Dell Vostro 3550 2nd Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ 1GB graphics/ Linux Laptop (Backlit keyboard)

I was out shopping for a laptop which offered the best bang for the buck at 40K. Finally, it was a choice between the Asus K53SM-SX010D and the Dell Vostro 3550. Ultimately, I chose the Dell for the following reasons:

- Backlit keyboard, which is something I wanted for a long time
- Dell's proven after sales service (I already own a 3 year old Inspiron, no complaints in this regard)
- Matte Screen.

So far, it has been a purchase with no regrets. Everything performs as intended. Here's a brief summary of the Pros and Cons.

Pro's:
+ Professional and smart business oriented look. Nothing outstanding, but, it's an elegant looker, especially with its silver exterior.
+ Comfortable keyboard, which is a joy to use. No separate number keypad though, inspite of the fact this laptop is a 15.6 incher. Also, backlit with 2 intensity levels. The backlight is pretty even, and makes it a joy to use the laptop in the dark.
+ Matte Display, as already stated. Makes working in brightly lit places a breeze. Continuing on this point, the entire laptop is made up of matte surfaces, which ensures that the surfaces remain free of fingerprints.
+ Discrete AMD Radeon HD6630M Graphics, which can be switched automatically, as well as manually. Make sure you update the BIOS to A10, and download the latest driver. You will be able to completely configure which graphics chipset operates when. This is a major plus point for me, and I prefer it over automatic switching.
+ Touchpad is huge and comfortable to work with.
+ The included Fingerprint Scanner works well.
+ Performance is great. Although not the best benchmark index around, WEI gives 5.9, with the CPU scoring 7.0, Memory and HDD 5.9, and both graphics and gaming graphics 6.7. It may be positioned as a business laptop, but it can definitely pass for a multimedia laptop as well.
+ Comes with Ubuntu Linux out of the box which is far more usable than Free DOS solutions. Although, if you need Windows and do not own it already, it will add on to the cost.

Con's:
- Interior look is a bit too bland, especially the area below the keyboard, which is a mass of plain black plastic. It is subjective though.
- The laptop tends to heat up when you use the discrete graphics, even for basic tasks. However, using the onboard Intel HD Graphics reduces this issue.
- Sound quality is not great. This is not unique to this laptop though.

Bottomline - This is a laptop with not a lot of show, but with a lot of go. If you are not against Dell as a brand, this laptop should definitely be on your shortlist at a budget of 40K.

Ordered on 11th july..got it on 14 july..which is pretty good..
Packing was too bad..I doubt if something was done with it..Since delivery is done by flipkart itself...thought should not doubt on the delivered product.

About the laptop..1)the battery slot is not that good..if you move it with ur hand it shakes..2) you can hear the fan sound occassionally when ever the load on system increases..but i guess thats ok..3) Heats up easily...but not that bad..but if you use it more than 2-3 hours then the heat willl get to you hand..I didnt realize for the first time..bcoz no where i heard about heating problem on this model..but reviews told it gets heated up but its under the normal levels only...

Spoke to dell rep...before ordering this product..as always they care about their sales..They said no heating problem and no fan sound..
overall exp is ok..i went for it bcoz..of the attractive emi offer...

i have booked this laptop on 7th june 2012 @ 7.00am and i got it delivered by 8th june 2012 @ 4.00pm. So, i would give an applause to FLIPKART for their professionalism and marketing statistics.

About this laptop,
> Design is sleek and good
> Backlit keyboard is awesome and comes handy @ night times. also note that it can be turned off during day time / as per our wish.
> Finger print entry for more security
> Speed of the system is good
> LINUX is good, but i have to go with the world (WINDOWS 7)
> Backpack provide is DELL original bag & its quality is awesome.

Overall its a good laptop. looking for laptop with good processor combined with graphics card, then go for it. No regrets....!!!

Pros :
1.Satisfaction of Brand Dell
2.Backlit Keyboard
3.Dedicated Graphics Card
4.Very Good Price / Product ratio
5.Sleek Design
6.Generally - All features and specification up to the mark

Cons :
1.Silver Colour
2.Gets heated up soon
3.Very Poor Audio
4.Both USB 3.0 - backside , headphone - backside
5.15.6 is not a great size - too much extra space
6.Chiclet keyboard - Not the best - Earlier Dell Vostro had an amazing keyboard
7.Linux OS - Additional effort to get back to Windows

This was the only Dell with a backlit keyboard available. But I think at the same price something else / HP could be a better choice as of today.

Ordered On 13th May N Received On 16 May..!
@ A Price Of 40752..!
Now The Price Is 1K Less At The Price I Bought..!
Who Vl Like It..?
I Think No One..!
Came With Linux As Mentioned..!
Specs R Good..!
..!
But The Real Problem Is It Get Heated Very Early..!
No Driver Disk Is Supplied By Flipkart..!
..
You Have To Download It From Dell Site..!
..!
In Looks It's Very Awesome..!
Slim..!
Sound Is Also Listenable..!
..!
Finally I Vl Say Don't Go For Vostro..!
Inspiron Is Bttr Alternative In Ths Price Range..!