Dell Studio 1555

Yeah, it's possible. What kind of games are you wanting to play that you are concerned about fps?

 

The 1080p display will downscale, and 1280x720 (720p) should be one of your options.

 

Hi all, I just ordered my Studio 15 a week ago. Estimated delivery is May 27. Specs are below, and I think I got a pretty good deal (about $1230 with all taxes and free second day shipping).

CPU: P8600, 2.4GHz 1066Mhz
RAM: 4GB, DDR2, 80MHz 2 Dimm $0.00
HARD DRIVE: 320GB 7200RPM
SCREEN: 15.6 Inch High Definition+(900P) Bright LED Display
GPU: 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD HD 4570
COLOR: Black Chainlink $0.00
OS: Vista with SP1 Home Premium Edition (64-bit)
OPT DRIVE: 6X Slot Load Bluray ComboDrive
WIFI: Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11AGN / Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth

BTW, has anybody tried a clean Vista install with this laptop? Can I just follow the procedure in the main "Dell Clean Vista Install" post, or is there something specific about the new generation Studio that I should be aware of?

 

All you have to do is pop in your Vista disk, reboot, boot from the disk, reformat the current Vista partition and let it install there. Get the drivers from support.dell.com and you should be set.

 

If you are going to reinstall, and feel comfortable with prerelease software, I suggest you check out Windows 7 RC1. IMO it's leaps and bounds ahead of Vista (even with service packs). Feels much snapier and I haven't had a crash yet.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

 

I can't remember if I posted it before... We are collecting benchmarks of laptop graphics cards and it would be great to have the Mobility 4570 ones to compare.

 

Thanks guys. A couple of follow-up questions:

1) I assume when you say go Dell's support site for the drivers, I can also use the Drivers CD (if they include one with the laptop)?

2) If I were to go with Windows 7 RC1, do you think most of the existing Vista 64-bit drivers would function with the new O/S?

Windows 7 does look interesting, and if it craps out, I can always just do another clean install of Vista

 

Yes, most Vista drivers will work just fine in Windows 7 (Driver model didn't change from Vista to 7). Note that if you have the 4570, you should be able to get video drivers for Win7 directly from ATI.

Other than that, I don't know how many drivers you'll need to install though. Most of the built-in drivers look fine to me.

If you opt for 7, make sure you come back and tell us about your experience!

 

About Windows 7...

When I get my 1555, I'll be making Vista recovery disks instantly. When Windows 7 releases, and I, for some reason or another, would want to revert back to Vista, can I use the recovery disks to wipe W7 off and put Vista back on?

I always thought that you could only use the recovery disks if the primary OS is already Vista, not something else.

 

I don't know what a recovery disc is - but in any case your laptop should be coming with the Vista DVD, which would enable you to go back if you wanted to.

 

That's the recovery disk he was talking about.

Yes, you can use the Dell Vista recovery disk to re-install Vista over 7, or Linux, or another copy of Vista, or nothing at all. It doesn't matter what your previous operating system was.

 

Thanks.

I hope to see W7 released sometime in August. That way, I'll see how reviews are and then purchase it.

 

I'm using the release candidate right now on my Studio 1535...I recommend buying it already.

 

How reliable is the release candidate? Does it have any bugs?

 

Well the beta was apparently alreayd pretty well worked out so I'm guessing the release candidate which is what comes after the beta, should be even more bug free.

The release candidate, as its name says, is a version which Microsoft considered releasing, but chose to test first. Usually within a few weeks/months' time of the RC release, the actual OS comes out.

My dad used both the beta and release candidate and he said it works great

 

so. just talked with my sales person and the end of the story is: I can't choose the 1080p Display since it will only be available here in Germany in one month. Bollocks!
also I cant choose the smaller graphics card with 256mb b/c it is not possible with the offer i chose.

 

I am waiting for the 1080p screen (and backlit keyboard) to come as well and I wonder if it will be released in the UK in a months time. Hmm....

 

I certainly hope they bring it out in the UK. I would not enjoy a 1366x768 resolution especially when using Dreamweaver. It seems Dell doesn't like Europe with all the high prices they're charging. £30 for bluetooth upgrade, £60 for any 7200rpm hard drive etc.

 

Ordered my Studio 15 yesterday with a 6/5 ship date.. $745..

