Dell Inspiron

Dell Inspiron
Dell Inspiron Logo

Dell's Inspiron computer product line started as a range of laptop computers targeted at the entry-level, budget, a Mobile Celeron or Mobile Pentium II processor with SDRAM, and had a high starting price of $2,799. Today, though, the Inspiron line mainly consists of mid-level computer systems.

Contents

Current models

Netvertibles

Inspiron Duo

Released online December, 2010, the INSPIRON duo is Dell's 10" hybrid netbook/tablet. It has no optical drive.

  • Processors: Intel Atom N550 dual core 1.6 GHz, L2 cache 512 KB
  • Memory: 2 GB DDR3 800 MHz
  • Chipset:
  • Graphics Processor: Intel NM10 Express Video
  • LCD Display: 10.1" HD LED-backlit capacitive multitouch (1366 x 768)
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB 5400 RPM, 320 GB 2.5-inch HDD SATA 7200 RPM
  • Battery: 4-cell lithium-ion (up to 4 hours*), captive factory replaceable
  • Camera: 1.3 MP
  • Wi-Fi Card: Yes, 802.11b/g/n
  • Bluetooth: Yes [1]
  • Dimensions & Weight: Weight: 3.39 lbs (1.53 kg)
  • Colors: blue, red, and black
  • Extras: "JBL Audio Station" which acts as a docking station with 2 more USB 2.0 ports and an RJ45 connection.

[*]Battery life varies by configuration, operating conditions, and other factors. Maximum battery capacity decreases with time and use.

Netbooks

Inspiron 1010, 1011, 1012, 1018 (Inspiron Mini 10/10v)

Released on Dell's website on February 26, 2009, the Inspiron Mini 10 is a 10.1 in (26 cm) netbook whose Mini 10v model weighs 1.13 kg (2.5 lb), and whose Mini 10 model weighs 1.18 kg (2.6 lb). The Mini 10 has an option for an external TV tuner and mobile broadband from AT&T. There is a 2 GB option available with Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit.

Component Mini 10 (1010) Mini 10 (1012) Mini 10v (1011) Mini 10 (1018)
Processor Intel Atom Z520 (1.33 GHz)
Intel Atom Z530 (1.60 GHz)
Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz) Intel Atom N270 (1.60 GHz)
Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz)
Intel Atom N455 (1.66 GHz)
Memory 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
1 GB DDR3 SDRAM
Chipset Intel US15W Express Chipset Intel NM10 Express Chipset Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
Graphics Processor Integrated Intel GMA 500 graphics Integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics
(Crystal HD Broadcom Media Accelerator optional)
Integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics Integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics
Display Panel 10.1 in (26 cm) LED-backlit display with 1024 × 600 resolution
10.1 in (26 cm) bright LED-backlit display with 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife
Early models had 1024x576 resolution
10.1 in (26 cm) LED-backlit display with 1024 × 600 resolution
10.1 in (26 cm) bright LED-backlit display with 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife
10.1 in (26 cm) LED-backlit display with 1024 × 600 resolution
Early models had 1024x576 resolution
10.1 in (26 cm) LED-backlit display with 1024 × 600 resolution
Hard Drive 160 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
32 GB SSD
160 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
250 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
160 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
16 GB SSD
160 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
250 GB SATA at 5400 RPM
Optical Disc Drive None. External drive available. None. External drive available. None. External drive available. None. External drive available.
Battery 3-cell (24 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
6-cell (56 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
3-cell (24 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
6-cell (56 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
Some batteries for this model had a capacity of 60 Whr
3-cell (24 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
6-cell (56 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
3-cell (24 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
6-cell (56 Whr) Lithium-ion battery
Wi-Fi Card Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g
Dell Wireless 1510 802.11a/b/g/n mini-card
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g
Dell Wireless 1510 802.11a/b/g/n mini-card
Bluetooth Internal Dell Wireless Bluetooth 365 (2.1 EDR) Internal Dell Wireless Bluetooth 365 (2.1 EDR) Internal Dell Wireless Bluetooth 365 (2.1 EDR) Internal Dell Wireless Bluetooth 365 (2.1 EDR)
Ports and Slots 1 Kensington lock slot
3 USB 2.0 Ports
1 Fast Ethernet port
1 HDMI output
1 headphone jack
1 microphone jack
1 3-in-1 memory card reader
1 power adapter connector
1 Kensington lock slot
3 USB 2.0 Ports
1 Fast Ethernet port
1 VGA output
1 headphone jack
1 microphone jack
1 3-in-1 memory card reader
1 power adapter connector
1 Kensington lock slot
3 USB 2.0 Ports
1 Fast Ethernet port
1 VGA output
1 headphone jack
1 microphone jack
1 3-in-1 memory card reader
1 power adapter connector
Camera 1.3 MP webcam 1.3 MP webcam 1.3 MP webcam 0.3 MP

Laptops

Inspiron M101z

Released online August 5, 2010, the Inspiron M101z is Dell's 11.6" budget laptop that weighs 3.44 lbs. While Dell markets this as a small laptop, most competing 11.6" models are marketed as netbooks.

It features an HDMI output but lacks an optical drive.

  • Processors: AMD Athlon II Neo Single Core Processors or AMD Athlon II Neo Dual Processors.
  • Memory: Up to 4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz SODIMM operating at 800 MHz (machine can take 8 GB of memory however, it is currently not an option on dell.com but listed in the support manual on page 71 [1]).
  • Chipset: ATI® RS880M + SB820M Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: ATI® RadeonTM Mobility HD 4200
  • LCD Display: 11.6" 1366 x 768 HD TLF WLED
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB at 5400 RPM or 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA.
  • Battery: 6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion Battery with up to 6 hours 36 minutes of battery life
  • Camera: Built-in 1.3M Pixel Webcam
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1501 802.11 g/n or Dell Wireless 1520 802.11a/g/n.
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 802.11b/g/n combo card
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 HDMI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 7-in-1 Media Card Reader, 1 SIM card slot, and 1 power adapter connector.
  • Dimensions & Weight: Width: 8.07" (205 mm), Height: 0.95" (24.3) front –1.38" (35 mm) back, Depth: 11.5" (292 mm), Starting weight of 3.44 lbs (1.56 kg)

Inspiron 1110 (Inspiron 11z)

Released online on August 18, 2009, the Inspiron 1110 is Dell's 11.6" budget laptop that weighs 3.05 lbs. While Dell markets this as a small laptop, most competing 11.6" models are marketed as netbooks.

It features an HDMI output but lacks an optical drive.

  • Processors: Intel Celeron 723 or Intel Pentium Dual-Core SU4100.
  • Memory: 2 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel GS45 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics.
  • LCD Display: 11.6" WLED-backlit display with a 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Battery: 3-cell (24 Whr) or 6-cell (56 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g or Dell Wireless 1510 802.11a/b/g/n.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 HDMI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 3-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.

Inspiron 1370 (13z)

Features the new Intel Core 2 solo processor that can last up to 8 hours using an 8 cell battery. Also includes standard DVD drive and an option to upgrade up to NVIDIA 512 MB graphics card

Inspiron 1440 (Inspiron 14)

Released online on June 25, 2009, the Inspiron 1440 is Dell's 14" budget laptop that weighs 4.96 lbs.

