When you need to strike the balance between a desktop-replacement notebook and a laptop for frequent travel you will probably end up shopping for a 14-inch notebook. The Dell Inspiron 14 is one of the most popular laptops in this class and comes packed with the latest Intel processors and a nice range of options at an affordable price. Is this the best 14-inch consumer laptop? Keep reading to find out.
Read the full content of this Article: Dell Inspiron 14 (1464) Review
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Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer
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Ahbeyvuhgehduh Lost in contemplation....
Not too shabby ... but am curious why the reviewer thinks 1600x900 should be the default screen size for 14" machines?
Not arguing, mind you, just kinda curious. -
I have a question that applies more to reviews in general, but what version of wPrime do you use for comparison? There's a pretty substantial (10-15%) differential across the various versions available.
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Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer
Similarly, there are some low-cost 15-inch laptops with 1366x768 screens ... and they really need to have a higher resolution as well.
As for the question about wPrime, we decided to standardize our wPrime tests some time ago with version 1.58. We know there are newer versions, but if we switch to a newer version it won't be an "apples to apples" comparison when we publish wPrime scores from new notebooks and compare them to old notebooks. -
Ahbeyvuhgehduh Lost in contemplation....
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Quick suggestion; you might want to correct the minor typos in the "Keyboard and Touchpad" section of "gentile" to "gentle". I'm not sure how many of us are Jewish, but they shouldn't be excluded.:wink:
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Great review. it's a shame about the build quality, as the brushed metal look on the palmrest of one I looked at in Best Buy looked snazzy.
To be fair though, the Inspiron 14z and the "Old" Inspiron 14 (1440) don't share the same chassis as this "Core i" powered series and thus aren't basically the same laptop. They don't have brushed metal look accents and even the hinges attach differently. You also as of right now cannot order a 1464 from Dell.com new anymore, only the old 1440 is available.
I found it odd that Dell's preparing a total redesign (the "R" line of Inspirons) so quickly after this new model's physical design debut in January of this year. Perhaps it will address concerns about quality, as I'd never own a laptop that feels as flimsy as this one. -
User Retired 2 Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer
Dell's 14" C2D offerings:
- Studio 14z had no optical drive, MCP79 chipset with Nvidia 9400M.
1600x900 LCD option, expresscard slot, e-sata, but has 1GB onboard + 1 free RAM slot. So 3GB setup is OK, 5GB is pricey.
- Inspiron 1440 has up facing speakers and a expresscard slot, but no capslock/HDD LEDs. No e-sata. "cheap" keyboard.
Dell's 14" I-core offerings:
- Inspiron 1464 has no expresscard, e-sata port or WWAN slot.
- Dell Studio 1458 has the expresscard slot but no HDD LED. Appears has WWAN slot, HD4350 and HD5450 option.
Any chance of a Studio 1458 review? Dell should provide a 1600x900 option. E6410 has 1440x900 option. -
Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer
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John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator
John -
Another interesting review Jerry ... I have a similar Dell from last year - model 1470. It has an SU7300 and a 6-cell battery. I inherited it from my daughter when she upgraded to a 2nd Gen MacBook Pro 13-inch. I really like the battery life (just shy of 6-hours in power saver mode) and how light and thin it is for a 14-inch.
It is the only laptop I have dropped in the last five years or so - I dropped it (more than four feet) onto a thinly-carpeted concrete floor while it was running. It hit so hard it bounced - but it was still running. It didn't have any visible damage but it would not reboot once shut down. Swapping the HDD was a real pain but it runs like a charm now.
I'm going to replace it with a Dell - but I think I'll wait for the new 301z (not sure about the model number) mentioned on Engadget yesterday.
Any new Dell reviews coming up Jerry?? -
Jerry Jackson Administrator NBR Reviewer
Unfortunately, we can't talk about upcoming reviews of products that haven't officially been announced by the manufacturer.
Dell Inspiron 14 (1464) Review Discussion
Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Jerry Jackson, May 17, 2010.