If you've been looking to go Core Duo on the cheap then wait no longer. PCMAG just busted out their Editor's Choice award on the 15.4-inch widescreen
Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop. Good reason too, since their $999 test model shipped pre-loaded with XP Media Center Edition 2005 (TV tuner costs extra), sporting a 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, 80GB (5400rpm) disk, 802.11b/g, dual-layer DVD burner, and ATI Mobility Radion X1300 graphics -- not top of the line by any means, but oodles better than a lot of those integrated graphics craptops, and more likely to run Vista with some pep. PCMAG calls the E1505 "perfect" for people on a budget who "appreciate technology" which well, pretty much covers just about everyone we know. Knocks? Sure, the battery only managed about 3 hours and you have to enter a goofy Dell E-Value code "E1505PC" when ordering if you expect your kit to ring-up with that sub-grand price tag. Righteous pricing indeed for this full featured and powerful kit.
posted May 2nd 2006 10:18AM
I have had my insprion e1505 for 1 year and 1 month and it crashed! And since it is beyond the 1 year warranty, dell won't do anything about it! So I would advise to stay away from Dell.
i also own an 1505, i bought it almost 2 years ago from a friend, pretty cheap , only for $650 , just the laptop and its AC adapter
My spec is Intel T2300 @ 1.66 1gbRAM 120gb HDD@5400 and ATI X1300 256mb
i have run and installed a mini webserver (XAMPP), edit videos using adobe premiere, play crysis, PES 2008 and many more!
i have no complaints whatsoever, unless maybe the heat problem: cpu 56C hdd 49C and a cranky dvd drive. but i can live with that. :)
my only problem is my battery wear level now showing 78% on NHC.
Without AC power the laptop only lasted for 30min
That was caused by my own fault, i always plug the adapter, so it ruins the battery.
Now if only i can find the dell battery for $10-$20. :)
I'm about to buy this laptop (used) for 380,00 and I would like to know if should i get it.
Dell Inspiron E1505, with 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 HD, 15.4" broad screen, ATI X1300 256mb.
Don't buy a used computer for $380.00...for a few bucks more you can have Dell send you a new one.Built for you....I have the Inspiron1505, and I love it....The only problem I have is aol, and we all know aol sucks...
I love my computer....I will be getting a new one soon and I will definitley will be buying another Inspiron.
From the moment I bought that computer I had problems. It took two months to ship to me. When I finally received it, it wouldn't install updates therefore my microphone drive wouldn't work so I couldn't use the Sony Acid I had purchased for it. I talked to Dell and they replaced my hard drive. I lost everything, including my iTunes and all of my pictures. Then I had issues staying connected to my wireless internet in my house. Dell wasn't much help with that. After that happened, my battery adapter died. I couldn't use my computer for more than five minutes at a time until Dell sent me a new one. After that, the actual battery died and the internet was still having issues. Now, my hard drive has crashed a SECOND time as well as my LCD. Dell still hasn't helped me with this even though I just talked to them 3 days ago. They've done nothing to help. They said they would send me a new LCD thing and a new hard drive but I haven't received either and they said they would ship it the next day. This is the worst computer I've had. My 7 year old Gateway works better than this.
"Good reason too, since their $999 test model shipped pre-loaded with XP Media Center Edition 2005"
Yes, everything is very nice except the battery life. Well, the price is too attractive for anyone to ignore this problem.
If it's anything like other Dell laptops, you'll pay the cost of the computer in repairs in the next couple years.
They sell that exact model for $699 now, great deal! my girlfriend got one to replace her aging g4. This is a mac person for 15 years (professor) and she prefers the Dell.
This is the laptop I use at work. For $999, I gotta say it's pretty sweet. Widescreen goodness, fullsize keyboard, dedicated media controls. Definitely a step up from the craptacular C600 series. Even looks nice for a Dell -- finally something glossy.
It's the first laptop I've used happily without an external keyboard! Everything is finally where it belongs.
Wow, great price! Someone found it for $699? Hell I may have to forget my desire to finally get a Mac laptop (Intel Macbook) and bite the bullet for a Dell for that kind of savings. Anyone RTFA? How much does it weigh and how is the LCD on this baby? I hate cheap LCD's.
