- Tag Archives retrocomputing
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Digital Archaeology: Dell Inspiron 1545
The Dell Inspiron 1545 was Dell’s mainstream laptop circa 2009. There were a variety of CPU options including Celeron, Pentium Dual-Core and Core 2 Duo models. Memory configurations included anywhere from 1 GB to 4 GB with 4 GB being the maximum amount officially supported. Likewise there were various hard drives available ranging in size from 160 GB wo 500 GB (all 5400 rpm models). There were two screen resolutions available including 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900 though the higher resolution screen was not very common. One option not available though was a discrete GPU. All models used Intel’s GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics.
My particular model currently includes:
- CPU: Pentium Dual Core T4500 at 2.4 GHz
- RAM: 4 GB DDR2-800 (PC2-5600)
- Hard Drive: 320 GB
- Screen: 1366 x 768
Mine is also black though it came in a variety of other colors including blue, red, pink, and purple. Check out the report from HardInfo for more details.
Depending on your configuration, this model made for a decent general use laptop though the lack of a discrete GPU option meant that it wasn’t useful for gaming. Also, if you wanted a higher resolution screen, then there were better options. A lot of people seem to like the keyboard on this model. It isn’t anything as fancy as a mechanical keyboard but it does have a more tactile feel and is less mushy than most laptop keyboards.
There are several possible upgrades depending on you specific configuration. The two most important are probably to upgrade the RAM and replace the hard drive with an SSD. While 4 GB is the max officially supported, this laptop will actually support up to 8 GB. You can also upgrade the CPU though whether or not it is worth it depends on what you are starting from. the fastest CPU supported is the Intel Core 2 Duo T9900.
My laptop had a single 2 GB SO-DIMM. Whether it was configured like that originally or was cannibalized I don’t know. The only upgrade I’ve really done is to expand it to 4 GB and install Xubuntu. It runs pretty well with this configuration. Even web browsing is ok if a little sluggish. Like all the hardware I use, I installed BOINC on this laptop and attached to several projects. It is currently crunching tasks for Einstein@home, Milkyway@home, Asteroids@home, and World Community Grid. You can check out how it is doing overall at FreeDC.
Even though there isn’t anything particularly interesting or special about this laptop, I’ll probably hang on to it. It’s in nearly mint condition which for a laptop this old is pretty special in itself. I don’t upgrade the CPU in laptops very often but this one may be a good candidate. The CPU is easy to access on this laptop and there is a fairly significant upgrade path.
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Zzap! 64 (November 1987)
Here in the U.S., we never had a gaming magazine dedicated to the Commodore 64. I would have loved such a thing, especially as this one, published in the U.K. was published well into the 1990s and I was still using my Commodore 64 as my primary computer up through most of 1993. The November 1987 issue of Zzap! 64 includes:
Redoubtable Regulars
- Editorial – Info on a new editor at the magazine.
- The Rrap – Letters from readers about arcade conversions, the cost of Zzap! in Ireland, competition questions, Microprose, and more.
- Enter The Harlequin – A solution to Kayleth, an adventure game from US Gold. Plus, news about an upcoming adventures games, including Jack the Ripper.
- Compunet – A look at the latest demos available via Compunet.
- What’s New – SSI to work with TSR and US Gold to develop Dungeons & Dragons computer games (these would become the gold box series), a promotion for Bangkok Knights, and more.
- Manoeuvres – Reviews of strategy games Armageddon Man and High Frontier.
- Postmark – Games played via the postal service.
- Cheap and Cheerful – Reviews of budget games Joe Blade, Anarchy, On Cue, Tunnel Vision, Special Agent, Pyramid of Time, Defcom, and Land of Neverwhere.
- The Chart Show – A list of the top 30 games for the month. At the top of the list is World Games. Some others on this list I have played include Gauntlet (number 5), Paperboy (number 14), California Games (number 16), Kikstart II (number 17), Arkanoid (number 22), and Green Beret (number 24).
November Novelties
- International Karate + – A review of this fighting game from System 3. I never played it but it reminds me a bit of Yie ar King-Fu.
- Solomon’s Key – A review of this arcade conversion by US Gold.
- Morpheus – A review of this scrolling shooter from Hewson.
- Starfox – Not to be confused with the famous series that got its start on the Super NES, this game is a space combat sim.
- Quedex – A review of this game which is sort of like Marble Madness without the isometric viewpoint.
- Enlightenment – Druid II – I don’t think I ever played this sequel but the original Druid was a fun Gauntlet-like game.
Features
- Hit Me With Your Best Shot – A history of Shoot ‘Em Up games. Some game mentioned here include Pastfinder from Activision (I loved this one), Spy Hunter (another great game), Paradroid, Hypercircuit, Dropzone, and many others.
- Accolade’s Comics – An adventure game in comic book format.
- The Tips Supplement – Tips for Impossible Mission, Quartet, Joustie, Master of Magic, The Evil Dead, Hercules, Gods and Heroes, Nodes of Yesod, 1942, and lots more.
- RPG’s Scrutinised – A look at new RPGs including Moebius (Microprose/Origin), Alternate Reality: The Dungeon (Datasoft), and Legacy of the Ancients (Electronic Arts).
- Combat Zone – A real-life capture the flag paintball game.
- Minson Meets Microprose – A sneak peek at the latest from Microprose including Project Stealth Fighter and Airborne Ranger.
…and more!
