510m Performance
First, thanks for the nice review of this excellent low cost laptop
The one great weakness that Inspiron 510m has is the 3D graphics. Compared to my other laptops, the scores on 3Dmark/03 are:
116 Dell Inspiron 510m with Intel Extreme Graphics
230 Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook E- 7010 with ATI Radeon Mobility 7500
288 Acer TravelMate 420 with ATI Radeon Mobility 7500
975 Dell Lattitude D610 with Intel UMA Graphics
1883 Dell Lattitude D610 with ATI Radeon Mobility X300
So for a 2005 laptop, the 510m was a huge disappointment on this area. If you plan on playing any 3D games, you will want a different laptop for sure, such as the Inspiron 6000.
On everything else, the Inspiron 510m is great performance for the money. Check this comparison on PCMark/04 scores, and keep in mind that these other laptops come at twice the price:
2565 Dell Inspiron 510m with Intel Extreme Graphics
2854 Acer TravelMate 420 with ATI Radeon Mobility 7500
3313 Dell Lattitude D610 with Intel UMA Graphics
3454 Dell Lattitude D610 with ATI Radeon Mobility X300