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Editors' Rating What the Numbers Mean We rate products on a scale of 1 to 10. Here\'s an overview of what the ratings mean. 8 to 10: Excellent These products are at the very top of their class and have few or no flaws. 6 to 7 Very Good These products are above average in almost every meaningful measure. While they may have a few minor faults, their strengths outweigh their weaknesses. 5 to 6 Mediocre These products are below average. They are functional but may have major deficiencies. 3 to 4 Inferior These products are seriously flawed and typically are not worthy of consideration. 1 to 2 Wholly Deficient These products do not work.','', 300)" onmouseout="hideddrivetip()"> 7.8 Pros Boots quickly; has HDMI port, touch-sensitive media controls; vertical and horizontal scroll strips; provides access to media and presentations without booting Windows; lots of case design options Cons Noisy optical drive; integrated graphics can't be upgraded; keyboard keys a bit shallow; glossy screen produces excessive glare Editors' Take Though no friend to gamers, the Dell Inspiron 1525 offers mainstream users a good mix of style and portability.

Key Specs

Processor: 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 Memory: 2GB DDR2 Storage: 120GB hard drive Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW Display: 15.4-inch TFT Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA X3100 Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Review

Reviewed by: Rick Broida Review Date: January 2008

The Inspiron 1525 improves on its predecessor, the popular Inspiron 1520, in almost every way. It shaves off a few ounces and inches, adds worthwhile new features, and puts more power under the hood, all while keeping the price below $1,000. Actually, the new Inspiron starts at just $499, but our review configuration pushed the price to $974. However you trick out this notebook, you're sure to be pleased by its travel-friendly dimensions, stylish design options, and nifty extras. Gamers, however, will definitely be disappointed with its sluggish integrated graphics.