BY: fsacj, NotebookReview.com Contributor
PUBLISHED: 3/19/2006
The Inspiron e1505 is Dells 15.4″ widescreen notebook featuring the impressive new Intel Core Duo CPU. A virtually identical Inspiron 6400 is available through their business site. Outside it looks just like the Inspiron 6000 it replaces, but the new hardware inside makes for impressive performance. In traditional Dell style, the E1505 is well rounded, quite customizable and available at a competitive price, but doesn’t offer anything radical.
The E1505 reviewed here was configured as follows:
- Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 at 2.0 GHz per core.
- 15.4″ Ultrasharp SXGA+ display with TrueLife
- 512MB DDR2 533MHz RAM in dual channel mode
- Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
- 100GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- 8X DVD +/- dual layer recorder
- 53 watt-hour 6-cell battery
Build and Design
The Inspiron e1505 matches much of the Dell lineup clad in painted silver with white trim on top and a black underside. I’m not a fan of painted finishes because they seem more susceptible to chips and scratches. The color scheme is simple, but I’m not a huge fan of the white trim “bumpers.”
The notebook is sturdy enough to feel comfortable lifting it by one corner. However, I would like better overall build quality. It is comparable to Sony and others but does not come near the solid (and expensive) IBM ThinkPad line. Just like my Inspiron 9300, there is a gap at the bottom of the LCD. This area also gets quite warm. It must be where the LCD backlight or inverter is. I wonder if the gap is purposeful to allow some heat to escape.
Heat:
After about two hours of DVD watching, both sides of the palm rest became warm, but not at all hot. The keyboard and area under the screen generated more heat. The underside of the notebook was also slightly warm at the front and warmer, but not hot at the rear. As with all notebooks, heat is more of an issue when used on an insulating/air-restricting lap. Running heavier tasks does not generate noticeably more heat. The computer will cool down almost as if it were off if allowed to sit idle for 15 minutes.
Battery:
With the smaller option 6 cell battery and a powerful new processor, I didn’t have very high hopes for battery life. However, the Dell lasted longer than expected. At maximum brightness, it played a DVD for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Under normal light tasks, with WiFi on and almost maximum brightness, the battery lasted almost three hours. Dimming the screen all the way and shutting wireless off squeezed almost 4 hours of total battery life. I could burn the battery in about 90 minutes or less if I really tried. Gaming would likely burn it this fast.
The optional 9-cell battery, which is the same physical size as the 6-cell, should give about 50% more run time.
The battery charges fast for the first 80%. At nearly 1% per minute, you could get a significant boost on a one hour layover at the airport.
A bigger battery might be a better choice than two batteries. Lithium-Ion cells wear out even if you don’t use them.
