Check out the Dell Store on CNET
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 47 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"Very Impressive Build Quality"
Pros: 1. LED Screen
2. Backlit keyboard
3. Price
4. Performance
5. Included software is actually a bonus this time
6. No bloatware that robs system performance
7. Battery Life
8. HDMI port
9. Build Quality
11. Temperatures are very goodCons: 1. The weight is still on the heavy side at 6LB.
Summary: First off I have never really been that impressed with dell's line. they have always just been a cheap alternative. I recently got an XPS 1330 from the dell outlet. This was nice, however, the build quality was cheap. There was a bump above the speaker and the hinge looked as if it was going to come apart.
2. Centrino 2 platform with the ability to switch video cards to save power would be nice.
3. More video card options.
4. They should give all the models the express slot remote.
Recently I bought the Studio 15 from the Dell outlet for a heck of a deal $539 (anybody looking at these should look at the outlet first). Now I was not expecting much, but when I opened it up I was impressed by the build quality. No bumps, and to my surprise it didn't feel cheap. This is not something I expect from a dell.
So after a few days of use I can honestly say this is a 5 star deal. I would not pay over 1,000 for it, but there are few notebooks in which I would. Dell really listened to the people and added features such as the backlit keyboard, better hinges, more color options, and much much more.
I was even impressed with the included software. I usualy do a clean install on most notebooks I receive, but the Dell studio 15 was an exception. They have a nice dock feature at the top and include the google sidebar. Also to my surprise there was no extra bloatware, and the overall system memory usage was around 800MB which for Vista is reasonable.
I only had 250 words for pro's so here is an expanded version.
All in all the pro's are:
1. LED Screen (Get this it looks amazing)
2. Backlit keyboard (A very cool feature)
3. Price (Again look for coupon codes and Outlet deals)
4. Performance (This is not a gaming machine, but for the rest of us its perfect)
5. Included software is actually a bonus this time
6. No bloatware that robs system performance
7. Battery Life (I get 3 and a half hours surfing the internet with a 6 cell)
8. HDMI port (Very nice if you have an HD TV) Make sure to get the 3450 if you plan on watching High Def movies on this.
9. Build Quality (I have always been an IBM guy for quality but this is pretty good)
10. Touch buttons and attention to detail greatly appreciated.
11. Temperatures are very good
The bottom line is that this is a great system, that offers many great features and a wide variety of options. If you are in the market for a laptop that will be used ins school, work, or even a personal Home PC that doesn't break the bank this guy is for you. If you can find one for under $800 with all the bonus features you would be hard pressed to find a better laptop.
I would recommend the LED display, backlit keyboard, 3450 video, and 3GB of memory.
I recommend the 3450 video card, because it is really a great card for vista, and offers enhanced HD video playback. Basically it off loads the work from the CPU to the GPU. Also it can play many of the older games such as Warcraft III, CIV IV, and many others.
Also the slot load drive has been greatly improved, and doesn't make the terrible grinding noise like the xps 1330 I had.
My system..
Core 2 2.0 Ghz
3GB memroy
ATI 3450
LED display
Backlit keyboard
6 cell battery
DVD burner
Intel Wireless
Bluetooth
For cooupon codes go to notebookreview.com or search google for outlet coupon codes or dell coupon codes.
There are so many deals on these and it shouldn't be that hard to find a similarly specked noteboook.
Note: For around 900 I saw a similar model with a blue-ray drive at dell outlet.
- 1 reply to this review
-
Hi,
I am new to the US and am luckily here during the Black Friday sales which is round the corner. Have kept aside some cash to buy a laptop and really liked what i saw of the Dell Studio... Any idea, where are the best places to pick up laptops / Electronic stuff like bose speakers during these sales ? Any help would be appreciated.
Dell Studio 15:
