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November 27, 2007
PC

Checking out Dell’s Vostro 1500 Business Laptop



Dell Vostro 1500

Two weeks ago my new Dell Vostro 1500 arrived. Dell’s Vostro Notebook line-up is a relatively new line-up of laptops that cater to business users.  While I love the Tablet PC experience the HP tx1000 offers, I was in need for something a little more powerful. I’m the type of guy that likes to feel like I am taking my desktop PC with me when I travel.

Dell Vostro 1500

Dell Vostro 1500 Dell Vostro 1500 - Media Buttons Dell Vostro 1500

After looking at the specs for the Vostro 1500, I decided to customize it for some added benefit. Here are the specs on my Vostro 1500:

  • Processor – Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz Processor
  • Screen – 15.4 Widescreen XGA+ LCD TrueLife
  • Memory – 2GB DDR2
  • Graphics – NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 256MB
  • Storage – 160GB 7200RPM SATA Harddrive
  • Media – 8x DVD-RW with double-layer DVD-R write capability
  • Network – Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-card
  • Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
  • Mobile Broadband – Dell Wireless 5520 HSDPA 3.6 Mini-card (for AT&T)

With Windows Vista Ultimate (this laptop deserves nothing less), the Vostro 1500 has everything I need in a laptop and makes “going mobile” much easier. It has a Windows Experience Index of 4.6 with the lowest rating being Graphics. The rest of the scores are the highest I’ve seen on a laptop to-date.

For the first time, I am enjoying running at 802.11 N with the Vostro 1500. Right now as I wrote my post on the Vostro, I’m running at 130Mbps.Works absolutely amazing. My router, the D-Link DIR-625 RangeBooster N Router, supports 802.11 N but I’ve not had a device with 802.11 N wireless capabilities until now. The DIR-625 was part of D-Link’s initial wave of devices that took advantage of and supported Windows Vista when Windows Vista launched last January.

Dell Vostro 1500 - Built in Webcam

Dell Vostro 1500 - Close up Dell Vostro 1500 - Ports Dell Vostro 1500 - Touch pad
Dell Vostro 1500 - Mobile Broadband Dell Vostro 1500 - DVD-RW Dell Vostro 1500 - Status lights & icons

After 2 weeks with the Vostro 1500, I’m really happy with my decision. I’ve still got more experiences to write about, such as using the Mobile Broadband wireless capability but I’ll save that for another post. I’ve updated my What I Use page to reflect the Vostro 1500 – check it out.

Also: my new HP MediaSmart Server arrives this week. I plan on having a post up on rolling out Windows Home Server in my home by the end of the week. I look forward to getting the HP MediaSmart Server set up.

Images of the Dell Vostro 1500 were uploaded to my Flickr account using Windows Live Photo Gallery.Click here for the full set of photos of the Dell Vostro 1500.