Dell Inspiron E1405

[Quillz]

Dell Inspiron E1405

Basic Tech. Specs. (can be upgraded during time of purchase):

• Intel Core Solo Processor T1350 (1.86GHz/533FSB/2M Cache)
  
• Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
  
• 1 GB of Dual Channel DDR2 memory
  
• 14.1" Widescreen TFT Active Matrix WXGA (1280 x 800) display
  
• Integrated Intel Media Accelerator 950 Graphics*
  
• Up to 120 GB hard drive
  
• Combo Drive @ 24x/10x/24x CD Burner and 8x DVD-ROM
  

*You cannot upgrade the Graphics Media Accelerator 950 on this model. However, the next model up, the E1505, does allow for an upgrade.

I've had my Dell Inspiron E1405 for a couple of days now, and I'd thought I'd give my review on it. The E1405 is Dell's latest laptop computer, and is also one of their smallest, replacing the older Inspiron 640m. The key points of this laptop are size and price. Starting at $649, the laptop is very modestly priced, and yet gives you such options as an Intel Dual Core processor.

The laptop that I purchased came with a 1.66 GHz Intel Centrino Duo processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 120 GB hard drive and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950. While I got all of this for a little over $800, note that the E1405 cannot run a dedicated graphics card, so the GMA 950 is the best you're going to get. Therefore, the E1405 is already limited to mainly a work and/or traveling machine, and not a true desktop replacement, since gaming is compromised for the sake of size and price.

I opted for the $10 upgrade to a glossy screen. Glossy screens make the display brighter, but can also cause annoying glare in direct sunlight or very well-lit areas. So far, I have no experienced any noticeably distracting glare, but light does reflect off the screen. However, I can have the backlight turned down as low as possible and still see everything on the screen just fine, so I think that a glossy screen was worth the mere $10 fee.

This is the first laptop I've ever owned, so this is really the first laptop keyboard I've used extensively. The layout is similar to most laptops, and so is the feel, which is "clicky" like other keyboards. It's nothing brilliant, but it's also nothing bad. Everything on the keyboard is well laid out and easy to read. Some keys have up to three different commands! There are special blue "function keys" that control the backlight, can turn Wi-Fi on and off, shut down the system, adjust the volume, etc.

One annoyance I had with the laptop was the default behavior of the Synaptics touch pad. When you first use the touch pad, you can also double-tap on it to emulate clicking the left mouse button. I imagine that this would be useful to some, but this is only one side of the coin. By default, the touch pad also uses what's known as "tap and drag," or a way of highlighting text with the touch pad. By making a swift down-up motion on the pad, you can highlight text, or, if in a web browser like Opera, re-arrange tabs. I found this to be annoying not because it's a bad feature, but because the default behavior should simply be what a touch pad was made for; moving the on-screen mouse, and nothing more. Considering that there are two large mouse buttons just below the pad, there was no reason for the default settings to be so "advanced," especially when you consider that the E1405 is the perfect price for a beginner's laptop computer.

The E1405 has very good battery life. When building the laptop, you can upgrade from a 6-cell battery to a 9-cell battery for $99. I do not recommend this, since even longer life batteries can be purchased much cheaper offline. Not to mention that the standard 6-cell battery has a long lifespan as it is. The battery is shipped from the factory with a full charge. By the time I received my laptop from UPS, about three days later, the lifespan had fallen to about 76%. After at least one hour of usage, I was surprised to see I still had another 54% to go, which was rated as about 1:37 minutes left of computing time before needing a recharge. I don't know about other laptops, but I was surprised that a nearly full battery had lasted for no less than four hours. Note that I had the backlight at about 50% brightness, with Bluetooth (not equipped by default, but can be added for $30) and Wi-Fi enabled. Obviously, having the backlight lower and turning off those options will make the battery life even longer, whereas having everything turned on and the backlight at max power will shorten the battery life.

When it is time to charge the battery, the E1405 comes with a standard 110v AC adapter. It's in two parts, one part connecting to the laptop and the other part connecting to a power outlet. They connect in the middle, where the power brick is located, and thanks to a weird design, the two pieces are actually a bit hard to snap together, since they come together at a strange 90? angle. Beyond that, there isn't much else to say about the battery.

