Dell Inspiron 15
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc. Part number: DNDWZA3
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- As a highly configurable budget-range black box, Dell's Inspiron 1545 laptop line can be a good value--as long as you don't pile on the upgrades.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Dell Inspiron 15 price range: $549.00
- Reviewed by: Scott Stein
- Edited by: Dan Ackerman
- Reviewed on: 08/12/2009
The good: Extremely customizable; good keyboard; solid construction.
The bad: Add-ons can get expensive; lack of extra ports.
The bottom line: As a highly configurable budget-range black box, Dell's Inspiron 1545 laptop line can be a good value--as long as you don't pile on the upgrades.
Dell is one of the most popular computer brands worldwide, and a default choice for many shoppers. Located right in the middle of the company's lineup, the Dell Inspiron 15 is one of the most versatile and affordable midrange laptops, offering configurations for as low as $379. We tried a configuration from Dell with a Core 2 Duo processor and 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, which cost $794, which is not far off from the cost of more fully featured multimedia machines.
While our configuration was priced relatively high, remember the Inspiron 15 line is essentially a ridiculously customizable laptop line that can cover a lot of bases. It's no surprise that it's "Dell's most popular laptop," simply because the Inspiron 15 line is literally and figuratively a giant black box--it can be made into a huge number of configs, which adds selective value for the consumer.
But, boy, it can get a bit confusing choosing everything from the CPU to the Wi-Fi card--perhaps preconfigured systems like the very attractively packaged Gateway NV5807u (or Dell's own i1545-012B) aren't such a bad idea after all.
| Price as reviewed / Starting price | $794/$379 |
| Processor | 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 |
| Memory | 3GB, 800MHz DDR2 |
| Hard drive | 250GB 5,400rpm |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel PM45 Express |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Premium |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.7 x 9.6 inches |
| Height | 1.02-1.48 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.6 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 5.86/6.78 pounds |
| Category | Mainstream |
Covered in glossy black plastic on the inside and matte black plastic on the outside, the Inspiron 1545 looks as if it's headed off to an undercover sting. It's not an unattractive look overall, it's just not that distinctive, and feels like too much black. A wide variety of other colors and designs (including Cherry Red, Promise Pink, Jade Green, Passion Purple, and...you get the idea) can be added for $40 each, which is not a bad deal if you're dead set on something with more flair.
The interior couldn't be any more minimal: above a straightforward keyboard sits a lone silver power button, and below is a black touch pad with black buttons. With a matte texture, the touch pad was average size and worked fine for our fingers. The old-fashioned tapered keys on the 1545's keyboard had good response and travel, with decent spacing between keys, which made for comfortable typing with a few misses here and there. The base of the laptop, however, does feel a bit wide--they probably could have fit a number pad in there with some effort. That's it for buttons: all other controls are operated with the keyboard (but without needing to press the function key at the same time, which is nice).
The Dell Inspiron 1545's 15.6-inch glossy wide-screen LED screen has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is standard for laptops in this price range (while budget 15-inch systems typically have 1,280x800-pixel displays). While a higher-resolution option is available (1,600x900), we found the screen to be perfectly adequate for most mainstream applications. Text and icons were easily readable, but the screen isn't full-HD (1080p) for true hi-def content.
While glare was minimal during casual use, the colors and brightness seemed slightly less vibrant than other screens we've seen recently. One note on audio: the Inspiron 1545's speakers are almost unusually loud and were more than adequate for games, music, or movies. We almost never had the volume above the halfway mark in the office.
| Dell Inspiron 1545 | Average for category [mainstream] | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA-out, HDMI |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | ExpressCard/34 | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
Port-wise, the Inspiron 1545 comes with 3 USB 2.0, VGA-out, and Ethernet/modem jacks, all fairly standard stuff, plus an SD card reader and an ExpressCard slot, which are useful for adding a broadband modem or Bluetooth card. 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be added for $35 and $20 respectively, but it feels as if we're being incrementally nickel-and-dimed.
