Dell Inspiron 510m Notebook Overview
Powerful performance and enhanced life with Intel® CentrinoTM Mobile Technology, Great for running Office applications,email and watching DVDs on the move, Integrated wireless access as standard.
Cracking just shy of 3200 points in PCMark04, this notebook sat in
the lower half of the performance scores. It also dropped to sixth place
in our battery test by managing around three and a half hours. It’s
certainly no slouch, but it’s roughly an hour shorter than the Labs
winning Targa and almost an hour and a half less than the highest
performing Samsung. In any case, while the operating time under a light
workload should be enough for use on the go, you may want to keep your
power supply handy for recharging on the fly. But, given the saving
you’re making on it, the $168 for an additional won’t hit the budget too
hard.
Specifications:
Processor: Pentium M (Dothan) 2GHz
Motherboard chipset: Intel 855GME
Centrino: Yes
Memory/Storage:
-Amt of RAM: 512 MB (max 2048 MB)
-Hard drive: 40 GB
-Optical drive: DVD/CDRW combo drive
Connectivity:
-Ports
–2 x USB2.0; FireWire; RJ45 (LAN); RJ11 (modem); VGA-out; S-video out; Serial port; Parallel port
-Bluetooth: No
-Infrared: Yes
-Ethernet: 10/100
-Modem: 56K data/fax
Built-in devices
-1 x Type II PC Card slot
-Wireless LAN: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
-Webcam: No
Display:
-Graphics hardware: Intel Extreme Graphics 2
-Amt of video RAM: Up to 64MB shared
-Diagonal screen size: 15 inch
-LCD technology: Active matrix TFT
-Screen resolution (max): 1,400 x 1,050
Observers of the notebook scene will have long concluded that Dell can make thoroughly worthy mid-range products, and the is further evidence of this. Of its kind, the 510m is notably well equipped. If you’re happy to trade off size and weight for flexibility and connectivity, you might as well get the works — and with parallel, serial, dual USB, IEEE 1394, infrared, SVGA, PC Card, modem and 10/100 Ethernet, there’s not a lot you can’t plug in except a PS/2 keyboard or mouse.
Not content with 802.11b wireless networking, which was the minimum we specified for this group test, Dell’s TrueMobile 1400 mini-PCI card also includes 802.11a and 802.11g circuitry. This means you should be able to walk up to any access point and be able to connect your laptop. If you’re near an ‘a’ or ‘g’ point, there’s no need to inform the machine as it will make the connection to the faster network in preference to ‘b’, and you’ll get the benefit of the faster speeds automatically once the channel has been found.
There is however one major drawback with the Inspiron 510m and that’s the disappointing battery life of two hours and 28 minutes. Even though this is within Dell’s stated life I feel that it’s just not good enough for a laptop targeted towards the lower end of the business market. It is down to the small battery that Dell supplies but there is an optional more powerful alternative available as well as an optional secondary battery that can be swapped with the optical drive. The larger battery should, according to Dell add two hours to the battery life, which is more in the line with what I was expecting to see from the Inspiron 510m.
Dell’s reputation at providing reasonably priced capable ‘books shines through in the 510M - the cheapest notebook on test this month. On top of the hardware, you also the low $1746 price tag also gives you the Microsoft Office Basic 2003 suite, one year warranty and delivery.
The use of integrated graphics is the most noticeable change, but since it is deemed that business users don’t play games, this should not be an issue for the intended market. More important is the inclusion of triple band 802.11 WiFi networking that allows you to connect to 802.11a/b/g networks.
Being a thoroughly online company, Dell prefers you to seek your warranty and support options through its Web site. As specified, the review system includes a three-year European collect and return policy — you can boost that to next business day on-site maintenance for $49 (ex. VAT). Electronic documentation, Web-based tutorials and live chat links to Dell technical support staff come through the Solution Center software, and there is no shortage of other online areas for and problem resolution. Dell’s Inspiron 510m is a solid performer, if a little too solid for extreme portability.
The keyboard is comfortable to type on with large keys and good travel, but it is a little bouncy. Dell has got the layout right with the Ctrl key on the left hand side in the right location and a full size return key. The touchpad does the job and it doesn’t have any fancy shape to it, which I prefer.
A little on the bulky side at nearly 3kg, there are far lighter options on offer here. However, you simply can’t go past the fantastic value for money, which earns this our Recommended Award this month.
Again, offering more than the majority of its competitors, Dell’s 15in TFT screen boasts a resolution of 1,400 x 1,050. Only matched by the AJP, the TFT doesn’t boast great viewing angles, but it’s bright and the extra resolution means you can fit more on your Desktop at once. The screen was also adequate for a little light gaming, although a score of 2,415 in 3DMark2001 SE is an indication that the 510m wasn’t designed for more intensive after-hours activities.
You shouldn’t need to upgrade for some time, but Dell has made it easier than most. Although the 512MB is made up of two 256MB SODIMMS taking up the two available slots, you won’t have to search for them on the bottom of the chassis. This is thanks to clear labelling of the screws on the base so you know which to remove in order to give access to specific upgrade slots. Even the itself has an additional feature not available with the others. There’s a small button and five LEDs - when you press the button, the LEDs light up to indicate the charge state. Considering the high capacity and extra features, $69 is good value for a replacement when some companies - ACi and Mesh to name but two - are charging over $100.
The Inspiron 510m is a mixed bag in terms of features, performance and battery life, as it comes with plenty of useful features, average performance (although the extra 256MB of memory should help solve this) and fairly poor battery life. The price is good and as with most Dell laptops it is a well built, solid machine.
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