All three models in Dell’s Inspiron line are Core 2 Duo ready now. Inspiron line notebooks are positioned by Dell as entertainment notebooks under Home & home office category and include three widescreen models: 17 inch Inspiron E1705, 15 inch Inspiron E1505 and 14 inch Inspiron E1405.

All Inspiron models features:

CPUs: Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor T7400 (2.16GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB); Intel® CoreTM Duo Processor T2250 (1.60GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB), Intel® CoreTM Duo Processor T2400 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB);

E1505 and E1405 models can be configured with Intel® CoreTM Solo Processor T1350 (1.66GHz/667MHz FSB/2MB Cache)

Memory: Standard 512MB ( Up to 2GB) of Dual Channel 667MHz DDR2 memory;

Inspiron E1705 features - Display & Graphics:17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Optional: 17 inch UltraSharpTM Wide Screen UXGA with TrueLife, 256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON® x1400 HyperMemory; Hard Drives: Up to 100GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive; Optical Drive: Standard: Combo Drive: 24x/10x/24x CD-RW and 8x DVD-ROM; Optional: DVD+RW: 8x DVD+/-RW2; Weight & Dimensions: Width: 15.50″ Height: 1.60″ Depth: 11.30″, Weight (lbs): 7.9414

I/O Ports: * IEEE 1394 integrated port (1394 cable and software sold separately) * 6-USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) compliant 4-pin connectors * 5-in-1 removable memory card reader * Video: 15-pin monitor connector * Digital Video Interface (DVI) * S-Video: 7-pin mini-DIN connector * Audio jacks: Stereo headphones/speakers miniconnector (same as line-out), microphone miniconnector

Inspiron E1505 features - Display Up to 15.4″ Wide Screen WSXGA+ Display with TrueLife; Graphics Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (with up to 256MB of shared memory) or 128MB ATI MobilityTM Radeon® X1300 HyperMemory or 256MB ATI MobilityTM Radeon® X1400 HyperMemory or 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7300 TurboCache; Up to 120 GB Ultra ATA hard drive; Up to 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability; Weight: Starting at 6.18 lbs with integrated graphics and 1.44″ thin

I/O Ports: IEEE 1394, 4-USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) compliant 4-pin connectors, Flash Memory Slot - Secure Digital (SD) and SD/IO compliant 5-in-1 Combo Card connector - reads MS, MS Pro, SD/SDIO, MMC, xD CD type I/II, & IBM Microdrive through ExpressCard adapter, Video: 15-pin monitor connector, S-Video: 7-pin mini-DIN connector, Audio jacks: Stereo headphones/speakers mini-connector (same as line-out), microphone mini-connector
One ExpressCard slot 54mm 1.5 V and 3.3 V

Inspiron E1405 features - Standard: 14.1″ Widescreen TFT Active Matrix WXGA (1280 x 800) display. Integrated Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics. Optional: 14.1″ Widescreen TFT Active Matrix WXGA+ (1440 x 900) display with TrueLife, Up to 100GB hard drive, Optical: Choice of: Combo Drive - 24x/10x/24x CD Burner and 8x DVD-ROM; 8x DVD/CD Burner (DVD+/-RW) Weight & Dimensions: Width: 12.99″ Height: 1.52″ Depth: 9.56″, Weight (lbs): 5.30

I/O Ports: IEEE 1394 integrated port (1394 cable and software sold separately), 4 USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) compliant 4-pin connectors, RJ45 Ethernet port, RJ11 Modem port, Video: 15-pin monitor connector, S-Video: 7-pin mini-DIN connector, 5-in-1 removable memory card reader, Audio jacks: Stereo headphones/speakers miniconnector (same as line-out), microphone miniconnector

Reviews of Dell Inspiron Notebooks:

Laptop Magazine’s review of Dell Inspiron E1405: Reviewing Dell Inspiron E1405, Laptop Magazine gives it 4 out of 5 stars and writes, ” If you like the idea of owning a fast and full-featured notebook that can travel with you, the Dell Inspiron E1405 is a very good choice. This Media Center laptop packs a speedy dual-core processor, a huge hard drive, and the most robust instant-on functionality you’ll find anywhere, plus next-generation 802.11n Wi-Fi. It lacks the more powerful discrete graphics of the E1505, but the E1405 has all of the right ingredients to deliver a top-notch Windows Vista experience.

Thanks to its 2-GHz Core 2 Duo processor, the E1405 plowed through our MobileMark 2005 productivity benchmark, delivering an above-average score of 253. If you spring for the nine-cell battery (included in this configuration), you’ll get close to all-day endurance; the system lasted an impressive 7 hours and 12 minutes on a charge. Graphics are not the E1405’s strong suit, as Intel’s integrated solution turned in a below-average 3DMark03 score of 1,668. Still, with 1GB of RAM on board, you’ll be able to take full advantage of Windows Vista’s slick Aero interface.

