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Full user review
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36 out of 37 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"The best laptop I've ever had"
Pros: VERY powerful (I have T2600), excellent for viewing video.
Cons: Battery life is abominable
Summary: I have owned this for three weeks now. I got it pretty much maxed out. T2600 (2.16) CPU, true-color screen, 80 GB 7200rpm HD, Bluetooth, etc. I stayed with the 1 Gig RAM. The upgrade to 2 Gig was very expensive. Possibly due to the new faster FSB.
The computer is very clean to look at. Not gangly like the XPS so you can bring it in to the office without being gawked at. It's very quiet. Even when running a 3DMark06 you could barely hear the two fans running. My other laptop sounded like a B51 taking off.
The true-color screen is incredible. I was hesitant to get it because it was an expensive upgrade, but I am very happy I did. Glare could be an issue, but for me and where I use it, it doesn't ever seem to be a problem. Possibly under office/flourescent lighting I could see a glare issue.
The monitor does NOT have the white haze/light leak that eminated from the bottom of it's predescessor (Inspiron 9300). Maybe it's the newer true-color monitor? I don't know. But I was thrilled to have a clean image when viewing movies. The screen is also much brighter and noticeable sharper than my non-true color laptop.
And games? It rocked. It played Doom 3 without any issues at all. On the "ultra" setting is was a little stuttered, but was very, very playable. On the BFMEII beta it soared without a single hiccup. I am very happy with it's game playing ability.
I do a lot of work with artwork. And a great deal of the artwork is up to a gig in size. I use programs like Photoshop very regularly. And this computer processes them with amazing efficiency. All the while I am able to surf the web or sun some other small-resouce program on the side.
For watching video, this is the first laptop I am satisfied with viewing movies on. Very crisp, bright image. The sound is still not as good as a typical TV, but considering it's a laptop it's amazing. Plenty of volume. And has a subwoofer built in. (Not built into the battery like earlier Inspirons).
The base does get very warm. Not super hot, but it does get warm.
The only downside that kind of surprised me was the ultra-short battery life. I know it's a 17" monitor, but I was under the impression that the duo-core was supposed to be a miser on power consumption. I read stuff like 4 ro 6 hours on a standard battery and 6 to 10 on an extended life. This has 90 minutes on the 6 cell. And that's just web browsing. I imagine this is due in large part to the graphics card/capabilities of the computer.
The price is still insane. But if you do some hard work (sometimes very hard work) you can find some killer coupons on the web. I got a considerable amount off after 7 hours of searching.
Is it truly a laptop? Well yes, but only by definition. It's hardly the right size for airline travel or just someone who uses it on-the-go. This is very definately a "desktop replacement" if only due to it's size and relative weight due to it.
In conclusion, simply amazing. The only thing that prevents me from giving this a 10 is the battery life.
- 6 replies to this review
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If someone need the replacement Inspiron e1705 battery, come here: http://www.laptopbatteryweb.com/dell-inspiron-e1705.htm
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I've owned the E1505 only for 1 week, and I am amazed at the speed, picture, and the ease of use. I really luck-out on this laptop, because I purchased it during a today's special sale from Dell's website for $649.00 plus tax with free S/H. It is also like the E1705 performance, it included the Duo processor, 1gig ram, 80meg HD, and a DVD-RW burner!
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After reading several pages of reviews about the E1705, it's obvious that Dell has some serious support problems. Regardless of who, what or when the request for support is initiated.
So my point. I'm considering the E1705 or a Gateway NX860XL.
Without much difficultly I can't find people who are unhappy with DELL support or DELL computers. However I've yet to find anyone have even a single negative report here or elsewhere about the Gateway systems. Why?
I'm hoping people who have had several laptops and experience with different manufactures could enlighten me.
IF buying from DELL is such a gamble, then why take the risk to save $200? -
I have previously posted this comment on darkeye77's review, so I will only briefly say I don't understand why the battery life is being characterized as "abominable." I routinely receive between 5 and 6 hours on a 9-cell battery using both Wi Fi and Bluetooth, with the 1 hour difference due to screen brightness setting. I don't mean to criticize your review, but I definitely would commend this sort of performance, at least in my experience.
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I just ordered a system very much like yours it seems (I only got the T2500 processor but ordered the better ram). This is my first computer that I have ever purchased and was wondering what to expect. I took into account the short battery life you spoke of and ordered the secondary battery to go with. Have you experienced any other issues so far that would warrant any concern?
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Just curious, but I'd appreciate knowing where to find these coupons of which you speak, if they're still available...
Thanks!
