Del Computers

The Del Laptop Inspiron 1420 is a new-to-market 14” Intel Santa Rosa platform-based laptop. It is the successor to the previous Dell Inspiron e1405 laptop, and is the smallest in a new line-up of laptops from Dell. It is available with a wide array of processor options, from the Core 2 Duo T5350 to the Core 2 Duo T7500, removable drive options up to and including a Blu-Ray drive, wireless-N internet, integrated or discrete graphics chipsets, and more.

Ordering

Ordering a computer from Dell can be a daunting experience. The Dell website offers up a seemingly endless array of computers and accessories to suit the needs of all different types of users, from the elementary school student through to the mobile professional. The Inspiron 1420 is focused at the typical home user, but due to its size it will likely be popular with those individuals seeking a more powerful mobile platform than the Dell Latitude D430, or a more gaming capable platform than the Latitude D630.

Once I had decided upon an Inspiron 1420, I had to select first what class of 1420 I was interested in customizing. Dell presents typical “Good”, “Better”, and “Best” configurations on its website. As I consider myself a power user, I thought it best to start from the “Good” configuration as it offers the greatest number of choices to arrive at an optimal price/performance ratio. Through the customization process, you select from a series of options, consisting of lid color, processor, operating system, amount of system memory, graphics card, removable drive, hard disk drive capacity, wireless networking, cellular networking, support options, and pre-installed software. I chose the below configuration as it best suited my needs of a powerful portable computer to be used around the home and on travel for web browsing, e-mail, multimedia, and occasional gaming.

* Lid Color: Jet Black
* Processor: Core 2 Duo T7300 (2.0 GHz, 800 MHz, 4MB Cache)
* RAM: 2 GB DDR2-667
* Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8400M GS, 128 MB GDDR3
* Hard Disk Drive: 160 GB, 5400 RPM, 8 MB Cache (Western Digital Corp.)
* Removable Drive: DVD+-RW/DL (Optiarc, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and NEC Inc.)
* Screen:14.1” Antiglare LCD with 1280×800 pixel resolution (Chi Mei Optronics)
* Wireless Interface: Intel Next Generation Wireless-N 4965 802.11A/B/G, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR adapter by Dell
* Battery: 9-cell 85 WHr battery
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
* Additional Software: None

In addition to the above options, I also selected an additional 90W Dell power supply as a spare, a 1-year Accidental Damage / Theft protection plan, and a Belkin 14” notebook sleeve in jet black and cabernet (red). Through the use of a promotion granting free 3-5 day shipping, another granting 2 GB of DDR2-667 RAM and a 160 GB 5400 RPM hard disk drive for free, and a coupon granting $350 off the purchase of select Inspiron systems $1399 and up (before tax and shipping), I was able to purchase all the above for $1170 including tax.

I ordered my system at 4pm on Friday, July 6th 2007. I received my system at 11:33am on Thursday, July 12th 2007. The Belkin sleeve case and LoJack theft protection software shipped separately but they arrived on the same DHL truck with the laptop itself.

On handling the laptop for the first time, I found it to be a bit heavier than I had expected, but not too unwieldy. It is definitely an attractive piece of gear. The base and the lid are, in my configuration, a matching black. The screen bezel, keyboard, and base are all a silver / aluminum color. The Dell logo at the base of the screen bezel is done in a mirrored silver color. This laptop means business.

After removing the laptop from its packing materials, I set out to take a series of pictures of the laptop for the consumption of the online community.
Facing the laptop, you first notice the large chrome piece that allows you to get a good grip on the lid/screen. In the center of the bezel rest the dual 3.5mm headphone jacks, so that you and a friend can listen to your tunes or, alternatively, you can get multi-channel sound out, and the single 3.5mm microphone jack. To the left of these jacks you will find the 8-in-1 card reader (Secure Digital (SD), SDIO, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick, MemoryStick PRO, xD-Picture Card, Hi Speed-SD and Hi Density-SD) and the wireless radio switch / Wi-Fi catcher. For those curious, a full-size SanDisk MemoryStick Pro inserted in the card reader sticks out 7/16” from the bezel. Above the radio switch and card reader are indicator lights showing power state, hard drive activity, battery charging status, Wi-Fi radio status, and Bluetooth radio status (if installed). All the indicator lights glow a bright blue.

On the left edge of the laptop are, from the rear working forward, a laptop lock slot, the power supply connector, the processor fan exhaust port, an IEEE-1394 (Firewire 400 mbps) mini-port, two USB 2.0 ports, and above those the single 54 mm ExpressCard slot.