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Review Dell Inspiron 1545 Notebook

by: Bernd Müller 12.21.2009

MTV-Laptop

The 15.6-incher of the colorful EMA 2009 Limited Edition should not only attract the MTV-audience. The artwork at the cover brings color to office and home. However, the workmanship has weak points and also the look has its dark sides. What is the low priced top-seller from the manufacturer Dell actually capable of? - Learn about it in detail in our review.

Dell Inspiron 1545, 15.6-Zoller mit Cover Design
Dell Inspiron 1545, 15.6-Zoller mit Cover Design der "EMA 2009 Limited Edition"

The Inspiron 1545 is today's entry-level series from the Texan computer manufacturer Dell. That is simple 15.6-inchers with low-efficiency configurations at 450 euro and above. Dell sponsored the MTV Music Award 2009 and wants to consolidate the position of its brand in the lifestyle-oriented target group.

According to David Clifton, Director of Consumer Marketing, Dell Europe, a personalized design, which allows their users to express their individual style, is the core of Dell's product-range. In line with their partnership with MTV they would like to give music fans the opportunity to get in contact with companions in mind and communicate their personal music style. Cite available on our corresponding German article.

Whether music fans could actually live their lifestyle with a laptop that does not offer much except of an elegant cover, is arguable. Will adolescents driven by a music lifestyle really settle for a case and technical equipment of the lowest level? Our test will uncover the pros and cons of the Inspiron 1545.

Case

The look of the lid draws attention. It is a cover art of the artist Filth.
The look of the lid draws attention. It is a cover art of the artist Filth.

The first impression of the case is dominated by the cover art on the lid. The 15.6-inch big case got a plastic-imprint of the pop-art artist Filth, because Dell sponsored the MTV Awards 2009. The event took already place on the 5th of November 2009 in the O2 World in Berlin. As Dell offered a color option for the lid of the Inspiron 1545 series anyway, adding a cover in MTV style was only a small step.

At the user side the black plastic case is finished in high-gloss. Such surfaces completely surround keyboard and display. Presumably those who hate fingerprints will keep away from this laptop.

The case is rather stiff, so, it could only be slightly twisted when we applied force. Our hands could nowhere force the wrist rests to give in. The same  is true for the keyboard. The impression of stability the bottom part left is abruptly discontinued when we open or move the lid. A creaking goes along with opening and closing. If you grasp the lid at one of its corner and slightly twist it, this noise is clearly audible. In addition, the frame  of the display sits particularly loose. There is a gap of 2-3 millimeters at the top frame where usually a web cam is built-in. So, it is possible to push the frame in and lift it. In short: It's  been a long time since we last saw such a fragile lid.

At the opposite side, the cover art is neatly done and  flush with the lid. It is not a sheet but actually a plastic imprint also used in the serial production. So, customers do not need to worry about sloughing or air bubbles.

Connectivity

The meager connectivity lets the ExpressCard34-slot appear even more attractive.
The meager connectivity lets the ExpressCard34-slot appear even more attractive.

The ports are well arranged at three sides of the laptop. The rear stays free, because the battery is removed towards the back. The card reader and the two audio ports at the front side are handy. So, the headphones plug can be directly connected.

The Inspiron 1545 is equipped with three USB-ports, VGA (d-sub), network, and audio interfaces (headphones, microphone). In the light of this spartan connectivity, the ExpressCard/34-slot at the right nearly appears to be a highlight. You could, e.g., insert a  Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi with radio transmission there. So, those interested in music could transfer music to a hi-fi system or enjoy X-Fi headphones surround sound cable-free. Those not interested in music at all could add a UMTS module in ExpressCard/34 format.

Front: power state, headphones, microphone, card reader
Front: power state, headphones, microphone, card reader
Left: Kensington, LAN, 2 x USB, VGA, Ethernet
Left: Kensington, LAN, 2 x USB, VGA, Ethernet
Rear: no ports
Rear: no ports
Right: ExpressCard34, DVD-Laufwerk, USB
Right: ExpressCard34, DVD-Laufwerk, USB

The user can browse the internet via wireless WLAN draft-n provided they connect via a router which supports draft-n too. A con is that a web cam is missing. Especially the adolescents targeted would have a use for such. However, Dell offers it as option for the Inspiron 15 in its on-line shop.

