Dell's Inspiron 1410 spec bump is too mild to notice
Okay, so maybe the newest Inspiron 1410 internals are something to celebrate if you're really looking for low-end, but you'll be hard pressed to find a real tech enthusiast that's jazzed about a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T6400 processor within a 14-inch laptop. At any rate, the aforementioned machine has been juiced (we're being liberal here) with 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 14.1-inch WXGA display, 250GB of hard drive space, a DVD burner, Intel's GMA X3100 graphics, 802.11b/g WiFi and a sweet, colorful lid. Oddly enough, both the customize and buy links are currently dead, so it looks like you'll need some patience in order to buy one without talking to an actual human.
[Thanks, jediclinto]
[Thanks, jediclinto]























Sounds like Dell is getting rid of stock on some old parts
See: X3100
Except Dell doesn't have stock. They don't keep an "inventory". They literally configure each PC to order, buying directly from the manufacturer, assembling on the spot and selling directly to the consumer.. Pretty cool huh?
If it's "too mild to notice," why the blog post?
@Steve
Obviously...but you think they buy 1 of each part every time somebody orders, like this:
"Hi, Intel, we have a customer here who wants to purchase our laptop with a T6400 in it, and one of your MoBo chipsets...please send that over ASAP"
No, they buy thousands of each part, then build the computers to customer spec. When the OP said they may be getting rid of old parts, he meant stock parts inventory; stuff like CPUs, MoBos, Chipsets, etc. that they DO buy ahead and in bulk.
coming to engadget always makes me think about maybe getting a mac, but then i see laptops with the same specs as a macbook like this one for a fraction of the cost... hmph, i'm too poor for macs.
Yes, because the MacBook comes with the X3100 and DDR2 RAM (well the plastic one does, but it socks donkey balls..)
Also, the build quality of the new MacBooks is much better than the one of this Dell (I have had both.. well not this exact Dell, but a bit older one)
Patriks7,
(well the plastic one does, but it socks donkey balls..) Hmmm.... X3100 seems to treat me just fine no problem here. It's not for heavy gaming or anything like that. People that utilize their notebooks as gaming devices is beyond me.
Also, if you'd notice the "plastic one" now has pretty much the same hardware as the base unibody Macbook, right down to the NVidia display card.
For someone that just does Word documents, e-mail, Internet, Music - the integrated GMA X3100 is perfectly fine just like its prior GMA 950, etc.
For a no frills, simple laptop - this seems to do the trick fine for a majority of laptop owners.
Well many people will agree with me that Intel graphics suck for even basic things..
But I wasn't saying that it's bad in my post, just the poster said that it's the same as the MacBook spec wise for a cheaper price, so I pointed out that it's not.
i don't know how the graphics compare, but this is the plastic macbook for $999
* 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB DDR2 Memory
* 120GB hard drive1
* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
and this laptop matches that, with double the hard drive space.
If you really want a Mac, what you should do is BUY IT RIGHT WHEN IT IS NEW! Look at the Mac Mini, Mac Pro, and iMac. They are horribly outdated and a rip-off, however when they are brand new they are a pretty good deal.
Now, of course, you will always be able to find a cheaper computer with better processor/graphics cards etc but most people buy a Mac because they are stylish, well-built, and they are sick of fussing with all the Windows issues like virus/spyware/registry/etc. OSX is great, but it by no means is perfect and has many small issues as well. I will say that you don't have to reformat your harddrive every 6 months just to keep the damn thing running. BTW, I am NOT a current mac user.
you are comparing the wrong models
this looks to replaced the current Inspiron 14 with one that will be cheaper, lighter, and better looking
but if you want to compare the macbooks you gotta remember Apple, has a higher standard than Dell, so compare the macbook to the studio xps 13 and the macbook pro the the studio xps 16, and if you want, the white macbook to the xps m1330, it makes more sense that way
For my next laptop purchase, I'll mainly be watching two pages:
http://system76.com/index.php?cPath=28
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
My experience with Dell has led me to believe that it may be okay for my mom (1525n), but if I really want a good machine for myself, they're not the vendor for me. I hear their support for Windows sucks almost as hard as their support for Ubuntu (not that I consider Windows an option anyways).
I may end up breaking down, buying a Windows machine, refusing the EULA, shipping the restore discs back and all that other stuff, but I'd very much prefer to avoid it and just get something that works without wasting a crap ton of time on it first.
" but you'll be hard pressed to find a real tech enthusiast that's jazzed about a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T6400 processor within a 14-inch laptop"------------------Yeah, we are in a once in a lifetime economic slow down, maybe people should start buying laptops they can afford.
and this is a story because.....?
...there is pretty much no real tech news today?
It's Sunday, what do you want? A major product announcment when nobody's paying attention?
Hmmm ... while I cannot find this product ANYWHERE on Dell's website, (only by selecting the link I can find it...) I found one glimmer of joy:
Monitor
14.1” WXGA Display with AntiGlare
Niiiiiice..... death to glossy displays. I've only seen one glossy screen (MacBook pre-glass top) that was usable in a office setting with lights on in the background and the display notched down. Every other one has been a major pain in my butt, using my prior Dell with "TruLife" display or whatever needed a tremendous amount of patience.
@patriks7.... the white macbooks have been up graded to NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics and another gig of ram ...... your not keeping up patriks7 :-)
that is a dell malaysia link.
I'd say those are pretty good specs. 2GB is plenty. Only thing I really don't like is the x3100. At least put in the 4500MHD since that's Intel's current. Paying for last gen stuff is the rip off for me on this. If it was all current gen that would be a pretty nice laptop.
Wow, cool, a red lid. The only way for Dell to be cool is to abandon Windows.
- DJ
http://ce.tEarn.com/
The model numbers seem to be going backwards...I'm typing this on my Inspiron 1420 that's over a year old...
I'll never understand people who buy laptops with screens bigger than 12"(max13") .
The all concept of desktop replacement makes no more sense anymore even for those who claim not to have place for a normal desktop, maybe the only exceptions here could be students or soldiers bunking up in dorms
Nowadays you can buy small cases to plug to your TV or decently specced all in ones and soon even things like ASUS eee K-board.
For the price of a decent laptop you can buy a goog desktop and a nice netbook and if you have some more money to invest or (as in my case) if you can make someone else pay for your PC , treat yourself to a vaio TT or something equivalent.
Maybe I don't want to maintain two different machines, or clutter my nice house up with electronic boxes. Maybe I use my laptop in places other than home. There's a tradeoff between portability and a nice big screen, and others on price and specs, and different people will make them in different ways. Dragging my 15" monster between office and home is no big deal; traveling with it is a pain. I'm just trying out some netbooks, and that 10" screen is a drag. A Macbook Air might be nice, but that's not how I roll.
I really only want one machine at any given time..
But I don't care about screen size, I'm all about the resolution and the features.