The Dell Vostro 1520 is sold by Dell as a small business targeted laptop. It has a 15.4″ widescreen display, relatively thin design, and has a black glossy finish. The Vostro 1520 is an update to the Vostro 1510 laptop released last year by Dell. Though not a whole lot has changed in terms of design with the refresh of the Vostro 1520, the newer model is slightly thinner and lighter while still maintaining a sturdy build, and it does offer more powerful processor and graphics options.
To start as a reference, here’s a link to the Vostro 1520 being reviewed on Dell.com:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=bqcwc1z&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&kc=productdetails~laptop-vostro-1520 (opens in new window)
The Vostro 1520 is available in a wide variety of configurations, with processor configurations ranging from a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo to speedy Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66GHz, optional Nvidia 9300 dedicated graphics, and fast SSD storage or a large 320GB standard hard drive. While the Vostro 1520 is sold through Dell Small Business, it is a laptop that could suit students or indeed anyone looking for a durable well appointed machine that also comes at a very reasonable price and backed by good support.
Pictured below is the Dell Vostro 1520:
| Vostro 1520 box
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Vostro 1520 out of the box
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Specifications of Vostro 1520 Review Laptop
The Vostro 1520 comes in a wide variety of configurations, the one under review is a budget configuration with lower end component choices. Because of this the price was only $619:
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5870 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
- Graphics: Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
- Hard Drive Storage: 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Memory: 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz, 2 DIMM
- Screen: 15.4 inch WXGA Anti-Glare LED Display
- Media: 8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+/-R write capability
- Battery: 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
- Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Mini Card
- Ports: 4 USB 2.0, VGA out connector, Ethernet, Modem, 8-in-1 media card reader, 54mm ExpressCard slot, FireWire (IEEE 1394)
- Weight: 5.42lbs
- OS: Windows Vista Home Basic
Below is a table comparing the Vostro 1520 weight to its predecessors:
| Notebook | Weight |
| Dell Vostro 1520 (15.4” screen, 6-cell battery) | 5.42lbs |
| Dell Vostro 1510 (15.4″ screen, 6-cell battery) | 5.66lbs |
| Dell Vostro 1500 (15.4″ screen, 6-cell battery) | 6.75lbs |
| Dell Inspiron 1520 (15.4″ screen, 9-cell battery) | 7.4lbs |
As you can see, over the years the Vostro 15XX series has dropped weight and slimmed down, certainly good news for mobile types.
| Older Vostro 1510 top view | New Vostro 1520 top view |
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Above you can see the glossy finish of the Vostro 1520 lid is quite reflective, so you can imagine the problems it has with showing greasy fingerprints (some of which you can see on the lid). The previous Vostro 1510 also had this glossy finish and it seems to be the favored design style for all laptops of late.
The Vostro 1520 has a typical optical drive tray that pops out, in the previous Vostro 1510 the optical drive was slot loading. I personally like the slot loading drive, though it can be prone to more issues such as disks getting jammed inside.
| Older Vostro 1510 has a slot loading drive | Newer Vostro 1520 has a more typical tray drive |
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With the lid open you can see there are touch sensitive button controls along the top of the keyboard and the interior thankfully has a matte finish so it’s easy to keep looking clean. Speakers are aligned along the left and right side of the keyboard.
The look of the Vostro 1520 is very “standard issue” business notebook like, it’s by no means stunning and won’t win any awards. But for business users you’ll appreciate the thinner and lighter style, it’s much better for on the go. Students will appreciate the fresh glossy look and the extra mobility will be great for ease of carrying around campus.
Vostro 1520 size comparison to textbook |
Vostro 1520 underside view |
Build Quality
The durability of a laptop is one of its most important aspects, if a laptop is constructed of cheap plastics that easily breaks then you might pay a low price but it will be more prone to breaking. Thankfully, the Vostro 1520 has a case that is extremely rigid with no flex whatsoever. There’s especially good support in the palm rest area and the keyboard is very sturdy. The bottom of the Vostro 1520 is also rigid so putting it in your backpack is safe as it is well protected. Overall I was impressed with the Vostro 1520 feel and build quality.