The LCD is very satisfactory. DVDs play crisp and jump free. I got my machine for $650 by using the Dell EPromotion code. Actually, they upgraded the hard drive from 60 to 80gb no extra charge. Battery life is not really an issue for me as I usually have a plug in available in my car. I don't like the price of replacement and add on parts though. My son just bought a Dell laptop and loaded it down with Vista, memory and just about every upgrade you could get and he paid about %2600. Yes his screen is 17" but the weight alone on his machine is greater and they had to buy a special backpack to fit it in for about $120. I'm a value / cheap person and didn't see any reason to spend 5x the money for the few upgrades. I've had my machine about 2 months now and hope to be using it for many years to come. BTW, I only got the DVD Rom/CD Burnere. DVD burner would be nice, but I have on one my desktop and wanted to keep my price down. Also, Dell has been fantastic with their shipping. Usually get stuff within a few days from order. I don't know how they do it, but I work on PCs and order Dell machines for my customers and for the 5 times I have ordered in the past year, there has been no issues. As for technical support, I haven't had to deal with them yet. I have heard good and bad. If you have other questions, feel free to email me.
Doug Yates
Does DELL offer a bigger battery?
For an extra (everything is extra these days) $99 you can get a 85Wh battery and add another 1.5hrs of battery life. I have a friend who bought this model, he loves it.
I owned an Inspiron 9200 which is basically the same machine, just older. It's heavy as a brick and the LCD conveniently drew a nice blue line down the center. It's almost like theres a whole column of dead pixels now. It was only a year old. Since then I've switched to a MacBookPro and it's wonderful. Much more portable, faster, and is everything I want in a notebook (except built in SD card reader). Sure I paid a lot more, but I expect it to last more than one year before the LCD starts acting up. You do get what you pay for with Dell and Apple.
My LCD in my Inspiron E1505 Notebook has multiplying vertical colored lines all over. Does anybody have a solution? Dell is not much help.
I have an Inspiron 9300
The only thing i hate about it, is the paint is starting to come on where i rest my hands to type. (after about 4 months of normal use) it looks really ugly now :(
Well, it was 699... the price went up within the last 35 minutes.
oddly enough, the area where i rest my palm on my macbookpro is also starting to 'wear' off
I bought the Core Duo T2500 (2 GHz) and the high rez widescreen (1650x1080) version, mostly to run Ubuntu Linux. Two problems: 1) it's big and bulky; 2) it has an Intel 3945 wireless card, which is unsupported on the current (Breezy Badger, kernel 2.6.12) version of Ubuntu. Intel has written a driver that is supposed to work with 2.6.13 and later or the Linux kernel. Ubuntu's Dapper Drake release (6.06) ships on June 1st with Linux kernel 2.6.15, so that should solve the wireless problem. But it's still big and bulky. If you are looking for a Core Duo notebook and weight is more important than price, look at the Sony Vaio SZ series of laptops.
Yes, we all know we could order a Mac. The cheapest MacBook that would meet my needs is $2,148 (+1GB +modem). Yesterday I ordered an E1505 that nearly matches the configuration of the base Mac for far less. My Dell has an x1400/256MB video card, 1.66GHz processor, and 80GB HD. The Apple would have had an x1600/128MB video card, 1.83GHz processor, and 100GB HD. Memory, optical drive, wireless, bluetooth, and screen size are basically the same. The biggest difference? I paid just $900.
The Mac might be more reliable, although their is no way of knowing on such a new product. I do know that for $267 I could have added Dell's 4 year premium warranty with on-site service and accidental damage protection and still saved $1,000 over the Mac.
I have to say I've been quite happy with mine for the past few weeks.
Intel Core Duo processor T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R
15.4 inch 1680x1050 UltraSharp Wide Screen SXGA+
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400 HyperMemory (128MB dedicated and 128MB from system memory)
60GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive (definitely worth it for the speed)
Intel PRO 3945 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery (the extra cells are definitely worth it)
At the time I picked it up with a $750 coupon but the $411 coupon they have going now makes it almost just as good a price. The one thing I wish they had a few weeks ago was the Integrated SB Audigy card. The 1505 is awesome for DVD viewing, web surfing and packs a hefty enough punch to decently play games like Halflife2, Battlefield2 and World of Warcraft with the graphics at Medium to High settings. It sure beats paying $2000 - $3000 for one of those high end MacBooks (which always seem to have old video cards) or XPS systems.
