Dell Laptops: What You Need to Know About All Those Brands

Before I begin, let me say that I am not a Dell reseller, nor do I earn a commission on the sales of any Dell computers you will read about here. In other words, I am not connected to Dell Computer in any way. I just did some research on Dell laptops and am sharing it with you here, no strings attached.

Ok I have it? Go.

As you know, Dell produces a huge collection of laptops and notebooks under many different brand names. Here is a brief overview/summary of what they offer:

Dell Vostro

Dell’s Dimension is being phased out and a line of “value-oriented” laptops – Vostro (Latin for “yours”) – has been created for the small business market. One big thing to note: Dell claims that the Vostro line won’t come with “trialware” (or “crapware”) pre-installed. The other thing is that Vostro laptops have a “luxury” (more elegant) black finish with chrome trim.

Current Models

The following notebook models were released during July 2007 in Canada and the United States.

• you 1000
• voice 1400
• vostro 1500
• vostro 1700

Dell Latitude

Dell’s Latitude laptops are aimed at the corporate market, ie road warriors. Latitude uses standardized and interchangeable parts throughout the line. After all, companies want fast and cheap product service, right? Also, the specifications should NOT change for several years (also for support purposes).

Note: This is in contrast to the Dell Inspiron line which is aimed at the (fickle and fickle?) consumer market whose specs change regularly.

Dell Latitude computers are also built with a more durable case and internal metal frames. In addition, many offer hard drive protection systems in case the computer is dropped or hit hard.

current models

Current Latitude models include the ATG, X1, D430, D520, D600, D620, the recently released D630, and D830. Select models based on Intel Core Duo, Core Solo and Core 2 Duo are now available. The D420, D620 and D820 feature wide-aspect LCD screens: 12.1″, 14.1″ and 15.4″ respectively.

The Latitude D620 weighs 4.7 pounds and the base model includes a 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor (667 MHz front side bus) and 2M L2 cache. There is an option to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo T7X00 (667Mhz font-side-bus) processor with 4M L2 cache.

It comes standard with 512M DDR2 RAM, expandable to 4GB, and four USB ports.

For graphics, it offers Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 and an option to upgrade to NVIDIA discrete graphics at the expense of lower battery life.

Dell Precision

The Precision brand features the most powerful laptops Dell makes. These include the M4300 and M90. The M4300 has a bit less quality compared to the M90. These computers, when configured for extreme computing, can exceed $3,000. The top shelf of the Precision line – your nVidia Quadro FX 1500M – 3500M gives you very high quality video graphics.

Dell Inspiron

Inspiron is aimed at the consumer laptop market. As of June 26, 2007, the Inspiron name also refers to Dell desktop systems.

Current settings

Dell updated its Inspiron series in June 2007 with the 1420/1420 N, 1520/1521, and 1720/1721 models.

• Inspiron 1420/1420 N Small (5.39 lbs), laptop models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. Both models have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.2GHz), 14.1″ display (up to 1440×900), SATA hard drive (up to 160GB), and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4GB). The 1420 features an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS The 1420 N has an integrated Intel X3100 Dell also offers Ubuntu Linux as an alternative operating system on this notebook Available in 8 colors
• Mid-Size Inspiron 1501 (6.19 lbs.), Standard Model w/ AMD Turion (up to 2.0 GHz) or Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ Processor, 15.4″ Display, ATI Radeon Xpress 1150, SATA HDD (up to 120 GB) and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB).
• Inspiron 6400/E1505 N Mid-size mainstream models (6.18 lbs.) with Intel Core 2 Duo (up to 2.00 Ghz), 15.4″ display, SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB The 6400 features ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 The E1505 N features integrated Intel Media Accelerator 950, ATI Radeon x1300, ATI Radeon x1400 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300.
• Inspiron 1520/1521 Mid-size (6.40 lb) mainstream models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1520 features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.2 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1521 features AMD Turion (up to 2.2 GHz) with ATI Radeon Xpress 1150. Both models have a 15.4″ display (up to 1680×1050), 160 GB SATA hard drive (option for 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM), and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB) Notebooks also have the option to come installed with a Blu-Ray drive Available in 8 colors with webcam.
• Inspiron 1720/1721 Large (7.62 lbs), high-end models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1720 features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.4 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1721 features AMD Turion (up to 2.2GHz) with ATI Radeon Xpress 1270. Both models have a 17″ display (up to 1900×1200), dual SATA hard drive support (up to 500GB – 2 x 250GB drives) and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4GB) The 1721 also features RAID 0 or 1 hard drive configurations, an option strangely missing from the 1720. They also lack DVI or HDMI connections, which you would expect for a desktop computer. high-end desktop replacement, given its HDCP-compliant graphics card and Blu-ray Disc option.Both models are available in 8 colors.

