The Dell Studio Range

conorlap

Hi dudes.
New to the forums here.;)
Just want peoples views and thoughts on the new Dell Studio Range > http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/laptop_studio?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=dhs
The Dell Studio 15 is a 15.4" Notebook, and the Dell Studio 17 is a 17" Notebook.

A review can be found here: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsId=4471

I am looking for a laptop at present, I am looking for something for general usage - Internet, music/movies etc. I dont need it for gaming. Heres one I customised:

PROCESSOR:Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5750 (2.0 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
HARDWARE SUPPORT: 1 Year Base Warranty
COLOUR CHOICE Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish
LCD: 17 Widescreen WXGA+ CCFL (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
MEMORY: 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [1x2048+1x1024]
HARD DRIVE: 160GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD: 256MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3650
OPTICAL DRIVE: Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
PRIMARY BATTERY:Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery

Cost: €800

I would appreciate any opinions/thought on this laptop, and if anyone knows any other good laptops in the price range of €900 max leave a suggestion!
Thanks:o :pac:

Karoma

- The speakers / sound is poor.
- No option to downgrade Vista (despite this being an obvious issue for a lot of 'studio' types and their silly software that hates Vista and, well, anything non-XP)
- Although the ATI RADEON HD 3650 is a decent enough card for a notebook, it is a shame that a 'Studio' range doesn't offer more (dedicated) options.

Call it "Studio" if you want, but don't mistake it for a studio computer.

conorlap

Thanks for the info, but I'm just wondering where you heard about the speakers?
Its just that these laptops have only been released.
Plus speakers are not really that important to me, I have a set of speakers at home and a set of very expensive sennheiser headphones.

And Im ok with vista I thinks

Voodu Child

They look grand, they're already on the Dell page if you want to check prices etc.

They're basically similar to the XPS range, with cheaper materials (bulkier, thicker) and probably with a spec that doesnt go as high. Afaik, from now on, high-end graphics cards will be reserved for the XPS line, even the new Vostro's have less graphics options than the old ones.

Its cheaper than the XPS, and more expensive than the Inspirons, so... its pretty much just a case of finding the laptop that best suits your budget/performance needs. You say you just need a basic laptop for internet etc, so im sure you'd be happy enough with one. There's tonnes of options these days, so don't be too quick to put an order down without comparing price/spec of lots of models.

conorlap

voodoo_child wrote: »

They look grand, they're already on the Dell page if you want to check prices etc.

They're basically similar to the XPS range, with cheaper materials (bulkier, thicker) and probably with a spec that doesnt go as high. Afaik, from now on, high-end graphics cards will be reserved for the XPS line, even the new Vostro's have less graphics options than the old ones.

Its cheaper than the XPS, and more expensive than the Inspirons, so... its pretty much just a case of finding the laptop that best suits your budget/performance needs. You say you just need a basic laptop for internet etc, so im sure you'd be happy enough with one. There's tonnes of options these days, so don't be too quick to put an order down without comparing price/spec of lots of models.

Yeah, thanks for the info there.

I think at the min anyways the Studio 17 is what Im going to get, Ive searched around and havent found anything with the same features for €800
Plus the way I see it, Dell have only launched this range, so if I do buy, I will be buying a brand new computer that is only on the market, unlike if I bought an inspirion which has been out for quite a while now!
I have never dealt with dell before either, I would just like to know what the service is like and if something goes wrong with the laptop will it be fixed easily? (I understand it wont be fixed if not within the warranty)

Again, many thanks.

Karoma

Re speakers: I know the spec. Otherwise, reviews (like the one you posted). There's nothing wrong with them: they're just very basic speakers. I!m just being realistic about their marketing spin - "Studio", heh.

conorlap wrote: »

I think at the min anyways the Studio 17 is what Im going to get, Ive searched around and havent found anything with the same features for €800

Just because it's cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's a bargain. Still, don't get me wrong, it is a nice price.

Plus the way I see it, Dell have only launched this range, so if I do buy, I will be buying a brand new computer that is only on the market, unlike if I bought an inspirion which has been out for quite a while now!

What's the advantage in that?

I have never dealt with dell before either, I would just like to know what the service is like and if something goes wrong with the laptop will it be fixed easily? (I understand it wont be fixed if not within the warranty)

It's a seriously mixed bag.