dell studio?

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casanova218

61 posts

Master Geek

#38615 2-Aug-2009 13:51

ok so im looking at spending up to 2k on a laptop
and have decided to look towards dell as they make their own laptops
so they come out alot cheaper.

i have had my eye on the dell studio 15/17 but can't really decide which to get.
i see the studio 15 can go full hd 1080p but is this necessary?

anyone got any personal reviews on either models and if so what are
their pros and cons?

looking for atleast a core 2 duo, 4gb ram, 320gb hd and a decent grahpics card
for the odd game. 17" sounds wonderful too.

also concerning the os, should i get vista home basic or home premium, and if home premium
32 bit or 64 bit?

cheers.

tomgeeknz

923 posts

Ultimate Geek

#241445 2-Aug-2009 15:17

home premium as you will be able to upgrade to windows seven and 32bit is fine unless you want to add more ram in the future

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heavenlywild

5045 posts

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#241449 2-Aug-2009 15:38

OS - I would suggest going with Home Premium 64-bit so that you can upgrade to Windows 7 64-bit as mentioned by thefatmould.

Screen - if your notebook is sitting at home most of the time, go with the larger screen. 1080p is always a nice feature to have and it is quite standard these days on medium to high end machines.

Hey, double check what the max limit for your RAM is. You may wish to upgrade to 8GB RAM in the future.

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Wervie67

71 posts

Master Geek

#241465 2-Aug-2009 16:35

also make sure you get the higher res sreen, (1920x????) seems easier on the eyes and enhances the look.

mouse also gets anoying when hot, sometimes dosnt recognise properly (can get really hot with that mighty gpu in it)

casanova218

61 posts

Master Geek

#241519 2-Aug-2009 18:35

what is the difference between the 32 bit os and 64 bit os?
i read somewhere that the 64 bit os is better if u have 4gb+ ram but why?

also in another topic i read about the free upgrade to win7..would this apply to me
if i get the studio 17 with premium?

will do what i can with the screen, after all i do want the best display offered with the series.

one last question, what the hell is intel celeron dual core and is it better/worse than intel core 2 duo?

heavenlywild

5045 posts

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#241541 2-Aug-2009 20:17

casanova218: what is the difference between the 32 bit os and 64 bit os?
i read somewhere that the 64 bit os is better if u have 4gb+ ram but why?

64 bit can access more than 4GB of RAM. Future proofs your machine. It is also where the future of technology is headed. 32 bit is, well, "old school" compared to 64 bit. Many applications in the future will make the most of 64 bit technology.

also in another topic i read about the free upgrade to win7..would this apply to me
if i get the studio 17 with premium?

Yes, any machine bought now and until March 2010 is eligible for the free upgrade. If you go with Premium you will also ge the Premium version of Windows 7 in October.

one last question, what the hell is intel celeron dual core and is it better/worse than intel core 2 duo?

Stay away from any machine with the words "Celeron" in 2009. It is alot slower and not good for multimedia work.

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heavenlywild

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#241542 2-Aug-2009 20:19

williamirvine67: also make sure you get the higher res sreen, (1920x????) seems easier on the eyes and enhances the look.

It depends on your eye sight though. Some may find the writing too small with higher resolution screens. If that is the case, save some money and go with a lower resolution screen.

1920x???? is overkill in my opinion on a notebook computer unless your eyes can take that:)

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tomgeeknz

923 posts

Ultimate Geek

#241549 2-Aug-2009 20:32

also in another topic i read about the free upgrade to win7..would this apply to me
if i get the studio 17 with premium?

Yes, any machine bought now and until March 2010 is eligible for the free upgrade. If you go with Premium you will also get the Premium version of Windows 7 in October.

acctually its from now until the end of this year as stated here https://win7.dell.com/Eligibility.aspx

Wervie67

71 posts

Master Geek

#241567 2-Aug-2009 21:02

heavenly_wild:
williamirvine67: also make sure you get the higher res sreen, (1920x????) seems easier on the eyes and enhances the look.

It depends on your eye sight though. Some may find the writing too small with higher resolution screens. If that is the case, save some money and go with a lower resolution screen.

1920x???? is overkill in my opinion on a notebook computer unless your eyes can take that:)

having using both types, i just felt that it was a perfect size, not sqinting small (although i have young eyes). if i was to personaly buy one that would be my 2nd most impotant update, cpu gets first dibs!
Anyway with that mother of a gpu, you need to put it to good use!

but thats my opinion, and i like the look of a huge clean screen

casanova218

61 posts

Master Geek

#241613 2-Aug-2009 22:04

sweet cheers guys
i jst find it odd tht 64bit is at no extra
charge

boby55

1539 posts

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#241617 2-Aug-2009 22:20

64bit isn't from most computer shops and suppliers. its the same software just made for more ram etc

casanova218

61 posts

Master Geek

#241624 2-Aug-2009 22:27

this may b a noob question but if i order
to get the 64bit os will i automatically get
64bit drivers?

heavenlywild

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#241644 2-Aug-2009 23:15

casanova218: this may b a noob question but if i order

to get the 64bit os will i automatically get

64bit drivers?

Yes :) The OS will have all the 64 bit drivers.

Buying a Tesla? Use my Tesla referral link and we both get discounts and credits.

alienstew

58 posts

Master Geek

#241745 3-Aug-2009 12:23

Just be careful if you want to use older software with 64 bit, I use Photoshop CS2 and under Vista 32 bit it only works in XP compatability mode and when run as Administrator. The Adobe site says it should be updated (like I'm that rich) and won't guarantee it'll work at all under 64 bit Vista.

Microsoft have a site showing compatability of both hardware and software for Vista 32 and 64 bit, look here - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/

Aaroona

3192 posts

Uber Geek

#244207 8-Aug-2009 14:50

Just a warning; if you go for the 17 (i HAD two of them), you are likely to get a faulty screen.

They replaced my screen (same model screen) Mobo, inverter etc, and came back with the same problem.

It has fuzzy white lines on it. I also have spoken to someone in AUS who have had the same problem

PS: 17" is reallly huge. I really wish I had just stayed with 15

casanova218

61 posts

Master Geek

#244229 8-Aug-2009 16:15

well i ordered the 15" so algood.
cost me 2100 all up