Economy Laptops: Dell Inspiron 1545 vs Lenovo G550

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If I were in the market, a comparison of inexpensive laptops would interest me, so I have one of my own to share. I still use my 3-yr old laptop, but make suggestions to others when they ask. Sometimes I receive the computer to finish little setups and remove all the bloatware for them.

Both were purchased from the manufacturer web site when they were running a discount.


The players:

Dell Inspiron 1545 purchased March 2010 for $423 + tax.
(webcam was a $25 option added to $398 base price)

Lenovo G550 purchased September 2009 for $399 + tax.
(webcam included)


They have much in common, thus I decided to compare them for you.

= CPU: Both have Intel T4x00 dual core mobile processors.
= Graphics: Both have Intel 4500MHD integrated.
= Memory: Both came with 3Gb.
= Disk: Both came with 250Gb HD and DVD-RW.
= Display: Both came with 15.6" wide screen LCDs.
= Touchpad: Both came with ALPS touchpads (yuck).
= Other: Both came with SD card reader, multiple USB, etc.
= Operating system: Both came with Windows Home Premium, but the Lenovo was purchased before W7, so it came with Vista.
= There are others which seem trivial to me but may not be to you.


Some objective differences:

<> The G550 has an LED backlit display, the Inspiron does not.
<> The G550 has PC3-8500 memory, the Inspiron has PC2-5300 memory.
<> The G550 has the usual array (of 4?) indicator LEDs to indicate power, disk activity, charging, etc. The Inspiron has only one, a power on indicator.


Some subjective differences:

<> Both of these are cheap plastic constructions, but the Inspiron feels flimsy where the G550 feels relatively solid.
<> The G550 looks classier, the Inspiron looks cheap. (Very subjective, I know.)


Some trivial details:

= I can't help but rant against ALPS touchpads. ALPS touchpads are awful! While some can be tweaked enough to be usable, sometimes it is impossible. Synaptics touchpads are so much better! I wish laptop manufacturers would disclose the touchpad brand in each laptop model.
= The Inspiron came with a Samsung HD. Not the first time I've used a Samsung HD but it is the first time I've seen one as an OEM unit in a non-Samsung computer. This hard disk is so quiet I can't hear it spin or seek!


My conclusion:

The G550 wins hands down!

Both are made in China, but interestingly the product of a Chinese company came across better than the product of an American company.

I am disappointed in Dell. I have worked with multiple models of their PowerEdge servers and found them to be solid (though they have cheapened their hardware over the years) so I didn't expect this.


Disclaimer: Your conclusion may be different!
 
Most of these laptops are build by the big 4 Taiwanese ODM/OEM companies. I'd not be surprised that they are from the same factory in China.

IMO the biggest problem with laptop quality is not where or who makes it, but the components source (like those capacitors) and warranty services.

In terms of HD, everyone buys from everyone, so your next unit may be from a different source. Samsung is pretty decent, they acquire a lot of their engineers from the ex Quantum/Maxtor/Seagate division that shut down back then, and their chipset is usually from Marvell, very good power management and servo control.

Based on the spec alone, I'd also choose the Lenovo, because DDR3 is going to be mainstream and more affordable a couple years down the road and DDR2 is going to be obsolete and hard to find/expensive.

My niece had an Inspiron 1500 series, and that thing isn't very reliable either. However my mom's Latitude E5500 is rock solid (other than the Seagate hard drive dying, but replacement is on next day shipment UPS Red, pre imaged).
 
Interesting. Haven't bought a laptop in three years, but don't trust my 1 and 3 year olds with a new one on the coffee table yet. Sooner or later they'll destroy ours and I'll be in the market, and perhaps I'll give Lenovo a look.

But, I think if I had to buy today the Vostro V13 would get my dollars. Same price as yours without Windows (I'm MSDN so I get it free) but smaller and less powerful.
 
The G-series are not my favorite Lenovos. Lenovo treats their "Think" models (ThinkPad and ThinkCentre) very differently from the non-Think models. Support on the former is still absolutely outstanding. I'll take a T or X series laptop over most anything else out there, save perhaps a Toughbook.

But it doesn't surprise me that you found the initial build on the Lenovo G better than the Dell. I really don't like Dell laptops. Too much bling and a bit flimsy, IMO.
 
Agreed. When I have to replace my computer (which is a nc6220 using a Pentium M 750) I'll probably get a Think-something. I don't care for bling, but reliability is critical to me.

I've considered a Toughbook, but since I don't need that kind of ruggedness I am not willing to pay the price.

bepperb, the Vostro V13 looks interesting, and very nice that it can be had with Linux instead of Windows. One of the items high on my list for my next PC is a ULV processor. I don't need cutting edge performance, and would rather have a cool-running system that doesn't need a fan blasting all the time, and decent battery runtime.

Anyone remember the Pentium 4M? I know two people who still have laptops with that processor. It's quite a heater, the fans run full blast all the time except for the first minute after you turn it on cold. The Pentium M (and Centrino blah blah) that followed it was a dramatic improvement, and so far I haven't had to look away from Intel since that turn.
 
