Drop, charge, and lose the cords
CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/10/2009
- Released on: 07/01/2009
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.
 Juice box | |||
| Dell i1545-012B | |
| Off (watts) | 0.45 |
| Sleep (watts) | 0.76 |
| Idle (watts) | 13.56 |
| Load (watts) | 40.95 |
| Raw (annual kWh) | 50.66 |
| Annual operating cost (@$0.1135/kWh) | $5.75 |
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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest
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alaTest.com
Editors' rating: 90
Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 247 reviews of Dell Inspiron 1520 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 77/100 and users 77/100. Comparing these reviews to 166620 other Laptops reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 90/100 = Excellent.
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whatlaptop.co.uk
Editors' rating: 80
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techradar.com
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: The Dell Inspiron 1520 is an impressively sturdy laptop. If you want to opt for a different specification you can, as the 1510 uses the same chassis but it's based around an AMD processor. Whichever specification you choose, you'll be impressed with ...
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notebookcheck.net
Editors' rating: 85
Summary: Also the runtime with WLAN operation of above 4 hours are a criterion supporting the battery upgrade of the Dell Inspiron 1520
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laptopmag.com
Editors' rating: 60
Summary: The speaker strip is, in a word: loud. Whereas many budget notebooks' speakers are so weak that we usually leave the volume at or close to its maximum, the Inspiron 15's speaker was so loud we didn't feel the need to crank it past its median setting. ...
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goodgearguide.com.au
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: The new Dell Inspiron is a very nice choice if you're after a powerful and stylish notebook. We were impressed by just about every aspect of its performance and the new look gives it a touch of flare to boot.
