Considering a Dell Studio 17 laptop

[jdport]

I've never owned a laptop, and have never really even specced and priced them out in the past. I've always stuck with desktops where I could build my own. Now however, I'm really wanting a laptop because I'm tired of being locked to my desk and I found out that I can get a decent employer discount if I buy from Dell so I started speccing out Dell laptops to see what I could get.

The XPS line was just way too expensive for me... I'm limited to the $1000-$1500 range, and the closer to the $1000 side of that the better. The laptop would be used for some gaming (I'm not the hardcore gamer I once was but I still like to play games) and programming, in addition to all the regular web browsing/email/etc.

So I was looking at the Studio line of laptops... I have quite a few questions, and thought maybe some here might be able to help.

Does anybody know the specs of the screen such as the contrast ratio, response time, etc?

What kind of performance could I expect from the Radeon HD 3650 video?

How much battery time do you actually get from the standard 58WHr battery and is it worth the extra money for the upgraded battery?

Finally ... I never took the plunge into Vista... my current computers all have XP and one is even still using windows 2000. What features does Vista Ultimate bring to the table over the home premium version and is that worth the extra $150?

Any other thoughts about this line of laptops or opinions are welcome and appreciated Thanks guys!

 

[thecoolnessrune]

My girlfriend's aunt bought a Studio 17 that I set up for her. It's being regarded as one of the best 17" notebooks going right now. I personally found its look and feel to be far beyond their Inspiron and HP's DV line.

Performance of the 3650 allowed my gf to play Call of Duty 4 at 1440x900 with all settings on max.

The 58WHr battery is pathetic.. Get the upgraded battery. Just understand it will ad a 3/4" lip on the bottom (Raises it up, which is good for air circulation but some people just don't like it).

Go here for a comparison of Vista features.

For a 17" notebook not for hardcore gaming, the Dell Studio 17 is my number one pick.

 

[Excelsior]

Moms has a Studio 17 and I like it. Solid build quality and good speed.

 

[Skott]

I bought a Studio 17 for my daughter this month so she could have it for college. I was surprised Best Buy had the best price. I assumed with my company's EPP program I could get the best deal from Dell direct but BB beat them by a huge margin. If you want a dell Studio 17 look and see what your local BB has to offer before buying.

 

[nycdude]

I just got one of these on a whim when they had epp sale a few weeks back and was contemplating returning for one of those reburbished gateway P6860fx machines they had at TD but couldn't pull the trigger. Not sure why. Maybe because I don't want to game hardcore on my lappy but need it for casual gaming or maybe I'm infatuated with the WLED screen and backlit keys. lol

Still deciding... I will probably keep it since I also bought a Lowepro Tropolis 1300 backpack for it.

 

[jdport]

My biggest concern looking at it is that the benchmarks I saw for the video adapter looked really weak. Like i said , it's not going to be used for hardcore gaming really... but I do want to be capable of playing newer games with some degree of performance. The Radeon 3650 might be good enough, but that's my biggest concern.

 

[nycdude]

Originally posted by: jdport
My biggest concern looking at it is that the benchmarks I saw for the video adapter looked really weak. Like i said , it's not going to be used for hardcore gaming really... but I do want to be capable of playing newer games with some degree of performance. The Radeon 3650 might be good enough, but that's my biggest concern.

same here. that's why the indecision and doubt.

 

[Skott]

Newer games with a 3650? I dont know... If you are talking about today's FPS games that are 3D heavy intensive and the like then a 3650 wont really cut it IMO. The Dell Studio 17 isnt really designed to be a gaming laptop. Not heavy 3D gaming anyway. You'll need to look for something with more gpu power I'm thinking.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

It should be ok for medium or low, but what were you expecting?