Dell 17r N7720 SE - user review

I have no idea what model you will get. If it's not SE, you will not have the option for a second HDD.

1) - Dell has no plans to make a 9 cell for it right now. If yuo get 45' on it, you should not use it on battery in the first place. A normal usage gives around 3h maybe;
2) - most likely you will get 1600 ones;
3) - Use SSD for OS and games (well, since it is so expensive to get big ones, for one game at a time maybe) and HDD for storage. This works perfect and you can see the performance quite easy. Remember that even with one HDD bay you can put the 1TB HDD in an external caddy over USB3. As storage it should work just fine.

 

I think you mean "7720" instead of "7702", because 7720 is indeed the 17R SE. But I can tell from the specs that you have the 17R SE; you have the GT 650M GPU, which the normal 17R doesn't have.

Now, about your questions:
1) Is there no 9cell battery option!!? I am very disappointed that there is no 9 cell battery available? I have seen that people get only 45 minutes out of the inclueded battery

There is no 9 cell battery option. Don't know what else to say. Battery life won't be THAT bad. Just don't expect to be able to play games without charger for hours.

2) What RAM does the GT650m use? is it the slower GDDR3?

It is GDDR5. GDDR3 doesn't exist by the way. It is either DDR3 or GDDR5.

3) Is it worth getting a SSD for the OS with the slower HDD installed? Will it help with loading/ running programs and games like Skyrim?

I don't think the actual performance in terms of frames per second will be improved, in any games. It will help with the loading of textures, so that might improve gameplay, but don't expect wonders. However, it will DEFINITELY help with the loading of programs and games. You can expect to look a lot less at the loading screens, and a lot more at the actual game.

 

you will get two. i was confused as well at first, because the online config just mentions 750gb, but the components list contains 2 750gb seagate momentus hhd´s.

 

Does it say you will have a total of 1.5TB? Then you will indeed have two HDDs.

 

No, it says 750GB, but it also doesn't mention mSATA anywhere except for the spec sheet at the end. This is my print summary. You can clearly see it says Hard Drive, 2nd Hard Drive, and Additional Hard Drive.

 

Hi, thank you very much for your opinion, very useful.

I called this morning to the Dell technical support number that they provided me in the chat and asked which laptop has a better sound if XPS or Inspiron SE. His answer: the Inspiron sound is better Surprised, I asked him why and his answer was a more modern sound card and better speakers.

So, conclussion: I will apply your rule of thumb from now on.

Please, do you (or anybody) know the ASUS N53/73 (without external subwoofer) and/or ASUS N55 (with external subwoofer) sound systems? If so, how would you rate both of them with the Inspiron's? I make this question because 1.) I've listened to ASUS N73 sound so with that info I can imagine how good the sound of the Inspiron is 2.) ASUS N55SF had been my first option of purchase so far and althought speakers and sound do not tip the balance by itself, it's one of the most important things to me - more than gaming performance or things like that, the use will be mainly pure domestic multimedia.

Thank you in advance

BR

 

Thank you for your detailed response, most appreciated.
(and thank you for corrected my dumb errors also!)

 

No problem! Those are not dumb errors, just tiny mistakes. Anyone can make them. And we know what you mean, right?

 

The asus N*5/N*6 series speakers are quite okay without the external sub too, but lacking bass as you might have guessed already. Still well above average laptop speakers. I only use my sub when it's setup for music and when I know the laptop wont be moved for at least 2-3 days.

 

But above this Inspiron 17R SE? Or more or less equal?


I have another question, sorry if it is very basic but, in case I order this Inspiron with 2x4 GB RAM, will it have the dual channel enabled?

I have to choose between this two configurations:

- 750 GB HDD 7200 RPM & 6 GB RAM (2+4)
- 1 TB HDD 5400 RM & 8 GB RAM (2x4), 50 euros more.

Is it worth to pay the plus of 50E? I think the main reason to do it would be the Dual Channel. But is it really so worthy? How would the notebook exactly improve with it?

What surprises to me is that the "cheap" configuration enables a 7200 RPM HDD, whereas the "expensive" configuration enables a 5400 RPM one, that theoretically is inferior (with more capacity thought).

