Dell Inspiron 1525.... Normal?

I placed an order for a Dell Inspiron 1525 because I think they look nice and has what I really need. I have been in several local Best Buy stores lately and have conducted a screen wobble test on each one at each location. Basically what I mean by this, is when I open the LCD panel lid from its half closed position and move it to its fully open position, I test to see if the screen moves back and forth (wobbles).

Well, when I tested all Inspiron 1525's, their LCD panel lid wobbled, unlike the 1520/1521 models before it. Should I be worried about this or have any concerns, or can someone who has one tell me if they have wobble on their 1525 LCD panel lid when fully opened?

I just want to know if the CTO Dell 1525 have their hinges tighter than the ones pre-configured for retail?

I had a Sony Vaio FZ notebook I purchased recenty but returned it today because I couldn't justify the near $1,700 price tag when I can have a fully featured laptop from Dell for under $950 (after exhaustive coupon testing), and also because I am trying to reduce my debt, but that's another story... . The 1525 is good for me because I don't play games anyways and mostly internet and word documents.


I just wanna know though, I haven't really owned a Dell notebook and wanted to know if my purchase was worth it with Dell, if their company makes better quality machines than say HP? It seems a lot of forum members here have TONS of issues with their Dell laptops.

Do you guys think the Dell Inspiron 1525 should hold up/last if I take good care of it (which I do for all electronics anyways)? I ordered mine with a 1440 X 900 pixel panel, should there be any concern with getting a bad screen, like screen graininess or has Dell fixed this problem?

 

Don't forget the possibility that the display models have been mangled by all the different customers who test the display machines.

Screens are largely the luck of the draw, as Dell has a pool of manufacturers. It's not so much as it being Dell's fault, as it is the manufacturer's fault. Dell is guilty of not ensuring better supplies, but ultimately does not make the screens.

 

Well but they are responsible though IMHO. That's like buying some bad meat at a grocery store, but saying it's not the stores fault for not pulling it when there was a recall.

 

My screen is lovely.

 

If you own a Dell Inspiron 1525, what I want to know though is if the screen lid, when opened wobbles back and forth a little bit more than your typical notebook's screen lid should when tapped on the chassis. I am of course referring to the Dell Inspiron 1525, the 1520/1521 doesn't seem to exhibit this even the in-store displays.

Should I feel confident in my purchase choosing a Dell? Like good build quality that will last? Are they any better in areas than HP is? This is my first true Dell notebook, and I want to know. Should the 1440 X 900 LCD panel over the standard 1280 X 800 LCD panel be a good screen, as in, has Dell eliminated the grain issue that I keep reading so much about in the Dell forums? Is one screen manufactuer better than the other and if so, which one should I be on the lookout for and how to tell?

 

BTW, I checked at my local Best Buy and the screen on the 1526 there was unusually wobbly...much more so than the HP dv6700t that they also had. I dismissed the wobble due to people testing it out in a public place.

I would like to know the answer to this as well since I've just placed an order for a Dell Inspiron 1525...

 

Is this guy serious?!? The "Wobble test"? You SIR, have too much free time....

 

No, he's just thorough. I'd say he's a smart shopper, and I'd have done the same.

 

Thank you talin29 . Glad someone understands... The problem I see is that the 1526 is distributed only by Best Buy. I work at Wal-Mart in the electronics department and we sell the 1525, but we are not allowed to open the boxes to just see if this problem exists. Now that it came to mind, Staples sells the 1525 and it appears to have a screen wobble too last time I was there, tested at 2 locations. I know these are built in mass production facilities in China, not Malaysia (like all Dell's were/are) for retail only so I don't know if that is why, but my suspicion is that it affects all the 1525/1526 no matter how it was bought, retail or directly through Dell's website as a CTO. We'll see when mine arrives. YouTube videos don't help either...

 

I hope that's not the case. Have you checked out the NBR review to see if there was mention of that?

 

No mention of it.

 

Found this post:

Seems the hinges for his were fine and I assume it was a freshly ordered one.

 

thank you for posting that graph from NBR, which answered my questions about the screen and its resolution. I also went to Best Buy to look at the Inspiron 1525, and since it's locked into place I could not tilt the screen back to see the viewing angle. the laptop I'm using now (until I get the new one) has a matte finish, the computer at work has a glossy so anything is better than grainy. I got used to it however I can't wait to get the new one.

 

i bought one for my mum, used it for 2 weeks while waiting for my precision m4400 to arrive.

most consumer grade notebooks seem to develop wobbly hinges after a period of time. but to answer your question, no it did not have any wobble. the screen was very firm, requiring 2 hands to open or the base would lift up

 

My Inspiron 1525 has a fair amount of screen wobble as well, but nothing that I would be overly concerned about. The hinges aren't separating from the base of the computer, so I just assume that this is the way Dell manufactured the computer. It does, however, close completely unlike my old Compaq Presario F500 Series.

 

My 1520 has a bit of a wobbly screen ... but only because I lost two screws for it haha.

The consumer level notebooks do have cheaper hinges. If the hinges do go bad under warranty (wobbly), I dont think Dell would have a problem with replacing them.

I guess I qualify as a severe laptop user ... my inspiron 1420 is showing very slight signs of wobblyness after 5 months of being opened 10 times a day.