Studio 15 Notebook (Studio 1555)

Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2.0GHz, 800Mhz, 2M L2 Cache
3GB, DDR2, 800MHz 2 Dimm
Back-lit Keyboard
15.6Inch High Definition+(900P) Bright LED Display with TrueLife and Camera
256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD HD 4570
250G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Plum Purple
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
8X Slot Load DVD+/-RW (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support)
Cyberlink PowerDVD DX 8.1 withTTHD
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Microsoft Works 9.0, English For Inspiron
Mail-InService, 24x7 TechnicalSupport, Initial Year
Warranty Support,Initial Year

 

So I am in a toss. I am looking to spending around 1200 dollars on a new laptop but am really concerned about get a white LED based screen. From I can find this monitor on the 1555 is based on white led and after looking at this
link here, these monitors probably have a terrible color gamut reproduction:

http://www.dell.com/content/learnmore/learnmore.aspx?c=us&l=en&ref=CFG&s=gen&~id=hmc_screen_precn&~lt=popup&~series=precn&~tab=other

So this has got me looking at the precision m4400 which has an option of RGB led 1920x1200 display which does a 100% of the adobe color gamut, instead of 45%. ARG!! TOO MANY OPTIONS!?!?

 

Just go see a Dell Studio in person to see how you feel?

I didn't even know about what you're talking about and I'm still looking forward to my Studio 1555's arrival!

 

Hi there!

- Does any 1555 owner have some issues with the volume keys?
It happened to me twice; the process controlling them crashed.

- I also have sometimes a CPU usage suddenly spiking to 100% because of an audio related process. the only solution I found was to reboot.

For these 2 issues, I didn't identify any cause.
I'll share the name of the processes next time it happens. I remember I googled them but didn't find any interesting posts.

cheers

 

Do yourself a favor and reinstall Windows from scratch with the Vista recovery disk. You'll get rid of a lot of Dell bloatware that way.

 

If I get rid of all the Dell stuff, won't it affect the control of the volume buttons? It's about HW and SW. I'm not sure Vista can recognize them by itself. Did it work on your 1535?

 

I've completely reformatted this 1535 multiple times and installed several different operating systems. The volume control buttons will work regardless of any software. The only thing you'll need is the QuickSet software if you want the volume icon to appear on your display when you change the volume. Even without QuickSet, though, the volume buttons work, you just can't see it.

 

Hey has anyone gotten the Creative X-Fi sound upgrade? If so, does it even do anything? Like, is there any noticeable difference in sound output in the headphones or something? Also, does it stick out a large amount from the notebook?

 

Just found out that my laptop has shipped and likely will arrive on Friday or Saturday. Sweetness!

If I intend to install Windows 7 RC1, but want a clean install, it seems the best way to achieve this would be to: (i) first do a clean install of Vista using the enclosed CD; (ii) install all necessary drivers off the Dell CD; (iii) download Windows 7 RC1 and install (although I suppose I could download Windows 7 before all of this and save on a secondary drive).

Anybody have a better suggestion?

 

Your plans sound bulletproof.

By the way, how long did it take for Dell to ship it once you ordered it? That is, how long was the wait time while it was in production? Thanks.

 

You don't need to reinstall Vista first. Just wipe the preinstalled Vista partition and do a clean install of the Windows 7 RC in that partition. There's no need to install Vista again in between. Also, get the drivers from support.dell.com, not your CD; they'll be more up to date.

 

http://www.creative.com/oem/products/software/x-fimb.asp

This is actually a software package, not that X-Fi USB sound card thing. I personally don't see how it's worth an extra $20...

 

What does the Creative sound upgrade software package do to the sound quality, exactly? I'm a bit confused about it.

 

I got the Creative Software package..It is just a software and is not something that u can't do without..In short it is not a necessary upgrade..

 

I ordered on May 1, and the estimated delivery date was May 27 with 2-day shipping. Found out that the lappy shipped yesterday and I'll receive it on Friday (about 2 weeks early). FWIW, I ordered through the EPP site, which was giving estimated delivery dates about a week later than the regular Dell site. About 5 days after I ordered, I called to politely complain about the delayed shipping/production, and the CSR told me she would see if she could expedite. I have no idea if my call or the CSR's efforts had any effect.

Can you explain this process a little bit more? Do I have to create some type of Windows 7 RC start-up disk for the clean installation, or can I install Wnidows 7 RC while in Vista and it will give me the option to wipe the hard drive and perform a clean installation? Sorry for the noob question.

 

Most easy way to do a full clean install of windows (xp, vista or 7) and wipe every existing data of your hard drive is the next:

1) Download Windows 7 RC1 of course
2) Write it on a blank DVD
3) Boot your PC/Laptop with the DVD with Windows 7 on it. It is possible you might have to press a key to confirm the boot from the DVD.
4) Follow the instructions on the screen and when asked where to install Windows 7 erase the existing partitions and make a new one for Windows 7
5) Finish the installation

If you need a more thorough explanation follow this link How to install Windows 7 by Microsoft

 

c-mattic summed up the clean install process nicely. You can upgrade from within Windows Vista as well, if you're going from 32 bit to 32 bit, or 64 bit to 64 bit, but if you're going from 32 to 64, you'll need to do a clean install.