 

Depends on what you want to do. I think you will be happy with 6GB RAM. You can always upgrade to 8GB later, but I don't think you will need it. For gaming you definitely don't need it, and for other normal uses neither. For photo (and not just removing red eyes)/video editing more is always good though.

Weird though that in the Netherlands, it's almost exactly the opposite of your choices:
- 1TB HDD 5400rpm & 8GB RAM
- 750GB HDD 7200rpm & 6GB RAM, 60 euros more

I guess in your country the value of RAM is higher, and in my country the value of a better HDD is higher. Weird...

 

It's not much of a difference really, but I'll still rate the asus slightly better sound wise.

I'd go with the 1tb + 8Gb and add a SSD to the setup.

Both RAM setups is dual channel, as far as I know the later intel CPU/chipsets doesn't require identical modules to run in dual channel mode. But identical modules could perform slightly better, but hardly enough to notice beside benchmarks.

 

airut.................its even possible to run 2 + 4 (or 3 + 1 or 2 +3, etc) in dual channel......(its called: Intel Flex Memory Technology ).


the only "rule" to achieve Intel Flex Memory Technology.....is that you have to use both slots....thats it. (if we just talking about 2 slots here)

for a Intel motherboard/chip...there is this modes:
Single channel
Dual channel
Triple channel
Quad channel
Flex mode......(both dual & single channel at the same time)

 

My country is Spain, and I've just checked it again just in case it was my fault when reading, but not:

Detalles del portátil Inspiron 17R Special Edition | Dell España

Here you can find a 4 GB RAM memory from around 20 euros:

Memoria PNY 4GB DDR3 1333 D4GBN16M1333H-SB | Tienda de Informatica Online

I'm not planning at all to do video or photo edition and my best guess was that the improvement was mainly in games, flash, browsing, etc (error).

The Asus without external subwoofer is (slightly) better than this inspiron that has a subwoofer? Impressive

Anyway, if it is just a "slight" difference, I think I will be happy enough with the sound of the Inspiron

I didn't know this, actually I didn't know what dual channel was until my old notebook broke down two weeks ago and I started to read reviews to purchase the new one, and always that I found a mention to "dual channel" they said that 2 modules of the same size were needed, but maybe it was my misunderstanding.

Ok, so 6GB (dual channel ) RAM and 750 GB HDD (but 7200 RPM) seems to be the best option. My only concern is that I've read that 7200 RPM HDDs produce more heat and noise, but I guess the improvement in performance is worth it.

Thank you all, you have saved me 50 euros

 

Hi, just been advised that my 17r has been shipped, so looking forward to tomorrow!
I am looking to buy a SSD to add to the 1tb hdd 5400 that has been installed, but I dont know exactly what to get!
Can anyone advise what I should be looking for 2.5" 32 or 64 gb seems right, is that correct? But are there different types or different speeds!?

On a slightly different note I'm still looking forward to the review being put on YouTube (as mentioned earlier in the thread). There seems to be a real lack of proper reviews out there at the moment

 

Just to clarify, I've been through most of this thread but in case I missed it. Has there been any problems encountered with this laptop so far?

Also, does anyone have any further insights into the one HDD vs two HDDs issue I mentioned a few pages back?

 

Some GPU boost problems. Some CPU throttling problems. I would say these are the most important ones. But will matter only if you plan to use the system at full power.

 

And are these simply a matter of driver updates and BIOS fixes from Dell? I haven't been following this thread so much as my primary focus had been on the XPS 15, but I'm starting to give up on that. I assume the throttling isn't as severe on this.

I will probably be pushing the laptop quite a bit

 

Yes it does. I've had mine a few weeks and that's what I've got.

 

Thanks. That one guy was so adamant that there was only one when it clearly said there are two. I wish they'd get their facts straight.

Customer service people.....

 

Hello there,

I need help!

I have just received my Inspiron 17R SE. I have just literally unboxed it, turned it on, completed the software process. I tried a video for a couple of seconds because the speakers seemed to emit a strange noise at the start when the desktop was loading for the first time. False alarm it seems (I hope), it sounds fine for now. My specs: i5 processor, full HD with antiglare and 750 GB fast drive, 2GB 650 M video card.

