Dell Studio 14z First Look

Yeah, I can't recall any off the top of my head. The Sony Vaio Z does have a 1600x900 screen on a 13.3" monitor though, but for a much much greater price than the Studio 14z.

 

Wow i just looked at this and realized it also has 1600 x 900 screen this thing really is impressive.

Edit: Allfiredup also mentioned this

 

Sony's FW series too.

 

Wow, this appears to be an extremely good answer to Apple's Macbook. The price itself is remarkable, and I imagine that the 1600x900 screen option will be popular. A winner, if it doesn't lemon like the Studio 1535. I can easily see myself getting one of these, sharing USB peripherals with a netbook, and calling it a day.

The only problem I see is that the base unit comes with a pokey T4200 processor, and that upgrading to a P8600 brings the price to above $800. At that price, I could snatch a Latitude with better identical specs and better build quality.

 

Paired with the nVIDIA 9400M and 3GB of DDR3-1066 RAM, I think you'd be surprised at how well the T4200 actually performs. For $50 ($699), you can get the T6400 with 2mb of L2 cache (vs. 1mb L2 cache for the T4200). The T6600 should be a strong performer (about the same as a 2.13GHz P7450) for $100 ($749)....still a great deal, IMO.

 

You are correct that the VAIO Z-series is available with an optional 1600x900 display. It's actually a 13.1" (16:9) display, though.

And the FW series is a 16.4" with a standard 1600x900 and optional 1920x1200. Over 15.6", the basic 1366x768 really doesn't cut it! The HP dv7t has a 17.3" 1600x900 also.

 

I agree, T4200 is often underestimated. It actually outperforms some of the other 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo CPUs like T5800 and T7300.

T6600 even better. It outperforms P7350 and P7370.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

 

Very excited about the future possibilities of this. Still irritated that it's not uniform thickness though

 

agreed, the newer pentium dual core cpus are fast, beats my older core 2 duo.
they seem to scale well with clock speed better than cache or fsb.

 

The dimensions/weight are very similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450, which is probably the closest competitor to the S14z-

IdeaPad Y450
Dimensions: 13.4"x9.1"x0.8"-1.4"
Weight- 4.63lbs

Studio 14z
Dimensions: 13.23"x9.02"x0.79"-1.22"
Weight- from 4.3lbs

Other than the 0.18" difference in thickness, the other differences in size are negligible. The weight is virtually the same including the Y450's optical drive. But the Y450 lacks the configurability of the S14z and it has Intel integrated graphics on all but top configuration.

The Dell's two greatest assets are the 1600x900 display option and the nVIDIA 9400M graphics. If neither of those are important to the buyer, $649 will buy a Y450 with the T6400 processor, 320GB hard drive, Intel 5100AGN wireless card and 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM....albeit with Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics and 1366x768 display. Still, a great deal!

Hopefully Dell will be aggressive with the pricing, offering some higher-spec configurations starting in the $699-$749 range...

 

I checked out the T4200 vs. the T6400 PassMark scores earlier to see how they compare. The T4200 has a strong score of 1188, but I was surprised to see that the T6400 was 1294 (106 points higher). I'm thinking that 1mb of L2 cache alone doesn't make that much of a difference....

The PassMark scores are a running average of user-submitted scores from their own performance test. Because of that, there's a certain margin of error. They only have 30 samples of the T4200 (vs. 113 of the T6400). I'm sure that some of those 30 are using the GL40 chipset (instead of the GM45/PM45)...would that have any affect on the PassMark score?

 

The only time I've ever experienced DVD playback problems on an external DVD drive was if the laptop's power supply was too weak to supply enough power over USB to a USB-powered external drive ... and that only happened with older notebooks and the original Eee PC 4G (701).

The Studio 14z should be perfectly capable of powering an external optical drive over USB without ant playback problems.

 

I'll repeat the question: why solder 1GB onto the motherboard? It just doesn't make any sense.

 

I am guessing thinness.. it must have come up in their engineering...

Isn't that why macbooks are thin anyway?

 

I think the only real question right now is to order immediatly, or hold out for a free Windows 7 upgrade option...

 

The Studio 14z uses an nVidia chipset, unlike the previous Studio 15 and 17 models, which use the Intel PM/GM965 or 45, and the one AMD model. The 9400M G is an integrated card.

The Studio XPS 13 is a new model to begin with, I don't think they'll be refreshing it for at least several more months.

That's correct, 1GB is integrated, and there's one DDR3 slot available. The 3GB option is the integrated 1GB + a 2GB SODIMM, and the 5GB is integrated 1GB + a 4GB SODIMM, which explains why it's a $400 upgrade.

I think there's no excuse for not having an optical drive in a 14" notebook, especially a Studio series, which is made for multimedia. Movies and music primarily come in the form of CD's and DVD's.

 

Unless they come from iTunes, Amazon.com's download service, Netflix.com Watch Instantly, Hulu.com or one of the many, many other download/streaming video and music content providers.

 

In fact, iTunes is the number one music vendor in the world. I have an optical drive in my 14" notebook, and I think I'm going to pull it out to put in more storage or a battery or something. I haven't used the thing in months. I rip content to the hard drive and watch it that way.

