Dell Studio 15 (15.6 LED) Questions

The tech specs seem to be quite lacking compared to what is posted on this site

First - the new one that is offered on the Dell site - what is the model - I see references of "1555" here.

Resolutions
After reviewing Dell's offerings I am pretty sure I will be getting the Studio 15 model. But specs merely say, for the resolution - Glossy widescreen 15.6 inch LED HD display (1366 x 768)

But I am confused on the difference between 720p, 900p and 1080p. This thread suggests that 900p implies 1600x900 resolution. True? Why would this resolution and the higher 1900x not be shown on the Dell site?

I use 1600x1200 on my 21" CRT and I love the real estate - but having that sort of resolution on a 15.6" screen - does that imply the text is ultra small? Also can one easily change the resolution - lower - and if so, on the LED's how does the picture look?

My problem is that it is a desktop replacement and my wife will be using it. Right now she is using 800x600 on a crappy 13" CRT. I love the features of the Studio 15 overall (first to have GIG LAN) and interested in the LED screen.

I am concerned with the text size - even with the 720p. I read about the 900p and thought that would look nice too - except again even smaller than the 720p? Also the cost to go from 720p to 1080p is under $100. I am wondering if having something like 1080p makes it "better" to switch to lower resolutions or are we still in the old days - where the native is best and everything else sucks?

If it is too tiny my wife will not be happy. I am not interested in buying a monitor to use instead of the Dell monitor. But I am wondering if I should just get a plain 15" LCD Inspiron with a lower 1200x resolution.

Glossy?
Secondly with the XPS 13 review a comment was made:

With the Studio it mentions a GLOSSY screen - does it too suffer badly with reflections from indoor lights?

Wifi
The two Wifi options I have are the " Dell 1510 (Wireless-N)" and the " Intel 5100 (agn)". It is true that the 1510 is merely N whereas the Intel is G and N? I don't have wireless N now just B/G. But I also read (here probably) that the 5100 is older technology and I should probably stick with the 1510. ( not concerned if I have to get a wireless N router - but clearly the Intel would be supported immediately; I'd rather get the best of the two cards and be done with it)

Audio
The model I am looking at offers
" High Definition Audio 2.0" and " Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB". The latter costs $20 - is it worth it? Already figured out (again here) that the ATI RADEON HD4570 is not worth the money to get the 512MB.

Keyboard
They offer for a bit more, the illuminated keyboard - worth it? Is it a simple keystroke to turn it on, or a button? Or is there some convoluted system? I can see where one is working in the dark, that the keyboard lit up might be handy - so worth the added cost, if it works well and is easy to turn on/off.

Thanks everyone for any feedback ...
belly

 

I think the 900p and 1080p are supposed to be brighter than the 720p screen. I personally have the WSXGA+ screen on a dell 6400 (it's somewhere between 900 and 1080p) and wouldn't give it up ever. The text size can be resized... but the clarity can't be matched by a low res screen.

Glossy screens are fine... I dont think you get an option...

It would seem odd for a card to be strictly wireless N. Most N cards are for N/G and B...at least they used to be...

The Audio isn't worth the upgrade... As far as I remember the add on from dell is just some software that "upgrades" the sound quality... I could be wrong though

As for backlit keys.... I dont see the purpose. You can really strain your eyes if you dont' have a source of light when you are working at the computer... you should never just work in the dark. so you should always be able to see your keys.... i think the backlit keys are really just a cosmetic feature.... But that's my opinion.

 

1. THE KEYBOARD IS WORTH IT!!!!!!!! Its looks so nice in the dark and makes the computer look like a beauty.
2. Audio- It just basically an extension you put into the express card slot that allows you to use a subwoofer,etc. Its not really worth it, but if you dj and are going to use external 5:1 surrond sound for example its worth it
3. THe higher the resolution the better the picture quality is. Dont worry too much about the text being small, if its too small then lower the resolution. BUT IT WILL LOOK SEXY ON A BIG SCREEN TV WITH HDMI.
If you bring the computer outside allot then dont get that screen but if its for primary inside then get it.
GOOD LUCK, BELLY ANY questions feel free to p.m. me.

 

Stabilo7, the backlight brings the computer out even more it lets you see the keyboard in the dark.

 

The backlit keyboard is way worth the relatively cheap upgrade price. What is it, $40? I paid $50 for mine after I bought my Studio 1535 and installed it myself. Now, I would never go back. I recently had to reinstall the original non-lit keyboard since I was about to ship the laptop to Dell for repairs...I couldn't get used to not having the backlights in the dark. I loved the backlit keys so much that I ended up buying a Logitech G15 keyboard for my desktop.

Turning the keys on is a simple key shortcut: Fn + Right arrow key. This allows you to instantly cycle the lights from off, to 2 brightness levels.

If I had to recommend one single upgrade from the base Studio 15, the backlit keyboard would be it.

 

Couple of follow up questions:

1) So to be clear - there "is" a difference in regular text (resolution) between 720p, 900p and 1080p. That if 720p is not easy to see (too small) then getting the 900p or 1080p would be a bad decision. True?

2) I was looking at the 720p and for some reason that model will be delayed. I am a bit rushed to get it - and might opt for 900p or 1080p (depending on 1) but next to that, there is the "Facial Recognition Software" - apparently that unit (same 720p) is not delayed - so was wondering if there is any value getting that software (about $45 more) than the regular 720p. No idea if it is something like a fingerprint reader - instead of logging into Vista would it handle that process?

Yes the keyboard illumination feature is about $35.