My immediate worry is the following: I notice the left hand side of this machine is already quite warm (under the left hand, both on top and under the laptop). I am incredibly disappointed. I expected some heat and noise at certain points, but certainly not when I have done nothing with the machine.

So, heat on the left hand side. Fan works all the time, and I can also hear the crackling of the hard drive. The computer is basically idle!!

Can anyone please confirm if this is normal? I am sorely disappointed and I hope this is a fault and not normal. I really didn't want another noisy, hot and crackling PC! Can anyone please let me know? I would be very grateful for your input.

Thanks,
Valha (Spain)

 

Like i said before

Erase IDT audio driver
Restart PC
Install (same) IDT audio driver

It fixed my noise

About the fan....... How hot do you have in your room ?
Probably your pc runs quite warm. If not maybe reflash BIOS

My 7720 runs extremely cold i must say. Still its summer here so i have not perfect temp. My fan runs very normal (under heavy load)

 

How's that review coming KSMB?

 

Thanks for the quick reply, KSMB!

About the audio driver, the tech person at Dell had me reinstall the audio driver available from the website (we didn't uninstall anything first) and I can still hear the random crackling from the speakers. Is this what you mean by installing the IDT audio driver?

About heat, the agent at Dell said the heat seemed to come from the area where the HD and RAM modules are (I thought it woud be the gaphics card). He told me to run some diagnostics and get back to him. Do you think the HD can cause the heat trouble on the lower left hand side? Again, that area gets quite warm, and hottish underneath when the computer is basically idle. What do you think? I really think I am going to return this if it is going to be this warm under the left wrist, but I really would like to avoid that...

 

Just got mine today! Can't really say much yet, still installing drivers and such.

I have a question though. There are three buttons at the top right of the laptop. One shows you options like for the wireless and the brightness. That button works fine for me. The one next to it (the "W") is supposed to be for WaveMaxx, right? It doesn't do anything for me, except that it lights up for 1 or 2 seconds. The button next to it also does nothing, but I have been told you can choose for yourself what program that should start.

 

guess you have to install the audio drivers for wavemaxx (idt audio drivers/ panel)

my spacebar isn´t being illuminated and i don´t know if it´s working as intended or not. maybe some1 with backlit keyboard can give statement?

 

Dell did not fix this yet. Maybe soon. Define quite a bit and I might be able to tell how it will perform.

 

Can anyone also please confirm whether I should be hearing the HD at all?

It does a kind of a quiet grinding noise. Not a spinning noise I would say. I am using an Asus I borrowed and I cannot hear the HD at all. Dead silent...

 

All HDDs have moving parts thus some noise. It's normal.

 

Already did that. Doesn't really matter though, I can find the settings through control panel.

 

I got my noise away by reinstalling the idt audio driver. Make sure you erase ir first then install again. Sometimes when you let the driver erase it for you. It sometimes keep some old stuff left. Thats why i say erase first. Restart pc. Install idt audio driver.

About heat. Your harddrive does not produce high temps. Only cpu & gpu who do that.
I think you perfectly normal temps. It gets slightly warmer on the left side. All 7720 do so. Thats normal

 

Ive beem busy for 2 nights restoring/unlocking & jailbraking iphone. Man it was really really difficult. I got different error message all time. Finaly i got it to work.

I lay up full video review tomorow night i guess

 

Hi everyone. This is my first post ever on this forum

I have a question to those of you who have this computer. I received mine yesterday and there is one thing that is irritating the hell out of me:
The computer seems to have very uneven weight distribution. It is much heavier at the back than in the front. This does that if you sit with it in your lap it pivots backwards. But that is not the problem i am talking about. Not only is it heavier at the back, but it seems to be heaviest at the back left corner where the charger connects. Because of this, when the computer is sitting on a table and the screen gets opened to almost 90 degrees, the front right corner begins to lift a little from the table. When the screen is opened further, the corner lifts higher. So the computer is not level on the table and can be rocked about the diogonal axis front left - back right. If this is not caused by uneven weight distribution then the chassis of my computer is simply skewed.

To you who have this computer, do you also have this problem?

