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Dell Vostro 1500 w/ SXGA+ LCD

post #1 of 7
8/5/07 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 
Alright, I'm new to these forums, but I've used them A LOT in trying to decide which laptop/configuration to buy. I'm wondering what you guys think of this build and also if anyone recommends a 1680x1050 resolution on a 15.4" screen and whether I'd want a better graphics card. I'd do light gaming, CS:S, maybe BF2, but I prefer to run at native resolution and on decent quality graphics. I'll be using it primarily for multimedia though, and writing papers for college. Also, what can I expect for battery life?

Vostro 1500
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
15.4 in UltraSharp™ Wide Scrn SXGA+LCD Display w/TrueLife™
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600M GT
120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
8X CD/DVD Burner w/ double-layer DVD+R write capability
High Definition Audio 2.0
Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-card
Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Web Camera
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 Year Limited Hardware Warranty with Mail-in Service
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
TOTAL: $1,272.00
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post #2 of 7
8/5/07 at 11:00pm
i have the vostro 1500 with 1 gb ram, t5470 1.6ghz, 8600gt, and the XGA display. counter strike source an average of 60-100 FPS with 2 MSAA and 16x antisoptric filtering. battlefield2 get about the same FPS all on medium settings.

As far as the XGA display goes.. it isnt at all what i expected. there is light bleed, which isn't horrible but the top of the screen is is very dim. As an example. when windows is booting up, the top of the screen looks as if i were looking out of the viewing angle. I COULD send it back to dell.. but i double they will actually fix it.

i would suggest the XGA+ or higher. I cant imagine games being playable with a 8400 at the SXGA+ resolution though..

oh, and with a full charge with a 6 cell battery windows estimates 3.5 hours of battery life.
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post #3 of 7
8/6/07 at 12:34am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the response. Yea that's what I was thinking too; that it would be nearly impossible to game at the SXGA+ resolution with an 8400 GS. I suppose I could just turn down the resolution for games, it'll look worse, but hey, I'm not building this specifically for gaming, so I guess it's alright. Do you think that an SXGA+ resolution on a 15.4" screen will look good? I don't want to get this and have everything be tiny as hell, that wouldn't be good.
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post #4 of 7
8/6/07 at 12:54am
Thread Starter 
I changed some stuff, I changing the processor to the T7100 (from the T7300), and the graphics card to a 8600GT (from the 8400GS). I figure if I'm running that resolution, I should have something that can push harder in the graphics area.
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post #5 of 7
8/6/07 at 3:53am
Thread Starter 
It's been ordered with the specs in the first post.
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post #6 of 7
8/14/07 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
So I received it yesterday and it's hella nice. The SXGA+ screen is definitely worth it, it's very crisp and clear, it makes my 17" LCD look bad. The computer itself is quiet, although I haven't tried gaming on it yet. It seems with normal use (word processing, internet, etc) you can expect a battery life of around 4 to 5 hours. One thing I didn't like about it is that the battery sticks out the back about an inch or so, not really a big problem and you don't really notice it, but I wish it would have been flush with the rest of the chassis. If i could change anything about it I would have probably gone with the next processor up, with the 4mb L2 cache, but I am completely satisfied with the system I have right now. Very solid build.
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post #7 of 7
8/14/07 at 7:37pm
thanks for the update... always good to see the opinion of someone who owns a machine rather than speculation
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