Choosing a Dell Laptop

flyswatter

I need help choosing a Dell laptop and have 2 options, an Inspiron 17 and Studio 15.

The Inspiron has the following specs:

COLOUR CHOICEObsidian Black colour with custom high-gloss finish
PROCESSORIntel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.80Ghz, 1066MHz, 6MB)
OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
OFFICE SOFTWAREMicrosoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)
HARDWARE SUPPORT 1 Year Limited Warranty - Collect & Return
SECURITY SOFTWARENo Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORTNo Accidental Damage Support
LCD17.3" WLED High Definition + (1600 x 900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
THEFT PROTECTION SOLUTIONFailSafe® Theft Protection - track and protect lost or stolen laptops - 30 days free trial
MEMORY4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
HARD DRIVE500GB (5400RPM) Serial ATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330
OPTICAL DRIVEDVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD)
PRIMARY BATTERYPrimary 9-cell 85 WHr Lithium Ion battery
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITYDell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)
WEBCAM1.3 Mega pixel Integrated Web Camera


The Studio has the following specs:

COLOURS, PATTERNS, & ARTIST DESIGNSBlack chainlink[URL="javascript:to_page_mod(1,%20380,%20_Action);"]
[/URL]PROCESSORIntel® Core™ i7-720QM Mobile Processor (1.6GHz, turbo up to 2.8GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
OFFICE SOFTWAREMicrosoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)
HARDWARE SUPPORT 1 Year Limited Warranty - Collect & Return
PROTECT YOUR NEW PCNo Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORTNo Accidental Damage Support
LCD15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife
MEMORY4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]
HARD DRIVE500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HP 4570
OPTICAL DRIVEFixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
PRIMARY BATTERYPrimary 9-cell 85 WHr Lithium Ion battery
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITYDell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)
BLUETOOTHNo Bluetooth Upgrade
WEB CAM2.0 Mega pixel Integrated Web Camera
KEYBOARDInternal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard

As far as I can see the Studio is the better option, it has a quad core i7 processor (Logic tells me this is faster than the dual core on the inspiron but is it?) and a faster (7200rpm rather than 5400rpm) harddrive. It also has DDR3 memory compared to the DDR2 memory on the Inspiron and a better Graphics Card. The studio is over 200 euro cheaper than the Inspiron so I'm leaning towards the Studio at the moment. The only thing the Inspiron has over the Studio is a free upgrade to Windows 7 it seems. But am I missing something? Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

Alanstrainor

Clearly the studio is the one to go for, and i'd say it has a free upgrade to 7 included too, even though it doesn't specifically state it, although you might want to give them a call just to confirm that one. Core i7, better graphics and DDR3 RAM, is all a plus. What's the price difference between them?

Voodu Child

The only reason the Studio is cheaper is because there's a current special offer on it. €400 off or something. I'd grab one now if you were thinking of it, thats a savage price for an i7-equipped laptop. Those things are seriously powerful. Of course, if you don't need the power its kind of a moot point.

Its a nicer laptop also, just finished a little nicer. Lack of Win7 upgrade is a bit odd. that might be an issue for me, especially given how late it is (Win7 is released on the 22nd). Seems kind weird not to have the free upgrade.

A major difference between the two is that one is 15" and the other 17". Is portability an issue for you? And what about screen space - the Inspiron has a fairly spacious 1600x900 res, whereas the Studio is lower (can be upgraded if you want).

Also, there's a 5% voucher going at the moment in case you didn't know. I posted the code in the bargain alerts forum.

flyswatter

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Clearly the studio is the one to go for, and i'd say it has a free upgrade to 7 included too, even though it doesn't specifically state it, although you might want to give them a call just to confirm that one. Core i7, better graphics and DDR3 RAM, is all a plus. What's the price difference between them?

Thanks for the reply. Thats the thing, the Studio is clearly a more powerful laptop but but is 200 euro cheaper.

flyswatter

Voodu Child wrote: »

The only reason the Studio is cheaper is because there's a current special offer on it. €400 off or something. I'd grab one now if you were thinking of it, thats a savage price for an i7-equipped laptop. Those things are seriously powerful. Of course, if you don't need the power its kind of a moot point.

Its a nicer laptop also, just finished a little nicer. Lack of Win7 upgrade is a bit odd. that might be an issue for me, especially given how late it is (Win7 is released on the 22nd). Seems kind weird not to have the free upgrade.

A major difference between the two is that one is 15" and the other 17". Is portability an issue for you? And what about screen space - the Inspiron has a fairly spacious 1600x900 res, whereas the Studio is lower (can be upgraded if you want).

Also, there's a 5% voucher going at the moment in case you didn't know. I posted the code in the bargain alerts forum.

