Dell 1525 - How is it?

Okay, so I am looking at the Dell Inspiron 1525 to buy from Dell.com, I have questions:

1.) From playing with it in stores, it has a wobble to the screen, anyone else get this that owns one that was bought from Dell.com?

2.) Is Dell now putting Windows Vista SP1 on Dell laptops now, it's no advertised on the website?

3.) Not buying from Dell before, is Dell a good company that puts out good quality and reliable consumer grade lasting laptops (Dell Inspiron 1525)?

4.) Does the 1440 X 900 screen offered for the Dell 1525 have better viewing angles than the standard 1280 X 800 screen and does the integrated Intel graphics support it just fine?

 

2. If not, it is extremely easy to do yourself. Just download it from microsoft (takes about 10 minutes on high speed - 400mb's) takes >1hour to install

3. for the most part yes

 

Also, I needed some advice. I was also looking at the Sony Vaio FZ 4000 series laptop, and while I can kinda afford it, what would make it better than the Dell Inspiron 1525 despite the 1525 not having dedicated graphics like the Vaio FZ?

I don't do heavy resource games, maybe a few light games every now and then. Is the Dell 1525's integrated graphics chipset capable enough to handle what I need to do for multitasking without lag on a 1440 X 900 screen and a T8300 processor?

Lastly, is 3GB of memory good enough or can Windows Vista recognize 4GB and I get even better performance?

 

I just received my Inspiron 1525 yesterday. The lid is not wobbly at all.

My computer did not come with SP1.

My Inspiron is nice and solid. Very surprisingly impressive.

I'm sure the X3100 video card will support that resolution just fine. I ordered w/ WXGA, so I can't answer that question, sorry.

 

The integrated graphics should be fine for multitasking and vista aero. Don't expect much for games. Vista runs great on 2 gigs so three would definitely be good. You might want to list the games you plan on playing here. The weak spot is gaming for the 1525. One great feature from what people say is the 1525 gets great battery life. Thats probably largely due to the integrated graphics.

 

Basic internet games... that's about it.

Arkit3kt, you say your Dell's 1525 screen does not wobble, so does it not wobble at all? Like if you tap firmly the screen bezel forward a bit does it have a wobble effect? All the ones I tried at my local Best Buy's wobbled.

Is there a specific screen I should know of that is the best when I get mine since there are too many complaints about Dell's use of different screens on the Dell forum here?

 

Any others want to comment?

 

Well it used to be the wxga+ 1440 x 900 was generally more grainy then the regular wxga. Then you got the fact that Dell uses so many vendors for their panels with varying quality.... meaning, yes, little quality control as far as screens go. On a 15" panel your best odds for getting something less grainy and brighter with decent viewing angles would be the wxga. But no guarantees by me on that.

If I were to buy a 1525 I would try to keep it as close to 700 dollars as possible and order with a wxga. At that point, it's probably be a good value. In fact they got one on dell.com for that much with 3 gigs of ram and a 160 gig drive with a wxga display. It seems like a good deal to me. If you pay 1000 dollars for this model you should be shopping somewhere else.

 

I'm tying this message on my new 1525 right now - but I'm upset and annoyed. I've been on the phone waiting to get through to techinical support for over 3 hours and its still the same hold music over and over.

Its a great laptop, and I've put Windows XP on it (my preference), but the 3 major problems I'm having are:
-SEC screen is awful, its like a trip back to the 90's. Poor colour, viewing angles, right side of the screen is darker than the left and its grainy. Im trying to get through to dell now to talk about it

-Headphone out still has that incredibly dodgy hiss to it, you can hear hiss when you move the mouse or open a program. Surely Dell would have said Ok were making the successor to the 1520, lets ensure the heaphone out is normal. But they didnt

-The hard drive is clicking no end. Yes I have researched endlessly about the click and yes I understand its "normal" but I'm not happy. I tried the three acoustic management settings in the BIOS and none of the make a difference.
I tried HDparm to set the mode to 254, which it tells me its worked but the clicking remains.

WTF Dell- I cant get through on the phone and I just know its going to be some hellish battle to get the Indian helpers to UNDERSTAND my problems instead of reading que cards to me.

Sigh.

 

how loud is the clicking sound? as im hoping to get this laptop

thanks

 

Its loud enough for me to hear wearing headphones with music playing at a comfortable volume.

I've even played around with HDTune and set the AAM to 254 and retested everything, still clicks about 8-9 times a minute.

 

hmm the hdd shouldnt click. maybe the laptop got bumped around in shipping and screwed up the hdd. Thats def a hdd problem. I have an 1520 and my hdd doesnt Click.

 

Ive done extensive tests and the always come back saying the hard drive is perfect. Right now I have itunes open, and becuase its always accessing the hard drive it doesnt have a chance to park the head for a second then come back when accessed by a service or something.

The record is 12 times in one minute, the weird thing is clicking aside, its fast and the computer is rock stable.

 

I have mine about 2 weeks now and I'm very happy with it. The screen is brilliant, it's fast and it looks good too. I have the Spring Green and it is a really nice color.

I only had one issue with Wireless but that was a driver issue.

PS: I don't hear any clicking sounds.

 

Mipas - exactly what screen do you have? LG/SEC? Matte/Glossy?

