Considering Studio 15.....Help

This is my first thread after recently joining this forum. I am considering purchasing a pair of Studio 15s for my wife and I. I have been researching this purchase for about a month. At first I was looking at the HP DV5T until I read reviews about how hot they get. Then I stumbled onto a positive review of the Studio 15. I've gone through the owners thread and read the reviews here and on other sites. What really has given me pause was looking at reviews on Best Buy's web site where the Studio 15 got a 2.6 rating out 5 after 34 reviews. It seems the common theme is that this system suffers crashes and can't always be restored after preforming the first automatic Windows update. Is this a known issue with the Studio 15? Are there any problems with this system other than the poor speakers I should be aware of? I would really appreciate any thoughts, experiences or recommendations from owners. Dell is offering a good deal until 12/14 on the Studio 15 with the T5900 Processor, 3GB of RAM, 320GB HD, ATI 3250 etc for $699 and I like some feedback before pulling the trigger. I'm trying to avoid buyer's remorse.

Thanks,
Bill : )

 

As for the software, I did not face any such issues. I had the studio15 for the past 4 months now and I reformatted it at least 2 times. If you want a lean clean machine without the flab, just reformat the HDD as soon as you get the laptop.

 

venkateshkumar99,
Thanks for your reply. I was reading up on the clean install of Vista in the thread on that topic and it's definitely something I'll probably do. Afterall, what could go wrong - right? It sounds like you've had a positive experience with your Studio 15. I contacted Dell's online sales and they mentioned that people who bought from Best Buy had problems when Windows Vista attempted to upgrade to SP1 which Dell pre-loads on the system I would buy. At least that's what they tell me, they are sales afterall. I hope I get a few more replies to give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about my possible purchase. thanks again for your reply.

Bill : )

 

I got my Studio 15 as a system replacement, and so far no complaints here. Basically Just uninstall all the stuff that you don't need. and you'll be fine. I didn't have to do a clean install. All my programs run. Boots up fast.

 

Yup, I'm 100% satisfied with my studio

BTW I cleaned the HDD and reinstalled vista just for the heck of it I felt the system is 'soiled' if I didn't reformat it (or that might be a strange case of OCD though...who knows? Reinstalling the OS frequently for no apparent reason is the OCD of geeks LOL!)

 

What the reviews on Bestbuys site reflect are people using the default Dell install which is terrible. If you take some time to do a clean install and add tweaks as you deem necessary you will have a fine notebook.

 

My Studio 1535 is a piece of junk. I've had it about 3 months and the fan runs continuously, the mouse freezes, I frequently cannot type any letters, the CD/DVD drive tries to eject but there's nothing to eject. I've probably spent 3-4 hours on the phone w/customer service in India. They updated the Bios, they said the CD/DVD drive noise is a "known issue" and they will e-mail me when they have a solution, and finally we tried a full diagnostics which lasts about an hour. However, in the middle of running the diagnostics my lovely Dell quit and would not reboot! It finally rebooted two days later. They have sent me a box to send it into Dell in Texas. I don't want it back. I want a refund, but they said "that's not possible." If you're thinking of buying this model, RUN!

 

I want to thank those that have responded, even the negative comments. I was wondering....those with the fingerprint reader, can it be by-passed or disabled so you don't have to use it to log in?

Thanks,
Bill : )

 

You don't have to use the fingerprint reader, you can just use passwords.

 

Lets see. It runs really cool but the fan runs on low nearly all the time...but it keeps it being the coolest laptop i have ever used. The CD drive makes a noise when its turned on - like all laptops. The finger print reader does not have to be disabled to not be used. You can either type your password in or swipe your finger at all log in screens.

 

Once again I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to reply. I guess I'm committed now as I just placed my order for 2 identical Studio 15s as spec'd in my first post above, a green one for my wife and a blue one for me. OK maybe they're not identical. I just hope they will both be as reliable and trouble free as my old Compaq Presario 1200Z and my MSI 1029, both of which are still working. I usually over analyze my more expensive pruchases and I found this site to be a great resource.

Bill : )

 

Congrat's on the order(s)!

I hope both you and your wife enjoy the S15's

And, no worries..this forum is a great site for help, reference, and ideas!

Oh, and when I was looking for my first lappy (my 1530) I searched this site high and low for answers for several months before making the big move and purchasing! I really over analyzed things..it's only human when your putting money into something!

Cin