  • Processors: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 or T4300 or Intel Core 2 Duo T6500, T6600, T4400, P7350, P7450, P8600 or P8700, Intel Core i3-330M, or Intel Core i5-430m
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz (upgradeable to 8 GB).
  • Chipset: Intel GM45 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 with 512 MB of graphics memory.
  • LCD Display: 14" WLED-backlit display with a 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife or 14" bright WLED-backlit display with 1600 × 900 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 4-cell (37 Whr), 6-cell (56 Whr) or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g or 1515 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card or Intel Wi-Fi Link 4965 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 365 (2.1 EDR).
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 Express Card slot, 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.
  • Windows 7 64-bit
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.

Inspiron 1525 (Inspiron 15)

Released online on July 27, 2007, the Inspiron 1525 is Dell's 15.4" budget laptop that weighs 5.8 lbs.

  • Processors: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 or T4300 or Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, T6400, T6500, T6600, T8100, P7350, P7450, P8600 , P8700 , Intel Core i5 - 520M , AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-64 , AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-74 or AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Ultra ZM-82
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.T
  • Chipset: Intel GM965 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon 256 MB of graphics memory.
  • LCD Display: 15.4" CCFL-backlit widescreen with 1280 X 800 resolution or 15.4" CCFL-backlit widescreen with 1280 X 800 resolution and TrueLife or 15.4" WLED-backlit widescreen with 1440 x 900 resolution and TrueLife or 15.4" WLED-backlit display with 1680 x 1050 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 4-cell (37 Whr), 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 2.0 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g half mini-card or Intel Wi-Fi Link 4965 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 365 (2.1 EDR).
  • I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 IEEE 1394a connector (optional), 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 modem port, 1 VGA output, 1 S-video TV-out connector, 1 HDMI connector, 2 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 Express Card slot, 2 Mini-Card slots (third slot optional), 1 8-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Consumer IR (receive only), and 1 power adapter connector.

Inspiron 1545 (Inspiron 15)

Released online on January 16, 2009, the Inspiron 1545 is a 15.6" budget laptop that weighs 5.8 lbs. The Inspiron 1545 is the first laptop in Dell's Inspiron line to get Design Studio. website.[2]

  • Processors: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200, T4300 or T4400 or Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, T6500, T6600, P7350, P7450, P8600 , P8700 , Intel Core i5 - 520M , AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-64 , AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-74 or AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Ultra ZM-82
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel GM45 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon with 256 MB of graphics memory.
  • LCD Display: 15.6" CCFL-backlit widescreen with a 1366 × 768 and TrueLife or 15.6" WLED-backlit widescreen with 1366 × 768 resolution 15.6" or WLED-backlit display with 1600 × 900 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive.
  • Battery: 4-cell (37 Whr), 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g half mini-card or Intel Wi-Fi Link 4965 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 365 (2.1 EDR).
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 Express Card slot, 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.

Inspiron 1570 (Inspiron 15z)

Released online on September 8, 2009, the Inspiron 1570 is an 15.6" CULV variant of the Inspiron 1545 and weighs 5.1 lbs. The Inspiron 1570 includes an updated design, CULV processors, an HDMI output and DDR3 memory, but has the same starting price as the Studio 15.

  • Processors: Intel Pentium Dual-Core SU4100 or Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 or SU9400.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR3 SDRAM @ 1066 MHz (upgradable to 6 GB).
  • Chipset: Intel GS45 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 with 256 MB of graphics memory.
  • LCD Display: 15.6" WLED-backlit display with 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive.
  • Battery: 4-cell (37 Whr) or 6-cell (56 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g half mini-card or Intel Wi-Fi Link 4965 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 365 (2.1 EDR).
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 Express Card slot 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.

Inspiron 1750 (Inspiron 17)

Released online on July 16, 2009, the Inspiron 1750 is Dell's 17.3" budget laptop that weighs 6.8 lbs. The Inspiron 1750 has the same design as the Inspiron 1440, but is simply bigger and includes a numeric keypad. Unlike its predecessor, the Inspiron 1720, The Inspiron 1750 does not support two hard drives.

  • Processors: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 or T4300 or Intel Core 2 Duo T6500, T6600, P7350 P7450, P8600 or P8700.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz (upgradable to 8 GB).
  • Chipset: Intel GM45 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 with 256 MB or 512 MB of graphics memory.
  • LCD Display: 17.3" WLED-backlit widescreen with a 1600 × 900 and TrueLife or 17.3" WLED-backlit widescreen with a 1920 × 1080 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 4-cell (37 Whr), 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g half mini-card or 1515 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card or Intel Wi-Fi Link 4965 802.11a/b/g/n half mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 365 (2.1 EDR) - Optional.
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 Express Card slot, 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, and 1 power adapter connector.

Desktop models

On June 26, 2007, Dell released the new Inspiron desktop series as a replacement to the Dell Dimension chain. The Inspiron marks Dell's return to a MicroATX case and motherboard with one exception: the I/O panel is not removable. As a result, motherboard upgrades are nearly impossible without modifying the case.

Inspiron 400 (Zino HD)

Launched online on November 12, 2009, the Inspiron 400, more commonly known as the Inspiron Zino HD is an Ultra Small Form Factor desktop like the Studio Hybrid. It is in an 8" by 8" form factor and has a similar form factor to the Mac Mini and computers made by Shuttle. There are several customer reports about devices tending to overheat and shutting down randomly.[3][4]

  • Processors: AMD Athlon 64 2650e, 2680e or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3250e or 6850e.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB , 8 GB ,32 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: AMD RS780G.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated ATI 3200 graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4330 with 512 MB of graphics memory.
  • Hard Drive: 250 GB, 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Wi-Fi Card: optional Dell 1397 802.11 b/g Wireless Card or Dell 1520 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless Card.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 eSATA ports, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, 1 line-out connector, 1 gigabit ethernet port, 1 VGA output and 1 HDMI output.

Inspiron 537s

The Inspiron 537s is simply the slim version of the Inspiron 537 with similar features. It replaces the Inspiron 530s. The Inspiron 537s is limited to an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 whereas the Inspiron 537 can be customized with up to a Core 2 Quad Q9400. Because of its slim form factor, it only has one optical drive. The other hardware configuration options are identical to those of the Inspiron 537. The memory is only upgradeble to 4 GB.

  • Processors: Intel Celeron 450, Intel Celeron Dual-Core E5100, Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200, Intel Core 2 Duo E5300, E7500 or E8400 or Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel G41 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X4500 graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4350 with 512 MB of graphics memory.
  • Hard Drive: 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card with external antenna.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire port (optional), 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem (optional), 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output (with ATI Radeon HD 4350), 1 headphone jack, 2 microphone jacks, 1 line-in connector, 1 line-out connector, 1 19-in-1 memory card reader (optional), and 1 power cable connector.

Inspiron 545

The Inspiron 545 is a non-configurable mini-tower desktop that only retails at BestBuy and the Dell Outlet.

  • Processors: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400, or Core 2 Quad Q8300, Q9300, or Q9400
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB or 8 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel G31 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X4500 graphics, ATI Radeon HD 4350 or Nvidia GeForce GT220.
  • Hard Drive: 750 GB or 1 TB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card with external antenna.
  • I/O ports: 6 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output, 1 19-in-1 memory card reader, 1 headphone jack, 2 microphone jacks, 1 line-in connector, 1 line-out connector and 1 power cable connector.

