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Is Dell really that bad?

post #1 of 48
7/20/07 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, I just ordered a notebook from Dell, it is the Inspiron 1520. And after browsing the forums for a bit I found that a lot of people complain about Dell notebooks and how they are of inferior quality. A few people said that they'd be surprised if there was a Dell notebook that worked normally. Are Dell notebooks really that bad? Should I have gotten an Acer instead? I'm kind of in a bad mood because of this now... Should I start to regret my purchase?

Any help is appreciated.
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post #2 of 48
7/20/07 at 12:54am
I would not be in a bad mood. I think as with every brand, you will find reviews of good and bad on a company like it or not. My last 9300 series laptop was basically a wreck and broke what seemed like every month however now I've got an E1705 as a replacement funded by Dell which has been running 7 months without an issue to speak of.

I think you should be proud of your purchase and tell us your specs if you would like

What are you planning to do with the laptop? If you don't treat your laptop badly I think you should be fine with it and it shouldn't run into problems. I personally am pretty hard on my laptops unintentionally because of bumps and jiggles along my travel or just the tons of gaming usage per day.

Anyway, be proud of your purchase....it may not be the best, but if you wanted the best you would've spent far more money
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post #3 of 48
7/20/07 at 1:00am
Thread Starter 
Hey, thanks for the quick reply!

What do people generally say about the 1520 series? To be honest, the laptop will be primarily for me to use around the house, it will not be moved very much at all. Here are the specs and usage details:

It's a Dell 1520

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM
120 GB Sata HDD
Nvidia Geforce 8600 MGT 256 MB
15.4 in. SXGA+ with TruLife
...
and all the other stuff

The laptop will be used for recreational gaming and general use(movies, browsing, office work, editing photos).
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post #4 of 48
7/20/07 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahsm View Post
Hey, thanks for the quick reply!

What do people generally say about the 1520 series? To be honest, the laptop will be primarily for me to use around the house, it will not be moved very much at all. Here are the specs and usage details:

It's a Dell 1520

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM
120 GB Sata HDD
Nvidia Geforce 8600 MGT 256 MB
15.4 in. SXGA+ with TruLife
...
and all the other stuff

The laptop will be used for recreational gaming and general use(movies, browsing, office work, editing photos).

Haha my life is trying to help people with computer problems around here, but I love it.

Your computer should do great for all the tasks mentioned, obviously nothing too demanding to strain the computer so that it's fans will always be running full blast. Also, not being moved should help it out. Try to use canned air every so often to blow out the fan of possible dust and debris that could have gathered up inside. If you need any other advice or have any questions, feel free to post or PM me!
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post #5 of 48
7/20/07 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 
The laptop will be rotating from my room, family room, and backyard a few times a day, that's pretty much it. I do game quite a bit, though.

I just keep reading about Dell notebooks being unreliable and breaking easily, from reading a bit on this forum it seems my notebook will spend more time in the Dell repair shop than in my hands. I need a stable and reliable notebook. I will be using it to watch movies, browsing, M$ Office applications, gaming, school, and general usage.

What do you guys think about the 1520 series, I really need some opinions/advice right now because I am pretty close to canceling my order and maybe getting an ACER. What do you guys think? Please me out, I'm pretty stressed out ATM.
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post #6 of 48
7/20/07 at 2:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahsm View Post
What do you guys think about the 1520 series, I really need some opinions/advice right now because I am pretty close to canceling my order and maybe getting an ACER. What do you guys think? Please me out, I'm pretty stressed out ATM.
I have not had time to write a review. But I can tell you this:

I think that the build quality of the Inspiron 1520 is OK, it is pretty solid, I have seen some Vaio's that can't compare to the 1520, this Inspiron is way better.

I also have to tell you, it is more bulky, heavy and ugly than what I thought it was going to be. I liked more my HP dv4000.
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post #7 of 48
7/20/07 at 9:14am
For sure it will not be in the shop more than in your hands. However.... I do suggest you upgrading your warranty to at-home service so that you can get server more quickly and easily....it certainly makes Dell repairs much easier than the send ins.
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post #8 of 48
7/20/07 at 2:11pm
STICK WITH THE DELL!! I've got a ton of Dell computers and they all run like champs. I have a 600m that I bought refurbished in 2003 and I've basically left it on all the time, dropped it in my work bag many times, ran games on it for hours, it is running STRONG. Dell has the BEST warranty service going, they don't pinch pennies, if it breaks under warranty it WILL be fixed...ALL laptops have more issues than desktops....just how it is. They all break at times, the warranty is the key.

You can't go WRONG with Dell...maybe it's less cool looking than other choices, but it sure isn't a mistake.
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post #9 of 48
7/20/07 at 2:55pm
My I9300 has been problem free since day one 2yrs ago. I game on it almost every night and love it.

I just ordered a 1520 for my Son...reviews mention it is much better build then previous Dells. A much more robust hinge design, magnesium chassis, keyboard spill proof membrane, shock preventive HD mounts, etc. Because those are not really strong home use selling points, go read up on the Business Vostor's. They are 100% the same laptop except they come in all black. Durability is very important in the business world...so they advertise all the testing and features for the Vostros.

The 1520 is not the lightest laptop in its segment by a long shot, but its probably the best built. Enjoy it..........
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post #10 of 48
7/20/07 at 3:43pm
I am happy with dell and the few problems I had with them were fixed quickly.
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post #11 of 48
7/20/07 at 6:04pm
ahsm:

Hey, just curious. What color? since that is an option with these units.

