1720 vs. Studio 17... regret 1720 purchase?

hello, i ordered the 1720 2 weeks after the studio 17 came out, and i got a huge deal for my 1720, here are specs as follow:

Core Duo t5750 2.0ghz 677mhz
4GB Ram
256mb 8600GT video card
320gb harddrive
bluetooth & webcam & dell travel remote

all for $1056 out the door.


the performance of the 1720 is a monster but unfortunatly the looks of it is ultimately pale especially on the inside, the laptop surface has a very simple clean look for the keyboard and palm rest, while the studio 17 packs backlit keyboard, biometric fp reader and its flashier than a 1720...


comparing the studio 17 to the 1720, i have absolutly no use of its HDMI port or gigabit ethernet....

i configuered a studio 17 as follows:


Core Duo t5850 2.16ghz 677mhz
3GB RAM
256mb HD 3650 video card
250gb harddrive
plus the backlit keyboard, webcam fingerprint reader etc..


for $1300 shipped


well now since i got my 1720 im stuck.. do the extra keyboard and fingerprint reader but less RAM and HD and a useless HDMI for me + $300 on the studio 17 worth it???

in terms of sturdiness and flimsiness, which one has better built??

please please someone either blame me for not getting the studio 17 or praise me for gettin the 1720 inch monster.

 

Those are great specs; I would have chosen a better CPU (7000 or 8000 series). The video card is way better then what the Studio has to offer in that area. My friend has the 1720 and it’s still a great simple clean look, nothing wrong with that. Don’t feel bad for not having a backlit keyboard, it’s an accessory, I never look at the keyboard when I type. The fingerprint reader is another fancy gizmo that won’t save you much time login in. You’re better off with higher hardware specs, less gizmos and a cheaper price.

 

Personally I'd get a Studio 17 , but i'm the kinda guy who likes a good looking design. Especially seeing as the Studio 17 is relatively new out so it wouldn't become obsolete such as what I feel the 1720 might.

Can you not get a refund on it? Dont dell have some sort of 30 days no questions asked refund policy?

By the way , IMO fingerprint readers are kinda gimmicks, they take longer than passwords and some people never get the knack to them and yes the HDMI might be uselessto you now but think when you get your 50" Flat screen TV

 

thanks. i didnt have the suffecient funds for the extra oomph so i got the 5750 but in the long after a couple years if i decide to keep it i will upgrade the processor drastically.

ive seen on some review sites the benchmarks for the 3650 HD vs. 8600 gt and the 3650hd is better by a couple hundred benchmark scores... maybe its because i have the lower processor power? ( i think they had the 2.4ghz processor on the studio 17 against a 2.16ghz 1720)....


would it make more sense that because the studio has highdefenition HDMI output that it should outperform the 8600gt?




and a side question:

would it make sense to put a second 80gb harddrive over the 320gb in second HD bay and re-install vista on the 80gb drive and leave the 320 solely for multimedia storage?

 

ofcourse i can get a refund but im currently overseas in the middle east and i got my brother to deliver the laptop with him from california so its got a US warranty and im in the middle east , there is no turning back


oh ok so i shouldnt dread over the fingerprint reader or backlit keyboard? its not so oh-so james bond?

 

Levon, are you able to upgrade the processors in these down the road? Do we know what the maximum speed is for the motherboard? I have the 2.0ghz right now and would love to upgrade in the future myself.

 

I think that you were smart for sticking with the 1720. Yes there are differences between the two chassis', but I almost would go with the better hardware first. I might have save and gotten a smaller HD though, as you can get a 320 for 100 bucks now, and 500Gb models are coming out soon. Meaning, you could upgrade yourself when prices drop. Still, good choice.

 

absolutely, with proper knowledge of disassembling your laptop, you can easily replace the processor with a better one. to my knowledge up to extreme 2.8ghz 800mhz (9000 series), and if im not mistaken you have to flash your bios to a08 in order to use the new monster.

 

To me it would be way more practical to buy an external HD and back-up your files as you please. If anything you can partition your current HD and seperate the OS, 320GB is quite a lot of space and Vista doesnt need a dedicated 80gb of space.

 

is that 2.8ghz extreme processor ---> a quad core one or dual core ?

i would love to upgrade my proc to that one some day... only prob is that it will not be available by the time i decide to purchase it lol

 

It would cost me $474.84 more to get the same spex on a studio laptop... advantage I could get the orange color I would want, the backlit keyboard (which I have the emissive backlit on my toughbook and its a lifesaver!!!), plus the fingerprint reader + the gigabit (which my whole network is gigabit)... other than that I cannot justify it :/

 

Also I donno about the video card on the Studio 17 as compared to the 8600GT on the Inspiron + I wouldn't worry about battery life on either because most likely it would be replacing my iMac

see my other thread here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=275344

 

If your inspiron 1720 is problem free, I'd stick with it - especially since it has the more powerful video card and cheaper price.

