that this is a software, not hardware, issue for the g1s however, so it's fixable via update.

Thanks for the update. I hope the one you decide to keep will serve you well

 

go dell 1520.. ur getting a 3 year warranty .... and $400 more to spare..how long is ur notebook going to stay cool? bet ya it won't be $400 longer.... buy a new wardrobe or something with it... just that u get the ddr2 in the 1520....

 

Awesome,to the point comparison,thanks for posting.

Can you tell me if the G1s has more wobbly screen hinges than the dell,I ask this because I was going to buy a G1 about six months ago,and I found the screen hinges on the G1 to be very incapable of stopping the screen wobbling around,as I have just ordered a Vostro 1500,if their much the same as the G1S I think I will cancel.Thanks.

 

I'd say the hinges are very similar, but both seem pretty sturdy to me. Maybe you just got a bad G1? Both of the screens do have a little bit of wiggle while latched closed, though.

 

Toss them both up in the air and the one that doesn't break when it hits the ground... keep that one! Send the other one back.

 

This would work if the Dell breaks and the Asus doesn't since the Dell has Complete Care . . . I'd be screwed if the Asus broke unfortunately .

 

Yes I have also read that. Is it just a rumour? I guess they both have the exact same problem and it is the hardware?

 

It seems like the 1520 is better...I'm really surprised. And yes a lot of people complain about the asus lcds.

 

They are both Samsung screens, just different model numbers. The graininess is identical. The G1S has worse light leakage, but again, I think this is the luck of the draw. I believe you would be equally likely to get a G1S with minimal light leakage, or a 1520 with lots of light leakage.

 

Stella why not reorder a 1520 or vostro 1500 with a screen other then 1440x900 since the grainy screen bothers you. To be extremely safe you could get the 1280x800 anti-glare.

 

I have the 1680x1050. I had 1280x800 on my M1210 so I can't imagine having it on a 15.4" screen. This DPI is comfortable for me.

 

In some ways yes, in some ways no. It depends on what matters the most to you personally. I'm still trying to decide what matters to me the most!

 

Well if you won't switch to anti-glare I'd price out a vostro. You like the black color of the G1S (the bestbuy model looks like a toy to me) so why not get a 1520 in black? That also gives you another "draw" from the lucky screen pool, and no vostro owner so far has had the headphone jack noise.

 

Which is sturdier? I read that the 1520's/1500's are very well built. Hows the G1S's build compared to the 1520?

 

Well, I'd say the 1520 feels more solid externally, but due to the sound interference and the cheaper drives/etc. on the 1520, I would guess the G1S is built better internally. This is mostly speculation; as I knew I would be returning one of these computers, I've been very gentle with both.

I work at home and have to be available 24/7 so I can't be without a computer. I already sold my M1210, and I simply can't share my boyfriend's laptop for a month while I wait for a Vostro, just for the *chance* of it not having the same problems as the 1520. I am glad people aren't reporting the sound problems with that line, though--this gives me hope that they will fix the 1520s in the future.

 

As far as I know sec stands for seiko epson corporation.

The 1520 has a seiko screen and the g1s has a samsung screen


Samsung doesnt supply Dell with parts they cancelled their contract recently.


SAM is the product code for a samsung lcd.


The asus g1p came with a really awesome screen but I think that was their halo model and they switched to a more mainstream screen for the g1s.
If you were inclined you could pretty easily buy the g1p lcd and replace it.

 

SEC = Samsung Electronics Corporation



Great comparo Stella... I have a feeling that if it weren't for the headphone noise that you'd be keeping the Inspiron. It's a shame because it's probably just a matter of lousy shielding on a cable that goes to the headphone jack... a 10cent part.

 

what is the model number?

No the lcd manufacturer code is

SEC Seiko epson corporation

SAM samsung electronics corporation


i mean heres an example
http://tim.cexx.org/projects/lcd/

sec is a lcd manufacturer.

 

SEC could very well mean Seiko in other contexts but for displays on recent Dells it's Samsung.

 

My mistake.


I just want to add, this is the screen that was sold with the asus g1p

http://cgi.ebay.com/N154Z1-L02-REV-...SSY-LCD-A_W0QQitemZ330127444407QQcmdZViewItem


I dont know if thats the cheapest place to get it. I feel pretty certain you could put it in a g1s or a dell 1520.

Its pretty good its got the cmo prism technology. Samsung uses it too but not in this screen....

Seems like quite a lot I know. I dont know why machines arent still coming out with this screen. I have a feeling its much more expensive. It was in that lamborgini asus also. And the v1j/

But if your investment is just for the screen you can choose the machine and buy it yourself. I see a lot of buyers especially dells or acers hate the screen. But they never tell you what screen they are using before the purchase.

 

These screens from major manufacturers (AU Opto, Chi Mei, Samsung, LG Philips) seem pretty interchangable. They mostly even conform to the same mounting standards. I'd expect that in a few years the barebone laptop industry will look like the desktop market today... completely plug and play with the exception of motherboards/GPU/power supplies/cooling for certain case sizes.

 

To the OP, have you tried uninstalling ASUS Splendid? I remember reading here that uninstalling it can help with graininess. I do know it is a software solution (ASUS desktop VGA boards come with it as well), so I think you are better without it anyway.

 

Both screens start with SEC--they just have different model numbers. I don't know the ins and outs of screen brands so can't clarify if this is Samsumg or Seiko Epson, or one of each. I'd be nervous about swapping screens just because I know that it's not uncommon for the casing around the screen to break while you're replacing it (at least this happened with my M1210). That little piece of plastic is so thin. I wouldn't want to call Asus and have to explain to them what part I needed if I broke it, lol.

I haven't tried uninstalling Splendid. The graininess seems so similar to that on the 1520 that I just don't expect software to improve it much. I just got the G1S Friday and I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and had dance class last night so I haven't had that much time to play with it yet . I'm seriously considering a clean install since my RAM usage is so terrible, but I'm not looking forward to figuring out which Asus software I need to make all of my little lights and gadgets work and which I really don't.

 

Stella, a lot of G1S owners are also complaining about the processor speed when the battery is below 90% and charging when the NB is plugged up. Are you experiencing that?

You're not having much look with NBs are you Stella?

 

I'm looking at both of these too. Depending upon the time, I lean either way. Here are some useful Asus related links

Cleaning out the bloat, Removing Asus security mgr (causes stuttering on some apps)
http://forums.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=146088

Thread on grainy g1s screen. Here is where the info is on removing splendid, and tuning it to make the graininess go away
http://forums.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=131044&highlight=asus+splendid+grainy+g1s

Direct url to howto on fixing the graininess
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=126365&page=15&highlight=g1s+splendid

Here is the Cliff Notes Version:
"Edit: Uninstall Asus Splendid and go to zero gamma, 50% brightness, and 50% contrast in nVidia CPnl if you want a GREAT IMPROVEMENT in clarity of text, being able to see fill-in boxes on webpages, and color saturation. That leaves nVidia CPnl, Power Mgmt, and Mobility Ctr as controlling the screen. With Splendid (published by Macrovision, so it's an add-on), my screen lost settings even in a simple launch of Splendid.... without touching settings... so I uninstalled it and PRESTO, text is sharp and easy to read, looks like a Vaio notebook screen now."


Tx for the info you've provided Stella! It just helps my decision become harder!

;->

Randy