Inspiron 545s

The Inspiron 545s is the slimmer version of the Inspiron 545. Like its mini-tower cousin, the Inspiron 545s is non-configurable and only retails at BestBuy and the Dell Outlet.

  • Processors: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB or 6 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel G41 Express chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X4500 graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4350 or a Nvidia GT 220.
  • Hard drive: 250 GB, 500 GB or 750 GB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical drive: 8× dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive.
  • Wi-Fi card: none.
  • I/O ports: six USB 2.0 ports, one Fast Ethernet port, one 56K modem, one VGA output, one HDMI output, one 19-in-1 memory card reader, one headphone jack, two microphone jacks, one line-in connector, one line-out connector and one power cable connector.

Inspiron 546

This model quietly went on sale[when?] on Dell's website and replaced the Inspiron 537. It features AMD processors.

  • Processors: AMD Sempron LE-1300, AMD Athlon LE-1660, AMD Athlon X2 7550, AMD Phenom X3 8650 or 8750 or AMD Phenom X4 9750.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB or 8 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz.
  • Chipset: AMD 780G chipset
  • Graphics Processor: integrated ATI Radeon 3200 graphics, ATI Radeon HD 3450, HD 4350 or nVidia GeForce GT 220.
  • Hard Drive: 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB SATA at 7200 RPM or 640 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB SATA @ 7200 RPM w/DataSafe.
  • Optical Drive: 16X dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive, 2X Blu-ray Disc Combo drive or Blu-ray Disc Burner.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card with external antenna.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire port (optional), 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem (optional), 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output (with ATI Radeon HD 4350), 1 headphone jack, 2 microphone jacks, 1 line-in connector, 1 line-out connector, 1 19-in-1 memory card reader (optional), and 1 power cable connector.

Previous configurations

Large screen models

Dell Inspiron 1720.

Inspiron 1720/1721

Released on Dell's website on June 26, 2007, the Inspiron 1720/1721 was a 17" large-screen laptop that weighed 7.62 lb and was based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. The Inspiron 1720/1721 had support for two hard drives and included a full numeric keypad. The Inspiron 1721 had a RAID 0 and RAID 1 options, which was oddly missing from the 1720. The Inspiron 1720/1721 was retired in 2008, with no direct 17" replacement until the introduction of the Inspiron 1750 on July 16, 2009.

  • Processors: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2310 or T2330 or Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, T5550, T5750, T5850, T7250, T7300, T7500, T7600, T7700, T8100, T8300, T9300 or T9500. (AMD Turion Processors for the Inspiron 1721)
  • Memory: 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 667 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel GM65 or PM965 Express Chipset or ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics or nVidia GeForce 8400M GS or 8600M GT. (AMD M690T chipset with ATI Radeon X1270 integrated graphics for the 1721)
  • LCD Display: 17" WXGA+ 1440 × 900 resolution, or UltraSharp widescreen with 1920 × 1200 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB SATA at 5400 RPM (can support two hard drives).
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW, or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 2 MP webcam.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g, 1490 802.11a/g mini-card, or 1505 802.11n mini-card or Intel 3945 802.11a/g mini-card or Next-Gen 4965 802.11a/g/n mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: BCM2045 Bluetooth Adapter, or Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 355 (2.0).
  • I/O ports: 5 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 8-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 9300

The Dell Inspiron 9300 was a laptop that had either a 1.6, 1.73, 1.86, 2.0, 2.13 or 2.26 GHz Intel Pentium M processor and a 17" wide-screen (available in WXGA+ with a 1440 by 900 resolution and WUXGA with a 1920 by 1200 resolution). At the time, it also featured DDR2 memory, a new feature for laptops. Compared with the other Inspiron laptops, it is considered to be the "Entertainment Powerhouse".

The Inspiron 9300 was based loosely on its more expensive and more powerful big brother, the gaming-oriented Inspiron XPS Generation 2. With the right upgrades, the Inspiron 9300 can deliver most of the gaming power as the XPS Generation 2 at a much reduced cost. These upgrades start with the nVidia GeForce Go 6800 video card (or higher such as a GeForce 7800 GTX in later models), and continue with extra RAM, a 7200 RPM hard drive, and a Pentium M that is faster than the baseline 1.6 GHz speed.

  • Processors: Intel Pentium M 730, 740, 750, 760, 770 or 780.
  • Memory: 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel 915PM Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics, nVidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra or ATI Mobility Radeon X300.
  • LCD Display: 17" widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution, or 17" widescreen with 1920 × 1200 resolution.
  • Hard Drive: 80 GB, 100 GB, 160 GB or 250 GB IDE at 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW .
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Internal 350.
  • I/O Ports: 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 6 USB ports, 1 Firewire 400 port, 1 5-in-1 memory card reader, 1 PCMCIA Cardbus Slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video port, 1 DVI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 9400/E1705

The top-of-the line Inspiron models in 2006, the Inspiron E1705 and Inspiron 9400 (non-US models) are essentially the same laptop but with a few minor differences in configuration. The Inspiron 9400 was basically a more up-to-date, redesigned version of the Inspiron 9300 with a few extra added features such as the Dell MediaDirect button which was left of the LED indicator lights next to the power button.

The system had a starting price of $999, since it was meant to be used as a portable media center rather than a gaming laptop, and it was also using a new memory technology called DDR2. The Inspiron E1705 tends to run hot on its underside, which might be the reason the graphics processor on some units overheats and burns out within a year because of inadequate cooling. This problem can sometimes be resolved by re-heating the solder joints under the GPU with the use of a hot air gun. On most accounts of users who have experienced this problem, it occurred after the warranty expired.

Note that while this model only officially supports 2 x 1 GB dual channel DDR2 it is possible to use 2 x 2 GB for a total of 4 GB. However you'll be limited to 3.2 GB due to a large reserved address space for I/O allocated by the BIOS and this whatever the operating system in use (including 64-bit versions of MS Windows and Linux).

  • Processors: Intel Core Duo T2300, T2400, or Intel Core 2 Duo T5600, T7200, T7400 or T7600.
  • Memory: 256MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 or 667 MHz.[5]
  • Chipset: Intel GM945 or PM945(i945PM) Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics, nVidia GeForce Go 7800 (7900 GS in newer models) or ATI Mobility Radeon X1400.
  • LCD Display: 17" widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution, 17" widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution and TrueLife, or 17" UltraSharp widescreen with 1920 × 1200 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 80 GB, 160 GB or 250 GB SATA at 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW .
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1500 802.11n mini-card or Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Internal 350.
  • I/O Ports: 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 6 USB ports, 1 Firewire 400 port, 1 5-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video port, 1 DVI output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Mainstream models

Inspiron 1501

The Inspiron 1501 is a midsize, mainstream model with either a AMD Turion, AMD Sempron or AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor. This is Dell's first laptop to offer an AMD processor option.

  • Processors: AMD Sempron, AMD Turion, AMD Turion 64 or Athlon 64 X2.
  • Memory: 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB or *4 GB (32 bit Windows will only read 3.6 GB max)of shared dual channel PC-4200 DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz or PC-5300 @ 667 MHz(option).
  • Chipset: ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 (RS485) northbridge with an ATI SB600 southbridge.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 graphics.
  • LCD Display: 14.1" 15.4" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution.
  • Hard Drive: 60GB, 80 GB, 100 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW or DVD reader/CD recorder combo.
  • Battery: 4-cell (27 Whr), 6-cell (56 Whr), 9-cell (85 Whr), or 12 cell lithium-ion battery.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g mini-card.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 3-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 1520/1521

Released on Dell's website on June 26, 2007, the Inspiron 1520/1521 was 15.4" mainstream laptop that weighed 6.40 lb. The Inspiron 1520 was based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. It was replaced on January 11, 2008 by the Inspiron 1525 laptop, which was lighter, thinner, and featured a HDMI port, but no discrete graphics option.

