Entered CNET Catalog: 06/19/2009
SKU: i1545-012B
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Manufacturer description
Meet the Inspiron 15 - a 15.6" laptop computer for your everyday needs. With an attractive, stylish design and mobile technology, this laptop features everything you want for everyday computing. The Inspiron 15 offers a modern black palmrest on the inside. Enjoy viewing photos and watching widescreen movies on this 16:9 aspect ratio 15.6" widescreen display.Product summary
The good: Dual-core CPU for about the same price as a Netbook; 16:9 wide-screen display.
The bad: Very stripped-down design; missing some basic features.
The bottom line: The Dell Inspiron i1545-012B is one of the better deals you'll find for a mainstream laptop priced less than $500.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/10/2009
Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Back-to-School Roundup, covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems that can be found in retail stores.
While predominantly known for its direct-to-consumer custom-built PCs, some of Dell's best deals can be found in fixed-configuration laptops stocked in retail stores. Case in point: the $429 15-inch Dell i1545-012B, which includes a dual-core Intel CPU (but not an official Core 2 Duo), 2GB of RAM, and a decent 160GB hard drive for about the same price as you'd pay for a decently configured Netbook.
For under $500, we've seen only one mainstream laptop in our current Back-to-School Retail Roundup that's in the same ballpark: Asus' K50IJ-RX05, which adds a bigger hard drive, more RAM, and a few other features for about $70 more. Many of the laptops in this price range trade down to an older Intel Celeron CPU; we think as long as you stick with one of the Dual-Core models, you should have a reasonably satisfying experience.
| Price as reviewed | $429 |
| Processor | 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200 |
| Memory | 2GB, 800MHz DDR2 |
| Hard drive | 160GB 5,400rpm |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 4500MHD (integrated) |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Premium |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.7 inches wide by 9.6 inches deep |
| Height | 1.0-1.5 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.6 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 5.8/6.6 pounds |
| Category | Mainstream |
Largely identical physically to the last few retail 15-inch Inspiron-class Dells we've looked at, the i1545-012B has a no-nonsense, matte, black exterior that doesn't betray its budget price. Inside, the glossy, black keyboard tray and screen bezel are predictably fingerprint prone. About average size and weight for a mainstream laptop, this isn't something you'd want to lug around in a laptop bag every day, but should be fine for occasional trips to the coffee shop.
Minimalist to a fault, the only button or control on the keyboard tray (aside from the keyboard and touch pad) is a small, square power button--no media controls or Wi-Fi switches. The keyboard itself is a bit of a throwback to traditional tapered-style keys; we're much more used to seeing wide, flat keys these days, even on Dell systems. The indented touch pad has a subtle surface texture that lets your finger glide easily, and is accompanied by two pleasingly large mouse buttons. Unlike some other budget Dells we've seen in the past, there's no fingerprint reader or even a Web cam (something usually found on systems in this price range).
The 15.6-inch wide-screen LCD offers a 1,366x768-pixel native resolution, which is standard for budget-minded 16:9 systems. Text and icons are perfectly readable, but the screen is not high-res enough to natively display full 1080p HD videos.
| Dell i1545-012B | Average for category [mainstream] | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA-out, HDMI |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | ExpressCard/34 | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
Finding an ExpressCard slot in a $499 laptop is a nice extra, and potentially useful for adding a mobile broadband modem or Bluetooth adapter (although Bluetooth is common enough to be part of the standard rollout, even in budget systems).
While three of the laptops in the Entry Level section of our Back-to-School 2009 Retail Roundup (covering laptops up to $499) have older Intel Celeron processors, the best performance came from the two Intel Dual-Core T4200 systems (including this model), and the Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5965, which had an AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-65 CPU. Any of these multicore choices should be fine for general computing, but the Asus K50IJ-RX05 used its 3GB of RAM plus the Intel T4200 to slightly edge out the competition.
Still, the Dell i1545-012B works well for basic multitasking--Web surfing, working on office documents, and media playback--and will handle multiple apps much better than an Intel Atom-powered Netbook.
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The system ran for 2 hours and 27 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, which is reasonable for such an inexpensive laptop, but still short of our general 3 hour target. The Asus K50IJ-RX05 is again more impressive, running for about 20 minutes longer on the same test.
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 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.
Note: While this machine comes with Windows Vista, many retailers, including Best Buy, and some hardware manufacturers are offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 for systems purchased after the end of June.
(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.
Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955
Windows Vista Home Basic SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Toshiba 5,400rpm.
Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Samsung 5,400rpm.
Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5965
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.1GHz AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-65; 3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon 3100; 250GB Toshiba 5,400rpm.
Dell Inspiron 1545-012B
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Asus K50IJ-RX05
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200; 3072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Seagate 5,400rpm.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5out of 5 user reviews
Great Laptop For The Price 600$
Pros: Awesome 16.9 wide screen hi def display, duel core pentium processor, 3 gigs of ram, 250 hard drive, web cam, cinematic 16 inch glossy screen,
Cons: A little glitch now and then but nothing critical
out of 5 user reviews
Great Laptop for the Money!
Pros: Fast computer
Inexpensive
Cons: Only 2GBs of Ram
Small 160 Hard Drive
No Webcam
out of 5 user reviews
decent computer
Pros: great computer for the $$$
Cons: not the best on the market
out of 5 user reviews
Fast - Lightweight - Fun running Linux Mint
Pros: Spry if not downright fast.
Sound is great.
Video/music players are faultless with minimal multitasking.
Linux Mint setup was fairly easy.
Unbelievable value for under $400 USD.
Battery life is fair to good.
Cons: No number pad.
Outer case is slightly easy for skin oil absorption. Wipes up easily.
AC adapter cord is a bit too short.
Two setup glitches. Needed to accept the proprietary driver for the wireless. That was a simple yes, and it cleared the way for the internet availablity.
The sound card, although recognized, did nothing until I selected playback via the Alsa mixer. Then a right button click on the status bar volume control, and added "front" speakers, then set their volume to max. Superb sound. Good for at least 2 or three rooms in the house!y nice laptop, with little to no issues that I would consider above minor irritant.
Overall, running Mint, this is a very impressive laptop which with Comiz enabled, Songbird media player, and Firefoxsurfing, meets every demand I have had for it.
Thinner than most laptops I have owned, certainly not a super thin issue, yet stylish and sleek enough.
If you don't tell anyone, they will think you spent a ton! Really has wow factor!
ezsurfer
out of 5 user reviews
Great computer for the money
Pros: Dual core processor, 2GB of memory, 15.6" display, and a DVD burner for little more than the cost of a net book (mine was $399.99 out the door).
Cons: It lacks a webcam and other foo-foo items that a more expensive laptop would have.
I'm extremely critical of electronics/computer purchases, but I've yet to find something about this computer to complain about.
The complaint in the editors cons of being "Very stripped-down design; missing some basic features" is a bit stupid, in my opinion. You can't judge a $400 laptop to the same standard of a $700+. I shopped around...for $400, I didn't see another dual core machine...let alone one that had foo-foo stuff like a webcam.