The E1405 comes with an optical drive, and you have the option of upgrading it several times. I opted for a dual CD/DVD burner, since it was a free upgrade at the time of purchase. Dell is known for their infamous trialware, and one of the trial apps included is the Roxio suite, to help with creating and burning CDs and DVDs. Obviously, you can also choose to use Windows XP's built-in apps, which I find are more than sufficient. Next to the optical drive are a couple of USB 2.0 ports, which is nice if you're using one of those special wireless laptop mice, or any other USB powered device. Next to those is the standard phone jack line-in for dial-up users, and the Ethernet jack for broadband in places like hotels that don't always offer wireless. Finally, you have a port for attaching an external monitor, though I can only really see that as being useful with a laptop port replicator, which basically turns your laptop into a full-blown desktop.

The back of the laptop is pretty clean in design. You have two more USB 2.0 ports, giving you four total, and that's about it. Note that the above picture has a "bulge" in the back because it includes the 9-cell extended life battery. The standard 6-cell battery is flush with the back.

The E1405 has a built-in media card reader, accepting everything from a Memory Stick Pro Duo to a Compact Flash. In addition to the standard headphone and microphone ports, there is also an "Express Card" port, which feature a little slide-out drawer. I don't know what this is used for, but it's there for those who need it. The fans and ventilation for the laptop are also located on this side.

On the front side of the laptop are dedicated media keys. These keys control the volume, act as a remote control when watching a DVD, and also start and manage a program called Dell MediaDirect, which is supposedly similar to Microsoft's Media Center, but can be run when the laptop itself is hibernating.

At a weight of 5.3 lbs. and dimensions of 12.99''?9.56'', the E1405 is not a large or heavy laptop, but also can't be classified as "ultra-portable," like other more expensive laptops are. I have not found it awkward to carry so far, and I imagine it would be even easier once I purchase a carrying case. (You can buy one when setting up your initial order.) The screen also measures as being 14.1'' diagonally, which I think is the perfect size for a laptop. The native resolution is 1440?900 pixels, so you will experience a widescreen ratio, which makes watching DVD movies a really nice bonus.

Edited December 11, 2006 by drygnfyre

[snyper]

Great review.

Dell have different inspiron numbers on the lappys in europe.

I have the same / similar one inspiron 6000, with extras cost me ?1500 bout ?1800 dollars.

I love it:); :)

[Quillz]

Great review.

Dell have different inspiron numbers on the lappys in europe.

I have the same / similar one inspiron 6000, with extras cost me €1500 bout €1800 dollars.

I love it! :)

Actually, I don't believe it's regional, but how it's classified. For example, the Dell Dimension E510 is classified as a "home computer," but the Dell Dimension 5100, the exact same computer, is classified as a "small business computer." Like I said earlier, the E1410 appears to be the new front-end for personal laptops, with the 640m that it replaced now being shelved as a "business laptop."

[snyper]

Dell Ireland

Take a look, this is what i mean

[Denki]

you can find those designations under the small business section on dell us. just want to point out there is a m1210 which is rather much smaller, so your statement of one of the smallest is sort of incorrect. the 1410 is closer to just midsize :)

[Quillz]

you can find those designations under the small business section on dell us. just want to point out there is a m1210 which is rather much smaller, so your statement of one of the smallest is sort of incorrect. the 1410 is closer to just midsize :)

No, my statement is correct. I didn't say it was the smallest, I said it's one of the smallest. Yes, the M1210 is smaller, but after that, I think the E1405 is the smallest.

[Shof]

One annoyance I had with the laptop was the default behavior of the Synaptics touch pad. When you first use the touch pad, you can also double-tap on it to emulate clicking the left mouse button. I imagine that this would be useful to some, but this is only one side of the coin. By default, the touch pad also uses what's known as "tap and drag," or a way of highlighting text with the touch pad. By making a swift down-up motion on the pad, you can highlight text, or, if in a web browser like Opera, re-arrange tabs. I found this to be annoying not because it's a bad feature, but because the default behavior should simply be what a touch pad was made for; moving the on-screen mouse, and nothing more. Considering that there are two large mouse buttons just below the pad, there was no reason for the default settings to be so "advanced," especially when you consider that the E1405 is the perfect price for a beginner's laptop computer.

Just wondering, does you computer come with Control Panel in XP? If it did, you will find the mouse. Clicking that will active this:

Within a few clicks, those annoying things will disapper

and incase your wondering..i have an e1505

[Quillz]

Just wondering, does you computer come with Control Panel in XP? If it did, you will find the mouse. Clicking that will active this:

Within a few clicks, those annoying things will disapper

and incase your wondering..i have an e1505

Yes, this is exactly what I did to manage how the touch pad behaves.

[Echilon]

I really wish I'd have bought something like this instead of a 17" Inspiron 9400.

[Quillz]

I really wish I'd have bought something like this instead of a 17" Inspiron 9400.