I'm thinking about getting one soon. Would you recommend getting the 2 GB Ram or do you think the 1 GB is enough. It's a price difference of several hundred dollars, but I want my computer to last for a while too without having to buy tons of upgrades. I hear if you upgrade to Vista later it's better to have the 2 GB too. Thoughts?
maybe im missing something but on dells website the sub 1k models are all core solo with 512 ram xp home, no optical burner etc etc etc. you need to spend 1100 to get the base model with the duo. You also need to spend an additional 800 to get it up to snuff (1 gig ram, xp pro, non integrated video, decent HDD etc). I mean this is *IN REALITY* a 1900$ system if you want it to measure up to the mac, and even then it falls short spec wise. Maybe I just don't have the magical coupon code you guys are talking about.....
Holy lord that looks bulky and plasticky. Just wish they'd put so stickers on it...Oh wait, there they are.
DS, Dell coupons would make your "In REALITY" lappy drop from $1999 to $1250. A much better deal.
For example use code 85HL9T?V1X833J to save $750 off any $1,999.00+ Dell Inspiron notebook.
@DS
There was a sale yesterday, as Dell frequently runs. Matching I'm not sure what is going on today but if you read the linked PC Mag review they give a code to get the dual core, non-integrated video, DVD/RW E1505 for $999. The deal yesterday w/ integrated video started at $699 (even lower w/ coupons & rebates). You can read about the deal yesterday at http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/608296/
Dell is (in)famous for coupons and specials and they come along with surprising regularity.
Bought one of these back in April. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY is what I can say. I tried and returned a Sony and HP before settling on a dell 1505.
As far a performance, dual-core is all you will see in my machines going forward. Decked out the rig for just a little over 2Gs with Dell's $750 rebate.
i picked one up the other day, 2.0 ghz, ati x1300, 100 gig 5400rpm drive, 1 gig ram,dvd burner for 1000 with tax and shipping. it was a returned new(not refurbed). very good deal. check the outlet
I really don't know if it is luck or what, but I have a I600m for two years now and its flawless. I have a I6000 since christmas and can't be happy. I also have two Dell desktops and they have never broken, so I don't know if it is luck or what but I have a great history with Dell. I am pissed that that a few months after I bought my I6000 this awesome laptop comes along!
I don't know if I've been lucky or that everyone just loves to bash Dell...I sold my 5100 (p4 2.66ghz) that I used everyday for a E1505. My 5100 was in a Platt tool bag with a bunch of other tools/supplies etc...weight was 51 pounds. I pulled it around on a two wheel cart, bounced off steps for two years NO PROBLEMS. I'm sure I will have as good luck with my E1505.
Loaded it up, except for the higher cap battery. Everyone just drools over the superbright screen, definately worth the upgrade.
These have been for sale, in various configurations, through slickdeals.net over the past few months for ~650-700 bucks, and can be fully loaded out for under a grand.
Can pcmag's reviews be trusted?
I noticed their review was light on details.
And they compared the machine to single-core laptops in their "performance" test.
hmmm.
God, everyone is an Apple basher. #12, you forgot that the Dell has a 1.67Ghz Core Duo, when the MacBook Pro comes with 1.83Ghz - difference there. No iSight, no iLife, no remote, and it is a lot bulkier. Plus the MacBook Pro is a Pro laptop, this Dell by no means is a Pro laptop.
#13, last time I checked, the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 wasn't that old....
I am as big of an Apple fanboy as the next guy, I just wanted to make sure that Apple's offering laptop-wise is well represented. This is sort of an Apple to Orange type thing (or Apple to Rotten Tomato as some might consider it, seeing as Dell is hated by as many people who hate Apple...)
My friend purchased this laptop about two weeks ago, and I am currently attempting to reinstall everything. From initial boot, the laptop just did not act right. WMC errors, applications errors, etc. It BSOD'd a few times, and eventually got worse until the point of needing to be restored.
The restoration is going horrible. Dell was kind enough to ship the laptop without the correct drivers, so I had to spend some time searching for those.
It has been a headache since the machine came out of the packaging. I think it was due to a poor install on Dell's part (bundling too much garbage into one package), but maybe my friend is just unlucky and got a lemon. Either way, this system is OK at best.
This just goes to show I need to upgrade my laptop. I'm running an old Inspiron 5160. I think my next one will be dual-core, and also going to wait for Vista.
#25, why would you spend so much time and effort on a laptop that's only two weeks old? send it back and save the frustration.
I have an E1505 and I can't say enough about it. The tru-brite screen is definitely worth the money. T2400 1.83GHz, fully loaded (including 4 year gold warranty package) for around $1450, after dell coupons and EPP savings.
