Dell Studio XPS 16 Review

Sigh....now I want to upgrade!!!!sounds like a nice rig....just don't tell my 1 yr old "obsolete" M1530!!!LOL!!! cheers and hears to everyone having a great start to the yr..looks like dell is...

 

I thought about purchasing this laptop but with the leather trim forget it. Dell is still in the 70's for that design.

 

Join the group
but the XPS is still a good machine,and if you buy this one in another year the Studio XPS will be outdated and youl want to buy a new one...
I bought mine only 2 months ago lol

what happened no gym//health center near your place

 

ordered mine yesterday... friday jan 9.
today I got an email telling me that if I bought it TODAY, sat 10, I would get a free 200 bucks dell gift card. *sigh*

But I won't cancel my order now. $200 dollars is not worth waiting a day longer for the delivery.

 

Nope, you aren't. Was wondering the same thing myself.

 

Wow! you would not cancel for 200 dollars for one more day. I would threaten to cancel and see if they give it to you before you give up man....

 

wow $200? A dell gift card like that you could get a great carrying case and an extended battery

 

Fine print on teh gift card.

$200 Dell.com Promotional Gift Card:
Offer valid 1/10/09 12am to 1/12/09 11:59pm. Dell.com Promotional Gift Card typically arrives in 6-8 weeks and carries a 90-day expiration date.

 

Jerry, I appreciate your review. In another 2 months my XPS Gen 2 will be 4 years old, and I'm searching for a worthy successor. As nice as this Studio XPS sounds, this is not it. My XPS Gen 2 is a great computer and has served me faithfully these past 4 years. It's still going strong and has never given me a major problem. What I'm looking for is a 16:10, 17 inch, WUXGA RGBLED screen, with full keyboard and numberpad, with Blu Ray and good battery life. A 16:9 screen is a step backward because of the limitation to full viewing area. Its lack of a numberpad is a bit disappointing. Aesthetically, Dell's insistence on keeping the wedge shape and huge side hinges continues to not appeal to me, and as others have mentioned about the leather, it will deteriorate over time. I hope the speakers, with the subwoofer, can live up to the quality of those of the XPS Gen 2. These remain the best notebook speakers I've ever heard.

Ending on a good note, I really do believe that Dell has finally started to turn around their product line. I hope they continue to build 17 inch notebooks in the future with quality on par with the older Inspiron 9400/XPS M1710 lines. If not, then I'll keep pushing my XPS Gen 2 for another year and see where things go from there. I have no doubt it will continue to serve me well, and as long as it does, I won't feel any burning need to replace it. It would be nice to have those cool new features, though.

 

my otherworldly instinct (and greed) saved me once again from utter doom and destruction.

I seriously did not see that.

 

Nice review, Jerry!

Hope to see one on the 1340 soon!


Cin

 

Btw, this testing unit uses P8600 and its hot.

What if, a 1640 with like T9400? It burns?

 

might incinerate your legs,lol:wink:

 

I think nobody aware about Dell mistake. Please try yourself and if you have a logic explanation I will be happy

configure a Dell XPS 16 at www.dell.co.uk with :

cpu : T9600

wireless: Intel WiFi Link 5300 Half Mini Card (802.11 a/g/n) or
Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n 1X2) 1/2 MiniCard

you will recevie a Compatibility Instruction / Error:
"The selection - Wireless Label (Intel Wireless Cards)- Core 2 Duo is incompatible with Base"

which says selected cpu and wifi not compatible !!!

But same configuraiton at www.dell.com working ok. So where is the problem ?? )

 

It's not like no body aware, it's like Dell always do that.
Wait a bit and they will fix it.

 

Very nice review as always Jerry.

 

Great review, was looking for some thorough details - thanks!