Ports and Features
The Vostro 1520 has a decent range of ports. Four USB ports is certainly enough, FireWire is good to have and other than that everything is pretty standard as far as what’s included. The web camera and fingerprint reader are optional. For students the web camera would be a nice option to get ($40 upgrade), I’m not so sure the fingerprint reader is necessary unless you like to have that for easier logins. Missing is any type of higher resolution display output such as HDMI, DVI or even S-Video. If you don’t plan on giving presentations or using a large external LCD screen this won’t be a problem. Blu-Ray was an option on the Vostro 1520 at the time of my purchase, but without a method for hi-def output and no hi-def screen option this would be a wasted (and expensive) selection.
Front view of Vostro 1520: Headphone and Mic jacks, 8-in-1 media card reader slot
Left view of Vostro 1520: Two USB ports, ExpressCard 54mm slot, Wi-Fi switch
Right view of Vostro 1520: FireWire port, Two USB Ports, optical drive
Back view of Vostro 1520: Battery, Monitor out port, Ethernet jack, power jack
There is no dedicated docking solution for the Vostro lineup, though you can get a USB based port replicator if you want to add more ports (just as you can with any laptop).
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is of course full sized on the Vostro 1520. For a budget business notebook the keyboard is surprisingly good, it’s very firm with good tactile feedback from keys. I could not find any area of flex on the keyboard, even when trying. The touch sensitive buttons for media control look nice at the top, they’re some of the more responsive touch sensitive buttons that I have used – I never had a problem with a touch not registering.
Worth mentioning is the fact the palm rests are also very firm, you can lean heavily on the palm rest areas and still not cause any sinking in the case. This is thanks to the rigid case structure which should help the Vostro 1520 to last you a long while.
The only minor complaint I can find regarding the keyboard is the fact the Page Up and Page Down keys seem flipped to me, intuitively the PgUp should be on the right and PgDn on the left.
The touchpad works well, it could be a little bigger though. The mouse buttons actually have a nice tactile feel providing good feedback. You can get an optional fingerprint reader for an extra $25. This can be used to login to both Windows and save logins for websites that you access, so saves on time.
Performance and Internal Components
Performance of course varies depending on the configuration you select at Dell.com. If you don’t have demanding needs then the cheapest Core 2 Duo option will be enough power and offer the most power efficiency. The “slowest” current processor, the Intel T6570, is already 2.1GHz, so for most that will be the option to take. At the time of my purchase the Intel T5870 was the base model processor.
The Vostro lineup offers up to a 320GB hard drive, you know what you’re storage needs are, so get what you need to store all the files you need when on the go. If you’re more concerned about the speed of your system and money is no concern, the smaller capacity 128GB SSD will give you the fastest performance at the cost of an additional $400. The $50 upgrade to a 7200RPM is certainly a much more cost effective way to get better performance.
If you plan on playing games the Vostro 1520 might suit for some light gaming with older 3D based games, but neither the Intel 4500 or Nvidia 9300 will provide enough power to play the latest graphic demanding such as Grand Theft Auto 4. If gaming or graphics performance is of no concern, then go with the cheaper Intel integrated graphics option.
With the specifications for the Vostro 1520 under review I got a score of 4,442 PCMarks on PCMark05:
Compare this score to the Vostro 1510 with a Core 2 Duo T5870 2.10GHz, Intel X3100, 5400RPM HD of 3,783 and you’ll see it’s a significant improvement with the new Intel chipset, even though I had the exact same processor in the Vostro 1520 as was in the Vostro 1510.
In terms of 3D performance, the 3DMark results of 737 should give you the idea that with the Intel 4500 integrated graphics you’re not exactly going to be tearing things up in PhotoShop or GTA 4.
Running PCWizard gave a global performance score of 2,768.80:
Obviously the more you pay for better internal components the better performance you will get, but for most tasks except gaming your average student will have ample power with this configuration. If you’re an engineering student and need a computer for CAD design you will also need to consider getting a laptop with a more powerful graphics options.
Screen
Dell gives quite a selection of screens you can configure with the Vostro 1520. You can choose the following resolutions:
- 15.4″ Widescreen WXGA (1280 x 800) LED matte Display
- 15.4″ Widescreen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) LED matte Display
- 15.4″ Widescreen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) LED Display with TrueLife
“TrueLife” means a glossy screen finish, some might prefer this as it does make colors look brighter, if you’re in an office setting with bright lights it’s not so great though because glossy screen equates to a lot of reflection of lights. Since most students aren’t working in an office and will also use a laptop to double as an entertainment machine, glossy might be the way to go. If you work in a brightly lit office environment then go with the standard matte screen.
