• Tag Archives Dell

  • Digital Archaeology: Dell Vostro 3550

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Dell Vostro 3550 is one of the newer laptops I’ve looked at. A Sandy Bridge era processor and 6 GB of RAM make it quite usable today even if it is getting kind of old. It’s basic stats include:

    • CPU: Core i7-2640M @ 2.8 GHz
    • RAM: 6 GB DDR3-10600
    • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 6650M
    • Screen: 1366×768

    For more details, check out the output of HardInfo, HWiNFO, and/or CPU-Z.

    This laptop originally shipped with Windows 7 so to me it certainly isn’t “vintage” and it’s a stretch to call it “retro”. However, Windows 7 was introduced more than 15 years ago and mainstream support ended around 10 years ago. It was only around a few years before the unpopular Windows 8 was released. It’s a shame that Windows 7 had such a short life (well, compared to Windows XP anyway). It was probably Microsoft’s best OS next to XP. The Vostro 3550 itself was released well over a decade ago in 2011 so it fits into that sort of arbitrary age of at least 10 years that I chose as being the minimum for calling something “retro”.

    The Vostro line always seemed a bit superfluous to me. I guess Dell ultimately decided the same as they discontinued it in 2013. Dell had (and still has) the XPS and Alienware lines for gaming/multimedia/entertainment, Latitude for business, Precision for workstations and Inspiron for their mainstream consumer line. The Vostro line was supposed to be a low cost business line, sort of an Inspiron dressed up as a business machine.

    Like most laptop models, the Vostro 3550 came in several configurations with different CPU, RAM, and GPU options (among others). This particular one was the top of the line configuration. However, it still wouldn’t be classified as high end. The CPU, though an i7, was a dual core, quad thread model. The ATI Radeon HD 6650M would probably be classified as a mid-range card for a laptop. It was a dedicated GPU with its own RAM and performance was good enough for most games of the time though often not at the highest detail.

    For modern usage, the worst feature is probably the low res screen. I’ve been spoiled by 1080p and above screens and it is hard to go back. 1366×768 just isn’t enough.

    To me, the Vostro line fit better as an alternate to the Inspiron line for those that wanted a bit of a more understated design. I’m pretty sure that the internal hardware was probably the same or mostly the same as Inspiron models from the same time period. I guess it made sense for businesses trying to by hardware as cheap as possible but if you were really buying for a business it just seems like you were better off spending a little more and buying something from the Latitude line. I think they came with better support and warranty options anyway.

    My particular laptop recently developed an issue where it would go to sleep or shutdown almost immediately after starting up. I was able to circumvent the problem by switching to Linux. However, I believe the issue is with the battery. It does not charge at all but it behaves a little oddly even in Linux. I frequently get a pop-up that says “Your Battery is charging”. Simply removing the battery would likely solve the problem I was having in Windows (and get rid of the pop-up I’m seeing in Linux).

    Like all the hardware I power up, this laptop is running various BOINC projects. Having a 64-bit CPU and sufficient RAM means it can do work for all of the projects I normally participate in including Einstein@home, Rosetta@home, Asteroids@home, MilkyWay@home, Universe@home and World Community Grid. You can check out how it is doing overall at FreeDC.


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  • Digital Archaeology: Dell Vostro 230

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Vostro line from Dell was a low cost business line of desktops and laptops. Many times they were slight variations of Inspiron models internally with a different external design. Generally Vostros, whether laptop or desktop models, were all black with blue lighting. The Vostro 230 is no exception. This model (or at least my variant) features a Core 2 Quad processor. The original configuration included 3GB of RAM a 500GB hard drive used the integrated motherboard Intel video solution and shipped with Windows 7 32-bit. The current configuration includes the following:

    • CPU: Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66 GHz
    • RAM: 8 GB DDR3-1333
    • Video: HIS HD 5550 Silence 1 GB (I think)
    • SSD: Kingston 60GB

    See the output of HardInfo for more details on the hardware.