  • Processors (1520): Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2310 or Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, T5450, or T7100, T7250, T7500, T7300, T8100, T8300, T9300 or T9500.
  • Processors (1521): AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-55, or AMD Turion X2 TL-58, TL-60 or TL64.
  • Memory: 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 667 MHz or 800 MHz.
  • Chipset (1520): Intel GM965 or PM965 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor (1520): integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics or nVidia GeForce 8400M GS or 8600M GT (DDR2).
  • Graphics Processor (1521): integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1270.
  • LCD Display: 15.4" matte widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution and TrueLife, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution and TrueLife, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1680 × 1050.
  • Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA at 5400 or 7200 RPM, or 120 GB SATA at 5400 or 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW, or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 2 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g, 1490 802.11a/g mini-card, or 1505 802.11n mini-card or Intel 3945 802.11a/g mini-card or Next-Gen 4965 802.11a/g/n mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 355 (2.0).
  • I/O ports: 4 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 8-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 1520: After Market Upgrades Available

  • Processors: Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, T6500, T6600, T6670, T7600, T7700, T7800 or Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800, X7900 or x9000.
  • Memory: 6GB (4GB+2GB) Shared Dual Channel + Intel Flex Mode DDR2 SDRAM (G. Skill 4GB Stick Recommended)
  • Graphics Processor: nVidia GeForce 8400M GS or 8600M GT (DDR2) allows for Ultra High-Definition output (1920x1200 maximum) via a VGA to HDMI Converter.
  • LCD Display: 15.4 matte or glossy widescreen available in following resolutions 1280x800, 1440x900, 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 on eBay.
  • Hard Drive: Any 2.5" Form Factor SSD up to SATA II*, 80GB SATA @ 5400 RPM or 120GB/160GB/250GB/320GB/500GB/750GB SATA II @ 5400 RPM/7200 RPM or 1 TB SATA II @ 5400 RPM
  • Battery: 6-cell (48Whr, 56 Whr, 85 Whr), 9-cell (73 Whr, 85 Whr)
  • Bluetooth: Internal Dell Truemobile Wireless 360 Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
  • Mobile broadband: Dell Wireless TrueMobile Sprint 5720 EVDO WWAN Mini-PCIe Card, Dell Wireless 5700, 5720 Verizon Mobile Broadband (EVDO, Rev-A) Card, Dell Wireless 5700, 5720 TELUS Mobile Broadband (EVDO, Rev-A) Card, Dell Wireless 5505, 5520 Vodafone Mobile Broadband (3G HSDPA) Card works via the same type of drivers for XPS M1330/M1530/M1730.
  • Intel Turbo Memory: 1GB/2GB/4GB via the Flash Cache Module (FCM in the Wireless Bay).
  • Express Card Capability: USB 2.0/3.0 Ports, eSATA/SATA II Adapter Ports, Hauppauge 1143 WinTV-HVR-1500 Hybrid Video Recorder

Note: All of these upgrades were possible via parts found on eBay, all of these can be found by searching there and they will work. All SATA II (3.0 Gbps) Drives (SSD or HDDs) are backwards compatible with the Dell Inspiron 1520 SATA interface (1.5 Gbps) at no performance loss whatsoever. Mobile broadband is possible by purchasing the cards and installing the software which was originally intended for XPS-line but I have found that it is possible to use it on the Inspiron 1520. i tested the Verizon & Sprint cards, and they worked. For a full list and description, please check: Dell Inspiron 1520/1720: Viable After Market Upgrades.

Additional Note: I have heard that SSDs and Intel Turbo Memory are not compatible together, but I will look into this but I would recommend avoiding one or the other, especially if you are strapped for cash and want to make upgrades.

Inspiron 1525

The Inspiron 1525 is a mid-sized (5.9 lb, 14.05" x 10.08" x 1.00"-1.48"), low-end replacement for the 1520. It has a 15.4" screen and features an HDMI connector. It was replaced on February 26, 2009 by the Inspiron 1545. It is also thinner and comes in a wider range of cover colors.

Inspiron 6000

Dell Inspiron 6000 with Arctic silver and alpine white design.

The base model was shipped in 1st quarter 2005 with a 1.5 GHz (upgradeable up to 2.13 GHz) Intel Pentium M processor or a 1.3 GHz (upgradeable up to 1.5 GHz) Intel Celeron M processor, 256 MB RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB), 400/533 MHz FSB, Intel 915GM/PM chipset, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (with up to 128 MB shared memory), 40 GB Ultra ATA hard drive (upgradeable), and a 15.4-inch WXGA wide-screen monitor. Both the Celeron M and Pentium M processors can work on the Inspiron 6000, so an Inspiron with the 1.3 GHz Celeron M can upgrade all the way to the 2.13 GHz Pentium M instead of being limited to the 1.5 GHz Celeron M upgrade. Like the Inspiron 9300, it featured DDR2 RAM. In comparison with other Inspiron models, the 6000 was considered the "versatile and affordable" member of the Dell notebook line.

The higher-priced Inspiron 6000D provided a dedicated graphics chip, the ATI Mobility Radeon X300 64 MB PCI Express x16 (upgradeable to 128 MB), which ran at a core speed of 300 MHz and DDR memory speed of 216 MHz.

The Inspiron 6000 was among the first notebooks to arrive on the market with Intel's new Sonoma technology. According to Dell, the Inspiron 6000 would deliver faster data processing, and users - particularly gamers and graphics pros-would see less audio and video choppiness, quicker task execution, less power consumption, and enhanced battery life as a result. The Inspiron 6000 notebook added features and "help" files, making it easier and faster to operate.

In addition, the Inspiron 6000 offered a number of improvements over the Inspiron 5160 which it replaced in Dell's home/small business line-up. Upgraded features included a 15.4 in wide-screen display (available in WXGA with a 1280x800 resolution, WSXGA+ with a 1680x1050 resolution and WUXGA with a 1920x1200 resolution), a slightly slimmer profile (although 2.5 cm wider) and a Manufacturer's bundle- (starter) memory cards that accommodated only a handful of photos.

  • Processors: Intel Celeron M 350, 360, or 370 or Intel Pentium M 715A, 725A, 730, 740, 750, 760, or 770.
  • Memory: 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB of DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel 915GM or 915PM Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 900 graphics, or ATI Mobility Radeon X300.
  • LCD Display: 15.4" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution, 15.4" widescreen with 1680 × 1050 resolution, or 15.4" widescreen with 1920 × 1200 resolution.
  • Hard Drive: 40 GB or 60 GB Ultra ATA @ 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 24x DVD/CDRW drive, 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive or 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW .
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g mini-card or Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 802.11b/g mini-card.
  • I/O Ports: 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 4 USB ports, 1 Firewire 400 port, 1 SD memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video port, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 5150

The Dell Inspiron 5150 was released on June 11, 2003 as a desktop replacement, weighing over 7.5 pounds. It was purported to be the high end version of inspiron 5100 and designed to support the Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor up to 3.2 GHz, a high performance mobile processor architecture at the time, that first supported Intel Hyper-threading technology. The hyper-threading features of the processor were available only if the system board came with supporting firmware. Hyper-threading support had to be chosen at time of purchase and could not be enabled later by BIOS upgrades even though the processor supported it. The wireless networking was based on a closed broadcom chipset BCM4306.