The standard resolution of WXGA is the most comfortable for viewing, but if you like to fit more on a screen, which is important for design or computer science students, then a higher resolution is better.
The brightness of the Vostro 1520 screen is good, the LED screen is brighter and thinner than that of the previous Vostro 1510 laptop.
Battery Life
Dell gives you the option of getting a standard 6-cell battery or an extended life 9-cell battery. The 9-cell of course adds extra weight and will stick out a bit from the back. Under normal usage, wireless on and screen brightness two notches below full I was able to get 4 hours and 50 minutes of life out of the 6-cell battery, which is very impressive. Unless you know you need longer battery life for a marathon lecture the standard battery would seem to be just fine. Dell claims up to 8 hours of battery life with the 9-cell battery.
Heat
The Vostro 1520 was disappointing in the respect that the palm rest areas did get more warm than I would like. The left palm rest became noticeably warm to the point of annoying after prolonged usage. The fan on the Vostro 1520 was also sporadic in the way it turned on and off. Though it was overly loud, it can be heard quite easily and it will kick in for about 10 seconds, turn off, and then 30 seconds later repeat. Quite annoying.
Audio
The Vostro 1520 has audio speakers on either side of the keyboard. They’re a bit tinny sounding as many laptop speakers are, but certainly not awful and better than many other business notebooks I have heard. Volume levels are good and the touch sensitive volume controls make it easy to turn volume up or down. As usual, headphones will provide the best listening experience and you of course have a headphone out port on the Vostro 1520.
Buying Advice
When buying through Dell Small Business there is no student discount such as is offered on the Inspiron and XPS line. Recently Dell has been offering more coupon codes on the Vosto lineup, so it’s worth searching around for coupon codes before buying.
If you configure the Vostro 1520 to be over $1,200 it’s probably worth considering an extended warranty to protect such a large investment. If you get a budget configuration skip the expense of an extended warranty. Also keep in mind that if you use an American Express card to make your purchase then American Express will automatically double your warranty with a max of one extra year coverage, effectively making your 1-year warranty a 2-year warranty or turning a 2-year warranty into a 3-year warranty — it certainly makes getting an Amex card worth it.
Conclusion
There’s nothing particularly fancy about the Vostro 1520, but the price and features are in line with what many people look for when purchasing a laptop computer. It might indeed be an exactly middle of the road offering – not too big and not too small in size, not to powerful but not to weak with performance, not too flashy yet not too dull, and not too cheap yet not too expensive. For a student on a budget the Vostro 1520 is a great choice as it shoud last you 3 – 4 years yet not break the bank. There’s not too much to complain about with the Vostro 1520, the heat issue on the palm rest and slightly warm temperatures in that same area is the most I can think of as being a problem. The features, performance and price make the Vostro 1520 easy to recommend.
If i get the Dell Installed Vista 32 bit,wont i be able to install Windows 7 on it.
Kartik says:
If i get the Dell Installed Vista 32 bit,wont i be able to install Windows 7 on it.
If I understand the Windows 7 upgrade, you should be able to either do an inplace upgrade of Vista to Windows 7 or you can do a clean install of Windows 7, wiping out Vista (this would be the recommended way).
Got my Vostro 1520. Great laptop but unfortunately mine had the problem with the left palmrest heating up. I’ve had many laptops before but I think this was by far the worst (an HP I had previously was also quite warm but not as bad as this one if I recall correctly). I had pretty much a stock 1520. An earlier poster said that the wifi card may be the culprit. I had the 1397 b/g card in mine. Maybe the 1510 b/g/n is better? Anyway, mine went back. Its a very nice laptop if you get a good build.
In regards to my previous post, I just read earlier on that Karl had a Vostro 1520 with a 1397 b/g wifi card and did not have the left palmrest issue. I don’t know why some models have a cooling problem and others don’t. Hope someone can figure it out.
what is the price of this model ?
RE: “Also keep in mind that if you use an American Express card to make your purchase then American Express will automatically double your warranty with a max of one extra year coverage, effectively making your 1-year warranty a 2-year warranty or turning a 2-year warranty into a 3-year warranty”
This offer is no longer offered by American Express – Confirmed Via Dell Customer Support 9/17/09
Thanks for all the info. I recently received my Vostro 1520 and absolutely love it! The look, the feel, the performance. I did get quite a few upgrades which put me at about $1100.00, but well worth it. I keep reading that the biggest complaint is the unit getting hot just to the left of the mouse pad. I haven’t noticed that at all. Warm yes, but not hot by any means. Perhaps my upgraded processer and such is the difference. I highly recommend this laptop.
