The latest laptop to join Dell’s ranks, the Inspiron 1545 – or Inspiron 15, as it’s called if you buy direct from Dell – has a lot to live up to.
Its most novel feature is the screen. Like Acer, Dell has opted for a panel with a 16:9 movie-friendly aspect ratio – a choice that reduces the black bars at the top of the screen when watching widescreen material. And, rather than the 1,280 x 800 screen resolution found on most 15.4in laptops, the Dell’s native resolution is 1,366 x 768.
Although the display is bright, the quality is far from stellar. Poor contrast left our test images looking pale and washed out, while wayward colour reproduction resulted in pallid, unhealthy skin tones. A grain across the screen didn’t help matters, either.
Performance was enough to restore a little of the Inspiron 1545’s allure, though, and the Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 and 3GB of memory powered it to a fine 0.92 in our benchmarks. Gaming is out of the question, however, with the Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics struggling to a jerky five frames per second in our least demanding Crysis benchmark.
Thanks to Dell’s decision to specify a 2,800mAh battery, longevity isn’t one of the Inspiron 1545’s greatest assets. Light use stretched to a mere 1hr 28mins, while heavy usage saw the Dell expire after just 45 minutes.
It’s a shame the Dell doesn’t acquit itself better, as in terms of looks and build quality it’s rather promising. The chassis feels sturdy despite its modest 2.58kg weight, and the glossy blue and black colour scheme is attractive.
Sit in front of the Dell for any length of time, however, and it just isn’t up to par. The glossy wristrest is soon covered in greasy marks, and the keyboard is held back by an overly tacky trackpad and unresponsive buttons.
The Inspiron 1525 may have been a thoroughbred budget laptop, but the Inspiron 1545 certainly isn’t. It’s keenly priced, but with so many other laptops vying for your cash, we recommend you give this Dell a wide berth.
Warranty | |
---|---|
Warranty | 1 yr return to base |
Physical specifications | |
Dimensions | 374 x 243 x 41mm (WDH) |
Weight | 2.580kg |
Travelling weight | 3.0kg |
Processor and memory | |
Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 |
Motherboard chipset | Intel GM45 Express |
RAM capacity | 3.00GB |
Memory type | DDR2 |
SODIMM sockets free | 0 |
SODIMM sockets total | 2 |
Screen and video | |
Screen size | 15.6in |
Resolution screen horizontal | 1,366 |
Resolution screen vertical | 768 |
Resolution | 1366 x 768 |
Graphics chipset | Intel GMA 4500 |
Graphics card RAM | 96MB |
VGA (D-SUB) outputs | 1 |
HDMI outputs | 0 |
S-Video outputs | 0 |
DVI-I outputs | 0 |
DVI-D outputs | 0 |
DisplayPort outputs | 0 |
Drives | |
Capacity | 250GB |
Spindle speed | 5,400RPM |
Internal disk interface | SATA/300 |
Hard disk | Western Digital WD2500BEVT-75ZCT2 |
Optical disc technology | DVD writer |
Optical drive | HT-DT-ST GT10N |
Battery capacity | 2,800mAh |
Replacement battery price inc VAT | £0 |
Networking | |
Wired adapter speed | 100Mbits/sec |
802.11a support | no |
802.11b support | yes |
802.11g support | yes |
802.11 draft-n support | no |
Integrated 3G adapter | no |
Other Features | |
Wireless hardware on/off switch | no |
Wireless key-combination switch | yes |
Modem | no |
ExpressCard34 slots | 1 |
ExpressCard54 slots | 0 |
PC Card slots | 0 |
USB ports (downstream) | 3 |
PS/2 mouse port | no |
9-pin serial ports | 0 |
Parallel ports | 0 |
Optical S/PDIF audio output ports | 0 |
Electrical S/PDIF audio ports | 0 |
3.5mm audio jacks | 2 |
SD card reader | yes |
Memory Stick reader | yes |
MMC (multimedia card) reader | yes |
Smart Media reader | no |
Compact Flash reader | no |
xD-card reader | no |
Pointing device type | Touchpad |
Audio chipset | IDT HD Audio |
Speaker location | Above keyboard |
Hardware volume control? | no |
Integrated microphone? | yes |
Integrated webcam? | no |
Camera megapixel rating | N/A |
TPM | no |
Fingerprint reader | no |
Smartcard reader | no |
Battery and performance tests | |
Battery life, light use | 1hr 28min |
Battery life, heavy use | 47min |
Overall application benchmark score | 0.92 |
3D performance (crysis) low settings | 5fps |
3D performance setting | Low |
Operating system and software | |
Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit |
OS family | Windows Vista |
Recovery method | Recovery disc |
Software supplied | Microsoft Works 9, CyberLink PowerDVD DX 8.1, Roxio Creator DE 10.2 |
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