Vostro vs Inspiron

[emceepecks]

This might be a silly question, but if the Vostro and Inspiron series are essentially the same laptop, why is the Vostro series so much cheaper when it is supposed to be built to a higher standard than the Inspiron?

[EmTSea19]

I am anxious to hear the difference as well. I know zero about laptops, and am finally looking to buy one. I've built 3 pcs thanks to Overclockers, but it's definitely time for something mobile. I would love a 17" screen, something fast, gaming not important, with a price in the less than $1300.00 range, but I don't know if this is possible?

Also, what about the Dell warranties? Is it worth it to pay so much more for their premium warranties? Will you get just as good a computer without it? The Dell price is significantly lower without the warranty, but I want to make sure they give me just as good as a machine as they would give the person who paid so much for warranty!

[Scott9027]

Why do you want a 17" screen if you're not going to game on it? It really won't be very mobile at that size, more of a desktop replacement. /off-topic

[emceepecks]

Also, what about the Dell warranties? Is it worth it to pay so much more for their premium warranties? Will you get just as good a computer without it? The Dell price is significantly lower without the warranty, but I want to make sure they give me just as good as a machine as they would give the person who paid so much for warranty!

That depends on the type of person you are. If you are always extremely careful with your laptops, then you'll probably be fine with the 1 year warranty that comes with the system. If you are more prone to banging things around or packing it into a backpack every day, than the 3 year warranty is a must.

[Scott9027]

I'm fairly certain you don't need to worry about getting a faulty machine because you didn't purchase the warranty. On the other hand, especially when it comes to laptops, I have noticed that the accidental coverage can be used by most people. I didn't know many people at school who didn't spill something on their laptop at some point. And even though I didn't expect to, I basically use my laptop as a plate half the time.

[DumpALump]

Honestly I wouldn't bother with a 17" screen if I were you. I have a 14" WS and think its a perfect size, but in order for me to get a better video card in my next laptop I have to move up to 15". The smaller usually means less weight, greater battery life, and a lot more mobile.

The vostro line I think they are just pushing to try to get higher quality laptops out there to improve their image. Honestly I don't associate Dell inspirons with quality. Hell even my cheapy compaq(HP) seems a lot more robust than a lot of inspirons I've messed with. So if they can get more people using their newer, higher quality laptops then more people will be willing to purchase new ones in the future. Also competition is really starting to heat up in the laptop arena. Again this is just my own opinion, I could be wrong.

[ps2cho]

Well the vostros are meant to be for small business' to save them money...but individuals can buy them.

For the majority of the populus, they will select home use and not small business so they will never even see the Vostro.

[emceepecks]

That depends on the type of person you are. If you are always extremely careful with your laptops, then you'll probably be fine with the 1 year warranty that comes with the system. If you are more prone to banging things around or packing it into a backpack every day, than the 3 year warranty is a must.

Wow was I intoxicated when I wrote this. I meant to say...the warranty has no impact on the system performance or quality.

[EmTSea19]

I only wanted a 17" screen because I was used to it on my desktop. After hearing it's not much of a problem to go to a 15", then I guess it will be fine.
I started out with a 15" desktop anyway. I am not commited to buying a Dell, I am also looking at anything from Newegg, including Asus, Acer, Everex, etc...I am hoping prices will go down a bit, with all this competitive pricing going on right now. Thank You.

[selectsplat]

You can get a pretty nice Inspiron 1520 for about $1000 right now.