I recommend doing a clean install anyway.

 

If anyone could clear up the confusion, it would greatly be appreciated. Is the Dell Studio 15 the same as the Dell Studio 1555? I can't seem to find Dell Studio 1555 on google anywhere.

 

Dell Studio 1555 is the latest version of the Dell Studio 15, released this past February in some countries (India, Singapore, etc.) and around the end of April in North America and other places. Previously there were the 1535/1536/1537 versions. The general term for all of them, however, is "Dell Studio 15" so yeah it's a bit confusing. On the Dell site nowadays, you might see a reference to "New Dell Studio 15" or something like that; this refers to the 1555.

 

Part of Dell's "Clear-As-Mud" naming scheme! Much like the Inspiron 15 originally referred to the 1525/1526 (15.4") but now refers to the 1545 (15.6").

Up until some point late last year, Dell used all four numbers to refer to a model. There was an Inspiron 1520, then 1525 and the current model would be the Inspiron 1545. The Studio models have only been referred to as 15 or 17 in marketing materials (and Dell's sales website). The Dell Tech Support site breaks them down, though.

 

Exactly. The Outlet also lists the Studio series with the full number, e.g. 1535 or 1737.

The older 15.4" Studio 15 notebooks with the touch media panel were the 1535 (Intel Santa Rosa), 1536 (AMD based), and 1537 (Intel Montevina). These were all physically identical from the outside and have the ATi 3450 optional dedicated graphics. The new Studio 15 is the Studio 1555, which is 15.6", with a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of the old 16:10, has no touch sensitive controls, the ATi 4570 graphics card, and has some of the ports moved around on the sides. All four of these (1535, 1536, 1537, 1555) are Studio 15 notebooks.

Just for a bit of added confusion, there is also the Studio 15 Special Edition, which is basically a slightly modified 1537, with a new color scheme and an edge-to-edge display.

 

Was the 1536 available with the ATI HD 3450? I know the retail versions all had the ATI HD 3200. The configurable 1536 was almost impossible to find on Dell's webpage, when it was available. Upgrading from the 3200 to 3450 would hardly be worth it...then again, I'd steer clear of the AMD processor, too.

Dell isn't even trying to appear to be offering AMD-based products on their website anymore. There used to be a "Looking for AMD?" link under the 'Laptops' heading, but it's nowhere to be found now....just an observation...

 

You're right, the 1536 used the 3200, probably because it's the integrated graphics card for AMD motherboards...the AMD equivalent of the Intel X3100 or 4500MHD. That would also mean the 1536 never had a dedicated graphics option to begin with. It's not really a big deal anyway; it's not like the 3450 is anything worth writing home about.

Until AMD becomes a serious competitor in the mobile processor market, I won't really miss them at all.

 

Sadly the HD3200 scored higher on the Windows Experience Index than the HD3450 for both Aero performance and gaming. I am assuming it was due to the "1728mb total available VRAM" because gaming on that thing was a nightmare.

The processors offered on the AMD models are junk compared to the Intel models. I was stuck with a 2.0GHz Turion which is comparable to a 1.6GHz C2D. If they were serious about selling AMD models then they at least needed to offer AMD Turion Ultra and the HD3450 together like HP has in the past with their DV5Z line. The only upside to the 1536 was having no issues with the media panel or eject buttons.

 

I seriously doubt that there will be an AMD-based Studio 1556....what do you guys think?

So, how's the quality on the 1555 compared to the 1537? Anyone have an opinion of how the two compare?

 

I don't think there will be one either. I was referring to the 1536.

 

No reviews yet? The 6 cells is capable of 4h of web browsing with screen turned down to 30%?

 

Hey everyone. Got my 1555 today, and re-installed Vista and its drivers. I was wondering, what do I install to get on-screen prompts for volume and things like that? I'm not sure what software it is.

Thanks guys.

 

This board was really helpful in making my purchasing decision. Very good information spread around here. I just got my Dell Studio 15 (1555). It's very nice, I must admit the Black Chainlink looks nicer than I thought it would.

If you want the whole volume/brightness etc, download Dell QuickSet from dell.com.

 

I think you can install the "Quickset"
Download address: http://ftp.us.dell.com/app/Dell_QuickSet_A05_R200494.exe

 

I used to own a Studio 1536 with HD3450.....

 

I thought I installed Quickset, but perhaps I forgot. Thanks guys for the help.