The Dell Inspiron 1420

The 1420 caries forward what can only be described as "traditional dell design" with simplified lines. In short, the new Inspiron notebooks look very similar to the previous generation of Dell notebooks ... but Dell engineers have stripped the white bumpers and added a nice coat of paint. While the design isn't as innovative as what we saw in the new Dell XPS M1330, the simple lines and solid construction look quite nice for a budget notebook. Students certainly shouldn't be ashamed of how the 1420 looks when they carry this notebook to class. From the matte black and silver-metalic plastics to the painted lid the Inspiron 1420 is a design that lacks the flash but isn't short on style.

The Inspiron 1420 lid does not have a latch to hold it closed, but the hinge mechanism works well and firmly holds the lid in place. There is almost no flex to the screen. The lid of the 1420, like all the new Inspiron notebooks comes in your choice of eight colors for an extra level of customization. Our review unit came with an "Espresso Brown" paint job. The paint looks quite nice and durable at first glance.

After opening the lid and seeing the silver plastic interior and rounded surface of the 1420 you'll notice how solid the notebook feels ... at the expense of some added thickness. The entire case is sturdy with relatively thick plastic and magnesium alloy reinforcement in just the right places. There are no creaks or signs of case flex anywhere to be found.

The Dell Inspiron 1420 is a solid notebook with an impressive set of features at a value price. As students are getting ready to return to class this notebook will certainly be a strong candidate for a school notebook. The choice of eight available colors is a nice addition, though we aren't quite sure how Dell's paint job will hold up to abuse. While the entry-level version of the 1420 with integrated Intel graphics lacks the power for serious gaming, the dedicated nVidia graphics card makes for a capable value gaming machine and mobile multimedia center. Of course, once you add all of the available options to make the 1420 a real powerhouse the cost begins to eat away at the "value" benefit of this notebook.

The Specs:
Inspiron 1420
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5800 (2.0GHz,800Mhz FSB,2MB cache)
14"1 inch LCD
2 GB RAM
250 GB HardDisk
Nvidia GeForce 8400GM 128mb Graphics
Windows Vista Home Basic
DVDRW
2.0 Mega Pixel Webcam
Wireless/Bluetooth
GREEN colour

RM2599

For more info, surf:

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspnnb_1420?c=us&cs=19&l=en&ref=lthp&s=dhs