Dell continues refreshes with Vostro 3000 upgrades
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Keeping up the flow of Sandy Bridge additions, Dell has gone ahead and upgraded another one of their product lines. After announcing updates to their mainstream Inspiron R laptops, Dell will also be tuning up the components under the lid of their business line of notebooks- the Vostro 3000 series.
According to a press release by Dell, the 13.3” Vostro 3350, the 14” Vostro 3450, the 15.6” Vostro 3550, and the 17.3” Vostro 3750 have been outfitted with the latest Sandy Bridge processors. All the models will have access to Core i3, i5 and i7 Dual-Core processors, while the Vostro 3750 alone will be capable of running a Quad-Core i7.
As for the other specs, the whole lineup will be customizable with up to 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, an optional backlit keyboard and SRS Premium Voice Pro. Seeing as the machines are running Sandy Bridge processors, they’ll have the regular Integrated Intel HD Graphics to go along with a 512MB Radeon HD6470 in the Vostro 3750, a 1GB Radeon HD6630 in the Vostro 3450 and the Vostro 3550, and a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M in the Vostro 3750. As first reviews of the 3550 indicate, the systems with AMD graphics card come with a automatic graphics switching similar to Nvidia Optimus. However, due to some patents by Nvidia, the BACON (PowerXPress 4.0) called technique may have some disadvantages compared to Nvidia.
With regards to power, a 4 cell battery can be found in the 13.3” model and a 6 cell battery will come with the other versions. However, the laptops can also be outfitted with a larger battery; an 8 cell battery in the case of the Vostro 3350 and a 9 cell battery for the others.
With the updated Vostro specs, Dell appears to be targeting business consumers with mobility and production in mind. An early review of the Vostro 3550 by PC World Australia seems to back that up, as the website was impressed with the laptop’s performance and managed to get over 5 hours of runtime with the 9 cell battery. Their only qualm appears to be below average viewing angles on the LED display.
Although Dell has managed to include Sandy Bridge processors and extended battery life in their Vostro 3000 lineup, the pricing hasn’t bumped from where it previously stood. The 13.3” Vostro should start at $599, while the 14” and 15.6” models begin at $499 and the 17.3” model splits the difference with a $549 price tag. All 4 machines should be available in Aberdeen Silver, Lucerne Red, and Brizbane Bronze colors and will be available on March 22nd at Dell.com.
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