OK, so here's what I've found out about the 1520/1720 so far. I just started working at a Dell tech support center and today they had me sit in on some training, which basically went over the new Inspiron 530 (desktop) and the 1520/1720.
For all those that want to know, Dell is ditching the Dimension desktop line and renaming them Inspiron, which will be a headache.
I got to play with the 1520/1720 today, and we actually tore them apart and took out the Customer Replaceable Units. Here's what I have noticed after playing with them for a few hours.
The standard battery (at least I think it was standard. It was 85Wh) on the 1720 sticks out about 3/4 of an inch from the back. It isn't as bad as say the extended battery on the older Compaq models, but it is still there. The standard battery on the 1520 doesn't stick out at all.
They ARE a little thicker than previous models, but they are very modular in design. Everything, even down to the USB ports, are connected via cable to the mainboard, and have separate "modules" or circuit boards. So if the USB port goes out, for example, they just try and replace the USB port circuit board instead of the ENTIRE mainboard.
Also, according to the training pages, the 1520 will come with 3 graphics card options: Integrated GMA X3100, nVidia 8400M and the nVidia 8600M GS. This is NOT THE GT MODEL! It is still a welcome step up from the X1400 on the E1505 though. The 1720 will have the same options at release, until an 8800 Mobility card comes out. I'm sure that will go in the 1720. Both the 1521 and 1721 (AMD) only have integrated X1270 options.
WARNING: One of the SODIMM RAM slots is UNDERNEATH the keyboard. To me, this is poor design. It wasn't incredibly hard to get to, but why make things harder than they have to be?
Santa Rosa is pushing this new "FCM" or Flash Cache Module technology. You can plug in an extra 512MB or 1GB or "Cache" for your system, which helps spin the hard drive less and increases efficiency. Kind of cool technology, but we'll see if it catches on.
No word on DVI or HDMI, I haven't checked yet. BUT I will check in the next couple of days and report back.
The 1721 comes with a RAID 1 option for redundancy from the factory, but the 1720 does not. Once again, the 1720 is Intel based and they are pushing the FCM as discussed above, so they don't think they need RAID. There are 2 hard drive bays in the 1720 though, so software RAID is a possibility. Either that or just some massive storage.
I personally like the look of the new Inspirons. Much better than the previous E14/15/1705. All silver on the inside with BLUE LEDs throughout. The bottom is matte black and the LCD Back can be customized with a custom color. ALSO when you pick a color, you get a "customized" desktop background to go along with it that matches the color. They aren't that great, and just say "Inspiron" on them with a tribal design, but some might think it's cool.
The speakers are kind of underneath the front of the notebook, so they may be muffled if something blocks them. Poor design, once again. The wireless switch is on the left-rear, but it has 3 modes: Off, On and "Sniff," where it can tell you, even if the notebook is off, if a solid wireless network is available.
Oh, and there is a new "standard" for what used to be Mini-PCI cards. They have a new card called "Mini Card." It's about half the size and is based on PCI-Express x1. In all 3 models I believe there is a slot for a Wireless mini card as well as a WWAN, or Cellular Broadband card (for use with Cingular, Sprint, etc.) Kinda nice to have it built in, for those that don't want to use Expresscard slot.
One more thing: The leaked pictures on the lesdellions website or whatever are EXACTLY what they look like.
If anybody has anymore questions, PLEASE feel free to ask me. I'll try to be discrete about it so as not to get into any trouble. Official release date is 6/26/07.
syn0s
. Wollte eigentlich von Anfang an Dell, aber das fehlende Santa Rosa hatte mich bis dato abgeschreckt...