    The discrete GPU though not a particularly high performing model is still a significant improvement over the Intel graphics on the motherboard. The SSD is significantly smaller but also significantly faster than the original hard drive. The 8 GB maxes this machine out. This machine is certainly capable of running a modern OS such as Windows 10 or Linux. I have Xubuntu installed currently and it feels plenty fast. If you really wanted to use this as a daily driver you would probably need to install a data drive. 60GB is really tiny by today’s standards…which is somewhat amusing as my first “PC” included a 340MB hard drive to which I later added a MASSIVE 1GB drive…

    The good news with this PC is that it seems to use pretty standard parts. Many times OEM systems, including many Dells, are proprietary in some way or another. In this case the power supply is a standard ATX model and even the motherboard seems to be easily swappable. In that sense, upgrades are pretty much only limited by what you can fit in the case.

    On the other hand, if you are just interested in adding a GPU, the existing power supply is going to be a big limitation as it is only 250 watts. That pretty much limits you to cards that don’t require an external power connector. Something like a GT 1030 would probably be a good match for this system if you wanted to do some semi-modern gaming.

    As I mentioned above, the RAM is already maxed out at 8 GB which is enough basic tasks and older games. The CPU is already a fairly decent model. It can be upgraded to a Core 2 Quad Q9550 which is a couple of hundred MHz faster and includes a significantly larger L2 cache. However, it will probably give you less than a 10% bump over the Q8400 that’s already installed. Many Vostro 230s shipped with slower Core 2 Duo CPUs so in those cases the upgrade would be well worth it.

    Like all the machines I run, this one is running BOINC and crunching tasks for various projects. Having a 64-bit CPU and running a modern OS means it can do work for just about all available projects. Currently, this one is crunching tasks for Einstein@home, Milkyway@home, Rosetta@home, Asteroids@home, Universe@home and World Community Grid. You can see how it is doing overall at FreeDC.


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  • Digital Archaeology: Dell Inspiron B130

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Dell Inspiron B130 was a low end laptop that was near the bottom end of what Dell offered at the time. However, even the B130 had a number of configurations, mostly differing by CPU and amount of RAM. My particular model includes the following:

    • Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73GHz) Processor
    • 1 GB DDR2 Memory (PC-4200)
    • 300 GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
    • 24x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
    • 15.4″ WXGA (1280×800) Wide Screen LCD
    • Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics with 128MB Shared Memory
    • V.90 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless
    • Three USB 2.0 Ports and Express Card/54 Slot

    The 300 GB hard drive is not original. This laptop probably originally shipped with a 60 GB hard drive. It may have also only had 512 MB of RAM originally. For more complete specs, check out the output of HardInfo.

    In terms of the CPU, this was probably near the higher end of what was offered with this particular model. There were other Celeron based and slower Pentium M iterations but probably not many that were faster. In 2005, when the B130 was released, this processor was reasonably fast. However, the integrated Intel graphics were the lowest end available and definitely not suited for contemporary gaming. Other low end indicators were the DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive which could not write DVDs, and the lack of a firewire port which was standard on most laptops at the time. The resolution also wasn’t particularly high. 1280×800 was pretty typical for low end widescreen laptops at the time.

    There isn’t much that can be done in terms of upgrading. I’m sure you could put in an SSD if you wanted and the RAM is expandable to 2GB which would definitely help. However, you are stuck with the Intel graphics and while the CPU could probably be upgraded, there isn’t a whole lot of speed to be gained going that route.

    While having an entirely plastic exterior, it still feels pretty solid and the keyboard isn’t terrible. The B130 is very utilitarian looking but the mostly black design still looks ok. It’s definitely no powerhouse but if you were looking for a cheap (for the time) laptop (around $600 or so), then I suppose this would not have been a bad choice.

    Like all the hardware I operate, this one runs BOINC when it is on and participates in various projects. It has processed work for Einstein@home, Asteroids@home and World Community Grid. Check out its overall BOINC stats at FreeDC.



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