The Dell Lattitude seems pretty sturdy not as good as the Thinkpad but for a lot less and still very well built.

If you are moving your laptop around a lot, I'd seriously consider something that has a metal shell. Those plastic joints are just too darn easy to break.
 
I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad for my wife in January. It was competitively priced, around $600, and the touchpad could be disabled in favor of the eraserhead which my wife prefers.

The DVD drive started making grinding noises a few weeks after I bought it. Lenovo warranty service in the USA is handled by IBM still. They make you fill out an online warranty request form and submit it online, which I did at about 3:00PM on a Sunday afternoon. I got a popup which stated to the effect "you are submitting this outside our normal business hours and we will respond to this during our normal business hours". OK, no problem, I understand completely.

At 5:00PM the SAME AFTERNOON I get a phone call from an IBM representative. He just wants to check my serial number. I even ask him if he's a recording or live, like Memorex. He tells me he will submit my warranty claim and someone from Lenovo should contact me within 2 days. No problem, I'm just astounded that someone would call me ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2 hours later I get a call FROM A LENOVO REPRESENTATIVE. The guy tells me that the DVD drive will be on its way and should be there within a couple of days. I ask him if he's based in China or India, just sort of joking since it's Monday morning over there. No, he tells me he's based in the USA. This is on a SUNDAY...a weekend day....for a $600 laptop.

I haven't dealt with Dell Service or Warranty for a number of years, but based on my experience with Lenovo, it's hard not to recommend them.
 
Wife's ThinkPad R50(got in 2004) and my ThinkPad R60(got in 2006) have been rock solid so far. very happy with them, after putting in some additional RAM. (came only with 512MB, but it was from college, so they just went cheap).

Love the ability to disable the touch pad, and use the track-point.
 
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Originally Posted By: lyle
I ask him if he's based in China or India, just sort of joking since it's Monday morning over there. No, he tells me he's based in the USA. This is on a SUNDAY...a weekend day....for a $600 laptop.



You should have asked him what the capital of MN is to double check. I read that the reps over in India take classes to eliminate their accent to sound "American"
grin2.gif
 
Nope. Lenovo's support for Think products is still based out of Atlanta. It is principally still the old IBM crews. And they are really good.

I posted a little while back that we lost a ThinkCentre HDD to a nutty electrician playing with hot lines.

I called Atlanta at 3pm. They were happy to cover it. And we had a new HDD sitting at the front desk before 10am the very next morning.

If you buy an Idea model, you may not get that level of build or service. But the Think lines are directed to business users, and it shows.

For the extra that a ThinkPad costs, the value you get back more than justifies it. The trackpoint alone is worth the price of admission.
 
Originally Posted By: lyle
I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad for my wife in January. It was competitively priced, around $600, and the touchpad could be disabled in favor of the eraserhead which my wife prefers.

The DVD drive started making grinding noises a few weeks after I bought it. Lenovo warranty service in the USA is handled by IBM still. They make you fill out an online warranty request form and submit it online, which I did at about 3:00PM on a Sunday afternoon. I got a popup which stated to the effect "you are submitting this outside our normal business hours and we will respond to this during our normal business hours". OK, no problem, I understand completely.

At 5:00PM the SAME AFTERNOON I get a phone call from an IBM representative. He just wants to check my serial number. I even ask him if he's a recording or live, like Memorex. He tells me he will submit my warranty claim and someone from Lenovo should contact me within 2 days. No problem, I'm just astounded that someone would call me ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2 hours later I get a call FROM A LENOVO REPRESENTATIVE. The guy tells me that the DVD drive will be on its way and should be there within a couple of days. I ask him if he's based in China or India, just sort of joking since it's Monday morning over there. No, he tells me he's based in the USA. This is on a SUNDAY...a weekend day....for a $600 laptop.

I haven't dealt with Dell Service or Warranty for a number of years, but based on my experience with Lenovo, it's hard not to recommend them.



Bingo. IBM/Lenovo are definitely much better in the warranty department than DELL, and the fact that their product is superior as well, just sort of makes the deal there
grin2.gif
 
Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

tenderloin, I agree, at $399 that G550 was a great deal.

Neither of those are my computer, but I got to use them for a week or so.

PandaBear, I agree about the metal frame. Thinkpads are great there, they'll be high on my list when I'm ready for a replacement.

Unlike some, I like touchpads and I never got proficient with the eraserhead. My current nc6220 has an eraserhead, and so did my last laptop. But from my experience, only Synaptics touchpads work as intended.
wink.gif
 
I wish I knew there was a $399 Lenovo when I bought my Acer with the Celeron in it. But I spent $249 on it, plus $41.66 for a processor (T4300), got a free RAM upgrade courtesy of a laptop my wife doesn't use much anymore, and it's doing quite well for me as a desktop replacement.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for one of those used to replace my eMachines laptop someday.
 
Our next laptops will be Lenovos - guaranteed: They just work, and don't look silly, and built very solid.
...and yeah - they have track points :)
 
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BTW, that newegg deal sold out some time between that post and now.

Not all Lenovos have eraserheads. Ex, the G series does not. Maybe all the Thinkpads do.
 
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