Rare, but good: Dell still includes a real recovery-medium in the scope of delivery.
Rare, but good: Dell still includes a real recovery-medium in the scope of delivery.
Our test sample works under Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 Bit.
Our test sample works under Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 Bit.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The keyboard left mixed impressions. First of all we liked that it sits thight and only slightly gives close to the right shift. As a result the stroke is firm. However, the fuzzy point of pressure gives only an unsatisfying feedback when typing.

The keys are arranged in a standard layout, are sufficiently big and have an adequate distance to each other. At the right the outermost column with Del to Page Dn is clearly separated from the rest of the keys. This prevents the Enter-key from being unintentionally triggered. Touch typist won't like the keyboard as the two haptical marks for the home position of the hands are not sufficiently distinct. Overall, the keyboard appears to be quite suitable. However, those used to desktop keyboards  will have to adapt to the spongy feedback first.

Touchpad

The touchpad embedded in the glossy wrist rests has a slightly shiny surface and does not support multi-touch gestures. Die finger hardly faces any resistance when it glides over it. Nevertheless, a precise control is possible. Although they are not visible, a vertical and a horizontal scroll area are available. It seems simple do provide such without any optical or haptical mark. The according areas are totally at the right and at the bottom edge. So, the finger can be geared to the border of the touchpad.

Dell's touchpad even comes with a proprietary tool for setup. It allows to define the width of the scroll areas. Although the touchpad does not support input with two fingers (multi-touch) it features zooming. This can be done via the left scroll bar.
The buttons of the mouse replacement have a clear travel and feedback. Their click is hollow, but fine.

The keys feature a firm stroke, but the feedback is fuzzy.
The keys feature a firm stroke, but the feedback is fuzzy.
The rightmost column of keys (Del bis Page Dn) is separated from the rest.
The rightmost column of keys (Del bis Page Dn) is separated from the rest.
The touchpad does not support multi-touch gestures, but zooming is possible by means of the left scroll bar.
The touchpad does not support multi-touch gestures, but zooming is possible by means of the left scroll bar.

Display

Glossy display of the Inspiron 1545
Glossy display of the Inspiron 1545

The HD-ready screen of the Inspiron 1545 displays in a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixel. This is the standard 16:9 wide-screen resolution, which nearly all mainstream office and multimedia laptops use today. The TFT without anti-reflection coating has a moderate contrast in common with these. At maximum brightness a contrast ratio of 205:1 is achieved.

Looking at images we once again realize the impacts of a too low contrast on the user: Black does not appear like deep black and the colors do not gleam that lively and strong as they could. However, a high contrast is usually reserved for more expensive multimedia or gaming laptops.

185.1
cd/m²
180.2
cd/m²
179
cd/m²
186
cd/m²
205
cd/m²
184.5
cd/m²
162.6
cd/m²
178.9
cd/m²
161.3
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Maximum: 205 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 180.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 205 cd/m²
Contrast: 159:1 (Black: 1.29 cd/m²)

Our measurements of the brightness resulted in moderate values. On average the TFT display gleams with good 180 cd/m². This is more than enough indoors. Thereby the illumination is homogeneous and, so, darker or brighter areas are not visible in black or white backgrounds.

Using the Inspiron 1545 in the sun is hard. The reflecting 15.6-inch display already causes clear mirror effects if its cloudy. If the bright sun shines into the display too, the moderate brightness of 180cd/m² does no longer suffice outshining the sun light. But, even indoors we are not absolutely protected against adverse light conditions caused by bright windows or desk lamps.

Reflections outdoors (cloudy)
Reflections outdoors (cloudy)
Users have to find a convenient viewing angle.
Users have to find a convenient viewing angle.

The viewing angle stability describes whether colors and fonts are still clearly legible at lateral views. The 15.6-inch TFT of the Inspiron 1545 does not allow the user much leeway. If the eyes are moved up or down (vertical), the colors already noticeably bleach at about 30 degrees. But, we can move up to 45 degrees to the right or left (horizontal) from the middle. But then the colors invert heavily.

In the vertical plane the viewing angles of the Dell Inspiron 1545 are very restricted.
In the vertical plane the viewing angles of the Dell Inspiron 1545 are very restricted.