Indeed, its a great price alright, do you know how much the offer is on for? I'm saving up for a laptop and haven't got the money yet. I'll ask if they're is a Win7 upgrade, it is odd as you said yourself. The thing is I wouldn't buy the Studio if the 400 euro wasn't off it, it might be a bit too much to pay.

flyswatter

Voodu Child, I'll be using the laptop for Audio Production by the way. Thats why I'm looking for as much power as I can afford.

Alanstrainor

flyswatter wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Thats the thing, the Studio is clearly a more powerful laptop but but is 200 euro cheaper.

Tbh i'd buy the studio in a heart beat. There's no competition, Even if there's no Win 7 upgrade it'd still be the better machine.

flyswatter

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Tbh i'd buy the studio in a heart beat. There's no competition, Even if there's no Win 7 upgrade it'd still be the better machine.

I would too, I just hope that offer stays for long enough, till I have enough to buy it!

Voodu Child

Its says the offer expiry on the website. The 7th or 8th or something.

cson

Browsing the Outlet for a laptop right now and I just want to get a feel for the kind of spec I should be looking for, I've €500-600 to spend on one basically just for college work no special requirements.

Are the Inspiron Studio's good?

leninbenjamin

cson wrote: »

Browsing the Outlet for a laptop right now and I just want to get a feel for the kind of spec I should be looking for, I've €500-600 to spend on one basically just for college work no special requirements.

Are the Inspiron Studio's good?

The studio's seem to be pretty well rated. However, in me own experience, higher end Dell machines aren't that reliable due to their tendency to skimp on cooling solutions. So if buying from the outlet I'd avoid higher end machines with seemingly big discounts.

FGR

The Studio 17 is being upgraded pretty shortly to a similar spec of the Studio 15. That is to say upgraded screen/return of subwoofer and i7 processor options.

Dell USA and Canada are currently offering it as their "Special" selection whilst still offering the current 17 at discounted rates.

Check the site .

Ricky91t

The Studio 15(1555) is a great machine,I'm using it now and although there's a slight issue with the mouse(I think there's some dirt in it) it's going great,It's a much more basic model than the one you're looking at but the build quaility is nice,Also if you have €40 spare go for the backlit keyboard!It's really nice.

flyswatter

Voodu Child wrote: »

Its says the offer expiry on the website. The 7th or 8th or something.

It says also that you can save up to 384euro on computers with Intel technology. Ends 28.10.09 so I'm not sure which one applies.

cson

Inspiron Studio 1555
(System Identifier: 0GE5AXZY)


Inspiron Studio 1555
Windows Vista® Home Premium;Windows Vista® Home Premium

System Price : €537.35

---

Operating System
Windows Vista® Home Premium
Windows Vista® Home Premium

---

Memory
4GB (2x2GB Dual Rank DIMMs) 800MHz

---

Hard Disk Drive
500GB Serial ATA (5400RPM)

---

Video
Graphics : 512 MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570

---

Certified Refurbished
Certified Refurbished

---

NoteBook Screen
Display : 15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366X768) WLED with TrueLife

---

System Color
LCD Back Cover Black Chainlink

---

MISC
MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small)
Camera : Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Camera
Wireless Intel WiFi Link 5100
6 cell 56W HR LI-ION Battery

---

Base
Inspiron Studio 1555

---

Media Bay
Optical Drive 8X DVD + - RW Drive including software

---

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz,1066MHz,3MB)


Right quick question, is this value?

flyswatter

Yeah I'd say thats good value alright. Decent processor, big Hard drive, 4gb RAM. For the money I'd say thats excellent value.

Firefox10

you wont go wrong with studio or XPS notebooks. I have a studio and it's a solid notebook. The Inspiron notebooks are just cheap and nasty.

leninbenjamin

cson wrote: »

Inspiron Studio 1555

...

Right quick question, is this value?

I think so meself. The specs are quite good for the price from what I've seen recently. I dont think you would get those specs from a retail outlet unless you got lucky with a really good bargain, and it seems to be a bit more than similar money will get you on the likes of elara or dabs.

Seeing as it's a Dell though, you probably could get better value if you looked really hard elsewhere, but there's nothing that would stop me going for that one.

The only thing that mght put me off it is those 15' Inspiron's can be bricks.

Ricky91t

It's quite ironic that earlier today something on my motherboard of my 18 day studio died,Will have to go back to Dell now

cson

Got her this morning and delighted! I can't understand their version of 'refurbished' - its brand new from what I can tell. I'm guessing its got something to do with whats under the bonnet.

Rsaeire

cson wrote: »

Got her this morning and delighted! I can't understand their version of 'refurbished' - its brand new from what I can tell. I'm guessing its got something to do with whats under the bonnet.