We recently reviewed a preconfigured retail version of the 1545 line, the Inspiron 1545-012B, for our back-to-school retail roundup. Although that version had a dual-core Pentium processor, a smaller hard drive, and no dedicated graphics to speak of, it also only cost $429, a veritable bargain.
Our 1545 shared the same shell, plus a Webcam, and a more powerful processor inside, and it has 1GB more RAM and a larger hard drive. The Inspiron 15 line starts at $379 at its base model, before a flurry of add-on options. The processors can be upgraded from an Intel Celeron 900 (Netbook-level power) all the way up to a P8600 Core 2 Duo (an extra $200). System RAM, hard drives, a larger 9-cell battery, and even Blu-ray are all available options. In short, the Inspiron 15 line can be as affordable or as ridiculously expensive as you like. But the higher up you trick out your Inspiron 1545, you do invite the question of why you're not simply buying a fancier multimedia laptop such as the Sony Vaio NW160J.
Note that our config included an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor, but Dell's current closest option is the T6500--nearly the same processor performance wise. This budget version of the Core 2 Duo is a good all-around mainstream laptop processor and will handle most multimedia and office tasks perfectly well. In our benchmark tests, however, our Inspiron 1545 config didn't fare as well as other similar laptops, including the $150-cheaper Gateway NV5807u. In real-world usage, you'd be unlikely to notice the difference while Web surfing, e-mailing, working on office docs. or watching multimedia files.
A 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 is a $100 upgrade option on Dell's Web site, and adds some basic gaming capabilities to the Inspiron 1545. Unreal Tournament 3 ran at 33.4 fps at 1,280x768, which is not ideal, but is passable. We tried launching Street Fighter 4, however, and got barely playable results even with settings turned down. Using this type of config for serious gaming will only end up in disappointment; you're probably better off saving for a real gaming laptop or a beefier one, or cutting out this upgrade option altogether.
 Juice box |
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| Dell Inspiron 1545 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.5 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 0.92 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 13.6 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 38 | ||
| Raw kWh | 49.86 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $5.66 | ||
The configured six-cell battery ran for 2 hours and 34 minutes on our video-playback battery drain test, which is less than we'd like for a midsize mainstream laptop. The Sony Vaio NW160J had more than 40 minutes of additional battery life. Also note, the Inspiron 15's basic configuration on the Dell Web site starts at only a four-cell. While upgrading to a nine-cell battery should solve that problem (an extra $75 from the four-cell starting point versus $35 for a six-cell), that's also a much larger battery and will make the system less portable.
Dell includes an industry-standard, one-year, parts-and-labor warranty (called "classic protection") with the system, and the Dell Web site has a robust collection of support tools, including online chat, a Flash-based question widget, and 24-7, toll-free telephone support. Upgrading to three years of basic warranty service will cost an extra $90.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Dell Inspiron 1545
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400;
3072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330; 250GB Western Digital 5400rpm
Gateway NV5807u
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6500;
4096MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Hitachi 5400rpm
Sony Vaio NW160 J
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400;
4096MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570; 400GB Fujitsu 5400rpm
Dell Studio 1440-022B
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6500;
4096MB DDR2 SDRAM 1066MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M G; 320GB Toshiba 5400rpm
Find out more about how we test laptops.
User reviews
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Very unsatisfied with this product
by mbutler69 on November 23, 2009
Pros: Cant think of any pros. Will never purchase another dell product.
Cons: They are very poorly put together, the plastic where the charger goes is cracked, and it only holds a charge for about 29 mins. Both screens have shattered just by closing them. Customer service hung up on us twice. Very disappointed.
Summary: My experience with Dell has been awful. Have had nothing but problems with both laptops. Customer service reps are very rude and uncooperative. I paid 250 bucks to replace a ...