But I'm not one for aesthetics really.

 

I would return the 1720 ASAP and get the studio right away. I have been in your situation before and I know the only way for you to be happy will be to get the Studio.... unless you are ok with your world coming to an end.

You will get the peace and happiness you desire only by getting the studio.

 

are you saying the only way to salvation is getting the studio?

 

Correct my boy, Correct!

 

well i decided to stay on the 1720.... i find the studio in its beta version since its been newly released while the 1720 has been there since 2007 (or 2006)? and its got the most less flawed hardware/software.

thanks guys.

 

stay with the 1720. i have the xps m1530 and i NEVER use the fingerprint reader. half the time it doesnt work, then i had to reinstall it when firefox 3 came out, and not all sites seem to support it. so whatever, im done with it. my friends tho are like WTF whenever they see it though, so unelss you want to have a 5-second conversation whenever someone new sees your computer, keep the 1720.
i never understood the purpose of a backlit keyboard. i mean why would you be typing in the dark? are you like.. walking through a tunnel?

 

LOL, just stay with it. If it works the way you want it to, there's absolutely no reason to change it. And yes, performance wise, I've just recently tested the cards extensively in person (Yes, in my own two eyes), 8600M GT and HD 3650, to be frank, they're not far off from each other. You also need to rationalize yourself if the newer features offered by Studio would even be utilized by you. So, anyway yeah. You paid for it, so you're entitled to decide.

 

I still vote for getting the studio.

 

Totally not worth an extra $400 or so. The 1720 has been around awhile and thus Dell has been able to work out most of the kinks. Also the 8600 > 3650.

 

Dude stick with the 1720, I own a 1720 and it gets everything done really fast, and mine isn't as well speced out as yours, grats on the specs and cheap price. Geforce FTW!!!!

 

Dual, they don't have quad mobiles yet, though if I'm correct (and it is entirely plausible and likely that I am not) they are not far off.

 

Yup, the X9000 is a Dual Core Extreme 2.8GHz processor.

 

Not far off? As in, performance of Quad vs Duo?

 

1Gb Ethernet is something 1720 should have right on start and 8600M GS will fry sooner or later so go get Studio

 

1720s don't offer 8600M GS. It offers only an 8600M GT. Secondly graphics cards fry easily when you overclock them to often, using them on long periods of time and having no headroom in their clock speeds and it goes for any notebook. The 1720s are highly regarded for their internal cooling.

 

i second SomeFormOFhuman, 1720 is probably dell's coolest laptop yet (temperature wise ) as it has a big chassis to dissipate the heat and they prolly figuered out an internal design for better cooling. second, 8600M GT has a bigger brother 8700M GT that is the same 8600 but overclocked. u can see how the 8600 is rather rigid than fragile.

 

majority has GS just check BIOS. Somehow they tricked Device Manager to display GT but it is GS. If will fry sooner or later not b/c OC'ing but NVIDIA flawed GPUs reported officially just read news.
If you look at official 1720 thread there are some people already reporting overheating. I would say sell it when fan turns on for more than 5 minutes

 

PS.
and what about lack of 1Gb LAN ... so lame. No use for external HD at full speed

 

@a75user. No offence perhaps the owners of the Inspiron 1720 know more than you do. Do yourself a favor, have you tried telling every Inspiron 1720 owner that he has a 8600M GS in it? Just get ready to be fired by them. You might have confused yourself with the new Vostro 1710 which only offers a GS and its the one that folks complained about Dell deceiving them a GT.

Speaking of thorough checking of GPUs, have you heard of this thing called GPU-Z?

FYI, i did a search through the 1720 owners thread as you pointed out, was your answer based on just pure assumption, or exaggeration?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...+1720+Owner's+Thread"+overheating&btnG=Search

Even typing "heat" doesn't say anything about overheating whatsoever. even if there is, it's probably the minority and the chances of it happening is 2/10, or crappy care-taking over time have their vents clogged with dust.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...nspiron+1720+Owner's+Thread"+heat&btnG=Search

If you saw such a post in that thread that backs up your claim, care to post the link?

You know what will be lame? Buy it, and then not use it. especially those who don't even need it.

In respect to the original poster's intention, i think he has already made his decision of keeping it. lets not confuse matters.

 

No, but as in Intel should be releasing a Quad Core. And as it turns out, my memory served me correct. The article I posted below says they should be released sometime in August in fact.

Intel Mobile Quad Cores

 

Aren't the Studios really plasticky and generally of poorer build than Inspirons?

I don't care if your new design looks as sexy as a Ferrari if it cracks like an eggshell.

I say stick with your Inspiron.

