Published in Reviews

Dell Vostro 1510 tested

by on15 April 2009

Index

 

Cinebench R10 

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In the Cinebench single CPU test the 1510 scores 1875, and takes 7 minutes 51 seconds to render the frame. With both cores active, it scores 3478 with a rendering time of 4 minutes and 14 seconds. Multiporcessor speedup is 1.85.

Futuremark 3Dmark 06

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Thanks to Intel graphics, the Futuremark 3Dmark 06 score is as low as makes no difference, 398 marks to be exact. The CPU score is 1559.

SiSoft Sandra

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Sandra CPU scores are average, and we experienced some troubles during the memory test. The scores are slightly lower than those of the T5870 based Vostro 1310, which has a 200MHz higher CPU clock.

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HD Tune

The HD Tune hard drive benchmark returned some mixed reuslts.

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The disk seems faster than the one on the 13-inch model, but has a lower burst rate and higher access time, as well as higher CPU utilization.

Conclusion

 

While the 13-inch Vostro 1310 got our Top Value award, mainly thanks to the fact it's the cheapest readily available 13-incher on the market, things don't look so rosy for the 1510. Still, the Vostro 1510 is a nice package, it offers a decent hardware configuration at a reasonable price, but it has some drawbacks.

The keyboard suffers from severe flex near the center, and the touchpad isn't all that good. These are the most critical aspects for most users, and being business oriented model, a robust keyboard and reliable touchpad is a must. The design is subtle and quite nice, and we think the sharp edged theme is much more suitable for the 15-inch form factor than the 13-inch one, as it doesn't make the Vostro 1510 look fat. We also have to mention the lack of any type of video out, a fact that will surely put off a number of consumers.

The screen quality is good, and battery life is more than adequate for this product class. Connectivity is also not an issue, nor is heat. Also, bear in mind that at 2.59kg, the Vostro 1510 is one of the lightest 15.4-inch models on the market, as most similar machines weigh a couple of hundred grams more.

However, whereas we praised the 13-inch model for its unbeatable price, the same doesn't apply to the 1510. The base Core 2 Duo SKU sells for €399 in Europe, or $479 in the States. The 13-incher was 100-150 euro cheaper than its closest competitor, while the 1510 costs as much as competing models, even more depending on the market. The sheer size of the low end 15.4-inch market means that the Vostro 1510 faces much tougher competition, unlike its smaller sibling, which is a truly great deal. Dell is well known for giving consumers a lot of choice when it comes to customizing their machines, allowing them to practically build the perfect notebook for their needs, without having to caugh up much cash in the process. However, in the vast 15.4-inch market, this fact doesn't help much, as there's plenty of choice to begin with.

In spite of that, the Vostro 1510 is one of the cheapest Core 2 Duo based 15.4-inchers out there, and most similarly priced models ship with Pentium dual-cores. So, if CPU muscle is the only thing you care about, it is worth considering.

Supplied by Disti Sarajevo 


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Last modified on 15 April 2009
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