• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

17" Laptop Owners Feedback

2

21stHermit

Senior member
I want to buy a 17" or larger laptop. I'm looking for input from owners/users of said lappy giants, what you like/dislike. I'm particularly interested in the best compromise display resolution.

This will be my 2nd laptop, currently have a 2 year old Dell Inspiron 1100, w/ 1GB RAM. It has served me well. Now that I have a clear understanding of how I will use/not the laptop, I'm looking for my 2nd generation.

I believe my two primary uses have conflicts as to the "best" screen resolution:
. Screen real estate for photos, more pixels the better.
. Screen viewability for surfing, bigger fonts are better.
The most common 17" resolution is 1440x900 pixels, also available 1680x1050 and 1900x1200.

Here's how I'll use it 99% of the time:
49% - Recreational surfing
38% - Digital image processing: RAW->TIFF, Image stitching, Photoshop
1% - Burning backup DVD's of data
1% - Watching DVD movies

I was attracted to this new HP laptop because of the T64 (I have a A64 desktop), it has 2 HDs, and a numeric keypad. HP 17" Turion 64, $1098. Because of the T64 it uses DDR not DDR2, does that matter?

Here's a Acer 17" Celeron M, $1079, like the HP it has a numeric keypad and I found a cool thread here where you can bump the FSB of the Celeron M from 400 to 533MHz.

Obviously, I would consider another Dell, their 9300 does not have a numeric keypad, no telling on their forthcoming 19".

Since I will truly use it as a laptop, vents on the side are better than the bottom. Battery life not a major issue, connect to the brick 99% of the time.

If you've gotten this far, thanks.

Hermit
 
21st...Good morning..at least in San Antonio. I have a Dell 9300 17" so I think I can give you some observations. First, my display is the the UXGA 1900x1200 True Life model. Very vivid and bright and a delight under "most" conditions, but not perfect. I would say it may not be the display of choice for you since you do so much "recreational" surfing. The fonts are a bit flakey when web browsing and you have to mess with the default font settings to render it aid and that still doesn't do the trick all the time. Also the True Life screen (glass like finish) has a tendency to be reflective in high light room conditions. For your needs I would definately go with the 1440x900 and save the $. The 9300 also has DDR2 memory which I think is benificial for this laptop since it is a performance kind of machine (1.86 ghz Centrino/Go9800 graphics/1gb mem). However, you do not seem to be pointed in the direction of a performance based laptop so I don't see the DDR2 being that much of an issue. You observation on the numeric keypad is correct...there is none but it is not a big deal to me although you can set the keyboard for keypad use. Battery life is not very good with the stock battery even though its a centrino based processor (most power efficient). This is contributed to by the fact that it has a Go9800 graphics solution. The 17" widescreens are very good for DVD movie watching as a fall back for your home entertainment. This laptop has a very good DVD burner that has serviced me quiet well. I know opinions sometimes are not worth much..but...I would stay away from a Celeron procesor. If you can't find what you want and can afford in a Intel Centrino then go with the AMD Turion. BTW some good deals can be had on Dell laptops if you search for "coupons" on the web. The 9300's are actually a pretty good deal right now when you find the right coupons. Good Luck!!
 
Thanks deathwalker,

Your post was loaded with exactly the users feedback I was seeking. Had a similiar thread at notebookreview, got ~10 post, not a single 17" user, all opinions from morons with too much time on their hands.

Have you ever used your 9300 on your lap? Please speak to the vents, heat and fan noise.

Hermit
 
Another 9300 owner here 😀

1920x1200. I've also got the TrueLife screen and it is a beauty.

This laptop isn't exactly one to use on your lap -- though I have -- but I have a big lap 😛
 
I got my g/f a 9300 with the UXGA screen and WoW never looks better 😀 The text can be a bit small but turning on ClearType does help
 
Originally posted by: Pabster
Another 9300 owner here 😀

1920x1200. I've also got the TrueLife screen and it is a beauty.

This laptop isn't exactly one to use on your lap -- though I have -- but I have a big lap :P
Click to expand...

ROFLMAO

 
Dell i9200 with 1440x900 is perfect here with great font size for these 45 year old eyes. I have good eyes, and never needed glasses yet. Even at 1440x900, I still set IE view text size to Larger setting.

For me, the higher res displays make fonts too small. If you drift away from native resolutions, it will not look as good as native (to me anything but native looks like crap). Whatever you get, plan on sticking with it's native resolution. Gaming is fine for non-native, but you don't mention gaming, so that does not apply.

I frequently install 17"+ LCD's for desktop customers, and the first thing most say is how small the text is, and they want it bigger, then after making it bigger, they all say how bad it looks, so I end up putting it back to native, or too small, so it looks clean again. You can play around with settings (such as increase DPI from 96 to 120, etc.), but nothing is as good as native.
 
I put mine on my lap daily. It doesn't get very hot and mine weighs about 8 lbs so its not too bad. Its really a DTR/semi-portable hybrid. With my 9-cell, i get 4.25 hrs. + of office apps/browsing use and about 3 hours for Doom 3. Its really a perfect balance of both.
 
I have the 9300 with the 1900x1200 screen and my almost 40 year old eyes love it. I do have good vision though. The vents are on the side and your lap will be safe. The big screen will be great for your photos and surfing just dont try to use it on a plane! I take mine with me but it is not used on planes and sits in the hotel all the time. If you want to ever use it on a plane you better be on Midwest Express or flying first class🙂
 
XPS Gen2 here, and I'm with the proud owner club. Excellent for gaming, and visual acuity.

Note that I took a DTR on a plane (with a 17" screen, mind you) in business class, and had plenty of room to watch my movies. 😛 (it wasn't the Gen2 that I took, and the Gen2 is smaller).
 
Many, many thanks for all the replies. I think I walked into the Dell 17" fan club here.

I found a Dell 9300, $999 over at Ben's. Have to add tax and $24 Handling, but it comes with a 8X DVD-RW.

Not Bad!!!

Hermit
 
I cant see your link but I know there is a 25% coupon for Dell on the web and a 9300 with a 6800, one gig mem and burner is around $1250... just fyi. Just goggle Dell coupon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top