The laptop was infamous for a huge number of design failures, overheating, battery failures, connector loosening, motherboard failures. The owners of Dell Inspiron 5150 initiated a class action lawsuit on Dell resulting in Lundell Settlement. On December 4, 2006 the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted final approval to the settlement granting relief to the owners of Dell Inspiron 5150.

  • Processors: Mobile Intel Pentium 4 (2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 3.06, 3.2 GHz)
  • Memory: 2 SODIMM slots, basic model came with 256 MB RAM, expandable up to a maximum of 2 GB PC333 SDRAM, 1 GB in each slot.
  • Chipset: Intel 852 PM chipset, which supported a 533 MT/s system bus (Quad Pumped 133 MHz)
  • Graphics Processor: 4x AGP ATI Mobility Radeon 9000/Nvidia Geforce FX5200 go which came with 32 or 64 MB DDR RAM
  • LCD Display: 15.4 inch 1400x1050 SXGA+
  • Hard Drive: 1 bay with more than 20 GB 4200/5400 RPM Ultra-ATA/100 44 pin IDE ATA/EIDE/ATAPI
  • Optical Drive: CDRW (40x R, 24x W, 10x RW)
  • Sound: 18-bit AC97 sigmatel 9750
  • Battery: 6 cell 4400 mAh lithium-ion battery
  • Wi-Fi Card: mini-PCI slot with dell true-mobile 802.11b/g 1350
  • I/O Ports: 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire, 2 Hi-Speed USB, 1 external VGA, 1 S-video, 1 compact flash slot, 1 Fast Ethernet, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 8600

  • Processors: Mobile Intel Pentium 4M (1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 GHz)
  • Memory: 2 SODIMM slots, basic model came with 256 MB RAM, expandable up to a maximum of 2 GB PC333 SDRAM, 1 GB in each slot.
  • Chipset: Intel 855PM chipset, which supported a 400 MT/s system bus
  • Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce4 4200 Go, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5650 which came with 32 or 64 MB DDR RAM
  • LCD Display: 15.4 inch 1920 x 1200 WUXGA
  • Hard Drive: 1 bay with more than 20 GB 4200/5400 RPM Ultra-ATA/100 44 pin IDE ATA/EIDE/ATAPI
  • Optical Drive: CDRW (40x R, 24x W, 10x RW)
  • Sound: 20-bit AC97 Intel 9750
  • Battery: 9 cell 6000 mAh lithium-ion battery
  • Wi-Fi Card: mini-PCI slot with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  • I/O Ports: 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire, 2 Hi-Speed USB, 1 external VGA, 1 S-video, 1 Fast Ethernet, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 6400/E1505

(6.18 lb, 14" x 10.45" x 1.42"), mainstream models with an Intel Centrino or Core (Solo, Duo, or 2 Duo) at up to 2.16 GHz, 15.4" WXGA, WXGA+ or WSXGA+ display, SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM up to 2 (4 GB with new BIOS version (64 bit only)). Both models feature an integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, ATI Radeon X1300, ATI Radeon X1400, or NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300. Included are 7 multimedia buttons on the front. Offered with Ubuntu Linux, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, Windows XP Professional, or Windows Vista Business. May include Dell Media Direct. It was offered with optional Wireless N Intel OR Dell Wireless Mini-Lan Cards. It included a 53 WHr 6-Cell 4400 mAh Smart Lithium-Ion battery, the 85 WHr 9-Cell 6600 mAh Smart Lithium-Ion battery was included as an option which gave it 6 hours of general use with Wi-Fi.

Lightweight models

Inspiron 1420

Released on Dell's website on June 26, 2007, the Dell Inspiron 1420 is a 14.1-inch lightweight laptop that weighs 5.4 lbs and is based on the Santa Rosa platform. Unlike its larger counterparts, the Inspiron 1520 and 1720, the Inspiron 1420 did not have an AMD variant. The media keys were located on top of the keyboard instead of on the front of the laptop. The Inspiron 1420 was replaced by the Inspiron 1440 on June 25, 2009.

  • Processors:: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2310, T2390, T4200 or T4300, or Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, T5450, T5750 or T7100, T7250, T7300, T7500, T8100, T8300, T9300 or T9500.
  • Memory: 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB, or 4 GB of shared dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel GM65 or PM965 Express chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics or nVidia GeForce 8400M GS with 128MB dedicated graphic memory.
  • LCD Display: 14.1" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution, 14.1" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution and TrueLife, 14.1" UltraSharp widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 80 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB or 320 GB SATA at 5400 RPM. 160 GB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 2 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g mini-card, 1490 802.11a/g mini-card, or 1505 802.11n mini-card, Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g mini-card, or Intel Next-Gen 4965 802.11a/g/n mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 355 (2.0).
  • I/O ports: 4 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 8-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video output, 2 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 1420's purchased in the United States between May 2007 – September 30, 2008 that are suffering from a defective nVidia GeForce 8400M GS Graphics chip may be covered under The NVIDIA GPU Litigation.[6] Note that systems sold outside the United States were offered a 1 year limited warranty extension to any existing service warranty.

Inspiron 640m/E1405

The Inspiron 14" notebook configurable with components similar to the E1505 (excluding the dedicated GPU options) but a bit smaller in total size. The E1405 at the time of release is known for its excellent battery life (which under optimum conditions exceeds five hours with a six-cell battery and well over eight hours with a slightly more expensive, optional nine-cell battery). The main attraction of this laptop is its price. For gamers, the E1405 comes standard with a Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family, which in most cases will not be enough for most new high end games. Also, it is near impossible to add a new graphics card because this chipset is integrated, therefore you cannot add a new graphics card unless you get a new motherboard. Otherwise most other system specifications are rather basic, if you want serious media on the machine you will have to buy some things, the easiest (and most in-expensive) route is to buy system RAM for the computer. Dell claims that its maximum supported memory is 2 GB, however E1405's have been known to accept up to 4 GB of memory.

  • Processors: Intel Core Duo T2050, or Intel Core 2 Duo T5500, T5600, or T7200, or T7400.
  • Memory: 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB, or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 667 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel 945GM Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 950.
  • LCD Display: 14.1" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution, 14.1" widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution and TrueLife, 14.1" widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution and TrueLife.
  • Hard Drive: 80 GB or 100 GB or 120 GB SATA at 5400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW.
  • Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) Lithium Ion Inspiron 640m battery.
  • Camera: 2 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g mini-card or 4965 802.11n mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 350.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 5-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Netbooks

Inspiron 910 (Inspiron Mini 9)

Released online on September 4, 2008, the Dell Inspiron 910 (more commonly referred to as the Inspiron Mini 9) is an 8.9" netbook that weighs 2.28 lbs. It is Dell's first netbook. It was retired on May 29, 2009.[7]

  • Processors: Intel Atom N270.
  • Memory: 512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel US15W Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics.
  • LCD Display: 8.9" LED-backlit widescreen with 1024 × 600 resolution.
  • Hard Drive: 8 GB, 16 GB SSD (Windows XP Home Edition SP3 32-bit), or 32 GB (Ubuntu Linux version 8.04.1) SSD.
  • Optical Drive: External USB 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW.
  • Battery: 4-cell (32 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 0.3 MP webcam.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 350 (2.0).
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 3-in-1 memory card reader, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Inspiron 1210 (Inspiron Mini 12)

Released online on October 16, 2008, the Dell Inspiron 1210 (more commonly referred to as the Inspiron Mini 12) is a 12.1" netbook that weighs 2.72 lbs. The netbook originally shipped with Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-bit, but an option for XP Home SP3 32-bit was added a month later. It was criticized for being slow with Vista. It was retired on August 7, 2009.