Summary: My experience with Dell has been awful. Have had nothing but problems with both laptops. Customer service reps are very rude and uncooperative. I paid 250 bucks to replace a shattered screen that was not covered by the warranty and not even a week after I got the product back the screen shattered again simply by closing it. The screen on my husbands also shattered and the plastic on the side is cracked. Very poorly built. Neither of us have been rough with them, actually they never get moved and hardly get used. Customer service hung up on us after we spoke to several different people. We have had these for less then 6 months and have nothing but problems. We have also put over 1000 dollars into them and now one of them does not work at all. Awful product and awful service.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DON"T PURCHASE FROM DELL!! Buyer Beware
by AlecksG on November 29, 2009
Pros: There arent any pros
Cons: Not Efficient, Customer Service is a JOKE, Too many errors OS doesnt function properly
Summary: I had problems with this computer since day 1. i called customer support and they said to try and reset my computer to its original setting, i did and it ...
Summary: I had problems with this computer since day 1. i called customer support and they said to try and reset my computer to its original setting, i did and it worked fine, until i installed iTunes then it slowed down about 80% I called back and they said that the software was defective and that it was NOT under warranty and that i will have to PAY to get it checked! How can ia company NOT cover their own software?! Well IO decided to fix the problem myself and install XP instead. I couldnt do that either without cleaning out the hard drive completely, so after all this hassle I decided to call back to return my machine, now i was out of their return period....even though i had called 4 times before with complaints about this system starting the day i received it, they said i couldnt return it. I called back to speak to tech support to see if they would repair it for free and i got the same "You have to BUY a warranty, you have to BUY the support"...WHY?! this was a product defect that they had on file since i received the lap top. the technician "Neil" like he said his name was, was very rude and kept talkiing over me and cutting me off. I asked to speak to his manager to put in a complaint he said ok, I then asked for a direct line number or extention in case we get "disconnected" which is what they say to protect themselves when they hang up on you, he said he didnt have one....he's tech support they ALL have a direct line! all in all my experience with Dell was horrendous, i wil never purchase from them again, or refer anyone to them. As I speak i am writing this review on multiple sites as a warning to people to refrain from purchasing a computer from such a shady company...I'm going to buy a Toshiba.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best computer I've ever owned!
by jcvette315 on October 6, 2009
Pros: Lightning fast
Sleek
Versatile
Customizable
Easy to troubleshoot
FunCons: Only 3 USB ports
High Preformance mode eats batterySummary: For it's price, the 1545 is an outstanding computer. I've owned several laptops and desktops in my time and by far this is the best. I work for ...
Summary: For it's price, the 1545 is an outstanding computer. I've owned several laptops and desktops in my time and by far this is the best. I work for my college as an IT technician and this laptop is my lifeline. It runs windows 7 great and is compatible with XP. It's lightning fast right from the get-go and I really had difficulty writing the con portion of this review because I love this laptop that much. Now, it's no alienware m16 or anything but it is a fantastic machine. I got it in black, but it comes in a nice assortment of colors. Hope this review helps.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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$700 2 years?
Pros: No complaints whatsoever in my first 2 years of ownership
Cons: Am I being unrealistic...It doesn't go past the "Welcome" page any longer.
I have exchanged the battery...and the adapter.
I'm very disappointed to have to replace it at this point.Summary: Good laptop, short lived
Summary: Good laptop, short lived
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Great price. Some problems though.
by tracyvanlone on November 17, 2009
Pros: The Inspiron is a nice looking computer. It is speedy enough, getting the most out of its memory and storage capacity. The monitor is great. And the battery lives up to its promise.
Cons: The built-in mouse is insensitive. Power typists will be disoriented by the left-of-center mouse position - increasing typos, mistakes and accidental opening/closing of programs and add-ons.
Also, Dell support is extremely difficult to work with.Summary: Regarding the off-centered, insensitive mouse: It is very frustrating.
The mouse location wreaks the same havoc that moving the keyboard's space bar to the top would wreak. I am ...Summary: Regarding the off-centered, insensitive mouse: It is very frustrating.
The mouse location wreaks the same havoc that moving the keyboard's space bar to the top would wreak. I am having to re-train my thumbs to left click much further left than I have ever clicked in the past. Right clicking when you mean to left click creates a host of surprises, strange scenarious and problems.