Other than that the computer is pretty impressing though i haven't had the time to stress test it yet.

Best regards,
Hlunkur

 

Hehe, I have the exact same "problem". Indeed, the front right corner lifts itself a little. It isn't too bad. Right now I only have a SSD in the first bay. I guess if I put a HDD in the second bay, it will remain a little steadier.

Does anyone know what the hell that slide button thingy at the back of the laptop is? It's on the screen part, not on the chassis part, if you get what I mean. At first I thought it was to open the laptop (with what I mean: open the screen lid), but it is on the wrong side, and it does absolutely nothing....

If you put a hub, mouse, keyboard, etc in the powershare USB, and you restart your computer, it will fail to recognize there is anything in there. If you use a permanent hub, you can't put it in the powershare USB. You wouldn't do that anyway, because it makes no sense, but I just thought it was weird.

In other news, my CD drive makes noise sometimes. No, there is no CD in it. It just makes a "wieewie" sound for 1 second.

 

As I have not found any mention of this in any review or forum, it is good to know its not just me who experiences this. That means my chassis is "not faulty" though I actually consider this a fault or bad design. I have had the same thought as you that extra HDD in the center slot might maybe rectify this problem to some extent. But I do consider this a problem as I intend to have my computer in a laptop stand that stands to some angle to the table and the problem is actually worse with the computer in my stand compared to having it on the table. Then again, I am coming from a Macbook pro which has excellent build quality and obviously the two can't be compared, build quality wise. You get what you pay for, this being a relatively cheap computer, there has to be compromises somewhere

The slide button on the back is to release the "cover" on the lid. So you can actually buy new cover in other color or pattern etc.

 

Hi Guys. I'm in the market for a new 17 inch laptop and the Inspiron 17R SE seems like the best value at the moment.

Can anyone tell me what sort of battery life I should expect to get on the Inspiron 17 R SE with 3rd gen i7 - 3610QM, 1080p screen and a 7200rpm HDD on the 6 cell battery?

On the Irish Dell website there is no option for a backlit keyboard, does anyone know why or if there ever will be one? Any US review I've read has mentioned a backlit keyboard but the Dell reps told me it's not available in Ireland.

Also, does anyone know if the XPS 17 will be getting the latest 3rd gen i7 processors? If I knew it was I'll wait for it as I've heard the 9 cell battery life is excellent.

 

Dia dhuit CrouchCop, I don't have one yet and probably won't get it until the end of August but from what I've heard, you'll be getting 2 or 3 hours out of the battery if you're using it. Could be completely wrong on that though.

On to the keyboard, apparently the backlit keyboard is available on one or two of the configs. I told an agent that I wanted one and I didn't care about fast shipping and he/she said I could get one included for about €30-€40. I made sure to get clarification on this repeatedly. Here's a snippet of the chat log -

Me: "Just to clarify, if I decide to go with the Inspiron 17R SE N7720, I can contact you to make the order, and I will be able to get the configuration I forwarded to you PLUS a backlit keyboard installed?"
Agent : "yes"

So, it should be possible. The part is 87G72 if you need to mention it.

I think the XPS 17 is an ex-laptop. It's over at least until some new reboot of the brand

 

Hi Everyone - If you are looking for help with any sales issues, new purchase quote or any general questions for "CANADA region"

Please feel free to post any other questions or concerns you may have. I will do my best to keep up.

Thanks
Chagi

 

Thanks AngryBambi.

I spoke to a Dell Rep online and they said the backlit keyboard is out of stock until September even when I quoted the part number. They also said they expect the XPS 17 to get 3rd gen i7 processors in September or October.

My laptop died two weeks ago so I'm not sure if its worth waiting at least another month just to get a backlit keyboard on the 17R SE, as much as I would like a backlit keyboard.

2 - 3 hours isn't great tbh, I heard the 9 cell in the XPS 17 can get close to 7 hours. Does anyone know if the Inspiron 17R SE will get a 9 cell upgrade from Dell down the road? The 17R SE ticks all the boxes for me except two, the backlit keyboard and relatively poor battery life.

 

I'm sorry to ask again, but after ordering my notebook I wanted to check how I go about pairing my 1tb 5400 HDD with a 64gb SSD. I understand that I need to put the SSD in bay 1 and the HDD in bay 2, and reinstall windows on the SSD.