Performance

Dell built an Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200 with 2.0 GHz clock rate into our test sample. This CPU has only one Megabyte L2 Cache and 800 MHz FSB.  With a TDP of high 35 Watt it does not belong the energy-saving processors. The T4200 features two physical cores, but not Intel Hyper-Threading. Its typical field of application is in inexpensive office and mid-range systems.

If you want to run processor-heavy tasks like video editing or image processing, such a system is rather not appropriate. As a dedicated graphics card is missing, applications can also not make use of Nvidia's CUDA or ATI's Stream to disburden the CPU at certain tasks. An Intel GMA 4500M HD chipset graphics without separate video memory works inside the reviewed low-cost model of the Inspiron 1545. 4 GB DDR2 RAM and a 320 GB hard drive from Hitachi assist the Pentium T4200 CPU and the chipset-GPU from Intel.

Systeminfo CPUZ CPU
Systeminfo CPUZ Cache
Systeminfo CPUZ Mainboard
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM SPD
Systeminfo GPUZ
Systeminfo HDTune
System information Dell Inspiron 1545
DPC Latency Checker Dell Inspiron 1545
DPC Latency Checker

We looked at the latencies with the DPC Latency Checker tool. If they are too high, they can cause troubles when external devices are connected (e.g. sound crackling of external audio cards or short interruption at real-time audio). The values of the Inspiron 1545 never exceeded 2000 µs. If this should happen, faulty drivers of internal devices likes WLAN-module, sound card, USB host controller etc. are usually the reason. Selectively deactivating drivers and applying the exclusion principle can help revealing the blamable one.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1976
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
3489
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
856
Help
PCMark Vantage Result
2591 points
Help

Since a few month the Pentium T4200 has replaced the Celeron M in entry-level configurations. So, you can't expect that it will work wonders in regards of performance. What we get is respectable computation speed far beyond of fast Core 2 Duo or even Core i7 CPUs. A reasonably fast Intel P8400 (2.26 GHz) achieves 4.600 points in the Cinebencn R10 Multiple CPU Rendering test. It's even 4.600 points for a T6600 (2.20 GHz), while the T4200 (2.1 GHz) can just accomplish 3.500 points. Core i7 systems, e.g., the Asus G60J achieve above 10.000 points with their four CPU cores. Clear and brief: The T4200 is an absolute entry-level processor,  which uses the advantages of a dual-core architecture.

We determined the application performance with the PCMark Vantage and it proved to be about on par with fast ultra-low-voltage or Intel Core 2 Duo systems with low clock-rate. The Asus P50IJ-SO036X reviewed a short time ago is equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5870 (2.0 GHz) and achieves about the same value in the 3DMark Vantage. We record 2.591 points. Whoever is satisfied with a solid office performance, can safely accept a T4200 CPU. However, if you need a faster processor for video or image editing, you should at least go for an Intel P8400, which is better combined with a midrange ATI or Nvidia graphics card.

In Dell's on-line shop you'll also find appropriate options for these tasks. For example the most powerful CPU offered is a P8700 from Intel, which, with a 2.53 GHz clock rate and 25W TDP, well balances performance and energy demand.
In addition Dell also offers alternatives to  Intel's integrated chipset graphics. The offered ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 can assist the CPU when calculating HD-contents and its performance at least suffices older games at low details and resolutions. More detailed information is available in our gaming list.

3DMark 2001SE Standard
5567 points
3DMark 03 Standard
2299 points
3DMark 05 Standard
1550 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
841 points
Help
Hitachi Travelstar 5K320 HTS543232L9A300
Transfer Rate Minimum: 25.1 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 60.5 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 45.2 MB/s
Access Time: 20.8 ms
Burst Rate: 94 MB/s
CPU Usage: 4.1 %

The Hitachi hard drive (model HTS543232L9A300) with a gross capacity of 320 GByte has meager access times. The HDTune tool records an average throughput of only 45 MB/s during sequential reading. Other contemporary notebook hard drives with 5.400 rpm usually achieve about 60 to 75 MB/s. A different benchmark tool, HD-Tach, also displays relatively low 49.5 MB/s.

