Dell 1525 for general use - good price?

blondeonblonde

I realise there are hundreds of similar posts to this but not being much of a techie myself just wondering whether the below is a good deal for €829 incl VAT? I will just be using this for the usual, music, t'internet, DVD's etc. Don't think ill be playing any games.

Dell Inspiron 1525
BASE
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)
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OPERATING SYSTEM
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
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HARDWARE SUPPORT
1 Year Base Warranty
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WEBCAM
2.0 Mega pixel web camera
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COLOUR CHOICE
Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish
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LCD
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™
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MEMORY
3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [1x2048+1x1024]
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HARD DRIVE
250GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
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GRAPHICS CARD
Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100
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OPTICAL DRIVE
8x DVD+/-RW Optical drive, including SW
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PRIMARY BATTERY
6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion primary battery
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Accessories
CARRY CASES
No Carry Case
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MEDIA CENTRE ENHANCEMENTS
Dell™ Travel Remote Control
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BLUETOOTH
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur
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WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors
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MICROSOFT SOFTWARE
Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
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Services & Software
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORT
No Accidental Damage Support
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SECURITY SOFTWARE
McAfee® Security Centre™ 9.0 - 36 Month Protection - English
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Also included with your system
Gedis Bundle Reference
N0352510
Order Information
Inspiron Order - Ireland
Shipping Documents
English EMEA 1 Documentation with Euro Power Cord
Dell System Media Kit
Resource DVD Inspiron 1525 - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
Power Supply
65W AC Adapter
Cables
Power Cord UK 1meter
Modem
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - Ireland/Spain
Keyboard
Internal Keyboard Uk/Irish (QWERTY)
Standard Warranty
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs
Dell Internet Order.



Just a couple of extra questions as well, been reading alot on boards about so called bloatware installed on these kinds of consumer laptops - does it have a big impact on performance & is it easy to get rid of it?

Was also wondering whether it is worth getting an antivirus package like McAfee or Norton or if AVG will do the job just as well?

....And finally! I know there's no option for upgrading the graphics card with dell on this model but is it possible or even worthwhile to do it myself given that I won't really be playing games on this?

Thanks lads, any feedback would be much appreciated.

yoyo

Dont get norton or mc affee junk, use avg free instead, also the new pc will come loaded with junk as you say, so make sure first thing you do is uninstall Mc Affee, Norton Ghost, Dell support, google deskbars, toolbars etc to speed up your pc, Also if that price is including delivery it looks good value, the graphics chip is not upgradeable but will play low end older games ok... If your not playing games that video card will do other uses fine, dvd playback etc...

Nick

AlmightyCushion

Don't bother with McAfee or Norton, stick with avg or avast both of which are free. As for the bloatware there is a tool you can get that will remove it all for you. I'll do some digging and see if I can find a link.

If you want a graphics card, get it when you are buying the laptop. It's next to impossible to install a new graphics card on a laptop. It's also expensive and a lot of hassle. If you don't plan on playing games or doing any 3d work then a graphics card is a waste of money.

It's a great laptop but I thing for what you want (which is fairly basic enough stuff), it's a bit overkill. You could get a vostro that would cost around €600 that would suit you just as well.

yoyo

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Don't bother with McAfee or Norton, stick with avg or avast both of which are free. As for the bloatware there is a tool you can get that will remove it all for you. I'll do some digging and see if I can find a link.

If you want a graphics card, get it when you are buying the laptop. It's next to impossible to install a new graphics card on a laptop. It's also expensive and a lot of hassle. If you don't plan on playing games or doing any 3d work then a graphics card is a waste of money.

It's a great laptop but I thing for what you want (which is fairly basic enough stuff), it's a bit overkill. You could get a vostro that would cost around €600 that would suit you just as well.

Dell Decrapifier

A handy tool for cleaning up the new pc as AlmightyCushion suggested

Nick

AlmightyCushion

Sweet, I was just about to start looking for that. Blonde, this vostro has a pretty good spec for what you need.

AMD® Athlon 64 X2 Mobile Technology TK57
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Included - No Upgrade Selected
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with TrueLife™
2048 MB 667MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x 1024 MB)
120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 HyperMemory (integrated)
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software
4 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (29 Whr)

It's around 320 excluding delivery and vat. I'd upgrade the battery to a 6-cell.

TerrorFirmer

Good find on the AMD machine, would go for the 9 cell personally, the extra battery life really comes in handy.

AlmightyCushion

The 6 cell doesn't stick out at the back whereas the 9 cell does which seems to annoy a lot of people. If that doesn't bother you then the 9 cell would definitely be the way to go.

blondeonblonde

Cheers for the quick responses lads, just had another look today and it seems to have gone up so I'll probably hold off for a while yet, not in a major rush.
Not too sure about the Vostro, heard mixed reviews about those AMD machines.

Thanks again though.;)