 

Well, as an added bonus for Dell people not knowing what the person next to them is saying......I contacted Dell to ask about the max memory supported by the XPS 16. In the Setup Manual for this laptop, it states in the specs on like page 52 that the laptop has two DIMM slots that support a max of 2 GB sticks a piece, totaling 4 GB RAM. However, when buying the laptop, it gives you the option to customize the RAM up to 8 GB. I got on Dell Chat, and asked a rep last nite, and they state that there are actually 4 DIMM slots, 2 are on the bottom as pictured in the review here.....and 2 are under the keyboard! This in turn, allows up to 8 GB of RAM. I mentioned the manual, and they discounted that as it must be wrong. Today, I got on chat again, and this rep told me the laptop has 2 DIMM slots as is stated, but they both support up to 4 GB of RAM totaling 8GB....and again, they just brushed off the manual.

Does anyone have any clue what it does have and how much RAM it will support? Because if 4 GB is all the base model will support, then it is already maxed out when you buy it with the base configuration! Frustrating!

 

Very useful and thorough review, as usual. Thumbs up!

When will you make a 1340 review?

 

This was a great review, but I would love to see a review of the 1340, soon!!! *hint* *hint*

If possible...


Cin

 

I read somewhere that the new touchpad on the XPS 16 supports mouse gestures somewhat similar to the Mabook, like zooming. Does anyone know if it also support the two finger scroll? That feature is extremely useful on my Macbook and I've been hoping other laptop manufacturers would start including this.

 

omg this laptop is just the sexiest dell i've ever seen! awesome review!

 

Just wait until the Adamo is released

 

I can take a guess why this thing gets too hot to work with...

The only venting on the bottom besides the intake for the fan is located under the clutter of wireless and bluetooth modules under the touchpad. All the heat coming off the HDD, Optical Drive and CPU pipe is congregating in that spot trying to escape.

As for the harddrive it might as well be exposed through the top of the palm rest since it's virtually making direct contact with your left hand while typing anyway.


Dell needs to move the decals for the serial numbers and drill out more of those faux venting holes around the HDD and in the center.

 

Ok guys and dolls.. To quote some old film..

1. It seems that everyone has their own thinking about this little "gem"..
But whatabout fingerprints? Is it the same as all this new "cool" stuff, that it comes with a little cloth to wipe away your personal touch?

2. Will I, who thinks my 4 year old Inspiron 9300 still ticks on quiet good, (Ram 2gb, hd 100gb with a very nice 17" 1920x1200 screen) find this machine to be a good replacement? I also wonder about the HDX 16. But what I want is a 17" multimedia-computer with a 1920x1200 screen and good specs, but still not a monster as many of them tends to be. Weight and warmth is no problem, but size is. It is a problem for me to get some of the more "special" ones, when I work in Norway and this heavenly place on earth does not have the most of options..

Hope someone of you in cyberspace wants to give me some answers.

Thanks!

 

Welcome to NBR!

1. The review does not mention anything, but judging from the pictures, it doesn't look as overly glossy as the HDX, which should mean that fingerprints won't be too much of a problem. This is just an assumption, though... I think previous XPS laptops do include a microfiber cloth?

2. Congratulations on keeping a good ol' system working for 4 years! This XPS will be quite an upgrade, with memory at at least 4GB, HDD at at least 250GB and the battery-friendly but still fast Penryn C2D CPUs. While I am not a fan of 16:9 screens, the 1920x1080 shouldn't be much of a downgrade from your WUXGA screen. So if you have the money and you think you need to "upgrade", then by all means this is a good upgrade to your system

 

Memory
Note: More memory help increases the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously.


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4GB (2 X 2GB) Dual Channel 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM [add Rs.2,208.10]


3GB (1x2GB/1x1GB) 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM [Included in Price]


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8GB (2 X 4GB) Dual Channel 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM [add Rs.30,913.35]

From the "Dell India" site

 

Nice review.

You know, I'm curious how the admins of this site get to review all these new notebooks. Do you guys really pay for them?

 

lol no the companies let them test it they have to give it back when they are done

 

lol yeah I figured. How did they land that gig?

I wish I could just test out all the new computers

 

<< can someone please get to this? it would interest me too.