I went with blue myself for something different than wh/silver/black that grace most notebooks in use.
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post #12 of 48
7/20/07 at 6:37pm
Thread Starter 
Everyone, thanks for your replies. I am starting to think I made a good choice by buying from dell, and I just ordered a carrying case as well as the "Logitech<sup> </sup>VX Revolution Cordless Laser Notebook Mouse", it costs $69 on the deal site. Is it really worth that much? TigerDirect sells it for $49.99

And the colour I chose was black, matte finish.
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post #13 of 48
7/20/07 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 
Here are the full details/specs of my notebook:

Intel®<sup> </sup>Core™ 2 Duo T5450 (2MB cache/1.66GHz/667Mhz FSB)
Jet<sup> </sup>Black Color with Matte Finish
15.4<sup> </sup>inch UltraSharp ™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
2GB<sup> </sup>Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 Dimm
120G<sup> </sup>5400RPM SATA HDD
256MB<sup> </sup>NVIDIA ®GeForce™8600M GT
8X<sup> </sup>CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Dell<sup> </sup>Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini-Car
85<sup> </sup>WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
High<sup> </sup>Definition Audio 2.0 <-- What does this mean?

Mobile<sup> </sup>Edge Notebook Briefcase - Charcoal
Logitech<sup> </sup>VX Revolution Cordless Laser Notebook Mouse


And that's it for now. I took the Dell financing. Before you start calling me an idiot, I'm going to pay it off in a few months anyway. I'm not stupid enough to pay over $1K in interest. Any reviews, critiques, opinions?
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post #14 of 48
7/20/07 at 6:56pm
More CPU is always good....thats why I got my Son the T7300. I always recommend picking 1st one down from the top CPU...most bang for $$. Thats gives you the best longevity for games etc....

You can get some killer discounts too when you pick the higher pre-config models, and the PC Care package. You get several discounts piled over each other. My Sons was $2136 before discounts....but take the -$278 config discount, then the -7% for the PC Care, then -16% for my EPP (Boeing) discount and it was $1533 Shipped. The PC care package is awesome for a college kid...3yrs of 24/7 coverage, Lojack, AV, etc...for about $200 after discounts. Cant beat that with a stick!

And I much prefer the MS Mini Laser mouse...the usb doggle stores in the base, its laser accurate, uses one AA (I use a rechargeable one) and costs under $40 at Costco.
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post #15 of 48
7/20/07 at 6:57pm
My 1705 is built like a machine- its tough-good build quality and is the strongest beast of a laptop ive ever seen. Every different person has their own experiences w/ laptops/brands. My 1705 is in great shape and im trying to make it last as long as possible (since its been discontinued)
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post #16 of 48
7/20/07 at 7:03pm
ahsm- ur audio is integrated but its still good quality music coming out the end, so no worries

Plus i have wireless headphones and external speakers so i never use my laptop speakers.
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post #17 of 48
7/20/07 at 7:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahsm View Post
Hey guys, I just ordered a notebook from Dell, it is the Inspiron 1520. And after browsing the forums for a bit I found that a lot of people complain about Dell notebooks and how they are of inferior quality. A few people said that they'd be surprised if there was a Dell notebook that worked normally. Are Dell notebooks really that bad? Should I have gotten an Acer instead? I'm kind of in a bad mood because of this now... Should I start to regret my purchase?

Any help is appreciated.

I'm writing this on my Inspiron XPS Gen2. I used to change computers like most people change socks, but I've had this thing for over 3 years now and it still kicks ass.

I've hauled this thing around several countries, I've run it on generator power, I've subjected it to really unpleasant environments, and it's been completely solid and reliable.

Not a dead pixel on the screen, not a crashed drive, nothing. Well, the mainboard got fried last year due to a really bad power spike we had here on the island, but that wasn't Dell's fault, and they replaced it right away.

My girlfriend just bought her Dell laptop a few months ago and she is also very happy with hers.

Remember two things:

1. Usually you only hear about problems, not happy things.

2. Dell has a huge portion of the laptop market, so you'll hear item number 1 more often about them because of that.

Enjoy your machine.

-Doc
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post #18 of 48
7/20/07 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc.Caliban View Post
I'm writing this on my Inspiron XPS Gen2. I used to change computers like most people change socks, but I've had this thing for over 3 years now and it still kicks ass.

I've hauled this thing around several countries, I've run it on generator power, I've subjected it to really unpleasant environments, and it's been completely solid and reliable.

Not a dead pixel on the screen, not a crashed drive, nothing. Well, the mainboard got fried last year due to a really bad power spike we had here on the island, but that wasn't Dell's fault, and they replaced it right away.

My girlfriend just bought her Dell laptop a few months ago and she is also very happy with hers.

Remember two things:

1. Usually you only hear about problems, not happy things.

2. Dell has a huge portion of the laptop market, so you'll hear item number 1 more often about them because of that.

Enjoy your machine.

-Doc

It's good to hear from you again, living on an island sounds pretty amazing
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post #19 of 48
7/21/07 at 1:01am
Ha the last two post read my mind. Im on my 8600, 3 years old and hasnt caused major grief apart from the graphics card being doa when it was delivered (replaced lickety split ) and the fact I broke my enter and backspace key (remapped now) havent even turned on the xps in days. I want that Island..
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post #20 of 48
7/21/07 at 4:09pm
as you can see dell is a great place to buy. ofcourse stuff happens from time to time, but they are a MASSIVE company and you are pretty safe dealing with them.
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