 

agreed, Inspiron > Studio

 

What can I say ... Learn to Google ?
Regarding 1Gb you are not correct.
I.e. if you buy not to use it - it is plain stupid not lame.
Besides in 2008 it has to be 1 Gb.
Fios or some countries closer to 100Mbps
so did you look at Bios ? Says GS

 

PS.
Did you try "hot" ?

 

Everything is "plastickly" nowadays, even the XPS have plastic. If you think brushed metal on the palm rest area and the cover will save your laptop more then plastic in a fall you're just dreaming. Also you mentioned that it was generally of poorer build than Inspiron... They're both built by Dell (probably the same factory), same material (just a different desing). Have you even touched one? My friend owns a 1720 and I own a Studio 15, both are just as well built. Both have their pros and cons, in this case he should stick with the 1720.

 

Gigabit ethernet is nice to have as a feature on the laptop. But 99% of home networks are 10/100 and probably 90% of business networks are cabled for 10/100.

I was a little bummed out when my 1520 didn't have gigabit Ethernet, but I've never found a gigabit Ethernet port.

I dont know how accurate the person was, but a friend of mine did the calculation and figured that you would gain very little with gigabit Ethernet over 100mbps.

 

Looking forward to it. It's probably going to be expensive. First time Intel is implementing a Quad Core engine for a notebook.

As for build quality, perhaps I may take a different stand with you guys. I've used it before, but just personal opinion only... The palm rest is much smoother and the edges looks more redefined, hence your wrist on your palm tends to slide more smoothly left to right on the palm rest... It's like there's a glossy "oil" glazed coat on the surface. The 1720 has a different finish. I think it's all a matter of personal opinion and flavour. There's definitely no right or wrong in it.

It's the finishes that gives people the impression of plastic-ness. And I think they're both good quality build. Anyway my 1720 I own still makes a vast improvement over the Acer I used to own last time.

The BIOS is actually wrong. I own it, it's a GT inside. The GT is very much superior to the GS as I did alot of testing and benchmarking on my machine with a GS before. Vast differences apart.

 

LOL a75 is so funny....

everyone has their standards. so lets let him be.

today i was hangin out with a chick that has an XPS 1530 and i fiddled around with the fingerprint reader...

im sure those fp readers are in alpha stage they are SO buggy and unaccurate... made me relize how fast i can log on windows by typing my password.



i do not think i could of got any better value with the $1056 i payed, maybe the studio IS better than the inspiron BUT its targeted towards those willing to pay more and get less.

 

On a completely unrelated topic; hey Levon, thanks for using my picture as your avatar! haha. I do alot of photography, so I decided to do a shoot of my machine.

 

dude.... are u the one who submitted this picture on wikipedia????

when i saw the picture i seriously admired the colors and sharpness of the picture, would u care to share the attributes? ISO, Exposure, shutter speed etc.. how weird is this lol

 

here more "fun" for you
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/26/...ues-throws-out-bios-updates-to-help/#comments

 

alright, good link, i think you hit the spot.

but, isnt the studiod 3650 also nVidia??? so it could be affected too

 

Dell has been rather "honest" to admit about the problem. But what intrigues me is their BIOS fix... It's really nothing but a simple fan modification to make its fans spin more often. It's rather sad that this is happening. But this is already old news and its not something new. The solution to the problem is the problem - if you follow me.

To be accurate of what machines are affected, the list is here:
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx

Fortunately 1720s aren't listed - for now. Though it may be an 8600M GT, it has a different proprietary fixing of the GPU and its easily replaceable if anything goes wrong with it. Let's hope they keep it that way. Majority of the machines listed have integrated GPUs and have heat dissipation problem. Probably the fan fix is the only way out rather than a massive product return.

3650 is a GPU model from ATI. Not Nvidia. ATI calls it Mobility Radeon HD 3650. It's not affected - At the moment.

 

No. ATI makes the 3650 HD. And they do not suffer from the problems that have plagued this generation of NVidia's cards.

NVidia are in deep trouble - just the other day they had to report a massive financial loss due to the failures, and today NCIX and other retailers are doing a massive sell-off of Nvidia GPU's at ridiculous prices.
At NCIX you can get a 8800 GT for about $60 today. The 9600 was selling for under $80 as well.

I wouldn't be feeling too comfortable if I had a Nvidia card in my new laptop.
(I just picked up a Studio 17, 3GB, 250gig hd, and an ATI 3650 in it for $799 Canadian.)

Dell (and other mfgs) are moving their newer lines all to ATI.

 

Nvidia isnt in as much trouble as ATI is. AMD the parent company of ATI lost billions of dollars last year. They have a lot of ground to cover before they catch up with Nvidia.

 

i dont know why but i think of AMD as an american car company and Intel as a Japanese car company, i think same applies to Nvidia against ATI.

i had an ATI Mobility 9000 64mb on my 600m, but i dont think it was cutting it, and back then in 2004 64mb was the bomb.