They class refurbished as returns also, even if all the original owner did was open the box and not even touch the computer.

leninbenjamin

Rsaeire wrote: »

They class refurbished as returns also, even if all the original owner did was open the box and not even touch the computer.

yup. that laptop could easily be from a large corporate order that got mucked up. or it could simply be reclaimed hardware. you never really know, and that's what annoys me about the Dell outlet.

carrotcake

You got yourself a great deal there. I got one six weeks ago with the exact same spec and a three year warranty, and it was €825. And even that was a really good deal!

flyswatter

Ordered the Studio 15 yesterday and unbelievably the price went down a further 250 euro so I got it for app.750 euro. Good price for an i7 processor, 4gb RAM and 500gb HD I think.

Oest_01

flyswatter wrote: »

Ordered the Studio 15 yesterday and unbelievably the price went down a further 250 euro so I got it for app.750 euro. Good price for an i7 processor, 4gb RAM and 500gb HD I think.

Am I missing something? The offer for the Studio 15 I can see on Dell.ie doesn't have an i7 processor but a 2 Duo processor P8700.

Dell Studio 15
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English
15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife
4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
500GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
Save €499 (Inc vat)


Is the price of EUR 749 nevertheless good value?!? Thinking of ordering one today....

Voodu Child

Oest_01 wrote: »

Am I missing something? The offer for the Studio 15 I can see on Dell.ie doesn't have an i7 processor but a 2 Duo processor P8700.

There was a Studio 15 with the i7 (Quadcore, very powerful) for €600 the other day. You could use the 5% voucher and bring it down even further, €575 or something. Must have been a mistake because its gone back up now.


It was posted in the bargain alerts forum the other day. Congrats to anyone who ordered one, great price for a quadcore laptop :pac:

daycent

Oest_01 wrote: »

Am I missing something? The offer for the Studio 15 I can see on Dell.ie doesn't have an i7 processor but a 2 Duo processor P8700.

Dell Studio 15
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English
15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife
4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
500GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
Save €499 (Inc vat)


Is the price of EUR 749 nevertheless good value?!? Thinking of ordering one today....

I'd say check again. I ordered one a few days ago, same spec as above except i7 processor for less than 800. When you go into laptop selection from the homepage, choose studio 15 from the left hand side and there should be a version with i7.

Here it is:
http://ireland.dell.com/ie/en/home/Laptops/laptop-studio-1555/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-1555&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&~ck=anavml

Bottom of page, gone up in price though:(

flyswatter

Yeah the Studio 15 with the i7 is still there albeit at a higher price. I customised it to include a bigger hard drive and a better battery and I still payed just over 750 euro for it. That was a few days ago.

daycent

Yeah, I upgraded a few things, hard drive, screen, colour, keyboard. Not the battery though, hope I don't live to regret that! Pity about the lack of a Windows 7 upgrade....

flyswatter

daycent wrote: »

Yeah, I upgraded a few things, hard drive, screen, colour, keyboard. Not the battery though, hope I don't live to regret that! Pity about the lack of a Windows 7 upgrade....

You'll be happy to know there is a Windows 7 upgrade. It doesn't mention it when you're buying it but I talked to someone from Dell on the chat support, mentioned the laptop and they confirmed that a Win 7 upgrade is included. You'll get some kind of registration letter thing delivered with your laptop and it will explain what to do when Win 7 is released.

Ricky91t

To register your machine for a Windows 7 upgrade just visit Win7.Dell.Com and fill out the details,You then enter the Service tag of your machine and it should send you a confirmation email,It took my machine about 5 days to register on the site,Could take up to ten days IIRC

By the way,Win 7 runs way better than Vista on my machine,It'll be seriously good on a quad core!

daycent

That's great news lads, thanks! :)

VeryRapidSkoda

Hi there!

Just a qick question to flyswatter. I also got lucky with one of the i7 laptops giong cheap but was wondering how long do dell normally take to deliver. My initial delivery date was 26/10/09 now 28/10/09. Has the date on your laptop changed also?

thanks.

stag39

our dell laptop took 11 days to deliver...last month

VeryRapidSkoda

Its just a hassle cos ive a lot of college work (part time) to do so limited when librarys are closed and need to get it quick. I ordered on the 15/10/09 and in production from 17/10/09. I wonder is there any way of getting them to speed it up? do they have an express delivery or even can collect it myself from wherever just to save more time?

leninbenjamin

VeryRapidSkoda wrote: »

Its just a hassle cos ive a lot of college work (part time) to do so limited when librarys are closed and need to get it quick. I ordered on the 15/10/09 and in production from 17/10/09. I wonder is there any way of getting them to speed it up? do they have an express delivery or even can collect it myself from wherever just to save more time?