  • Processors: Intel Atom Z520 or Z530.
  • Memory: 512 MB or 1 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz.
  • Chipset: Intel US15W Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA 500 graphics.
  • LCD Display: 12.1" LED-backlit widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution.
  • Hard Drive: 40 GB, 60 GB or 32 GB PATA @ 5,400 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: External USB 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW.
  • Battery: 3-cell (24 Whr) or 6-cell (48 Whr) lithium-ion battery.
  • Camera: 1.3 MP webcam.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g mini-card.
  • Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 350 (2.0).
  • I/O ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 3-in-1 memory card reader, 1 VGA output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

Desktops

Inspiron 530

A Dell Inspiron 530.

Released on June 26, 2006, the Dell Inspiron 530 is Dell's first desktop to use the Inspiron name. The Inspiron 530 has an Intel Celeron 450, and can be customized up to an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550. It has 2 GB of DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz, which can be upgraded up to 8 GB (4gb for systems shipped with core 2 duo processors and g33m02 motherboards, and 8gb for systems shipped with core 2 quad processors and g33m03 motherboards - noted in the system documentation found on http://support.dell.com). The desktop has a 320 GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA hard drive w/DataBurst Cache, which can be upgraded to 750 GB. There are also data recovery versions of the 320 and 500 GB hard drive sizes. The Inspiron 530 is customizable with a variety of DVD+/-RW and Blu-ray Disc drives. The Inspiron 530 has integrated Intel GMA 3100, and can be customized up to an ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics card. It has integrated 7.1 channel audio and can be customized up to a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer sound card. The Inspiron 530 has no initial Wi-Fi card, but can be customized up to a Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCI-e card. The Inspiron 530 has two variants of motherboards, both made by Foxconn and based on the G33M series. The G33M02 which supports up to Core 2 Duo processors and the DG33M03, which supports up to Core 2 Quad processors. Inspiron 530 systems sold with Pentium Dual-Core or Core 2 Duo processors can not be upgraded to Core 2 Quad processors without adding at least a 350W power supply and swapping motherboards to the DG33M03 motherboard. The reason the G33M02 doesn't support Core 2 Quad processors is because it only has 6 voltage regulator ICs, the DG33M03 has 11.

Inspiron 530s

The Inspiron 530s has the same design as the 530, but it is 41% slimmer. However, because of its design, it is not physically compatible with all desktop hardware, especially graphics cards (Dell only gives you the option of the ATI 2400 XT, which is not a high performance card). The case used in the 530s can accommodate one 5.25" optical drive, one external 3.5" drive (either a 1.44 MB floppy or 19-in-1 card reader), and up to two standard 3.5" hard drives. The motherboard used in the 530s is almost identical to the motherboard used in the 530 edition, except for the fact that this motherboard only supports Dual Core processors, and not any members of the Quad Core series like its twin. While almost any low profile PCI-E x16 video card will physically fit in the 530s, the custom sized Delta 250W power supply that the 530s is equipped with may seriously limit the potential for using higher end cards.

Inspiron 531/531s

Dell Inspiron 531 upgraded for gaming purposes.

The Dell Inspiron 531 is Dell's AMD desktop counterpart to the Inspiron 530, and with exception of the CPU and motherboard, is virtually identical. Starting with the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ it can be customized up to an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+. The Athlon X2 7000, Phenom, Phenom II and Athlon II series are not supported. It uses 1 GB of DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz, which can be upgraded up to 8 GB 800 MHz under JEDEC DDR2 voltage specification. The model features the M2N61-AX OEM motherboard made by ASUS [8] and uses nVidia GeForce 6150 integrated graphics with the nForce 430i chipset, and has two PCI slots, one PCI-e X1 and one PCI-e X16 1.0a slot. Due to the arrangement of the expansion slots, however, use of a double height video card renders the PCI-e X1 slot useless. The motherboard also features four SATA 1.0 Ports, one EIDE (floppy) plug, three USB plugs for front USB, a Firewire plug, and a front audio plug. Cooling is somewhat limited, as the motherboard only provides one 4-pin PWM CPU fan plug, and one 3-pin rear fan plug. Installation of a fan controller will be required to use additional fans. Recently, the 6.05 version of nVidia's System Performance Tools allows minor FSB overclocking, but does not allow voltage or multiplier adjustments, limiting overclocking potential. The case is Micro-ATX sized, lightweight aluminum and features one 92 mm Rear fan, one external 3-1/2" drive bay, two 5-1/4" bays and two vertical 3-1/2" internal drive bays. It also features a standard ATX sized 300 watt power supply with four SATA plugs, one 24-pin ATX12V 2.0 plug and one 4-pin P4 plug, oddly excluding any standard 4-pin Molex connectors. The I/O Shield is also part of the case, preventing the installation of third-party motherboards without modifications to the case.

Inspiron 537

Released on Dell's website on May 12, 2009 the Inspiron 537 is a mini-tower desktop that replaces the Inspiron 530. The desktop has a black chassis, but the front shell can be customized with one of eight colors. Oddly, this model was replaced by the Inspiron 546, which uses AMD processors, after being available online for less than one month.[9]

  • Processors: Intel Celeron 450, Intel Celeron Dual-Core, Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200, Intel Core 2 Duo E5300, E7500 or E8400 or Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 or Q9400.
  • Memory: 2 GB, 3 GB, or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz (upgradeble to 8 GB).
  • Chipset: Intel G41 Express Chipset.
  • Graphics Processor: integrated Intel GMA X4500 graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4350 with 512 MB of graphics memory.
  • Hard Drive: 320 GB, or 500 GB SATA at 7200 RPM.
  • Optical Drive: 8X dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive or 2X Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
  • Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card with external antenna.
  • I/O ports: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire port (optional), 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem (optional), 1 VGA output, 1 HDMI output (with ATI Radeon HD 4350), 1 headphone jack, 2 microphone jacks, 1 line-in connector, 1 line-out connector, 1 19-in-1 memory card reader (optional), and 1 power cable connector.

Inspiron 518/519

A higher end version of the Inspiron 530/531. Memory was upgradeable to 8 GB.