 

Another handy mouse-gesture is the two-finger tap for right-click. The multi-touch trackpad on my Macbook is the best touchpad I have used on a laptop, both in terms of ergonomics and functionality. I don't see why other manufacturers couldn't start doing the same. And, having this functionality with two mouse buttons would be even better.

Can anyone who owns an XPS 16 check and see if two-fnger scroll and two finger right-click are supported?

 

Alright so other than the leather, the heat issue, the lousy battery life, what can we say is good about this laptop?

I was really interested in this because of its sleek design. There aren't many sleep laptops out there, HP tends to make theirs very glamorous, and Apple seems to have stolen the minimalist ideal. What can we say about the graphics card? I was looking into this machine for some autocad, nothing too extreme cause I'm not up to that level yet, but would like that option of 3d modelling in time. Can anyway touch on this topic, as to how well this machine might perform in regards to programs such as AutoCAD? And how it compares to the Studio 15. Those two are my choices. I don't want to have to default to the MBP...it's way too overpriced for what it carries...but the market sucks for sleek looking computers.

in short, what can you guys say about Studio 15 and Studio XPS for Autocad?

 

The style, build quality (magnesium alloy chassis etc) standard LED backlit keyboard, outstanding RGB LED Backlit 16:9" screen with 7.1 HDMI output audio, better than average speaker setup with sub, Slot loading Bluray drives, accessories and onsite support. As someone who couldn't wait for the Dell, the Asus N50vn i purchased in November is great, but the things mentioned above would make the Asus perfect and are things i miss.

The difference between the 3450 and 3670 is likely negligible in graphics performance for CAD. However if you are going for a decent res screen, there is no doubt, bigger and faster = better... So the 512Mb 3670 is obviously a better choice for the 1920x1080 screen.

Ati generally have more issues than Nvidia with Autodesk and 3D programs in general, but most issues are not major these days and various driver upgrade/downgrades will solve the issues.

 

Ah so are you saying I won't notice a substantial difference with the HD 3450
256mb that comes with the studio 15 as opposed to the 512mb card with the
XPS studio when working with CAD? And you re right bigger is better but
unfortunately I can't afford the better, so do you think I would be okay with the
256 3450 for CAD work? I really love the new XPS, the ddr3 ram, the look,
Like it is just gorgeous, but I can't afford it . So I guess all I'm trying to find out
is if I would be okay with the studio 15 or will it restrict me from doing CAD.

Also how do either of these cards stand up to the nvidia 9400 and 9600 cards?

Thanks so much for your help def appreciate it!

 

The 3670 is very similar to a 9600M GT DDR2:
http://optimitza.cat/news/2009/01/1...gaming-benchmarks-vs-nvidia-geforce-9600m-gt/

 

@ UndoIT: Yes, the touch pad DOES support multi tuch feature(s) such as pinch zooming

1640 arrived today after 58 hours of fedex transport.

 

Hi Lux. Thanks for answering

I've read all the reviews on this one and I will probably be purchasing one in the next few months to replace my current primary laptop. The RGB LED screen sounds awesome.

What about two finger scrolling and two finger tap for right click. Are those working?

 

Just got mine on the 29th... a full week before I expected it.
I went with a slower processor (2.4 w 3mb cache) and used the money to get the SSD upgrade. ($200 upgrade) all I can say is Wowdiggidy.
Everything is instant. Well Photoshop CS3 takes 2 seconds to open.
The LEDRGB is jaw dropping georgeus. Shutdown? in 4 seconds.

Pinch zoom works however I go into the dell touchpad and don't see anyway to right click with two fingers. The gesture settings just have 1)enable one finger zoom and 2)enable pinch zoom.

you can do circle scrolling ... not sure what that means. MACBOOk Pro configured with same specs was $1000 more ($500 just for 128 SSD upgrade. Shame on you apple!) Worth it? me thinks not.

I will soon have win7 on it maybe put OSuX on it if I can figure how to boot it from the eSATA port. On the downside I only have 109GB space on the main drive. :-(

 

OK just figured out circle scrolling. works pretty good.
You start the scroll by using the right side or bottom areas (width adjustable in properties) then once its in scroll mode you can just draw circles with your finger to keep going. or revise the circles to go the opposite way.
Ok maybe that's been out a while, but I never used it.