But is it that simple!? I know I need to install drivers etc, but is there anything else I need to do. Will it just work as I have explained? I don't know what mSATA is either?!

And will any 2.5" SSD work? Or is there a specific type I need?

My 7720 arrives tomorrow and I want to ensure that I get all that is required as soon as I can

Thank you

 

I'm sorry to ask again, but after ordering my notebook I wanted to check how I go about pairing my 1tb 5400 HDD with a 64gb SSD. I understand that I need to put the SSD in bay 1 and the HDD in bay 2, and reinstall windows on the SSD.

But is it that simple!? I know I need to install drivers etc, but is there anything else I need to do. Will it just work as I have explained? I don't know what mSATA is either?!

And will any 2.5" SSD work? Or is there a specific type I need?

My 7720 arrives tomorrow and I want to ensure that I get all that is required as soon as I can

Thank you

 

Sorry to sound stupid, but how do I exactly erase the IDT audio driver before reinstalling it? Where is it located and what files should I delete exactly? Would you mind giving me specific instructions? I really want to avoid messing things up on a brand new machine... Sorry if this is extremely obvious...

 

Answers in bold.

First thing you need to do is is it that simple!? I know I need to install drivers etc, but is there anything else I need to do.
You need to first make the backup recovery DVDs or USB using the Local Dell Backup program in order to install Windows on a clean SSD. These recovery DVDs should install Windows into the factory Dell state with drivers installed. From there installation shouldn't be that hard.

I don't know what mSATA is either?!
mSATA is a name for the type of interface the 32 GB Cache SSD uses to communicate. The industry is starting to make mini SSD drives using the mSATA interface.

And will any 2.5" SSD work? Or is there a specific type I need?
2.5" is the standard size for SSD's and 2.5" is the only size that will fit in notebooks. If you were to install a 2.5" SSD into a desktop, you can opt to install the 2.5" SSD onto a 2.5" to 3.5" hard drive adapter. I don't know what you mean by a specific type. Any 2.5" SSD drives should behave the same way.

 

I'm sorry to ask this again, but I didn't get a response that I saw. If you order this machine without a MSATA drive will the machine still have a mSata slot?

 

2.5 inch hdds come in two sizes. 7 mm and 9.5 mm. Perhaps that is what his question was. The latitude e6220 for example only can fit 7mm drives.

 

I didn't know there were different thickness types for 2.5 inch drives. Why can't they just make one size and make it universal. I am tired with all these different variations.

Also what size(s) does the 17R SE support 7 mm or 9.5 mm or both?

 

@CrouchCop: You'll get about 4.5hrs browsing, about 2hrs listening to music at full volume, and about an hour or less gaming. Rough estimates, but it should give you a good enough idea.

RE keyboard: I've been trying to source one as well, and I can't find one anywhere. I'd assume there will be one eventually, but it doesn't seem to have hit Ireland yet. I'm just going to pick one up on eBay whenever they hit.

Side note: The keyboard is the easiest I've ever seen to remove/replace. You don't even need a screwdriver. It's four little clips toward the bezel that you pop up, and the keyboard just lifts out. It's literally a two-minute thing to replace one.

 

Will it just be a case of plug and play with a new keyboard though? I mean will the backlit-edness and the ability to change levels of brightness just work when the keyboard is swapped or will there be tinkering to do?


Also, to anyone who has the 3D version....does it come with Nvidia 3D Vision glasses? Or Nvidia 3D Vision 2 Glasses? I would hope it's the second generation, they've been out a while. Does the 3D TrueLife screen on the N7720 support LightBoost?

 

I know ive asked similar and im sorry but im curious. For those of us who have the 1tb 5400rpm hdd with msata and also purchase an 120gb sdd, how would we go able installing windows then using the hdd as a data drive with the msata helping it out. Instructions would be super helpful

 

Thank you for your reply! Would this be suitable as a primary SSD:

OCZ OCZ PTL1-25SAT3-64G Internal 2.5" SATA SSD - 64GB at cheap prices | Pcworld

If so i'll go grab one today