Almost wish I had waited for the new Studio 16

Remember I said ALMOST.

I bought my E6500 last month, and found one in the outlet equipped with everything I wanted. I just noticed the Studio16 review and it sounds very interesting. In particular I'm interested in the screen size, and the characteristics of the screen that would be good for photo editing which I do a little bit.

I like the rounded edges of the Studio vs. the sharp edges of the Latitude, but the Studio16 has a different pattern on the lid compared to other Studios so not sure if I would like it.

I do travel with my laptop, but up to a point I don't mind the size and weight. I've been using an Inspiron 8600 for the past 5 years, and it is big and heavy. I have 2 different bags I use to carry it in, so my criteria for a new laptop was the biggest I could get and still fit in my bags. Up until now that meant a 15" machine, but I think the Studio 16 would work.

The Studio16 would be quite a bit more expensive than my Latitude, so I'm going to be happy with the Latitude. I'm just waiting for our CAD manager to get all of our CAD software installed on it.

 

im curious if the build quality of the studio xps is as good as dell's business lines.

the base isnt mag alloy is it?

EDIT: "Construction is mostly magnesium alloy and some plastic with brushed aluminum accents around the hinges and the outer edge of the notebook. The Studio XPS 16 isn't quite as rugged as the Dell Latitude or Precision business notebooks but it should survive a drop from your desk without significant damage."-from review

if its mostly mag alloy i wonder why they say its not quite as rugged

 

I'm with you. I just passed over the 30 day mark by a few days so I'm stuck with mine.

The XPS16 is cheaper for roughly the same specs, but looking at the how the latitude temperatures are lower I am happier. I'd still return mine if I could though.

The latitude and it's build quality is amazing compared to my old Toshiba Satellite and Satellite Pro's.

 

I have been looking at a E6500 for some time (am waiting for a price reduction up here in Canada and am quite sad to see big discounts in the US site but never up here....). I agree that the Studio16 seems be materially cheaper than the E6500 on comporable specs? Other than weight (Studio16 is heavier, I think?) and ruggedness as noted above, I wonder what other major differences there are between the two?

I would have picked up an E-port as well with the E6500. What would one use for a Studio16, to connect to monitors, keyboard, etc. at home?

 

I don't like the trend towards the letter box shaped displays. It's as if Hollywood is trying to dictate how we work.

Latitudes are built to be more durable and put up with a lot of travel. They are also designed for convenience of docking.

John

 

Sorry John, but what do you mean by "letter box shaped displays"? Also, as opposed to what other shaped displays?

Secondly, and pardon the noob-level question, but I wanted to delve into the docking point. Given that the Studio16 is materially cheaper (with comparable specs), I wanted to see if the dock (which I would get with an E6500 but which is not something that goes with a Studio16) is really something important in my decision making. All I would use the dock (with an E6500) would be for a monitor (Dell SP2309), a wireless keyboard (Logitech Nuvo), a laser printer and external speakers. For this purpose, (other than the convenience of one input connection) do you see any disadvanatages to going without a dock for a Studio16 (i.e. plug in each input manually each time my laptop makes it home)?

Thanks!

 

Having to manually take out each accessory is kind of a pain every day. Docks are very useful and once they come down in price or a used one pops up I'll definitely pick one up.

Oh and another thing is the glossy screen. I think they would suck in an office environment.

 

Just for fun(?), I've priced out comporable XPS16 and E6500 and the price difference is substantial [note that the XPS16 is priced with a better processor, has double the RAM and uses DDR3 RAM]....

I hear ya about the glossy screen though...is the E6500 a matte screen that doesn't have this problem?

There is a 12-days of Dell Business Deals starting on Jan. 12, so maybe the E6500 comes down in price then....