Emissions

Louver
Lüfteröffnung

System noise

The noise emissions during office use without much load are a strength of the Inspiron 1545. For this scenario we measured unremarkable 31.2 dB(A). If we demand more power of the notebook by running CPU and GPU benchmarks, the fan can raise the noise to 41.7 dB(A). However, this does not match the usual usage profile of our configuration.

If load and low-demand states alternate, we observe a short flare-up of the fan, which only lasts for about four seconds. Afterwards the noise falls to a quieter state again. This continues until the temperature of the heatpipe falls little bit or the load of the processor is stopped. Nevertheless, we would not call this phenomenon disturbing.

Noise Level

Idle
31.2 / 31.2 / 36.5 dB(A)
HDD
31.6 dB(A)
DVD
36.2 / dB(A)
Load
36.5 / 41.7 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light    (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The waste heat stays in an acceptable range under office load as long as benchmarks are not used to help increase the load. Regardless whether idle or under load we measure the maxima at the touchpad, 36.3 degrees Celsius for idle mode and 37.4 degrees Clesius for the load scenario. We do not know whether this is on purpose, but, users will always have warm fingers in winter. The surrounding palm rests reach about 33 degrees Celsius and therewith stay clearly cooler. Regardless of the operating mode, the temperature of the keyboard ranges from 28 to 34.8 degrees Celsius. These are convenient values for an office notebook.

It's possible to run the Inspiron 1545 at your lap as long as you make sure that the louver is not covered. Because the feet of the Inspiron 1545 are rather short, even a blanket or a carpet could block it. This design is rather not appropriate for the target group of the "Inspiron EMA 2009 Limited Edition". Who cares not to use the laptop on a sofa, the floor or in bed...

Max. Load
 35.6 °C
96 F
34.8 °C
95 F
32.2 °C
90 F
 
 34.4 °C
94 F
34.8 °C
95 F
32.9 °C
91 F
 
 33.4 °C
92 F
37.4 °C
99 F
32.5 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 37.4 °C = 99 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
28.5 °C
83 F
37.1 °C
99 F
38.2 °C
101 F
32.3 °C
90 F
49.1 °C
120 F
39.5 °C
103 F
30.8 °C
87 F
42.1 °C
108 F
38.2 °C
101 F
Maximum: 49.1 °C = 120 F
Average: 37.3 °C = 99 F
Power Supply (max.)  50 °C = 122 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.2 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.4 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.1 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.5 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 37.4 °C / 99.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-9.7 °C / -17.4 F).

Loudspeakers

The speakers are below the display beneath a screen-like aluminum bar. The middle-tone-heavy sound  does completely miss volume and basses. The volume can be clearly audible, but users will likely not turn the volume control to maximum, because at maximum volume the soundscape of the stereo speakers includes a grating kind of noise and the middle-tone-heavy quality gets even worse.

Music fans, whom this cover-art laptop are actually geared to, will connect headphones quick as lighting or buy a cable to connect their hi-fi system. The sound via headphone jack is rather quiet without noise. You won't even hear an annoying click at connecting. But, the location of the audio-jacks at the front is rather inconvenient for a permanent use.

The quality of the built-in mike is bad if not even unacceptable. The manufacturer built it into the front of the case. Even after adjusting its input level, the input was very low. So, the user might have difficulties with telephone calls via Skype, because the dialog partner will hardly  understand anything. Furthermore, there is a loud background noise, which presumably originates from the hard disk.

Battery Life

Browsing the Internet, writing e-mails, listening to music or watching a DVD are typical tasks done with the Dell Inspiron 1545. It's also possible in battery mode, because the 15.6-inch can run above three hours (185 minutes) with active WLAN connection. Despite being equipped with a 35 W processor, it achieves a good result. If you need a longer runtime, you have to look for a clearly more expensive CULV notebook in 14 or 15 inch size.

The maximum runtime of the Inspiron 1545 is about 233 minutes. However, this is unrealistic as it was recorded for idle mode. That is WLAN was deactivated, the brightness was turned down to its minimum and the processor idled. The actual runtime is between two and three hours. If the user watches a DVD, it is rather two hours (121 minutes in test). About three hours are possible during browsing the Internet as long as the processor is not kept busy with much else at the same time.