 

and how are you supposed to rip content when you have no dvd drive? Ripping on another computer then transfering sounds pretty stupid to me

 

I believe he's saying that he doesn't need a built-in optical drive in his notebook and can use an external optical drive when he's sitting at his desk ... or using another computer.

J.R., like many people, has a desktop and a notebook, so the idea of using the desktop to rip DVDs/CDs and then transfering them isn't completely out of the question.

I know I'm a little odd being an editor for a technology website, but I have five personal computers (one desktop, three notebooks, and a netbook) at home. My primary notebook at home is a HP Pavilion dv4t and in that notebook I removed the optical drive and put in a second hard drive. Whenever I need something from a CD/DVD (which is very rare) I either copy the file(s) on my desktop over to a USB drive or I just copy the file(s) over to my network attached storage drive (NAS) and pull the files off the network and onto my notebook that way.

I completely understand what you're saying ... there are plenty of people who aren't comfortable being without a built-in optical drive. However, I'd argue that there are already plenty of 14-inch notebooks on the market for those people. Dell is targeting a specific type of user with the Studio 14z, and I bet that the matching external optical drive that Dell offers as an optional accessory won't be purchased by many of the people who ultimately choose to buy a Studio 14z.

 

This new laptop is not thin at all. I have seen a lot of laptops thinner than this one with optical drive. Dell, if you remove the optical drive, you can do a better job to make it thinner.

 

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But many of those laptops don't have a starting price of $650, or they don't use full power dual core CPUs, or they don't use the 9400M integrated, or they don't offer high res screens, etc.

 

My main concern is that the external drive is not even an option on the Dell canadian store. I suppose it will be fixed soon

I'm definately leaning toward the studio 14z, even if it doesn't have the dvd drive, I could live without that.

 

Then that is very good news. This thing's looking better and better

 

Yes I think it could...

 

So now there are 3 types of laptops I can think of
budget/netbooks for basic uses
Actual everyday laptops on upto desktop replacements
gaming and serious desktop replacements.

So this is in the 2nd category.. It's basically saying this is a great actual fullsize notebook and we made it thin too

 

For those arguing that the 14z should/could be thinner, take a look at a few other Dell models for perspective-

Dell Studio 14z
13.23"x9.02"x0.79"-1.22"
4.3lbs

Dell Inspiron 1420 (which will be retiring now that the 14z has arrived)
13.13"x9.61"x1.26"-1.53"
5.39lbs

The Samsung X460 has been lauded as the lightest, thinnest 14.1" available with the following dimensions-
13.3"x9.7"x0.8"-1.25"

The 14z is smaller (by a small margin) in all respects than the X460! That's impressive, IMO...

 

It just looks chunky...

PS. I think MSI X400 is the lightest and thinnest 14" now. Weighing 1.5kg. But is has CULV.

 

Take a look at LAPTOP Magazine's review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 (T4200, 3GB RAM, 5400rpm hard drive) vs. the Gateway UC7807u (T6400, 3GB RAM, 5400rpm hard drive)- Y450- LINK UC7807u- LINK

The Y450 with the lesser T4200 processor has a slightly higher PCMarkVantage (overall performance) and slightly quicker boot time....

 

I haven't looked but boottime and Vantage scores are heavily influenced by hard drive performance... even if both are 5400rpm there can be large differences.

I take all these benchmarks just as a ball park figure. Just like the benchmarks on Notebookcheck,

 

Both are thin, but lightest is still Panasonic's Y-series, a 1.5 kg 14.1" 1400x1050 (4:3 form factor, so it's larger than any 14.1" wide-screen laptops you mentioned) screen with C2D L7800 and integrated optical. Of course, its price tag is not a friendly as neither nor the new Dell.

14z is better than its predecessors, but it's far from an engineering marvel. I like its price tag, but I am not sure about taking the optical out for a 14.1" laptop -- if I really want to only get a mobile companion instead of a full featured laptop at 14.1" size, MSI X400 seems to be a much stronger contender by being lighter and thinner.

 

I'm having a tough time deciding between the S14z and the Lenovo Y450...

Pretty much, the fact that the 14z comes with the 1GB soldered on already really irritates me, because that means to get past my target of 4GB I would have to cough up the 400 bucks for a 4GB RAM chip, whereas I could have easily just spent 60 bucks to put in two 2GB chips.

The Y450 Build comes with the P7450 processor with the 4GB RAM, and my target S14z build has the P8600 and 3GB of RAM.

Not to mention, for similar weight and dimensions I can get the optical drive on the Y450, and it also has a discreet graphics card (the equivalent of the onboard chipset for the S14z).

Price comes out to be about the same for either with the sale/discounts on both sides... Should I take the Dell just because the screen is a little prettier? Or does something in my configuration point to the Y450?

 

the Ideapad screen is no slouch, i had the y430 and the screen was awesome. The Nvidia G110M is definitely better than Integrated 9400 (around 500pt 3DMARK06 difference)

The Dell has a better cpu though.

