Dell Confusion

Greetings all. I could use the help of the collective wisdom on this forum to help guide me in selecting a laptop.

I have posted a similar question in the "What laptop should I buy" forum, but my question here is limited to Dell's, hence this post. I've read through as many of the threads on this forum as I can find, and have been thinking about this since January, so this hasn't been a hasty decision. I'm probably in part suffering from information overload as well.

I have looked at Sony's and Asus's and a few others, but each have their own peculiarities and issues. Maybe I also just feel more comfortable buying a Dell (my company uses them exclusively), and just know them better.

I am looking for a large-screen laptop, preferably 17", and with a high-res screen. I do not want a 1368 x 768. Not sure I want 1920 x 1080, and might not pay extra for that res, but wouldn't turn it down if it was the only option. 1600 x 900 would be very acceptable as well. Of course 4GB ram, an i5/i7, and at least a 320GB drive are also requirements, but it seems most machines these days are lower res so that's where I am differentiating first.

My uses are for photoshop/photography, software development but not gaming.

I know the Studio comes in 17", as does the Precision. My main question centers around whether something like the Studio has a build quality to last several years, or if I'm going to spend the money, should I go with a very high-end (and expensive) machine like the 17" Precision. Is the Precision worth the extra money?

Or would something like the XPS 16 be a good middle ground? It's not 17" but does have high-res options as standard

I guess my confusion stems from not knowing the entire Dell laptop line well enough to know which models to stay away from. My budget is preferably $1500, but would pay more if there was enough justification for it.

Thanks!

 

Based on your criteria I would look at the Vostro 3700. It's a 17.3" laptop with the new i series CPU's, has 1600x900 resolution. You can customize it with either the stock Intel 4500 graphics or the nvidia GT 330m.

Prices start at $679 and it comes in 3 different colors.

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/bsd/vostro-3700?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

 

Appreciate the help. However, I could not find a way to configure the Vostro 3700 with anything but a 1368 x 768 screen. If it's there, I'm missing it (and I have looked pretty hard!).

 

That's a misprint it's supposed to say 1600x900 because it's been confirmed by others on the forums that the Vostro 3700 is not 1366x768 but actually 1600x900 resolution.

You can also contact Dell for confirmation but it's really the higher rez. Not a first for Dell to not get their specs right.

 

Okay, that's good. I was wondering why they'd put a 1GB video card on a machine with a low-res screen . I'll try to find that in the Vostro threads.

I know the Vostro 3700 is a new machine, but is the consensus that it's a worthy machine, and a definite step up from the Studio line?

 

Just marketing with huge numbers
The preferred solution is to combine lots of video ram with a sluggish GPU and a whopping 64bit memory bandwith

Michael

 

And why only offering 32-bit Windows 7 as the base OS? What's up with that?

Overall, are the impressions of the new Vostro's good, bad, or ugly?

 

Overall, people are impressed with the new Vostro's. The aluminum finish and new chassis design is a bit of a step up in terms of fit and finish from the previous generation models.

You should be able to pick W7 64 bit. The reason why home premium is available 32 bit only is a bit odd. I suspect its a form of keeping the starting price low.

 

Win7 Home Premium 64-bit might be possible if you call them. Until very recently, no 64-bit options were available for any Vostro model online but sales would add it if you called in the order...crazy, I know!

The reason they aren't offering it online for the 3700 is obvious- to force you to pay $70 to upgrade from Home Premium to Professional, which is offered online in 32 and 64-bit!

So far, I've only heard positive things about the 3000-series! They're great looking, solid aluminum construction (for durability/longevity). They have sealed, spill-resistant keyboards like the previous Vostro models, another nice feature for the long haul!

Personally, I'd buy a Vostro over any Inspiron, Studio or Studio XPS model! I got my best friend a Vostro 1310 almost two years ago and it's ran like a champ from day one. It travels at least four days every week and has taken a few hits/knocks/drops along the way. But the damage was never more than very minor and cosmetic in nature. The free fall sensors and other protections really do seem to keep the hard drive safe!

 

Hi I am also confused about the Dell Vostro 3700 tech specs. I know Dell Australia website states that the resolution is 1600x900, but first of all the Dell US site doesn't list the resolution, and all of the Dell US sales reps tell me it is 1366x768.

I want to know if anybody can confirm that the Vostro 3700 in the US is actually 1600x900 and the specs the reps are giving me for 1366x768 are actually incorrect? Or are they just selling a different resolution screen in Australia instead of the US?