The battery life of the Inspiron 1545 can not be compared to CULV-notebooks, e.g., the Asus UL50VT, which achieves nine hours during WLAN operation. But, three hours are alright for a office notebook of this price category.

The battery can be removed while turned on.
The battery can be removed while turned on.
Its capacity is 48Wh.
Its capacity is 48Wh.
Because of the good battery life, you can also work without mains adapter for some time.
Because of the good battery life, you can also work without mains adapter for some time.
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 53min
WiFi Surfing
3h 05min
DVD
2h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 43min

The Inspiron 1545 only has low energy demands. With simple tasks, e.g., a 3D-benchmark, it is about 26.8 Watt. If you add a CPU-benchmark, the power consumption increases to 44.6 Watt.

In a lifelike scenario, in which the workload on the processor is far from full load most of the time, the power consumption is between 16.4 and the already mentioned 26.8 Watt. During stand-by the effective energy demand falls to 0.3 Watt. A good value for stand-by. Idling with maximum energy saving settings the laptop only need 9.5 Watt. Only systems with ULV-CPUs, e.g., SU2700 or SU7300 have a clearly lower power consumption.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.5 / 12 / 16 Watt
Load midlight 26 / 44 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Verdict

Whether you are music fan, belong to the MTV generation or none of these, the Dell Inspiron EMA 2009 Limited Edition could not completely convince. While the manufacturer promotes a lifestyle product with colorful cover-art, you'll rather get  a 15.6-incher with rather below-average equipment.

At a price of just under 500 euro the competition often offers comparably configured, but robuster laptops. Tester of the English-speaking area who reviewed a "standard" Inspiron 1545 did not complain about the workmanship of the lid. It's absolutely imaginable that you'll find a creaking lid in the EMA 2009 Limited Edition only.

The pros of the Inspiron 1545 are a low power consumption, rather convenient input devices, and low noise emissions. If you dislike high gloss surfaces you could consider the counterparts from HP, Asus, or Acer. Workmanship and feel of the materials  of, e.g., the Acer Extensa 5220 are much more office-like. Furthermore, there are also models with matt display. Also a Lenovo G550 at about 450 euro and above can be considered a good alternative.

Dell Inspiron 1545 EMA 2009 Limited Edition - ein 15.6-Zoll Office-Notebook mit Künstler-Design.
Dell Inspiron 1545 EMA 2009 Limited Edition - ein 15.6-Zoll Office-Notebook mit Künstler-Design.
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In Review: Dell Inspiron 1545
In Review: Dell Inspiron 1545

Specifications

Dell Inspiron 1545 (Inspiron 15 Series)
Memory
4 GB 
, 800 MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM 2 x 2.048
Display
15.00 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, HD-Ready, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel GM45
Storage
Hitachi Travelstar 5K320 HTS543232L9A300, 320 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 320 GB, 5400 RPM, SATA-II
Soundcard
IDT 92HD71B7 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 Express Card 34mm, 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Line-Out, Mikrofon-In, Card Reader: SD/MMC/MS/MS-Pro
Networking
Marvell Yukon 88E8040 PCI-E (10/100MBit/s), Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 AGN (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/)
Optical drive
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GT10N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 37.8 x 343.5 x 244 ( = 1.49 x 13.52 x 9.61 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion, 10.8V, X284G
Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32 Bit
Additional features
Microsoft Works 9.0, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.67 kg ( = 94.18 oz / 5.89 pounds), Power Supply: 440 g ( = 15.52 oz / 0.97 pounds)

 

