Dell Vostro 130 Review – the svelte business laptop

1. Introduction2. Dell Vostro 1303. Software, Hardware and Testing Methodology4. Synthetic: Cinebench R11.5 64 bit5. Synthetic: SiSoft Sandra6. Synthetic: HD Tach and CrystalMark7. Synthetic: PC Mark Vantage8. Real World: Media Encoding with Cyberlink Espresso9. Real World: BluRay Playback with Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 Ultra10. Real World: Flash HD Playback11. Real World: File Copying12. Real World: 3D Studio Max 201113. Real World: Gaming14. Technical: Screen Analysis15. Technical: Battery Life16. Technical: Thermal Dynamics17. Technical: Acoustics Performance18. Technical: Power Drain19. Closing Thoughts20. View All Pages

There are a plethora of laptops aimed at the business user, many of which fall into the ‘grey, boring and clunky category'. Dell are trying to shake this market up by offering a rather sexy alternative which stands out in a crowded market. No longer will a sharp dressed executive have to hide his head in shame when whipping out his laptop in the company of peers.

The Dell Vostro 130 (successor to the Vostro 13) is without doubt one of Dells most attractive designs to date … with a uniform, razor thin aluminum chassis immediately catching the eye. Technically, first impressions are positive, with a high quality, anti glare WLED screen supported by 7,200 rpm hard drive, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and Intel Core i3/i5 ultra low voltage processor. With prices starting at £399, it won't break the business bank account either.

Could this be the ultimate affordable business laptop with added sex appeal? Today KitGuru will reveal all.

Our review sample shipped with the full 4GB of memory, a 500GB 7,200 hard drive and the highest specification i5-470UM processor. This particular system costs £779 inc. delivery without VAT applied.

A full range of specifications available:

Processors
Intel®  CoreTM  Processor ULV i5-470UM (3M Cache, 1.33GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
Intel®  CoreTM  Processor ULV i3-380UM (3M Cache, 1.33GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
Intel CeleronTM  Processor ULV U3400 (2M Cache, 1.06GHz, 800 MHz FSB)

Operating System
Genuine Windows®  7 Professional 64-Bit
Genuine Windows®  7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Genuine Windows®  7 Home Basic 64-Bit
Ubuntu®  Linux®

Memory
DDR3 SDRAM (800 MHz) one slot supporting 4GB1 DIMM.

Chipset
Mobile Intel®  HM57 Express Chipset

Graphics
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (HD)

Display
13.3″ (34 cm) diagonal LED-backlit HD (1366 x 768) Anti-glare

Primary Storage1
5400 rpm SATA 250GB
7200 rpm SATA 500GB
128GB Solid State Drive
Standard Free Fall Sensor on the motherboard

Optical Drives
Optional External 8X DVD+/-RW

Multimedia
Speaker
Stereo headphone jack
Microphone jack and integrated microphone array
Integrated 2.0 Mega pixel webcam and Dell Webcam Central software

Power
6-cell Lithium Ion sealed battery (30WHr)

Connectivity
Integrated Wire: Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 NIC)
Wireless LAN: Intel 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.0; Dell 802.11 b/g/n; Intel®  WiMax Link 6250 (US only)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth v3.0 + High Speed
Mobile Broadband : Dell 5540/5620 EM820U HSPA (requires mobile network operator service)

Ports, Slots & Chassis
Network connector (RJ45)
USB 2.0 (2)
USB 2.0/eSATA combo (1)
Microphone jack
Headphone/speaker out
5-in-1 card reader
HDMI
User accessible SIM card slot
15-pin VGA video connector

Dimensions & Weight
Width: 330mm
Height: (front/back) 16.5-19.7mm
Depth: 230mm
Starting weight: 3.5lbs/1.59kg (with 6-cell battery)

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