I upgraded from an Inspiron 5100, which was infamous for overheating problems because of the desktop processor. Had to send it in to replace the fan heatsink at least 3 times, but Dell always owned up to their mistakes and footed the bill, even after my 2 year warranty had expired.
I got mine 3 weeks ago with the $750 coupon... My only gripe is there are no Verizon EVDO Express cards (No PCMCIA slots) are available yet. Waiting impatiently...
#27: Well I am doing it myself for two reasons.
1. Boredom. Fixing the computer, while frustrating, is fun.
2. Time. If I send it back to Dell and have them do it, it will take a week or two (or more) to get the system back. If I do it myself, it will only take a day or two.
Also, if I do it myself I can keep all of their garbage (AOL, MusicMatch, Corel, etc.) off of the computer.
HAVE YOU HAD ANYPROBLEMS WITH YOUR TOUCH PAD, THIS IS MY SECOND E1505,SINCE JANUARY, SAME PROBLEM...CURSOR BEHAVES ERRATICALLY WHEN AC ADAPTER PLUGGED INTO 220V OUTLET...TOUCH PAD USED TO CONTROL CURSOR../I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WHILE ON BATTERY AND/OR WHILE USING MOUSE TO CONTROL CURSOR.
nice... great... dell is the best!
This is a great laptop. I love it. Yes, I got a great deal ($649) that's not available now, but you can still get the E1505 with a 1.67ghz core duo, 1gb RAM, dual layer DVD burner, XP Media edition, Intel wireless a/b/g for $799 and free shipping. Just enter E value code: 6M019-D80412M. Add a $35 off $500 coupon, and sign up for the Dell credit card (another 2% off) and it's yours for under $750. An entry level price for a non-entry level laptop!
"the battery only managed about 3 hours and you have to enter a goofy Dell E-Value code "E1505PC" when ordering if you expect your kit to ring-up with that sub-grand price tag." ------Why can't this be set at it's OS?
Replacement for DELL Inspiron E1505 Laptop Batteries here:
http://www.laptop-battery-charger.net/batteries/dell/inspiron-e1505.htm
Its battery is very weak .
Some users talk: I paid a premium for the 85Wh battery when I ordered my Inspiron E1505 and I am extremely disappointed that the battery has quit holding a charge after only 18 months...and now I'm looking at nearly $200 to order a replacement? I bought my Inspiron less than two years ago and I am now looking for my third battery. I should have purchased one way before now since I have to stay plugged up to use my laptop. Way too much money for a worst than terrible battery.Additional Thoughts I will not buy any more Dell laptops. http://reviews.dell.com/2341/312-0428/reviews.htm. I advice you buy a new laptop battery replacement in http://www.laptops-battery.co.uk/dell-inspiron-e1505-battery.htm
Does DELL E1505 have a Media Card Reader. I dont seem to find it in the options that the DELL site has.
I've recently bought this laptop and use it mostly with Kubuntu Dapper Drake. I must say it rocks!!! Even with only 1.66 Ghz per core, everything is so smooth and Dapper Drake does a great job recognizing all peripherals.
Just wanted to say I have been very happy with mine, although am in need of a new battery now. It has been the longest lasting laptop model I have had.
Once the bios is updated to teh newest version, everything gets better for Vista. Vista 32 runs great, the Vista drivers are great and the upgrades are impressive.
I was able to add the seagate 500GB 2.5" drive and get 4GB of ram in there with NO PROBLEMS at all! Certainly not the beefiest processor now, but still... a good laptop. Plan to get a new battery eventually from a good reseller.
buy dell inspiron e1505 battery online you can go
http://www.notebook-battery.us/notebook-battery/dell-inspiron-e1505.htm
In the past days, I was very pleased with the dell inspiron E1505 laptop,but my original don't work.So I must buy a new battery,another original battery is too price to buy,I want to buy a replacement battery for it.I found a good battery shop,http://www.discount-laptopbattery.com/dell-inspiron-e1505.htm ,some friends said the shop was very well.
The Dell E1505 laptop look like very well.And old battery can't be fully charge,So we need buy new one,replacement battery is not bad choice. http://www.discount-laptopbattery.com/dell-inspiron-e1505.htm ,a good place for battery.
Dell inspiron E1505 laptop is the same power as inspiron 6400 laptop,But I perfer inspiron e1505 .A few days ago, I bought a new battery from http://www.discount-laptopbattery.com/dell-inspiron-e1505.htm .