 

While it is also a rarity that I actually use the optical but the point is, leaving out the optical could have afforded Dell the ability to make it even slimmer and lighter. Which they didn't. Sub-1 inch max thickness would have been nice. And its not really light. In comparison, my M1330 with the 9 cell weights in at 2kg.

I might be splitting hairs, but Dell could have made it as slim as the Mini 12. Now, that would have been something.

Dell could have put in a much slimmer display though, and with the space vacated by the optical, perhaps a second HDD bay?

But at the odd times you need to carry the ex-optical, its a PITA

As for the XPS 13, I don't like glossy notebooks.... so I haven't found a notebook I would like to replace the M1330 with. My new fleet of E6400s came in somewhat of a dissapointment.

I'll give this to Dell though, for the price, it is good value.

 

I'm not understanding the reasoning for the integrated 1GB of DDR3!? Maybe it was easier to achieve the thinnest design without stacking two DIMMs as in a normal notebook? But even if that was the case, they should have included 2GB integrated (so adding a 2GB DIMM in the single slot would make 4GB)!

Then again, how often do you use more than 3GB of memory? The price of a single 4GB DIMM will eventually be much cheaper than it is now, too..

If you choose the 14z, do you plan on choosing the 1600x900 display upgrade? Or just the standard 1366x768 LED? That could be the deciding factor....

The Y450 is well-equipped in some ways (DVD-RW, Intel N-wireless, Bluetooth, 4GB RAM) but there's no room for customization/upgrades. You can only get the 2.13GHz P7450, 320GB 5400rpm hard drive, 1366x768 display, 6-cell battery- it only comes one way.

The Dell allows for much broader customization (and I'd venture that the Dell will be the battery-life champ, especially with the 8-cell option). The 14z also offers a backlit keyboard, which isn't available on the Y450.

Then there's the matter of the optical drive- does it matter to you?

TexasEx7- I can hook you up with a discount to bring the Y430 down to $773.14 before tax (vs. $899 minus $50 coupon). If you're interested, click on my user name to see my profile and look under Contact Info for 'Send an email'.

 

Because it doesn't have an optical drive, the ports aren't crowded or stacked as they are on a lot of other models.

Right side- Express Card, 3-audio jacks, 1394, USB, USB/eSATA, AC jack
Left side- HDMI, DisplayPort, VENT covering over half of the length, USB, RJ-45 (network)

I'm hoping that the oversized vent on the left side will result in a cool-running system! It will also be interesting to see if there are any vents on the bottom or if it's solid.

The inclusion of both HDMI and DisplayPort seems a bit redundant, now that I've thought about it. HDMI alone would have been sufficient. Most folks I know use an adapter to convert their DisplayPort to HDMI. A fourth USB port would be more useful than the DisplayPort, IMO.

 

DisplayPort allows for driving large 2560 x 1600 monitors though, something that HDMI can't. I know most people don't have 30" monitors to drive, but it's nice to have the ability to.

That and VGA needs to die anyway.

 

It may even be possible to drive dual display...

 

What do people think about the "spring green" color offered by this new 14z?

 

This system looks great to me. I'm in the market for a laptop for photo editing and to take on the road. This might fit the bill nicely.

I was going to start to switch to Apple with my first Macbook but this might keep me on the pc side for awhile...

 

So, anyone order one yet?

 

I tried outfitting one since it really caught my eye, parastie, but the estimated shipping date is 20 days! I'd really like it a little sooner than that... other than that, it seems like a great system and I can't wait to read some reviews on it.

 

I'm still irritated nothing from Dell has a uniform thickness like macbooks

 

Well, technically the Alienware m15x is from Dell and has uniform thickness.

I guess the one benefit from not having uniform thickness is a more ergonomic keyboard. Sometimes the wedge shape is more attractive (XPS m1330) than something of uniform thickness.

 

I wanted to comment on the construction that everyone is complaining about.

I think we have a general misconception about 'thin and light'. Making something thin, inherently makes it weak. You have to increase structure strength with expensive materials, such as apple did with the solid body aluminum. Milling a solid block of aluminum into a computer is not cheap. It's why their computers with the same internal hardware cost so much.

Dell removing the optical drive allowed them to make a computer that's small, certainly not the lightest or thinnest, but something that's a compromise with excellent construction. This is a computer designed for college students and people on the go. Not exactly the most careful bunch of people with computers.

Check out the reviews for the MSI x340. Every review complains about the construction because they went cheap and thin, and it doesn't work. Dell did a good job removing the drive in my opinion and NOT going super thin. It gives them a huge price advantage.

I’m holding out for a true review of this system, but I think I’ll be picking one of these up this summer…I just hope they offer a free Win7 upgrade.

 

This might be the one.. I'm definitely looking forward to some reviews.

 

Looks like a good deal.

 

27 days till this begins!

 

I think a lot of people have been disappointed by the Studio 15 (1535/1537) and Studio 17 (1735/1737) construction. The Studio 14z (with magnesium alloy reinforcements and better plastics) should be much more rigid that those. Excluding the optical drive also improved rigitidy allowing the base to be one solid unit.

I'm hoping that Dell learned their lesson on the first Studio models (mentioned above)! I went thru HELL with a 1535 that I bought last September. But that's another story....

 

Where did you get this information?