I love my Vostro 1520. Yes it can get hot. My issue is this. I had Windows 7 RC ultimate 64 bit installed. It worked fine for a week than the touchpad crashed. Apparently the touchpad driver is somehow not compatible with Win 7. Dell says yes it is but that they can not help me until Win 7 is released officially on Oct 22nd. For some reason one must uninstall the driver for the Synaptics touchpad and install an ALPS driver I had luck with a Toshiba driver. Also One MUST disable all auto updates and select manually to install because Microsoft wants to update the Synaptics driver. Others are reporting that the culprit is a combo of this update and Windows Defender. Make sure you set up a Systems restore point so when it does mess up you can restore. You might want to invest in an external mouse until this is fixed. By the way it only happens to the Vostro 1520 so far that I can find.
How many usb poerts avaailable for the dell vostro 1520.
which model is better dell vostro or inspiron. if so why.
Hi
I am going to buy a Vostro 1520 with below specification:
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Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Graphics: 1.5GB Geforce 9300 GS (256 MB Dedicated)
Hard Drive Storage: 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Memory: 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 1066MHz, 2 DIMM
Screen: 15.4 inch WXGA+ TruLife LCD Display
Battery: 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Mini Card
Ports: 4 USB 2.0, VGA out connector, Ethernet, Modem, 8-in-1 media card reader, 54mm ExpressCard slot, FireWire (IEEE 1394)
Weight: 5.42lbs
OS: NO OS
Web cam: 1.3 Mpix
———————–
Please tell me your opinions, I will be so thankful.
I am a software engineer.
Thank you for your excellent and thorough review. We just received this laptop as a replacement under warranty for a Dell Inspiron. I was happy to read you found it has a durable casing! Your information was very helpful in figuring out what it is we were sent, and what to expect.
How do you do print screen on this laptop?
i just got mine yesterday p7570 2.26ghz 4gig ram and 250hd 7200rpm. the thing that bothers me is the keyboard especially the middle buttons when you press them the keyboard kind goes down like it is fixed with some kind of springs and then comes up is it a problem or built like that.
thanks
Thanks for the review. I just purchased a Vostro 1520 from Dell for $528 and now I feel much better about not knowing what I was doing when I made the purchase.
@deyman Try Fn + F11
Hey question for anyone here with the vostro 1520. Just wondering if you did thw windows 7 upgrade yet and how it works. And if you chose clean install or in-place upgrade. Thanks in advance for the feedback!
I just purchased a Vostro 1520 with an intergrated webcam. How do I launch it?
Thank you amanda
Hi,
A quick question, i got a dell vostro 1520 laptop – windows 7 OS with webcam. I do not see any program shortcut to invoke the webcam. I checked the driver status – its shows the integrated camera is configured properly. Do i have install install or change any setting before invoking the webcam?
Check the disks that came with the Vostro 1520, I believe they include software you can install from disk that acts as a webcam manager utility. If not, try installing this Creative webcam utility from Dell http://ftp.us.dell.com/app/R168730.EXE
Hi,
Great laptop, but the build quality sucks!
If you plan to use the laptop as a desktop replacement, BUY IT.
But if you plan to use it for traveling, don’t!
See other vostro user reviews if you a unbeliever!
gr,
Slako…
I recently purchased a vostro. Overall, I am happy with it but prospective buyers should be aware that the screen gets mashed into the keyboard and little scratches where the keys are develop on the screen. I got my screen replaced just a few days ago (thank goodness it was still under warranty).
Just received 2 new Vostro 1520 through Dell Outlet rated as previously ordered new. Watch Dell outlet because I got these for only $475 each. The best part is that they shipped loaded with XP Pro! Bought for use at my office and could not be happier. I do not require much horsepower for office and quickbooks so the Celeron 990 / 1 GB RAM / 160 GB HD / 4500 HD Graphics work great for me. I have no overheating problem as a matter of fact I was stunned that it runs so cold, even the air output from the fan on the side is cool. This could be due to the Celeron 990′s however as the Core Duo would probably run hotter. Great sturdy build and stellar looks make this a great professional looking office machine. Will be buying more units!