---------------------

Studio XPS 16

Starting From $1,639
You Save $80
Now $1,559

Preliminary Ship Date dd/mm/yyyy: Unavailable2

Date 09/01/2009 3:27:03 PM Central Standard Time
Catalog Number 70702 Retail cadhs1

Studio XPS 16: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.40GHz/1066Mhz FSB) MPP86CH 1 [224-1953] 1

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit VHP61E 1 [330-1917][420-5769][420-6436][420-6576][420-7938][420-9100][420-9319][421-0092][463-2282] 11

Productivity: Microsoft Works IWRK9 1 [420-8051] 22

System Color Option: Obsidian Black with Leather Accent OBSBK 1 [320-7330] 2

LCD Panel: Edge-to-Edge HD Widescreen 16.0 inch WLED LCD (1366x768) W/2.0 MP DHDLDC 1 [320-7328] 5

MEMORY: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms) 4G2D 1 [311-9487] 3

Hard Drive: 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 329GB72 1 [341-7912] 8

Video Card: ATI Mobility RADEON® M86XT - 512MB M86XT 1 [320-7337] 6

DVD+/-RW or Bluray Drive: 8X DVD+/- RW(DVD/CD read/write) Slot Load Drive 8XDVDRW 1 [313-7054][420-9334][420-9850] 16

Wireless Networking Cards: Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card IP5300 1 [430-2955] 19

Bluetooth Option: Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR) TM370I 1 [430-3206] 606

Battery Options: 6-cell Battery 6BAT 1 [312-0811] 27

Sound Card: High Definition Audio 2.0 IS 1 [313-4783] 17

Adobe Software: Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, Multiple Languages ADOBER 1 [410-1883] 15

Video Memory: Windows Vista™ Premium VPN 1 [310-8628] 7

Processor Branding (non-displayed / transparent to: Intel® Centrino™ 2 ICNSNB2 1 [330-1757] 35

Hardware Support Services: 1 Year Return to Depot Service and Technical Support S11RR 1 [901-1077][901-2450][950-9057][960-2780] 29

Software - Antivirus: McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 36-months MC936M 1 [410-1839] 25

-------------------------------

Latitude E6500
Free shipping on Latitude, Optiplex, Precision, and Select servers

Preliminary Ship Date dd/mm/yyyy: Unavailable2

Starting From $1,803

Date 09/01/2009 3:45:32 PM Central Standard Time
Catalog Number 70703 Retail cabsdt1

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) MEMP84C 1 [223-9149] 1

Operating Systems: Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-BIT SP1, With media VB61E 1 [420-8738] 11

LCDs: 15.4” UltraSharp™ Wide WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD Display-Brushed Metal Black BKWGI 1 [320-7012] 10

Hardware Support Services CS 2.0: 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD Onsite Service U3OS 1 [989-2862][989-5570][991-3367][991-3368] 29

Memory: 2.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS 2G2D8 1 [311-8825] 3

Graphics: Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD GMA 1 [320-6724] 6

Primary Storage: 160GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor 160G72 1 [341-6970] 8

Primary Optical Device: 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™ 8XDVRW 1 [313-6513][420-8010][420-9184] 16

Primary Battery: 6 Cell Battery 6C 1 [312-0729] 27

Internal Keyboard: Internal English Backlit Keyboard ENGBL 1 [330-0841][330-1652] 4

Camera / Microphone: Integrated Webcam with digital microphone CAMMIC 1 [320-7003] 17

Wireless LAN (802.11): Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card IWIF53V 1 [430-3362] 19

Systems Management: No Intel vPro™ Technology’s advanced management features CSMD 1 [330-0884] 21

Fingerprint Reader Options: Internal Swipe Fingerprint Reader SWIPE 1 [311-8820] 9

System Documentation: Resource DVD - Contains Diagnostics and Drivers RDVD 1 [330-0863] 25

Bluetooth: Dell Wireless® 370 Bluetooth Module BT370 1 [430-3090] 13
AC Adapter: 90W A/C Adapter (3-pin) 90AC3P 1 [330-0876][330-0879] 15

 

Call dell and you will get a way better price for the E6500. I know I did. I am sure it's the same for the XPS16 but I think they should be able to discount the E6500 more since it's slightly older.

 

Displays that are progressively getting wider with less height. 1366 x 768 gives less vertical space than 1280 x 800, never mind 1440 x 900. Am I the only person who still uses computers for working with documents? Height is also useful with long web pages including this forum.

Docks do give you more ports, but if you are not going to be using two monitors, 6 USB devices, etc, and are happy to plug in the various devices, then a dock is not essential.

Just be aware that the Latitudes should be much more durable than Inspirons. Also, before you get your credit card out, check out the Latitude stock in Dell outlet. Some people have picked up some good deals there. Perhaps the economic downturn has resulted in late cancellations of orders.

John