Current models

The Inspiron 560, 570 and 620 models were Dell's most current Inspiron PC desktop models as of 2011. [10]

List of Dell Inspiron models

Laptops:

  • Inspiron 1000
  • Inspiron 1100
  • Inspiron 1110
  • Inspiron 1150
  • Inspiron 1050
  • Inspiron 1200
  • Inspiron 1300
  • Inspiron 1318
  • Inspiron 1320
  • Inspiron 1370
  • Inspiron 13R (N3010)
  • Inspiron 1410
  • Inspiron 1420
  • Inspiron 1425
  • Inspiron 1427
  • Inspiron 1440
  • Inspiron 1464
  • Inspiron 1470
  • Inspiron 14R (N4010)
  • Inspiron 1501
  • Inspiron 1505
  • Inspiron 1520
  • Inspiron 1521
  • Inspiron 1525
  • Inspiron 1526
  • Inspiron 1545
  • Inspiron 1546
  • Inspiron 1564
  • Inspiron 1570
  • Inspiron 15R (N5010)
  • Inspiron 1720
  • Inspiron 1721
  • Inspiron 1750
  • Inspiron 1764
  • Inspiron 17R (N7010)
  • Inspiron 2000
  • Inspiron 2100
  • Inspiron 2200
  • Inspiron 2500
  • Inspiron 2600
  • Inspiron 2650 (near-clone of Latitude C640)
  • Inspiron 3000
  • Inspiron 300m
  • Inspiron 3200
  • Inspiron 3500
  • Inspiron 3700
  • Inspiron 3800
  • Inspiron 4000 (near-clone of Latitude C600)
  • Inspiron 4100 (near-clone of Latitude C610)
  • Inspiron 4150 (near-clone of Latitude C640)
  • Inspiron 5000
  • Inspiron 5000e
  • Inspiron 500m
  • Inspiron 5100
  • Inspiron 510m
  • Inspiron 5150
  • Inspiron 5160
  • Inspiron 6000
  • Inspiron 600m (near-clone of Latitude D600)
  • Inspiron 630m
  • Inspiron 6400
  • Inspiron 640m
  • Inspiron 7000
  • Inspiron 700m
  • Inspiron 710m
  • Inspiron 7500
  • Inspiron 8000 (near-clone of Latitude C800)
  • Inspiron 8100 (near-clone of Latitude C810)
  • Inspiron 8200 (near-clone of Latitude C840)
  • Inspiron 8500 (near-clone of Latitude D800)
  • Inspiron 8600 (near-clone of Latitude D810)
  • Inspiron 9100
  • Inspiron 9200
  • Inspiron 9300
  • Inspiron 9400
  • Inspiron B120
  • Inspiron B130 (clone of Inspiron 1300)
  • Inspiron E1405
  • Inspiron E1505
  • Inspiron E1705
  • Inspiron M301Z
  • Inspiron M5010 (M501R)
  • Inspiron X200

Netbooks

  • Inspiron Mini 9 (910)
  • Inspiron Mini 10 (1010)
  • Inspiron Mini 10v (1011)
  • Inspiron Mini 10 (1012)
  • Inspiron Mini 10 (1018)
  • Inspiron Mini 12 (1210)

Desktops:

  • Inspiron 300
  • Inspiron 400
  • Inspiron 518
  • Inspiron 519
  • Inspiron 530
  • Inspiron 530s
  • Inspiron 531
  • Inspiron 531s
  • Inspiron 535MT
  • Inspiron 535ST
  • Inspiron 537MT
  • Inspiron 537ST
  • Inspiron 545MT
  • Inspiron 545ST
  • Inspiron 546MT
  • Inspiron 546ST
  • Inspiron 560MT
  • Inspiron 560ST
  • Inspiron 580
  • Inspiron 580S
  • Inspiron One 19/19T

Netvertibles:

  • INSPIRON mini duo

Rebadging

In the past Dell has modified some existing Inspiron machines to produce computers of higher or lower quality. Note for example the first-generation Inspiron XPS and Inspiron 9100 (2004–2006). Both machines (non-base) shared the same options in processors (Intel Pentium 4 HT "Prescott"), RAM (DDR 400 MHz), hard-drives (Ultra-ATA 5400/7200 RPM), wireless cards, LCD screens (at 15.4-inches; WXGA, WSXGA+, WUXGA) and graphics cards (ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 64 MB/128 MB), as well as the same chassis. Dell marketed the XPS as an "ultimate gaming machine", while marketing the 9100 as a "desktop replacement". The Inspiron 9100 is a rebadged XPS; the only difference between the two is the LCD Panel. Although both support a 15.4 Samsung LCD, only later models of the 9100 (3.2 GHz) use the identical LCD screen (Dell Part #s 7T774/W3866). The Samsung LCD Panel supports 1920x1200. Previous 2.8-3.0 GHz Inspiron 9100 use a lesser panel with resolutions of 1280x800 (Dell Part # Y0316).

Problems

Overheating

Reference: Dell's Official statement: the Lundell Settlement. Dell Inspiron 5150 only

In 2003, Dell released several lines of Inspiron notebooks which had cooling problems, causing them to overheat and damage the video card and motherboard, or to shut down automatically. Overheating in Inspiron systems is mainly caused by performance-consuming tasks and software. This problem was determined to be due to the design of the air-flow from the bottom of the system. Affected models include the Dell Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5100 and 5150. For more information on the 5100/5150 models in particular, see the following link: Dell Inspiron 5100 Overheating Problem.

Dell acknowledged this problem and designed a new fan with a better heatsink and heatpipes to provide better cooling with less noise. Any repairs made at this point will include the redesigned parts.

A Windows utility exists to control most Inspiron fans based on CPU temperature. Users should check the compatibility list before installing it.

On September 20 Inspiron 5150 owners in the US brought a class action against Dell. The settlement included 100% cash reimbursement for certain repairs, and an extended limited warranty to cover those types of repairs that become necessary for one year. Dell's published statement of the scope of the repairs covered appears here.

Following the lawsuit detailed above, in October 2006 customers who had purchased Dell Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5100 and 5160 notebooks filed a class action lawsuit against Dell, alleging misconduct in connection with the design, manufacture, warranting, advertising and selling of these computers. A similar action started in Canada.[11]

The overheating problem on the Inspiron 5150 was due to the position of the fan and fan-vent and the way in which it vents air through the CPU's heatsink.[citation needed] The fan draws air from underneath the unit and vents it through the rear after passing over the heatsink. However, the unit also sucks up dust from underneath it. Over time a build-up of dust obstructs the airflow, diminishing it perceptibly and reducing cooling; a simple test is to place a hand near the fan vent; when the fan is running at high speed there should be a good flow of warm air. Heat will also build up along the top of the unit near the LCD display and left toward the optical drive. Users may notice this while typing. Performance may also suffer, with jittery game movement and slow Windows performance. Some systems may experience jerky reactions where the unit goes into an almost slow-motion phase for short periods of time. Continued operation in this condition may lead to overheating and could result in permanent damage to the computer. To remedy this the unit must be disassembled, the dust removed, and fan operation checked. An overheating machine commonly has a CPU running 15 to 20°C hotter than a normally functioning unit; a higher increase may damage the casing of the unit.

Overheating has been reduced by using compressed air duster spray. Spraying the keyboard, the Microprocessor Thermal-Cooling Assembly is located under the "I" - "backspace" keys, and side air intakes, located on the far right and left sides, has been effective in reducing the running temperature from a normal operating temperature of 77-87°C to 45-55°C under average load.

Alternately some users of the Inspiron 5150 found relief by underclocking their processors.