Great stuff! I just received the Vostro 1520 as a gift on Tuesday, and have had no issues with it. A lot of my questions have been answered here.
Thanks!
Thank you for your great review. I just bought this laptop yesterday…can hardly wait for delivery. Thanks again.
I think it unreasonable to complain about the extremely hot in the left palm rest,because there is no components in this part that will produce heat. The proof is found in this webpage:
http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=6592
click on the photo of the 1520 mainboard,and it will zoom in to full size. And you will find there is no components in the left palm rest！！！
@hilli: Thanks for the response, but that page did not load to show the internals for me. Furthermore, several users and other reviewers have mentioned the warm left palm rest. Here’s another review that mentions it:
“The palm rest area becomes noticeably warm during a heavy system load, with the right side staying cooler than the left, because of the fan on the right-hand side.”
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Vostro-1520-Notebook.19748.0.html
@AJ: Thanks for you suggestion.
I think the real reason is not the fan on the right-hand side, but maybe the CPU and north bridge are all near the left palm rest (see the picture of “The machine can get rather warm in places, both top and bottom”). So “The palm rest area becomes noticeably warm during a heavy system load”. If these components are designed on the upper part, such as in the location of memory, the performence may be improved.
As far as warm of touchpad is concerned,the south bridge and WLAN MiniCard made major contributions.
@Gregory:
I found the real reason for the hot of left palm rest. GPU,ie 9300GS M is under the left palm rest like dell vostro 1320.
Hi, Thanks for this great Article and the interesting user reviews/comments.
1. I saw that the Vostro 1520 has some issues with Charging. Many say that the Laptop freezes when you run while charging. Can anyone comment on this issue ?
2. Can I use the laptop with ONLY the Power Adapter Connected and the battery removed ?
Im planing to order this in June.
Thank You
@Jude:
Vostro 1520 will be sold out until June.I think so.
@hlli
sorry but i didn’t get u clearly
@Hlli:
I haven’t checked back at this site for about 1 year now! Glad to see that this site is still providing useful info. My 1520 did have a GPU card. I concur with you that the GPU is probably the real culprit for the hot left palm rest.
As I had mentioned in my earlier posts, I returned my 1520. I ended up getting a Latitude E6500.
I think Dell will end-of-life 1520 soon, replacing it with the 3000 series. I hope someone would start another thread for the new Vostro 3000 series.
-Gregory
Well been nearly a year for me as well, just sent it in for repair as I screwed up my bios lol! Has served me well and going strong still. Just waiting for Dell to re-send it back to me.
I have heat issue on Vostro 1520, the main problem is when I installed win 7 profesional. The temp was 41 celsius grade on left palm rest. Whe I had xp installed the temp was 34 celsius grade. i called Dell service, they change the cooler fan but the heat issue is not resolved. I think that problem is with the desing, it is not prepared for win7 (profesional).
i keep trying to find the drivers for the webcam, when i downloaded the one you posted it did nothing i dont know what to do for it and im getting very frustrated
I have a Dell Vostro 1520 that I am taking to France. Do I just need an adapter for it……or do I need a converter? If the latter, I need to know the wattage requirements of this laptop (which I don’t now know). The converter I now own has 2 settings, one for up to 50 watts and one for up to 1000 watts. I am not sure which of these 2 settings to use (assuming I even need a converter).
Help! Thanks, Jim Witeck
E-mail: jim.witeck@verizon.net
We bought three of these (Dell Vostro 1520) for a medical practice ($1200.00 each) and all of them failed just after the one year warranty period with failed motherboards. The motherboards from Dell are all several hundred dollars which rendered them economically unrepairable. We called Dell support to see if there was anything they could do and they offered basic troubleshooting for $59.99 and then they said, “…thanks for calling Dell and have a nice day.”
2 years on and still going strong! My battery has died so will need to replace that and recently added a SSD to this has made a big difference! Was thinking of replacing the laptop but was cheaper giving it a SSD! Also I have the 15.4″ Widescreen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) LED matte Display and most newer laptops still use a lower resolution so until 1080p laptops fall considerably in price or become the norm the 1520 will serve we well for the time being!
hello is it okay if i install windows seven or do i have 2 install windows vista business ?? and will anythn change if i install windows seven7?
You can safely install Windows 7 on the Vostro 1520, it will run it no problem, no need to install anything else before hand.