Dell Vostro 1500 (discontinued)

Review: I've had my 1500 since January and it has been rock solid. To date I've had only 2 complaints. First is the size, I didn't think it's heavy weight would bother me at first but it has turned out to be more of an issue over the last few months. Second, if a product really is only as good as it's weakest part then the hard drive really holds this machine back. It is one of the slowest drives I have dealt with.

Review: Definitely a great buy, the Dell Vostro 1500 has tons of features to make everyone happy. I recently ordered one off dell.com thru a friend of mine, and I?ve had nothing to really complain about. I just feel I have to share my love of this small-business (or gaming) oriented laptop with anyone interested in getting a pretty good laptop for a great price.
There are so many conflicting views when it comes to how good the Dell looks (this is the only part where that happens though, so I hope I don?t discourage you from going on thru the review). I guess everybody has their own tastes esthetically, but in my humble opinion, I?d say it looks great, particularly when opened. The edges are a bit rounded to give it a soft look, and the layout of the keyboard, touchpad and media controls is well-arranged and put together. It only comes in black, which is a gripe I hear some people making, but in my eyes, the black looks perfect. Initially I had my doubts about a wholly black-colored laptop, but even right now as I?m typing this, I can only admire how sleek it seems. In fact, there?s one website calling it a black beast. Sure it?s a bit bulky, and heavy, but it?s reportedly made of a magnesium alloy, so it?s pretty strong. That can be felt as soon as it?s handled.
The great thing about the Vostro is that there so many options ready for configuration if you go to the website, everything from the processor, operating system to whether or not you want to have Bluetooth. Dell says the laptop is meant for the small-business community, but considering the graphics card options available, that?d be hard to say, because there are lots of people who use it as a gaming machine, either casual or a bit serious. So, it depends on what you?re going for. In my case, I wanted a computer with a pretty good processor and graphics card, as well as at least 1GB RAM, so I went for the Core 2 Duo processor T5270 and 2 GB RAM. For graphics, I decided to go for the NVIDIA Geforce 8600 GT which works more than just decently well with a whole range of games. I?ve played games like Hitman Blood Money, NFS Most Wanted, Half Life 2, NBA Live 08 on full video settings, and there?s been no problem.
In terms of performance, the dual processors and the amount of RAM makes everything run really smooth, even when you?re multitasking. I?ve got Windows Vista Basic, so I guess you get a pretty good idea of what I?m talking about, since Vista is slower than XP is with the same configuration. Another great thing about ordering online thru dell.com is that you get to choose whether you?d prefer XP or Vista. I know lots of people would stick with XP, and Dell did a great job of providing both operating systems as choices. Personally, I went for Vista, because my own version was free, and I thought that I?d better go with the times; anytime I want to change, I?ll just install XP as well, since I have a 160GB hard drive.
The sound of the computer is basically similar to other laptops, not big on bass, but it gets loud. Battery life isn?t spectacular, but I?d say it?s not that bad. Mine lasts for about 2 hours when I?m doing light work like browsing or typing. Gaming makes that statistic go down to about 1.5 hours.
It?s also good that the Vostro 1500 comes with 4 USB ports, so there?s plenty of room for different connections. The Media control buttons located underneath the touchpad where the lid closes work very well with Windows Media Player, though in other applications it seems like only the volume buttons operate. There are other options as well, like the optical drive, wireless, warranty, battery etc. It?s so easy to do everything. And maybe the best part about it is that everything?s pretty cheap when you compare it to other brands. I got mine for about $800 dollars with tax (there was a sale going on, though), and the base laptop price even starts at $489?last time I checked anyway.
Overall, this is a wonderful system for the price, and on the whole the only things where I could find the tiniest, teeniest bit of fault were in its weight, and then the fact that the cord connecting the adapter seems a bit short (but can you call that a problem? I?m not sure), and that the back attracts a lot of hand prints. Bottom line, I have no regrets buying this, I?d go for another one anytime, and I?m definitely a fan of Dell.

Review: some people say its heavy but i dont think so, i mean 8-9 pounds or so isnt heavy at all. im fifteen and can easily lift it with one hand. but really cheap for this price. i paid about $600 and got 2gig ram 160gig hard drive 256mb video card. thats a great deal for a laptop. otherwise very good laptop. would definitely recommend u to buy this.

