Have owned this laptop for 4 years now and it's still going strong. Can still do anything I need to even though it is so old. People are mentioning that keys fall off, I have never had this problem. Never had to perform any repairs on it. People also mention that the touch activated sound buttons have a mind of their own, its probably because they don't clean their laptop so there is residue built up tricking the computer into thinking that you are pressing the buttons, I've never had this problem.
Never should've bought this laptop.Since I bought this computer two years ago, I have been plagued with problems from it. Keep in mind that I use this computer for school, internet and gaming. I have since had to replace the charger cord 4 times. I have had to get an entirely new hard drive 4 times as well due to overheating issues. The hinge on the computer is flimsy plastic and has broken 3 times, which made the entire screen case pop off, as well as making the hinge unable to close which led to the back of the screen actually CRACKING. The eject and sound buttons (as another reviewer mentioned) often choose to work/not work whenever they want. Just from regular use of the keyboard, the keys often pop off. The track pad left-click button has ceased to work for about a year now (but I use an external mouse). I understand that all computers start wearing after awhile, but the problems I have had with this computer started not long after I bought the machine and have been persistent. I would STRONGLY not recommend this to anyone.
One mitigating factor was that the Dell Customer Service has been more than accommodating to all my issues. The extended warranty was a must-have. Still very, very disappointed.I've owned this laptop for over 4 years now and it is still going strong. Screen is still working just like the first day I got it, all the keys still function, and it can handle almost anything I throw at it. Though this isn't a perfect laptop.
One huge issue I had with it was Windows Vista. It was fast at first on the Dell, but after a while it slowed my Dell down greatly. So I updated its operating system to Windows 7 and it is much faster now, not to mention Windows 7 is way better than Vista in terms of appearance and customization. The upgrade was pretty much flawless too. Only had a delete or upgrade a few of my programs but then it would run normally. It now even beats my girlfriends MacBook on the boot-up. I'm very happy now that it's running Windows 7. I HIGHLY recommend upgrading from Vista to 7. You can find good deals online.
Another issue with this Dell is the processing speed and RAM. As a student engineer, I need something that can handle AutoCAD and other 3D drafting software. The 2.0GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM is nice for web surfing and basic gaming, it's a bit sluggish when I run my AutoCAD software. It takes a good 5 minutes for the program to boot up, but once it's up it can run with some of the newer computers. I'm looking into possibly upgrading the RAM to 8 GB (2x4GB) which is the max that this computer can handle. However I'm currently saving as much money as I can to get me though school. So for now, it is a good computer for my needs.
The other issues I have with this laptop are minor, such as the touch buttons at the top, minor heat issues, short battery life, and minor cosmetic defects. I really don't like touch buttons. I wish they were dim then when you touched them, they brighten up and go back to dim. Instead, they're dark and brighten when you touch them. This gets frustrating when you're on your computer in a dark room and want to adjust the volume. I don't know which one I'm touching until I touch it. But could be worse. As for the heat issues that others have said, my computer actually had very few heat issues, as mine came with the extended life (9 cell) battery that propped the back up. So whenever the fan turned on, it would breathe perfectly fine. However, I have had this battery since I first got the computer, so now it can only hold a charge for a good hour, then I have to plug it in. For me, I learn to live with it and always work near an outlet. As for the cosmetic defects, it's from normal use. I've hardly ever slammed my laptop shut, I try to keep it as clean as I can, and I handle it carefully everyday. In return, the laptop has not fallen apart on me. Even when I dropped it once from waist height, nothing happened except a little damage on the hinge but it still works perfectly fine, hard drive and everything.
I would recommend this to anyone who needs a good laptop for everyday use. Just upgrade the operating system to Windows 7 and treat it nicely.I've had this laptop for 5 years now. And I can tell you anything about it. For commercial use and gaming its an awesome computer. Granit you can't play wow on ultra graphics but you can play on fair with no lag. The touch buttons on the top I thought was neat. But I do have to agree that I wish they weren't. Sometimes my disc tray will just eject the disc on its own. But that's rarely. Yes this laptop has poor battery life now mine only lasts about 30min. And I never had to replace the power cord at all. This laptop does over heat easily but all you have to do is prop something behind it to let it breath a little and it will do fine. This laptop also has an internal mic for which I can't seem to find. Because it broke on me :p. the only major downfall to this CPU really is that it has vista. You can always upgrade to windows 7 (already did the test for it and this laptop is capable of win7). This laptop is a good gift for someone. I recommend it. If you need more RAM space it can be expandable to 8gb. (2 x 4gb memory sticks). I've never really had a problem with this laptop. But I do think its time for an improvement for me :)
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