Well, the E1405 has only been available for about a month now. Its predecessor, the 640m, was available at the beginning of the year, I think. But I agree that with laptops, bigger isn't necessarily better.

[Inplode]

i have an dell inspiron 9100 and its HEAVY and runs FREAKING hot . how hot is this thing running im thinking about getting a new notebook but i cant make up my mind between a new dell or a new apple

[Quillz]

i have an dell inspiron 9100 and its HEAVY and runs FREAKING hot . how hot is this thing running im thinking about getting a new notebook but i cant make up my mind between a new dell or a new apple

The E1405 is not nearly as big or as heavy as the 9100. While it gets warm, that's about it. I've never found it to get too hot or even experienced heat-induced slowdown. Obviously, it's important to keep the computer in a well-ventilated area.

[DreadBoat89]

Well, the E1405 has only been available for about a month now. Its predecessor, the 640m, was available at the beginning of the year, I think. But I agree that with laptops, bigger isn't necessarily better.

well the e1405 is the 640m... its just 2 different names...

here in canada, dell uses inspiron 640m and 6400 instead of e1405 and e1505

[Quillz]

well the e1405 is the 640m... its just 2 different names...

here in canada, dell uses inspiron 640m and 6400 instead of e1405 and e1505

The latter two are still available, but they are marketed now as business-oriented PCs (at least in the USA.)

[Sam]

Nice review :)

I've got a 6400/e1505 with a 1.73GHz Core Duo, 1gb ram, 120gb HDD and a Radeon x1300. Plays NFS: MW fine :)

[Inplode]

The E1405 is not nearly as big or as heavy as the 9100. While it gets warm, that's about it. I've never found it to get too hot or even experienced heat-induced slowdown. Obviously, it's important to keep the computer in a well-ventilated area.

thisis true but i do keep it in a very well vented area and i have a cooling pad for it after about 2 or 3 hours or work i have no choice but to shut it down its soo hot and running slow . but everything i read about the 9100 case is that DELL borked it big time

[Quillz]

I usually keep the laptop on all day, via hibernating and AC power, and like I said, it's never felt like it was too hot.

[stanleyxu2005]

Nice laptop :D

And there's a nice article https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?auto...p;showentry=626

[hifive]

I used the E1505 for a couple days before and it's lovely; a very nice notebook. I wouldn't mind purchasing one as a secondary computer to a desktop or even as a primary one when space is cramped.

[Quillz]

For those of you who can't decide between the E1405, E1505 and E1705, which are all virtually identical, here's a size comparison between the smallest (E1405) and the largest (E1705.)

[Premgenius]

I got the E1705 & my brother as the E1405, wish the small one has a better graphics card.

[TokyoKiller]

Nice review, I am going to write one soon for my Inspiron 6400/E1505 which I got on the 15th of this month.

I love this laptop, it's a great machine for price I paid. Many of my friends suggest I got one of the greatest deals Dell has had for a while. Just read my review that I will post today or tomorrow where I will explain how my order went ;).

[Quillz]

I'd like to point out one other thing I've discovered with this notebook, which was by accident. If you right-click on the desktop, a "Graphic Options" menu will appear, and you can rotate the screen vertically. I don't know what use this would serve, as the notebook can't be folded like a tablet PC, but it's there if you do need it for some reason.

[CY:G]

Nice review, I am going to write one soon for my Inspiron 6400/E1505 which I got on the 15th of this month.

I love this laptop, it's a great machine for price I paid. Many of my friends suggest I got one of the greatest deals Dell has had for a while. Just read my review that I will post today or tomorrow where I will explain how my order went ;).

O'rly?, i ordered mine a week ago and it was the sweetest deal EVER, imagine this, for $900 i got 2Gb DDR2 and 120GB HDD plus everything else...., any other site would charge you around $200 just to upgrade the ram

Of course i paid more since i ordered X1400, 9cell batt and UWXGA screen :p

[Krpano]

Nice review, I am going to write one soon for my Inspiron 6400/E1505 which I got on the 15th of this month.

I love this laptop, it's a great machine for price I paid. Many of my friends suggest I got one of the greatest deals Dell has had for a while. Just read my review that I will post today or tomorrow where I will explain how my order went ;).

I cant wait for your review....im about to order the 6400 Platinum next week.

Your review would come really handy. :D

Of course i paid more since i ordered X1400, 9cell batt and UWXGA screen :p

Aint the UWXGA+ the one with the huge resolution (1680x1050) ?

Do you have any hard time reading texts with that res in a 15.4" monitor ?