The Dell Inspiron e1505
The Dell Inspiron e1505 is a very balanced option of design, features, capabilities and price. The 15.4” display, the Intel Core Duo processor, speeding up to 2 GHz, the 2 GB of RAM and the 7200 rpm hard drive (a very rare option on a notebook) are making from the Dell Inspiron e1505 a desired notebook. The price is also something of a dream: $999 for the barebones. The design matches the Dell’s idea of how a laptop should look like. And we say that is good idea
Visually, there's no difference between the old Inspiron and the current one. The E1505 retains the familiar arctic-silver chassis and white edges. At 6.6 pounds, it's a little lighter than the 7-pound Inspiron 6000. The keyboard is comfortable to use, and I especially like how it doesn't heat up after extensive typing, as many do. I was also pleased that Dell fixed the noisy mouse buttons.
My Photoshop CS tests reveal that the Core Duo is almost exactly TWICE as fast as a single core Pentium M of the same clock speed for common tasks photographers do. Video editing and other high end tasks display similar results. Below is the popular Super Pi benchmark result for calculating Pi to 2 million digits. This program only uses ONE of the CPU cores, so I could do other tasks and barely affect the benchmark score.
. Super Pi Run Alone: 1m 16s
. Super Pi Run While watching DVD: 1m 16s
| Laptop | Time |
| Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo) | 1m 15s |
| Dell Inspiron e1505 (2.0GHz Core Duo) | 1m 16s |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo) | 1m 18s |
| IBM ThinkPad Z60m (2.0 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 36s |
| HP Pavilion dv4000 (1.86 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 39s |
| Sony VAIO S380 (1.86 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 45s |
| Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (1.73 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 48s |
| Sony VAIO FS680 (1.86 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 53s |
| Dell Inspiron 6000D (1.6 GHz Pentium M) | 1m 52s |
| HP DV4170us (Pentium M 1.73 GHz) | 1m 53s |
| Dell Inspiron 600M (1.6 GHz Pentium M) | 2m 10s |
Built for Entertainment
With an optional dual-core processor, up to 2GB of shared memory, optional Dual-channel memory, a 15.4-inch widescreen display, optional TV Tuner and stereo sound, plus up to 100GB of storage capacity, you can get more out of entertainment. More power, more storage and more speed add up to an intense audio/visual experience. Watch DVDs and videos, listen to your favorite songs, organize and edit digital photos, and more - the Inspiron E1505 has enough power to make it the perfect PC for those who want a great balance of price and performance.
Inside the Dell Inspiron e1505 we are greeted by the 15.4” screen with a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 resolution which is a very good thing. Images are clear and sharp. They look vivid and bright. The Ultrasharp with TrueLife technology allows a more natural color to be displayed. The contrast is good. Being one of the glossy type of screen, you should consider our warning about exposing it to sunlight or any other bright light.
The power under the hood is given by the Intel Core Duo processor speeding up to 2GHz. Multitasking is a breeze for the Dell Inspiron e1505. Also, the tasks are accomplished easier due to the 2GB of RAM. The graphics are taken care of by an Intel integrated card (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950). This means that in non 3D applications and tasks, the Dell Inspiron e1505 will perform flawlessly. When it comes to 3D instead, don’t expect much from it, although the processor and the huge amount of RAM are trying to compensate. One good point, though, regarding the configuration is the 7200 rpm hard drive that will store 100GB of data.
Conclusion: The Dell Inspiron e1505 is a fairly run-of-the mill notebook for a bargain price, but it offers a few surprises. The 2 GHz Core Duo CPU is rockin' fast. Even with this performance, battery life was impressive, and 5+ hours should be possible with the optional 9-cell battery. If you are looking for entertainment at a low price but no high performance in the 3D applications, than the Dell Inspiron e1505 should be your choice. Our marks are 8 for the design and 8 for the tech specs. It would have received more for the tech specs if there were a TV tuner and a discrete graphic card. The slight shimmer, light leakage, and brightness that seems like it's turned down half a notch make it fall behind other notebooks. Still, the screen is better than most bargain notebooks, and better than anything from a few years ago. It's also very sharp and high resolution. This, along with the nice keyboard, makes for a positive ergonomic experience.
Pros:
- Top-Notch computing performance in non-3D applications
- Awesome for multi-taskers
- Very respectable battery life
- Quiet under normal use
- Mostly cool running
- Good keyboard
- Surprisingly good speakers
Cons:
- Build quality could be improved some.
- Not available with high end graphics (yet?), must get spendier XPS line for that.
- Best of three available screens is not that great.
- No non-glossy option for high resolution or expanded viewing angle.
Video: 60 Out of 100
Gaming: 50 Out of 100
Music: 90 Out of 100
Photo: 80 Out of 100
Value: 86 Out of 100
Design: 80 Out of 100
Mobility: 70 Out of 100
Security: 70 Out of 100
Total Score: 73.25 Out of 100
The Dell Inspiron e1505 is a fairly run-of-the mill notebook for a bargain price, but it offers a few surprises. The new model weighs 0.4 pound less than its predecessor and contains a raft of upgraded components, including Intel Core Solo or Core Duo processors in speeds up to 2GHz; up to 2GB of swift 533MHz RAM; and a screaming 7,200rpm, 100GB hard drive. In keeping with its multimedia bent, the E1505’s 15.4-inch wide-screen display comes in WXGA or WSXGA native resolutions. If you dabble in photography or video editing, or just love watching movies, the E1505's 15.4-inch transflective screen is bright and wide. You also get the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system, so all your media files can be accessed through MCE's slick interface. There’s also a full suite of ports and connectors, including FireWire, VGA, S-Video, and four USB 2.0 ports, plus both PC Card and ExpressCard slots.