At the first glance the Dell Inspiron 1545 looks like a normal black 15.6-incher.
At the first glance the Dell Inspiron 1545 looks like a normal black 15.6-incher.
The power LED at the front is a decent eye-catcher. In standby-mode it gently flashes as if the notebook would sleep.
The power LED at the front is a decent eye-catcher. In standby-mode it gently flashes as if the notebook would sleep.
Card reader and headphones jack are at the front and easily accessible by the user. There is also the mike which records with noise.
Card reader and headphones jack are at the front and easily accessible by the user. There is also the mike which records with noise.
Web cam? Not available.
Web cam? Not available.
The bottom plate does only slightly give in the middle.
The bottom plate does only slightly give in the middle.
Dell stashes the Windows license away and puts it beneath the battery.
Dell stashes the Windows license away and puts it beneath the battery.
A cover at the bottom allows accessing the inner components.
A cover at the bottom allows accessing the inner components.
A Intel Pentium T4300 CPU is built-in.
A Intel Pentium T4300 CPU is built-in.
You can also replace the WLAN-module.
You can also replace the WLAN-module.
The DDR2 RAM consist of 2 x 2.048 MB modules.
The DDR2 RAM consist of 2 x 2.048 MB modules.
The hard disk sits in a frame,...
The hard disk sits in a frame,...
...which can be inserted from the side and fixed with a screw.
...which can be inserted from the side and fixed with a screw.
The volume are beneath a fine aluminum grille.
The volume are beneath a fine aluminum grille.
Only a few elements decorate the inside, e.g., the power switch.
Only a few elements decorate the inside, e.g., the power switch.
The inner surfaces are not special at all, at least we won't call the glossy surfaces spectacular.
The inner surfaces are not special at all, at least we won't call the glossy surfaces spectacular.
The keys sit tight, but, because of a fuzzy feedback, the typing feel is spongy.
The keys sit tight, but, because of a fuzzy feedback, the typing feel is spongy.
We'll find the highlight on the lid. The design makes the 15.6-incher a member of the Inspiron EMA Limited edition.
We'll find the highlight on the lid. The design makes the 15.6-incher a member of the Inspiron EMA Limited edition.
A cover-art of the artist Filth decorates the lid and should attract music fans. The series was created on the occasion of the MTV Awards 2009, which Dell sponsored.
A cover-art of the artist Filth decorates the lid and should attract music fans. The series was created on the occasion of the MTV Awards 2009, which Dell sponsored.
The lid shows lifestyle elements of the seventies.
The lid shows lifestyle elements of the seventies.
The EMA 2009 Limited Edition cover is neatly integrated in the lid.
The EMA 2009 Limited Edition cover is neatly integrated in the lid.
So, the art imprint cannot peel away. It's a genuine plastic imprint and not a sheet.
So, the art imprint cannot peel away. It's a genuine plastic imprint and not a sheet.
However, this does not improve the workmanship of the lid, which creaks easily at every move and twists.
However, this does not improve the workmanship of the lid, which creaks easily at every move and twists.
The noise does not originate from the hinges. They cannot handle the lid properly in the outmost position.
The noise does not originate from the hinges. They cannot handle the lid properly in the outmost position.
The case is different. It is stable and even the area above the optical drive does not give.
The case is different. It is stable and even the area above the optical drive does not give.
The palm rest is very stable, but, collects finger prints.
The palm rest is very stable, but, collects finger prints.
The Hitachi-HDD has a gross capacity of 320 GB.
The Hitachi-HDD has a gross capacity of 320 GB.

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Review Fujitsu Lifebook A1130 Notebook
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Review Acer TravelMate 8471 Timeline Notebook
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Links

Compare Prices

Pros

+Quiet and little waste heat
+Low energy demand
 

Cons

-No HDMI
-Creaking hinges
-Bad workmanship of the display frame
-Smudge everywhere
-Spongy input

Shortcut

What we liked

Quiet and adequately cool: This is just how every a office notebook should be.

What we missed

Courage to use matt surfaces. What does (nearly all) manufacturers drive to use glossy parts at the palm rests and other possibly unfavorable areas?

What surprised us

How a standard laptop can turn into a Limited Edition just because of a colorful art-cover.

The competition

Without elegant lid: Acer's Extensa 5230E is a hot tip. Also Lenovo offers a low-priced office laptop, the G550 series. The Samsung E251 at slightly more than 400 euro has a comparably meager equipment, but, a matt look.

Rating

Dell Inspiron 1545 - 12/21/2009
Bernd Müller

Chassis
63%
Keyboard
67%
Pointing Device
70%
Connectivity
80%
Weight
79%
Battery
79%
Display
73%
Games Performance
60%
Application Performance
76%
Temperature
80%
Noise
90%
Add Points
74%
Average
74%
74%
Office - Weighted Average
Bernd Müller, 2010-01- 1 (Update: 2012-05-26)