XPS

Dell has marketed this brand as an all-in-one multimedia system.

• The XPS M2010 software includes Dell’s “Media Center” with an instant access button to quickly boot the system directly into this application, and is equipped with an 8-speaker plus subwoofer audio system. On the downside, the battery only lasts about 2 hours, but you’re probably not buying this laptop to take on the road—the system weighs nearly 18 pounds. That said, it is fully portable and self-contained. The case design includes a detachable keyboard with full-size keys and integrated trackpad, and a flexible approach to screen placement. The base unit cannot be separated from the monitor, although the monitor offers articulation in two places. The design incorporates a large handle that is also part of the display hinge; the optional carry case uses it and does not provide a handle to lift the system, but it does have wheels and a telescoping handle to move the case. The keyboard is often reported to be attached magnetically. It uses two large spring-loaded locating latches, but does not attach rigidly to the chassis. Instead, the folded screen keeps everything together. But when it’s open, the keyboard detaches easily. M2010 features a wide, flat CPU section with a symmetrical design: the optical drive is flush with the top surface and motorized. Internally, symmetry is maintained with the centrally mounted CPU flanked by two SATA HD drives and two cooling systems: the GPU and CPU coolers are vented on opposite sides of the base. The M2010 also features a unique option, Dell Premium Remote developed by Gyration Inc. It uses 2.4 GHz RF on an internal board. In the service manual it is called a wireless USB board. uses the Cypress “WirelessUSB” chipset, which is older and does not conform to the wireless USB standard. The remote offers basic HID functions and control for Windows Media Center with an additional LCD screen that allows you to navigate through your music library in a style similar to that of an iPod or similar device. The remote control had been exclusive to the M2010 since its launch. In August 2007, Gyration announced the Ultra R4000 remote control which offers the same LCD screen functionality and has a similar appearance.
• XPS M1710 The high-end XPS laptop available in black or red featuring a 17″ widescreen display, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS or 7950GTX video cards, 7200 RPM SATA hard drive and DDR2 SDRAM. The Inspiron E1705/9400 offers similar features, notably Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors, 17-inch display, and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS for a lower price (about $1,000 less than the M1710). The M1710 offers unique user and software changeable LED lighting on the touch panel and fan inlets/outlets as well as on the lid, and also includes the BluRay drive on some models. The system was marketed to gamers. It was physically identical to the Inspiron 9100. This computer was later replaced by the Inspiron XPS Gen 2 and ultimately the current XPS M1710. This model is highly anticipated.[weasel words] to be replaced in the coming weeks.
• XPS M1330 This high-end laptop, released in June 2007, features Intel’s fourth-generation Centrino Santa Rosa platform. It has a 13.3″ screen with CCFL or WLED. The WLED version will have a 0.3 megapixel camera, as opposed to the 2 MP camera with the original CCFL screen. In addition, XPS 1330 also has a biometric reader usually found on business-class laptops like the Latitude series. The XPS 1330, with a WLED display, is thinner and brighter than the previous XPS 1210. The XPS M1330 also offers the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M graphics card. GS as an option.

conclusion

There you have it: the Dell line of laptops. We hope you have appreciated the similarities and differences between the different brands.