Dell Inspiron 17R

Hi I was wondering if people who have this laptop can help. I'm currently torn between the Toshiba Satellite L670 and the Dell Inspiron 17R.

Could the following be answered?

1) Sound quality. I have heard that the dell has its speakers at the bottom of the chassis, meaning sound is muted etc. Overall what is the sound quality like and is it loud?

2) Does the keyboard flex? I have used one in a store, and it wasn't great, and the smaller keys took a little while to get used to.

3) Is there a typing issue with the hand brushing the trackpad and causing the cursor to move around, its a bug bear with me.

4) Fan noise. I really hate a loud fan or continuous fan being on a laptop. Is it an issue for the dell. Does it have a problem managing its heat? This is a potential deal breaker for me.

5) I like the soft quiet trackpad buttons, but is there any issues with its reliability?

Thanks.

PS - If there is anybody with the Dell Studio 17 could they also answer with their experiences of the Studio 17?

 

my inspiron 17r should be arriving sometime in the next few days so i'll check it out and let you know about these things

 

ok i got it earlier today and have been using it quite a bit:

1) Sound quality is ok and the speakers are quite loud just sitting on a desk. they might get muted if its in your lap or something.

2) there is a little bit of flex in the keyboard but not much. and it is going to take some getting used to after using a desktop. most likely i'll be buying a wireless keyboard pretty soon.

3) typing with the home row or just pecking i havent had any issue with this whatsoever

4) the loudest thing so far has been the disk drive. other than that i havent heard the fan much. i've just been online and stuff and it hasnt gotten very warm.

5) trackpad buttons work well, i just have to get used to using a trackpad instead of an actual mouse.

so far i really like it

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm wondering whether I should opt for the i3 processor, I went to the store again and placed my hand over the air vents on the i5's and they were quite hot, while the i3 with an integrated Intel GPU was quite cool. I might have to spec down to stop the fan coming on constantly. How is the battery life?

PS - At the store I tested out the 15R's speakers (no 17R present) and I can't believe Dell opted for under chassis speakers. They would get muffled if you are using it on your lap. There's plenty of space on the top side for speakers like Toshiba.

 

yeah now that ive been using it more sitting in my lap i have noticed that the vents get hot but the fan isnt loud at all. i really havent tested the battery out yet; ive just been plugged in at home.

i agree with you on the speakers, i use headphones 99% of the time so the speakers arent very important to me.

overall i really like it so far

 

Thanks, what is your spec?