DELL Inspiron 1525 Review


Inspiron 1525 Review

The Inspiron 1525 is the latest 15" widescreen portable laptop from Dell, and boasts a level of processing power that puts it above its peers in this price range. If you're looking for an all-round performer at a reduced price, then this could well be the right machine for you. But how can you get the most out of your Inspiron 1525?

INSIDE THE DELL INSPIRON 1525...

Here are some key points to consider when configuring your Inspiron 1525:

  • Processor:

    The Dell Inspiron 1525 can be configured with an Intel Celeron Single-Core Processor (1.86 GHz), which is the cheapest option. However, it's only a few pounds more for the cheapest dual core Pentium configuration, which is more than twice as powerful as the Celeron option, so it's clearly much better value to go dual-core.

    If you want to future-proof your investment, then the overall best value option here is definitely the 1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The Core 2 Duo processors have a much more efficient architecture than the Pentium, which makes them faster with lower power consumption. FSB speed is important too, as this determines how quickly data can pass from memory to the processor (the Inspiron 1525 can be configured with 533 or 667 MHz FSB speed).

To summarise: if you really only have the bare minimum to spend, go for the Celeron.

Otherwise, it makes better sense to invest those few extra pounds for the upgrade to the Pentium dual core processor.

And if you want a laptop that will still be a top performer three years from now, get yourself the advanced Core 2 Duo processor.


  • Memory:

    The best value configuration on the Dell site is 2GB, but 1GB is the default for the cheaper Inspiron 1525 systems.

    At the moment, Dell are practically giving away memory upgrades - for example, you can upgrade from 1GB to 2GB for just £30!

    It used to be the case that Dell memory was ridiculously overpriced, but they now seem to have swung in the other direction. You'll be hard-pressed to find memory at a cheaper price elsewhere, so now is definitely a good time to get yourself some extra memory.

    If you want to upgrade from 2GB to 4GB, it now only costs £70 when you customise your Inspiron 1525. You couldn't get this cheaper even if you bought the memory elsewhere and installed it yourself, so if you have that bit of extra budget, the performance boost provided by a RAM upgrade is well worth it.

    • If you're thinking about getting a new multimedia laptop, you now have more options than ever before. In the face of so many new and often bewildering choices, it's hardly surprising that more and more people are turning to the tried-and-trusted Dell machines as a safer option.

    The Inspiron 1525 is obviously good value for money, and has enough power to handle all applications you might want to run. If you're not using it as a dedicated gaming rig, then you can't go far wrong here. It's also worth pointing out that the customise feature on the Dell website lets you put in the exact components you need, so you only pay for the stuff that you'll actually find useful...

    NEXT: DELL INSPIRON 1525 SPECS...