Dell Inspiron 1420
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The Dell 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 1280x800 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.
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