Regarding unrecognizable serial numbers for Dell-loaded Microsoft products: Oddly, Microsoft does not recognize any of the serial numbers associated with the Microsoft products pre-loaded onto my Inspiron by Dell, so I can only get technical support from Microsoft by providing a credit card (which is charged). I have tried to rectify the invalid serial number problem with Dell, and they will only help me if I agree to buy in to their 1-year software technical support program which costs $239 plus tax. I like the concept of the very affordable software technical support program and may end up buying-in. But the serial number problem is not a technical problem - it is a licensing and product problem. After 2+ hours on the phone, being transfered to five different Dell representatives, I ended up back at the Dell receptionist who was happy to start the conversation over again by passing me along to yet another technician. Nothing has been resolved regarding the invalid software serial numbers.
I also spend 1.75 hours one morning last week on Dell Customer Service Chat trying to get a recommendation regarding a cable that would connect my existing printer to my new Dell laptop. The chat was a waste of time. The cable that was recommended absolutely would not have worked in the printer's port. The Dell assistant was not well-informed, and she had a patronizing attitude - speaking as if she needed to teach me computer hardware basics. It was disappointing after such a long "chat" to end up with an unworkable recommendation. -
Battery won't charge and Dell won't answer the phone
by annemidd on November 16, 2009
Pros: Was really great for 4 months
Cons: Computer does not recognize the AC adapter
The BIOS update suggested by Dell does not work
Dell is impossible to reach
If the problem is fixed now, no reason to assume it won't happen later when the warranty runs outSummary: There are so many message board posts to confirm these problems. It's frustrating that Dell continues to sell this inferior product, and that CNET recommended it so highly.
Summary: There are so many message board posts to confirm these problems. It's frustrating that Dell continues to sell this inferior product, and that CNET recommended it so highly.
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A simple, affordable, and useful laptop.
by mike141012 on November 15, 2009
Pros: Has a basic build and an average price. The product comes with a few bells and whistles such as a 1.3 webcam, it weighs under six pounds, its energy stat rated, a really good speaker system and has a large screen for the price point.
Cons: The computer doesn't have an eye catching design but is by no means ugly, it is 1.5 inches thick, has nothing that would really make you want to buy the product and has a lot of space for extra connections and yet it has very minimal ports.
Summary: The product is affordable and I would definitely recommend if the user wants a basic computer that will run Microsoft office, web pages, simple gaming and be able to have ...
Summary: The product is affordable and I would definitely recommend if the user wants a basic computer that will run Microsoft office, web pages, simple gaming and be able to have a high quality movie experience. I am a strong supporter of the product and it has exceeded my expectations. If you are thinking of getting a laptop you will get a real bang for your buck with this computer.
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Easy laptop to start with for a basic user.
by litmatch101 on November 11, 2009
Pros: simple. very basic computer for a starter. very nice keyboard and nice touch pad technology.
Cons: touch pad is a little difficult to learn. mine came with vista even though windows 7 was already out. just make sure yours comes with the latest software.
Summary: over all a very good laptop to start out with. if you are looking for something to use advanced programs with, you obviously want more of a powerfull computer.
Summary: over all a very good laptop to start out with. if you are looking for something to use advanced programs with, you obviously want more of a powerfull computer.
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Best laptop I ever had!
by Auburn9790 on October 16, 2009
Pros: Smooth, runs like a charm.
Cons: none, i have no cons to report.
Summary: I am in heaven
Summary: I am in heaven
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
- Part number: DNDWZA3
- Bottom Line: As a highly configurable budget-range black box, Dell's Inspiron 1545 laptop line can be a good value--as long as you don't pile on the upgrades.
General
- Notebook type Budget
Sustainability
- Greenpeace policy rating (Sept 2009) 4.7
Manufacturer info
- Dell, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Dell, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.dell.com/
- Address:
One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682 - Phone: (800) 274-3355
- Email: LB_Order_Questions@dell.com