See the following links: * Inspiron 5150 overheating problems - what to do.... * How to fix Inspiron 5150 *Removing the Microprocessor Thermal-Cooling Assembly and Useful images

Motherboard

Inspiron lvc.jpg

On a number of Inspiron 5150, and 100L machines, a design flaw in the positioning of a tab on the C panel on the underside of the laptop has led to problems.[citation needed] Any pressure applied to the top left hand corner of the laptop causes this tab to press against the motherboard and in particular against the "LVC14A" chip. This causes the solder between this chip and the motherboard to break. This causes sudden shut-downs of the system as a result of any movement of the laptop; in certain cases the laptop will not re-boot at all. Dell has redesigned later models of the 5150 to avoid this problem. Some models reveal cases where someone has manually snapped off the tab from the C panel by hand during the manufacturing process. Dell currently covers this fault in the USA under the Lundell Settlement, although it is not known whether Dell will fix this fault free of charge outside the USA. In January 2007 a similar lawsuit started in Canada[citation needed], and Dell in the Netherlands has agreed to repair Dutch computers following criticism in the consumer programme Kassa.[12]

This has also been a problem with the Inspiron 1150, with the same chip giving problems with broken solder. Re-soldering is not recommended, but re-heating the pins can re-establish the connection and solve the power-off problem at the expense of possibly losing the use of the touch-pad mouse.

Battery recall of 2006

Dell posted notices to many of their laptop customers on August 14, 2006, saying that the Sony batteries on the following models could combust, or even explode:[13][14]

Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810

Inspiron: 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705

XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710

Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90

Users of many of these computers purchased between April 2004 and July 18, 2006 received the recommendation that they should remove the batteries and run their computers on AC power until replacements arrived.[15] Problematic batteries made by Sony led to recall programs at other laptop computer companies as well, including Hitachi, Toshiba, Lenovo (IBM) and Apple.

Power supply issues

Most Dell laptop computers have a special external power supply (PSU) which cannot be replaced by a third-party universal supply. The PSU has a chip which produces a special signal identifying the PSU as by Dell and specifying its power, and a special 3-pin connector (minus, plus, and ID). If a power supply not made by Dell is used, and the cable near the connector becomes damaged as is not infrequent after some use, the battery stops charging and the CPU runs slower, although the computer can be used indefinitely so long as it remains plugged in. If this problem is present at startup the message "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge" is displayed. This will continue until the external PSU is replaced. A few third-party suppliers make power supplies with specific provision for Dell computers at lower prices than Dell's. It is possible to work round the slowdown, but not the battery charging, by installing a CPU clock utility.[16] On some models (the 9100 for instance), the problem can be worked around by starting the computer without a battery installed and fitting the battery after the computer has booted.

Another problem arises after much use with the motherboard power connector; springy metal parts which contact the outside of the plug lose their springiness and fail to make contact so that power does not reach the computer. The "official" solution is to replace the connector on the motherboard, which requires partial disassembly of the computer and unsoldering of a part with several pins; many companies charge a considerable sum for the work involved. Various simple alternatives have been suggested; for example a thin "skin" of solder on the outside of the barrel of the connector on the PSU (with care not to overheat the connector's plastic parts; and this thickened connector should not be used with other, not faulty, Dells as it will stretch the springs).

One other problem can happen with the wattage rating of the power supply. There are 2 Dell power supplies that were used for different Inspiron models which have the same plug assembly and voltage, a 65 watt supply model PA-6 and a 90 watt supply model PA-9. Some models for example the Inspiron 1100 shipped with a PA-9. If a PA-6 (or equivalent aftermarket supply) is used in these models then the system will sometimes boot and sometimes not boot. If it does not boot then it will light the battery light for a few seconds when the supply is plugged in. This can also happen if the power supply becomes marginal. Marginal supplies can show as supplying full voltage even if tested with a volt meter while the supply is plugged into the computer and an attempt is made to turn on the computer.

These problems are discussed in detail, and solutions and workarounds suggested, in a discussion on the Tom's hardware site.[17]

Hibernation sensor problem

A problem exists with the hibernation sensor located in some older laptops. Unlike many laptops that use a mechanical switch to detect when the lid is closed, in these systems the sensor is a magnetic reed switch that is located between the touchpad and the front edge of the laptop. There is a magnet that is located in the top lid above this switch, and when the lid is closed the magnet triggers the reed switch. If the magnet loses strength then the system will not go into suspend or hibernation if the lid is closed. The magnet strength can be checked by running a paper clip along the top edge of the screen. A worse problem happens if the reed switch fails. Sometimes the switches will fail in a closed position with the contacts sticking together. In that case the system will not switch on. There are several ways to check for this. First the laptop can be partially disassembled and the mouse assembly can be unplugged from the system board and the system switched on. If the system boots with the mouse unplugged then it is the switch. Another way to check for the problem is by running a magnet over the reed switch, there should be a faint click when the magnet triggers the switch. This does not require disassembly but the magnet must be in the correct position and be strong enough. Some people have repaired this by cutting the switch off of the assembly, with the downside being the system will no longer suspend if the lid is closed.

Vertical line LCD problem

Some 17" Inspiron 8600, 9200, 9300, 6000, 1750, and XPS Gen 2 notebook LCDs have a vertical line manufacturing defect. Symptoms range from individual lines to entire bars of the screen with inverted colors. Most problems showed after 2–4 years of usage. Dell has been very reluctant to replace these panels after guarantee, although there was a direct link to the defective parts from their suppliers. Even warranty customers have had difficulties to get replacement, and replaced screens often develop the defect after a short time. [2] Other computer manufacturers have handled similar problems in ways more satisfactory to the customer. Reference: [3] [4] [5][6]

See also

Dell's Home Office/Consumer class product lines:

  • Studio (mainstream desktop and laptop computers)
  • XPS (high-end desktop and notebook computers)
  • Studio XPS (high-end design-focus of XPS systems and extreme multimedia capability)
  • Alienware (high-performance gaming systems)
  • Adamo (high-end luxury laptop)

Dell Business/Corporate class product lines:

References

  1. ^ http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Dell-Inspiron-Duo-10-1-Inch-Convertible-Netbook/product/D8E67416
  2. ^ http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15/pd
  3. ^ http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19323045.aspx
  4. ^ http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19349013/19759722.aspx
  5. ^ "Dell™ Inspiron™ 9400/E1705 Owner's Manual - Specifications". http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins9400/en/om/specs.htm#wp1082923. 
  6. ^ "The NVIDIA GPU Litigation". http://nvidiasettlement.com/affectedmodels.html. Retrieved 4 March 2011. 
  7. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/29/dells-mini-9-vanishes-from-retail-site-as-red-studio-xps-16-ret/
  8. ^ http://www.softwaredriverdownload.com/dell_asus_m2n61-ax_motherboard_spec.html
  9. ^ http://www.dell.com/home/desktops
  10. ^ http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-desktops
  11. ^ Rochon Genova - Dell Notebook Class Action
  12. ^ "Constructiefout Dell laptop Inspiron 5150" (in Dutch). Vara. 2005-12-03. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080329124427/http://kassa.vara.nl/portal?_scr=kassa_artikel&number=2017734. Retrieved 2009-02-04. 
  13. ^ "Too hot to handle". The Economist. August 17, 2006. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7807419. 
  14. ^ Dell laptop explodes at Japanese conference - The INQUIRER
  15. ^ Dell Battery Return Program
  16. ^ A free CPU clock utility which overrides Dell's slowdown with non-Dell PSU
  17. ^ Tom's hardware: discussion on Dell PSU connector problems, solutions, and workarounds

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