Interesting to hear thats two people who dont hear clicking, hopefully when Dell calls me back Ill be able to get the tech to replace the hard drive. As I said its so loud I can hear it even with music on.

 

Back on topic.... I think I am going for the 1440 X 900 LCD Screen Panel on the Dell Inspiron 1525, not the 1280 X 800 LCD Panel. Is there a SPECIFIC manufactuer that supplies Dell with LCD panels that makes the best, and which one(s) are the best and which are the worst? Additionally, since the Dell Inspiron 1525 sports on an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, is it worth getting 4GB of RAM or 3GB? What does Windows Vista Home Premium support for RAM and actually use for the system in its entirety? Does Windows Service Pack 1 let you use more RAM than before SP1? It's whatever makes the system and high resolution screen run its absolute best.

HELP!

EDIT: Forgot to ask, does Dell use different vendors for just the LCD Panel or all the components for the Dell Inspiron 1525? I realize Dell charges restocking fees on returned and refunded laptops if you don't want the laptop anymore instead of an exchange. So that is why I am asking SO many questions. I have never been a prior Dell owner, just tried out a model from Wal-Mart (Dell Inspiron 1501) a while back.

And does anyone know if Dell is shipping Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on laptops now? It isn't listed on the website when I try to configure a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop?

 

Bump Bump Bump

 

I want to use an external monitor with the 1525. Will the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 be able to output 1600 x 1200 on my 2001fp? Will I be able to use dual monitors with it (2001fp and the laptop screen)?

How much heat does this put off? I live in a very warm climate and want the laptop to replace my desktop because the desktop heats up my room too much.

Thanks for any help

 

The Hardware ID starts with LPL so it's 99% sure an LG. I chose glossy finish.

I did my best and I really can't hear any clicking sounds.

 

Sounds like you got enough going on that you might want to get out before its too late. Hopefully you are still in your first month. Just let you know that Dell chat can generate refund RMA's ... even after hours. On average, the 1525 is cheaper price wise then a HP dv6700t but its a cheap copy of HP's dv6700t design IMO. My dv6500t has a perfect LG wxga screen which is very bright and has great contrast and whites with decent viewing angles. Worlds better then the wxga+ screen I briefly had with the 1420 dell I had. My Seagate drive is also very quiet and runs cool as well. No headphone jack issues and the altec speakers are miles ahead of whatever genenic crap dell uses. Me thinks dell just uses cheaper components which is why no more dell for me. If you like the 1525 design, you'll probably love the dv6700t. Its what the 1525 tried to be but just did not get there. You can also order the HP with 8400m gs card with 256mb which is a plus.

 

The only reason why I didnt get the HP was they have no option for a matte screen, and I have seen how glossy the HP's are becuase they are in all the retail stores here. If they had a matte screen that changes the whole thing...

On a more important note, I fixed the hard drive clicking. I will be posting back later with how I solved it

 

My screen could be better but it is whisper quiet. The optical drive isn't as quiet as the one that was on the Toshiba but it is quieter than the macbook slot. The wireless card was great before the SP1 update, now it seems slow. I got the intel wireless N. The dell 08/08 made downloading faster but it is seemingly slow at times to me. Color, T5450, matte screen, 2gb ram, camera, dvdrw drive, intel n for, lojack (which I would have loved a credit for) for under $600 before taxes. I think that the screen is the grainy one but I am to weak and nerve wrecked to trade out.

Dell has ticked me off a time or 3 but I have no need to lie about the quality of their products.

 

Does anyone know when Dell will begin shipping Windows Vista Service Pack 1 with their Inspiron line? One online chat rep said it was already added while another said it isn't. Ugh.. the inconsistancies. Does anyone know? Like, I was at my local Best Buy to talk to my friend in the computer department and he said and showed me that they have all the Dell's, even some of the newer ones on "open box" clearence because the new Dells coming in a few days have Vista Service Pack 1.

So, does anyone know? Do current Dell Inspirion 1525's and the others have SP1 on them and Dell isn't advertising it? I would RATHER have a new Service Pack 1 Restore Disc with my new Dell Inspiron 1525 than the pre-SP1 Restore Disc. I say this because if I need to reformat the computer, I then have to download SP1 because mine initially didn't come with it.

If I happen to receive my Dell Inspiron 1525 and it doesn't have a SP1 Restore Disc and the SP1 pre-installed, how do I return it without getting a restocking fee??? I would rather have SP1 out of the box...

 

Just tell them the screen is grainy with bad viewing angles.... or something that you feel is wrong and you should not get dinged the 14 percent. You could always make an image of your system after downloading sp1 with Acronis imaging software and then use that for backups. That way you only have to install sp1 once. If you have broadband it should not be a problem since windows update can do that. But I see your point wanting SP1 integrated for the best possible install. Especially since it is not apparently possible to slipstream sp1. As far as SP1 goes its not much of a deal except for the copy/transfer over networks is fixed. That is faster now. But for the most part Vista's performance has not improved that much with SP1.

Probably your best option is to do a clean install with a anytime vista disc and install the sp1 after that.. then use acronis to image that. That would be best and would not include any of the dell crapware/bloatware. Dell used to send the anytime disc with their systems.. if they stopped you can purchase those online for like 5 dollars and use your existing key to activate the clean install.

 

Update: Turned off the phising and the internet is fast again.