The Inspiron I15-156B ran for 1 hours and 43 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, which was the lowest score from any of our entry-level retail laptops. We generally like to see closer to 3 hours of battery life from a 15-inch system, but very inexpensive systems usually fall short. HP's largely similar G60-235DX ran for 2 hours and 20 minutes in the same test. The step-up model from Dell, the Inspiron I15-157B, ran for 2 hours and 40 minutes, thanks to its larger-capacity battery (56Wh versus 41Wh).
Dell includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system, and the Dell Web site has a robust collection of support tools, including online chat, a Flash-based question widget, and Dell includes 24-7 toll-free telephone support. Retail stores offer a variety of extended warranty plans with your laptop purchase, but they're generally expensive and hard to use, so we do not recommend them.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
Compaq Presario CQ60-215DX
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.0GHz AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-62; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8200M G; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Dell Inspiron I15-156B
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.16GHz Intel Dual Core T3400; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 32MB Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Gateway MD2614u
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-72; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Toshiba Satellite L305D-5934
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.0GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-70; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3100; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7901
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-72; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3100; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
HP G60-235DX
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.16GHz Intel Dual Core T4200; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 64MB Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
What You'll Pay
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