Common Sense Reviews

Back at the beginning of the summer my family decided to purchase a laptop.  When we (meaning my Husband, the tech savvy half of the marriage) were investigating the purchase of a ‘budget’ (under $800.00) laptop, the Dell Inspiron 1525 continually came up as one of the top choices in quality and performance.  We ultimately purchased a Red Dell Inspiron. Fast forward a few months and as part of the ElevenMoms program, Dell Inc. has graciously lent me a Lime Green Inspiron 1525 to review.

There are not only several standard versions of the 1525 available in stores and online, but, of course, on Dell’s website, you can customize your computer with a vast amount of options ranging from color, processor type/speed, hard drive size, memory, even down to the type of power cords and batteries you may desire, and the list goes on…

The 1525 we were sent to test and review has the following specs:

Intel® Core 2 duo T5800 (2.0 GHz. / 800Mhz. FSB) processor with 15.4 inch screen

Windows Vista Home Premium

3 GB DDR2 ram

250 GB SATA hard drive

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

CD/DVD +/- RW Drive

Intel Next Gen Wireless-N mini card

Integrated 2.0M pixel webcam

6 cell battery

This system has worked flawlessly for us right out of the box.  It was easy to set up.  We had no trouble transferring all our files/folders, photos and music.  While we are very fluent with Windows XP, the switch to Vista was slow at first, but now that we have been using Vista for a few months, it has been very easy to learn and use.  We have no trouble going back and forth between our other computers that use XP and Vista.  The 6 cell battery life is a little short (I would recommend the upgrade to the 9 cell extended life battery, especially if you travel often or can’t keep it plugged in).  The system as a whole is extremely fast and responsive, with its 800 MHz FSB and 3GB of ram, it is more than sufficient for anything we ever will do.  It is fairly thin, not too heavy and so far the only minor negative is the speaker/sound system which is not very loud (but nothing earphones or plug in speakers can’t fix).  Overall, this is an excellent laptop capable of handling anything we throw at it (internet, photos, music, business software, and even games).

I would like mention as a final note, that being the frugal shoppers that we are we have previously purchased several items (including the laptop I already mentioned, a desktop, and a printer) from Dell Outlet.  This same system at Dell Outlet currently lists for $569.00 (plus tax and shipping).  While Best Buy® sells it for $749.00 and is currently on sale, $100 off, for $649.00 (plus tax).

The systems on sale through Dell Outlet have been fully refurbished and Dell certified with the same 1 yr. warranty that any ‘new’ Dell item offers. Refurbished could mean a customer return, however, it can also mean a factory defect that was repaired at the plant, but this can not be listed as ‘new’.  To date, we have never had a problem with any factory refurbished product we have purchased, and with the same warranty as a new item, we have never worried about it.  I would recommend to anyone who is planning on making big ticket item purchases to look into factory refurbished products as a less expensive way to get the same top quality items as store-bought-new.  In fact, our current all-in-one printer is finally about to die (after 10 years, that’s not bad). My husband has done his usual due diligence and research and has (totally coincidentally) determined that a Dell all-in-one color laser printer 21355cn is the best rated all-in-one color laser printer that meets our personal and blog business needs.  This system currently lists for $549 new, but is available at Dell for $429.

Thank you Dell for the opportunity to check out another Dell laptop!