Review: I got this in March 2008 and am still in my first 30 days. I wasn't thrilled about the display...very thin (did all sorts of combinations in display settings) plus light is bleeding out at the bottom of the display. And the touch pad, sometimes it scrolled but sometimes it didn't and is a bit erratic no matter what I do in the settings. So I told my customer care rep who then told me this was not normal and that he would send me out a "brand new Laptop" as a replacement. Less than a week later I got the replacement but it looked like a refurb to me with fingerprints all over the case, no plastic on the top logo, a cover that wobbled when closed and a right speaker that went on and off. I returned this replacement and asked them if I request another replacement, could they guarantee that it will not be a refurb. since I believed the first replacement was. The customer care rep could not guarantee me this but said he will do whatever he can to get me a new laptop replacement. What is THAT! My original was not a refurb and I was promised a "brand new laptop" as a replacement originally. Anyhow, under these circumstances, I'm keeping the first laptop but Dell won't have a 100% satisfied customer here. Oh yeah, just found out the mic recording is terrible. I called tech support and they told me there are "issues" with recording which means there is no fix. I guess "issues" is the way Dell describes "defects".

Review: My Dell Vostro 1500 laptop has brought more power to my mobile world. It has been a great experience owning this computer, and the only downside I can find would be the lack of a docking station being manufactured by Dell.

Review: I have this laptop from 4 months ago, now I can say that is very good laptop, but it's very heavy, it would be almost perfect. I recommend it.

Review: I have had this laptop for a few months. I got a really great price for C2D T7500, 8600GT, 1GB Ram, Bluetooth, Webcam, 160GB HD for $801 with some coupons. Contrary to alot of things that I have seen regarding grainy screens, I have a Samsung screen and I must say that it looks great. There may be some folks who have problems but I really like mine. The computer has no bloatware so just start it up and your are good to go.

I was thinking about the HP DV6500T, but can honestly say that I am glad that I went with Dell. The HP does have the Dell Vostro beat in terms of looks, but the Vostro flat out whips the HP in terms of quaility, price and available configurations. You are probably reading my opinion as you are debating purchasing one. Just do it! You will not regret it. The only thing that I advise is to get Windows XP until Vista problems have been corrected (could take a few of years).

The computer is a little heavy, but I like the solid feel. It has metal and plastic casing and spill proof keyboard. The HP was plastic and seemed fragile. The black casing gives it a nice business look and its a pretty rugged machine. The multimedia keys in front also gives it a little style. I am not into flashy laptops,this one has business machine all over it, I like the style. If you want a solid computer that is fast, reasonably priced, then get the Vosto. I highly recommend this laptop.

My fiancee liked it so much, she just ordered one recently. I got mine in about a week. She has to wait almost a month, I assume that they must be backed up.

Review: First thing the picture provided is not the original vostro 1500, its completely black.

Finnaly got the system , thanks to the reviews made by various Cnet users. This machine is really fast, at the price i.e $645 including tax its remarkable. i have 15 inch screen, 1 GB ram , 120 hard disk. But the overall hardisk in windows is showing around 109 GB !!.
I have windows XP and its really responsive, very zippy. Unlike the promise made, Dell has installed some stupid software which are totally meaningless. You can remove them from the startup and then unistall them.

Media Direct is a good way to listen to music and watch pics. But the sound is low when using Media Direct than using Windows Media player. Images do not strech full screen during slide shows.

When used in the windows, sound quality is AWESOME.. SUPERb...But as the spekars are at the bottom end, if you are placing it on your bed and using it. The sound would be low. If you are keeping it on your lap the sound is good.

Core 2 Duo processor are really working for me, programming , audio conversion, video conversion, Photoshop editing is really smooth, Performance is amazing.
It doesnt heat up a lot, but if you are doing intense CPU utilization like gaming, plz do that with your AC adapter on as it sucks up all the battery life. At the same time the back gets heated up, i would recommned a CPU cooler with two fans is good enough to keep the heat at bay.

I have opted for Truelife screen and it looked pretty good to me. nothing can compare with Sony Viao's screen, but as others mentioned grains, i found the screen very crisp and clear. Resolution was set to 1200x800

The only two cons is the Design, its not sleek like the other counterparts, toshiba, HP, Sony .. but then look at the price at which its offered.
Second thing its HEAVY... although its very sturdy, the magnesium alloy build is very strong.

Very good mannual given, and a windows XP reinstallation CD,Drivers CD , Media Direct Software CD , Microsoft Works CD( i really dont need that anyhow)

Overall a very nicely build heavy laptop, but truly powerpacked.

Review: Great computer for the money. Good standard graphics card, 1.6 speed is great for most users. I got mine with Windows XP. This is a nice machine. I paid $635.00 including tax. It comes with very little software. If you need Microsoft office or Power Point then order it. It comes with no virus software but you can download some. Also, you will need to upgrade to Explorer 7 as the machine comes with 6.

