Just a few shots [yeah,I know I'm no photographer]of the two which might help someone trying to choose between a Vostro and D820/30 or M65/M4300.
I quite like the Vostro apart from the fact it has a TSScorp dvd drive in it,which is very fussy about media.
It has the SXGA truelife which I actually prefer over the matt M65 screen and does what it is supposed to do and improves contrast.
Vostro scores 6250 in 3Dmark05 @ default 1024x768 with 158.27 drivers which is a vast improvement over the M65,I'm a bit lost when it comes to the new nvidia control panel and have just realised that you have to download ntune to o/clock,I much prefer the old CP as it seems to have more features without having to bloat your system with more crap.
The keyboard is ok,I prefer the precision one,but keyboards are a bit like screens with dell,sometimes you get a good one and sometimes don't,the first one I had on my precision [before my 9kg norwegian forest cat ripped a couple of keys off]was terrible,the replacement is great.
Speakers are fantastic on the Vostro compared to the precision,even though they are pointing in the wrong direction [down],seems the sound chip isn't too noisy going through a set of Logitech Z-2300,haven't tried headphones.
Build quality wise,the Vostro seems very good for a consumer type laptop,with reasonably good screen hinges and shell stiffness,especially the base,it is not however in the latitude/precision league though and has flex in the screen when you pick it up in between the hinges and does not feel generally as solid [to be expected] the closing latch feels cheap by comparison and it has more play when closed,I am also dubious about the scatchabilty [??]of the surfaces [exterior] plus its an absolute fingerprint magnet and fingerprints don't seem to wipe off it easily.
But for what it is [a black inspiron 1520] it is very good,and I would say it is built better than 99 percent of comparably priced consumer notebooks out there,except,maybe for the surface finish,which remains to be seen.
Well done Dell for making a notebook with excellent cooling and isn't even that hot gaming on your lap,I guess those extra millimeters of thickness make it easier to run cool,I was actually wondering if the extra centimetre of thickness over my M65 would bother,but in reality it doesn't,especially when it runs cooler than my much less powerful precision.
I quite like the Vostro apart from the fact it has a TSScorp dvd drive in it,which is very fussy about media.
It has the SXGA truelife which I actually prefer over the matt M65 screen and does what it is supposed to do and improves contrast.
Vostro scores 6250 in 3Dmark05 @ default 1024x768 with 158.27 drivers which is a vast improvement over the M65,I'm a bit lost when it comes to the new nvidia control panel and have just realised that you have to download ntune to o/clock,I much prefer the old CP as it seems to have more features without having to bloat your system with more crap.
The keyboard is ok,I prefer the precision one,but keyboards are a bit like screens with dell,sometimes you get a good one and sometimes don't,the first one I had on my precision [before my 9kg norwegian forest cat ripped a couple of keys off]was terrible,the replacement is great.
Speakers are fantastic on the Vostro compared to the precision,even though they are pointing in the wrong direction [down],seems the sound chip isn't too noisy going through a set of Logitech Z-2300,haven't tried headphones.
Build quality wise,the Vostro seems very good for a consumer type laptop,with reasonably good screen hinges and shell stiffness,especially the base,it is not however in the latitude/precision league though and has flex in the screen when you pick it up in between the hinges and does not feel generally as solid [to be expected] the closing latch feels cheap by comparison and it has more play when closed,I am also dubious about the scatchabilty [??]of the surfaces [exterior] plus its an absolute fingerprint magnet and fingerprints don't seem to wipe off it easily.
But for what it is [a black inspiron 1520] it is very good,and I would say it is built better than 99 percent of comparably priced consumer notebooks out there,except,maybe for the surface finish,which remains to be seen.
Well done Dell for making a notebook with excellent cooling and isn't even that hot gaming on your lap,I guess those extra millimeters of thickness make it easier to run cool,I was actually wondering if the extra centimetre of thickness over my M65 would bother,but in reality it doesn't,especially when it runs cooler than my much less powerful precision.