Thanks for asking the two finger question, it made me learn something new.
I may download the google code two finger thing and see if it works.

 

I wonder if the Ubuntu driver for the MacBook touchpad could be ported for use on the XPS 16? I think they both use a synaptics touchpad. I'll ask the Mactel Ubuntu team.

 

hi, i'm a interior student, and looking a laptop to do 3D rendering in 3D max, is it good to buy this laptop ?

many thanks to you all

 

hi
for my area, the price difference between Studio 15 and the XPS 1640 is minimal and given the better LED screen ( higher res ) and DDR3, and Graphic card, I believe the bargain corner is the XPS 1640.

so actually you cant afford the Studio 15 ( since it actually cost more ) although the pricetag is lower.
I hope you get my logic here.

Also you might want to consider that , as your assignment pile up, you might like a faster computer too.
So all said and done, XPS 1640 is for you,


However, I do hope that wherever you work, you have ready access to power points since the battery life is really bad, My set is only giving me 1 hour 15mins. ( "dell power" level )

This is like 8 days old machine.
So Dell is going to exchange the battery for me. Lets hope it will last longer

 

actually in person, the front cover is a great turn off.
1) it catches finger prints and magnify them

2) because they use some flimsy plastic, you can see the wavy uneven surface even more clearly due to the reflection

3) Soft gentle push of the front cover will see it flexing like those cheap luggage bags. It seems to have a lot of "give".
Wonder why they make the front flap so thin with some much empty space there ?

Certainly it cant be for heat dissipation since its all sealed up.......?

 

I don't think it's going to last longer. I got about 1:15 on my Studio 17. I think it's got nothing to do with the battery, it's a bad design.

Regarding the CAD if you're only doing 2D any graphics card is fine. I use AutoCAD for 2D drawings with a really old Inspiron 6400 and it's just fine. Only 3D is where it matters.

 

I wasn't able to choose a 9 cell battery. Where can I get a 9 cell or better battery? Thanks.

 

I called Dell Singapore and they said no such option.
But if you read the first page of this thread, the review says there
is an option for 9 cell ? ? ?

The alternative which i am considering is buying a third party external battery and plugging in via the power socket.
I have found a shop that sells one but unfortunately they don't sell online.

Perhaps you can try some retail shops in your area.

 

I really don't like this laptop. Sure it's got the new features we were looking for, the updated processors and graphics card etc. but all it does is fill me with apathy. There is nothing that makes me think "I need to buy it NOW", instead I think "Let's see if I can find something better". In a word: It's boring.

The other problem is that the screen size is wrong. Why 16"? What is the point? It is too big to carry around but too small to be a proper desktop replacement and it doesn't pack any more power than a 15" machine; it's a middle ground which doesn't fit either niche. We find the answer on Dell's website:
At the top it says:

So that sorts it then. Errr, hang on, no it doesn't. Lower down we see this:

So it's a gaming machine? No, we then see this:

So what is it: "The ultimate movie machine" or a games machine. Personally I thought Extreme Performance Systems were targeted as high performance machines. If not, I think Dell needs either a new acronym and marketing team or a new product. Either way, it's not the product for me.

 

The main thing I like about this laptop is that it has the option for the RGB-LED screen. I think the leather is kind of cheesy, although it may be useful for preventing the laptop from slipping out of your hand when stowing in carrying case.

Personally, I'd rather buy a Latitude E6500 with RGB-LED screen. But, the only other laptop that has this screen is the Precision M4400, which is a shame. I actually prefer integrated Intel graphics because I don't do any gaming and I'd rather have the better battery life and better compatibility in Linux.

I started a thread on Dell Idea storm requesting that they add the RGB-LED screen to more laptops. If you are interested in supporting the idea, the post is here:

http://dellideas.secure.force.com/ideaView?id=087700000000H7RAAU