While the design is getting a bit stale, the Dell Inspiron E1405 delivers the performance users on the go are looking for, along with lots of endurance. The MediaDirect functionality and multimedia controls are icing on the cake.”

PROS and CONS of Dell Inspiron E1405 according to Laptop magazine:

• Speedy processor
• Can access calendar and contacts without booting Windows
• Convenient multimedia buttons
• Loud speakers
• Great endurance with nine-cell battery

• Mushy touchpad buttons
• Need new router to reap benefits of 802.11n

Laptop Magazine’s review of Dell Inspiron E1505:Reviewing Dell Inspiron E1505, Laptop Magazine gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars rating and writes, “If you don’t want your budget notebook to look like one, the Dell Inspiron E1505 is for you. Silver and black with white edging, the design is retro-future chic. And with its blazing performance, there’s a lot to like about this multimedia powerhouse.

The centerpiece of the nearly seven-pound unit is a gorgeous 15.4-inch glossy widescreen that delivered rich colors and nearly blur-free images during DVD playback. Add impressive sound quality from the built-in speakers and you’ll be putting the included Media Center Edition OS (which is upgradable to Windows Vista Home Premium for free) to good use for music, photos, and imported video. There’s also a multiformat DVD burner, so the only item on our multimedia wish list is an external TV tuner and remote for using the 80GB hard drive as a DVR (an $84 upgrade).

Dell MediaDirect enables E1505 owners to play multimedia files without booting into the OS. The Instant Office feature includes viewers for PowerPoint, Outlook, and Outlook Express that let you see a presentation or check your calendar or contacts without starting Windows. The screen’s 1280 x 800-pixel resolution will disappoint those who prefer a high-res panel, but we found working on it very easy on the eyes, and we didn’t have to strain to read smaller text.

The big screen allows room for a full-sized keyboard that was comfortable and quiet (no cost-cutting here). We also appreciate the oversized, near-silent mouse buttons that accompany the scroll-equipped touchpad. Handy multimedia control buttons are located on the E1505’s front edge, and the usual ports, including a 5-in-1 memory card reader are spread around the other edges.

Performance from the 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 CPU is good choice for a budget mainstream portable and performed the very well on five of the seven tests, with a score of 231 on MobileMark 2005. Battery life, at 4 hours and 51 minutes, is excellent for a mainstream notebook. The 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 graphics engine means you can even play 3D games. The E1505 delivered 85 fps on F.E.A.R., using autodetect settings. Although that was at lower resolution and with some eye-candy turned off, it’s more than we expected from a notebook in this price class.

The Dell Inspiron E1505 is truly a dual-core bargain, delivering a very satisfying multimedia experience at a very good price.”

Dell Inspiron E1505 quick specs:

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500
Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
RAM/Expandable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive/Speed: 80GB/5,400 rpm
Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW/+R DL
Display/Resolution: 15.4 inches/1280 x 800
Graphics/Video Memory: ATI Mobility Radeon X1300/128MB
Wireless Networking: 802.11b/g
Ports: Four USB 2.0, FireWire, S-Video, VGA, Ethernet, modem, mic, headphone
Card Slots: ExpressCard, 5-in-1 memory card reader

CNET review off the Dell Inspiron E1505 (Windows Vista): Reviewing Dell Inspiron E1505 with Windows Vista, CNET gives it 6.4 out of 10 rating and writes, “With the release of Windows Vista in late January, PC manufacturers have been quick to update their laptop models–those that can handle the upgrade, that is–with various flavors of the new operating system. For the midsize Inspiron E1505, Dell now offers a choice of Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Home Basic. We got our hands on an updated E1505 with the Premium version and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Despite its high-end components, the laptop’s performance on our benchmarks didn’t wow us, most likely due to the new demands of Windows Vista. We expect to encounter similar lags on most of the first-generation Vista systems, though, and because we still like the Inspiron E1505’s design and feature set, we think it remains a solid choice for home users who want a basic media-friendly laptop.

The good: Comfortable keyboard and touch pad; adequate display; solid collection of basic multimedia features; excellent multimedia controls; wide array of configuration options; competitive base price.

The bad: Mediocre performance with Windows Vista; too heavy for regular travel.

The bottom line: With a solid set of multimedia features and high-end components, the Windows Vista-based Dell Inspiron E1505 remains a good laptop for basic home use. ”

Reviewed Dell Inspiron E1505 quick specs:

Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150

This entry was posted on September 4, 2006 and is filed under Dell Inspiron Notebooks Line.