Dell Inspiron 14 14-inch Budget Laptop PC

Oct 7 2009 - Dell's Inspiron 14 is their middle sized budget laptop system with a 14-inch screen to help keep its size down. While the pricing can be very attractive, Dell made a few interesting choices when it comes to the system to keep the prices low. Of course, Dell offers a wide range of upgrades on custom orders but these will quickly add to the price and can push the systems cost well past many similarly equipped laptops. The system is functional but best serves those that need specific features.

Oct 6 2009 - Dell's Inspiron 14 shares much of the same base specifications that one would expect to see in a standard budget laptop computer. The real difference is that it is based around a 14-inch display that reduces the size and weight of the system. With the rise of the low cost Intel CULV based ultraportables, the Inspiron 14 still looks quite large.

Performance is on par with other budget laptops. The Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 and the 3GB of DDR2 memory can handle all the general programs that a home user will have. One disappointing aspect of this model though is the Vista Home Basic with its limited multimedia features. This is especially surprising given the very nice 14-inch LED backlit panel that is great for watching 720p video.

While features such as webcams and 802.11n wireless are becoming standard in the laptop world, Dell has decided to not include them on the lower cost version of the Inspiron 14. This is really surprising because the reviewed unit has a price tag of $550 to $600 yet these are found in most similarly priced system.

Dell does make up for these missing features with a few other items. The Inspiron 14 comes equipped with an ExpressCard slot for easy upgrading of networking and storage capability. Dell has also included a full 15-month subscription to McAfee's Security Center application which is a big departure from the more typical 30 to 90-day trial versions installed on most PCs.

Dell offers a large number of upgrades options so that users can have better graphics, networking, a webcam and even better software. This is great to customize the system to exactly what you might want. The problem is that all these upgrades quickly add up and can drive the cost of the system quite higher than the average budget laptop that this version is designed to compete against.