Thanks
belly

 

Belly,

If you got the money, get the facial recognition, I heard it's pretty cool. To help you better, the lower the resolution, the larger the pixel (larger text) BUT with worse quality. GO for the 1080, its worth it.
Why don't you check out HP's, see some of their options and compare it to your dell. If you get more for your money then go with that option. Dell quality has gone down allot since 3 years. Their made with cheaper parts than years ago. If you want toughness go with IBM or a thinkpad, but their a little bit expensive. Before you place your order please look for some promo codes.
You should also try contacting dell product support (the one when you want to purchase an item or got questions) online chat and ask if they got any special deals. I saved like 100 dollars on my studio because i ask the dell representative if they had any special deals that are not listed on the main page. So check that out.

Mike

 

To put it simply, a higher resolution will make your text smaller, but clearer. Lower resolution will make text larger, but not quite as smooth. Personally, I think 900p (1600x900) is perfect for a 15.6" notebook, but that's just me. It depends on how good you think your eyesight is. Go to a local computer store and look at some laptops with different resolutions, and see what you're comfortable with.

The FastAccess facial recognition software is way cool. It works just like the fingerprint reader would; it allows you to login to Windows Vista without entering a password. After you register your face, all you have to do is look at your webcam.

In that case, go for it; there's no real good reason not to.

 

1) The reason I am looking at Dell ( yes Lenovo is a option but a tad more expensive than I want to spend) over say HP and Acer, is because of their consistent keyboard layout. Some idiot said "you know what? The enter key is all wrong - yeah - instead of LONG one row, make it short TWO rows!" Then the fool continued with - "yeah - and we could move the backslash key in between the quote and enter key - who cares if that is not standard and screws everyone up who uses their pinky to hit the enter key exactly where the backslash will be put". What a bunch of maroons!

I will check out the other resolutions on the other brands to see we can handle the size.

2) I found a coupon code for the Studio 17. The difference was that for the same money I upgraded from 1yr service to 1yr complete care - otherwise the price was identical. So when you speak with someone I assume you still give them all the specs you want. Sounds dicey - with so many parts - I am sure there will be a screw up for me somewhere versus me doing it visually online. But I will look into it. Thanks!

3) Facial Recognition - good to know. That will not delay my purchase and I am free to choose the resolution.

belly

 

Its up to you belly, lenovo for example will last longer then the dells. But then agian if you treat the laptop with care you can make it last longer.

 

Completely untrue. If you take care of a Lenovo and a Dell in the same way, then they will just just as long as each other, assuming no premature hardware failures.

 

Thanks for all your help everyone.

I ended up going ahead with the Studio 15 - 1080p w/Facial and also the illuminated keyboard. I kept my specs tight to stay within budget and ended up with a better unit than I would had with an older Inspiron plus got a nice LED monitor and quite frankly with the features I wanted GIGLAN and Bluetooth etc, it will suite us just fine. (There are "deals" at stores but things like the Bluetooth are never included I find).

Funny, I found out that in our area there was one location (Staples) that had a kiosk and someone from Dell - apparently an experiment with Dell. Interestingly enough, this was the final day of doing that - they have rethought their approach and will pull the sample units. A shame. Meanwhile, she was able to get me an additional $100 off the order.

After reviewing the on site 900p model - I felt the extra cost was worth it ( which was about the extra discount) to go 1080p. She tried to guide me to a XPS Studio - with better processor but I wasn't interested. No matter what I get today, in 3yrs I can get far better gear at 80% of the cost today.

The higher CPU would reduce power usage further, I was not interested in "a little bit more" here and there. It is replacing an old full tower P3 and crappy "in a pinch" 13" CRT monitor circa 1990 - I am sure it will do very well by lowering our hydro bill.

The CSR had the DPI at 120 and fiddled with the resolutions and adjusted things back. As my wife will be spending 99.9% merely browsing, it will be more than ample and she was okay with it all. My 10y will use it for some older games (nothing too graphic extensive - like Unreal Tournament 2004 or maybe Halo) - plus web games (Travian) or whatever. Not a gaming machine (for if it were it would be a high powered desktop ) - but a far cleaner setup than we have now for a place that is seen by guests.

All my gear is treated right and except for say a trip, it will stay in one place most of the time. Ruggedness was not something considered - and xxbadboys93 - I agree through experience of others the Lenovo is a tough cookie. I have no experience though with Dell - but again this is not a "road warrior box" and as Mastershroom said, as long as nothing fails, it should last a long time. ( Yeah, actually I would be complaining that the LCD display was not as bright anymore - where others would have tossed it by then).

At any rate, I am happy and wait for it to arrive. I guess my next post will probably be for some help. Chuckle.

Cheers all!
jeff

 

Good luck with your new pc

 

the illuminated keyboard, is it a functionality thing or for looks? cuss i too dont think i'll use too much of it in the dark.

 

If you ever look at your keys in the dark, then it's functional. If you can touch type 100% of the time and type perfectly with your eyes closed, then you probably don't need it.

 

do u get " Dell Studio 1555 15.6" LED Back Cover" anywhere.. i couldn't find any..
www.resaleremarketing.net has only 1 type for 1537..

can we change to one another whenever we want..
i mean is the procedure easy ??

 

Done.

I realized that i rarely even look at the keyboard... so I guess that's why I don't really see any purpose other than a cosmetic thing... I know it would look awesome but I dont see it having any advantage for me.

 

It's a personal choice to make your laptop a little more "you". Me personally, I can't stand ANY LEDs. They just distract me when I'm tired and should really be in bed but can't because of that project, and hey look, a blue LED.....

 

Haha LED's remind me of those bug zappers..... So mysterious... much stare.... mmmm....

They do look quite nice, but if you don't need to look at your keys.... and you don't have the money to spend... don't really need them