Family member ordered a Dell laptop a few days ago. On-line confirmation said it dispatched from Limerick, but after about 8 days we ring the courier. It turns out the thing was coming from Poland so not much chance of getting the delivery sped up. Heck, the courier didn't even know when they'd get it, saying it's been like that since the move. Total delivery time was two weeks in the end i think.

flyswatter

VeryRapidSkoda wrote: »

Hi there!

Just a qick question to flyswatter. I also got lucky with one of the i7 laptops giong cheap but was wondering how long do dell normally take to deliver. My initial delivery date was 26/10/09 now 28/10/09. Has the date on your laptop changed also?

thanks.

Yes my delivery date has changed also. Was yesterday the 22nd now its the 28th of October, due to demand for the i7 laptop. In truth I might not get it until the monday after the 28th cause its been delivered to my fathers school and that will be closed for mid term. I just hope the courier company ring me so I can tell thto deliver it to my house instead.

daycent

flyswatter wrote: »

Yes my delivery date has changed also. Was yesterday the 22nd now its the 28th of October, due to demand for the i7 laptop. In truth I might not get it until the monday after the 28th cause its been delivered to my fathers school and that will be closed for mid term. I just hope the courier company ring me so I can tell thto deliver it to my house instead.

Flyswatter, can I ask how you tracked the order? I could do with finding out when I'm going to get the laptop....

Thanks

flyswatter

daycent wrote: »

Flyswatter, can I ask how you tracked the order? I could do with finding out when I'm going to get the laptop....

Thanks

Well, I got an email from Dell telling me the date of likely delivery and then another later telling me that due to demand it would arrive a week later. You can track your order on this site: http://support.euro.dell.com/support/order/status.aspx.

Ricky91t

I also ordered mine in view to getting it for college!I'd be patient if I were you,From what i've read the Studios are produced in China and not Poland or Limerick,I don't know why I assume it's cheaper for components etc,I think mine tooks 11 days to ship,

daycent

flyswatter wrote: »

Well, I got an email from Dell telling me the date of likely delivery and then another later telling me that due to demand it would arrive a week later. You can track your order on this site: http://support.euro.dell.com/support/order/status.aspx.

Thanks, I've used that order tracking thing alright but it just says that it's been dispatched.

Ricky91t wrote: »

I also ordered mine in view to getting it for college!I'd be patient if I were you,From what i've read the Studios are produced in China and not Poland or Limerick,I don't know why I assume it's cheaper for components etc,I think mine tooks 11 days to ship,

Feck. I've a load of wedding stuff to process...

Ricky91t

Anybody who has got their machine from Dell and has Registered for the Windows 7 upgrade visit here and log in to get your upgrade shipped,The price comes to a total of €20.

Note:You have to of already registered your service tag for this,If not click "Register For Upgrade" and follow the instructions.

Alanstrainor

Ricky91t wrote: »

Anybody who has got their machine from Dell and has Registered for the Windows 7 upgrade visit here and log in to get your upgrade shipped,The price comes to a total of €20.

Note:You have to of already registered your service tag for this,If not click "Register For Upgrade" and follow the instructions.

I did that yesterday, 20 quid for shipping is annoying though...i don't think i'll bother tbh.

AlmightyCushion

It's a pity they couldn't just email the license key and let us download the iso.

Alanstrainor

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

It's a pity they couldn't just email the license key and let us download the iso.

Aye, i mean all i want is the license key!.

Ricky91t

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

It's a pity they couldn't just email the license key and let us download the iso.

Agree with that.There should definitely be an option to do that when downloading,Could of saved a lot of money,I'm not even going to get mine,By the time I'll possibly need a new OS it'll be 2013,Surely something new will be out by then :pac:

flyswatter

Have those who have ordered the Studio 15 got theres yet? I'm (hopefully) expecting it tomorrow.

daycent

I got mine today Dispatched on the 19th so not too bad i suppose...

flyswatter

How are you finding it?

daycent

Yeah, it's good I suppose. Haven't done a whole lot with it yet, but the photo editing program I use (lightroom) is running nicely (although my old machine had only 2 GB's of RAM, versus 4 in the new one)

I tried to register for the Windows 7 upgrade there and it said my laptop wasn't in the system yet or something. Hopefully that sorts itself out....

VeryRapidSkoda

No havent received mine yet either. It was expected to be here today according to Dell website but I rang interlink and no word as of yet. They just said ring back thursday to get an update on when they will have it out to me. Out of curiosity I wonder if linux mint 7 "gloria" be good to put on it with a fresh install?