These are slight problems. Overall I love this computer and would buy another one. I am not a big Dell fan but they have great product here.

Review: This one month old Vostro 1500 replaced a six year old Inspiron 8100. This purchase was a tossup between the 1520 series and the Vostro. I opted for Vostro because Dell advertised it 'for the small business user.' While I priced the Vostro online, I ultimately paid ~5% more to buy thru a local vendor because of their local setup and local support. I was able to purchase with XP Home SP2 instead of standard Vista.

I loaded up with a T7300 2GHz processor, 2GB 667 MHz RAM, a 160GB HDD, an internal wireless 4965 a/g/n card, an integrated 2.0MP webcam, the NVidia GeoForce 8600GT discrete graphics card w/256MB RAM, a FireWire port, the 85 watt-hour 9-cell battery, the 15.4" WXGA monitor (non-glossy), an 8x DVD+/-RW, an extra AC Adapter and nylon carry case.

This fully loaded system priced out at a bit over $1650, and I was happy when the vendor who set it up said it was the first Vostro they'd seen and they were extremely impressed.

I loved the Vostro from the moment I turned it on! So much faster, the wireless connection to my older Linksys a/b/g router is almost flawless, and the wide-screen display is awesome. The 9-cell battery consistently lasts more than 3.5 hours with moderately heavy use (HDD, wireless and USB flash drives, but not heavy CD/DVD use yet). I also like both the Wi-Fi Finder feature, as well as the switch to shut off the wireless card (I leave the Vostro running overnight for backup and virus scan purposes, and it's nice to just flip the switch on the side and be re-connected instantly).

My biggest disappointment about the Vostro, especially since it's 'designed for small business' is that it lacks any docking station or port replicator capability. Had I known this fact in advance, I may have looked closer at the Inspiron 1520, since my old 8100 spend half its time in a port replicator, and it was such a breeze to not have to connect peripherals when I'm at my home/office. The only other moderate disappointment is the FireWire port, a mini size vs standard, which requires any FireWire device to have its own power source. Two last minor disappointments are the multi-card reader, which does not accept my 'ancient' CF cards (guess I'll need to get a new camera!), and PC Card slot only accepts the newer Express cards, not my older PCII cards. But since those cards were network and wireless, and the Vostro has both built-in, it's not a major issue, just one about which other potential buyers ought to be aware.

Had the Vostro had a docking cabability, I'd have given it a 9 instead of the rating of 7 I award this otherwise stellar package.

Review: This is a great laptop, and it's downright phenomenal for the money. I bought mine with the Core 2 Duo T5470, 1GB RAM, 1440x960 display, and Nvidia 8400 G S (128 MB). I would have upgraded the RAM, but Dell wanted too much for an extra GB.

Overall, I am highly satisfied and would buy this laptop all over again.

Review: I was anxious to get my hands on Dell's new Vostro line-up, especially in lieu of the fact that as a steady Dell customer I've had to deal with their endless crapware parade on all but their top-end machines.

Vostro's marketing claim is "You spoke. We listened." Well, Dell, congratulations on turning what most businesses feel as a basic step in customer relations into a cosmic event. They may have "listened", but their interpretation of what they heard remains to be seen.

I ordered a Dell Vostro 1500 with a 2.0GHz Core Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 15.4" WXGA screen, 128MB PCIe ATi Radeon video card, DVD+RW and Windows XP Pro SP2 (I've been avoiding Vista on all but the fastest machines).

At first sight the machine appeared bulky and old fashioned. It's no lightweight by any means, and it's design screams mid '90s. The black finish is nice, but make sure your hands are absolutely clean before you wrap your mitts around it, or else you'll see every fingerprint and smudge.

The machine is definitely fast, which is a benefit of sticking with the tried and true Windows XP. I have no problems at all with the responsiveness of the machine. I never benchmarked the machine, nor would I expect gaming performance to be anything to write home about but for all but the most demanding standard chores this machine will do fine.

As far as Dell's promise to not install their plethora of useless trialware and other software junk, I can say that they are at least headed in the right direction. There were still a few apps I'd consider "dubious" that came pre-installed on the machine. Apparently Dell's interpretation of Spyware isn't as expansive as mine. I had to spend 10-15 minutes removing several useless applications, one of which easily took 7 full minutes of frustrating thumb-twiddling while it uninstalled itself (the exact name of this junk application escapes me, but it was definitely not needed).

All in all I'd say it's a decent machine, not as slick or professional as their Latitude or Precision line-ups, but a decent machine none-the-less.

Would I buy another one after having the opportunity to evaluate the one I ordered? No. I'll stick with the Latitude D520 and D630 for now.