Inspiron 9300 Released

[CptTripps]

XPS2\I9300 Screen at 1920x1200 with Truelife, interpolated? Glarey? Text too small? Let's see what some research finds...

Here is another picture of the screen.. Does not appear to have a large glare on it as the previous posted picture. I think the glare on the other picture was in in an extremely lit room and at the wrong angle, just my opinion (Still didn't look too bad). These reflections are most notable when displaying dark settings, not saying it's perfect, but I don't think it is as bad as some make it out to be. I also own an NEC 17" lcd with the protective coating (Hard plastic? Plexi-Glass? I don't know, but it's not glass) and it dosen't really bother me. Here is a link to another shot of the screen of the screen (and others).

XPS2 Screenshots at bottom of page (Notice the title of the pic is "The screen on the laptop is gorgeous.")

Also, in the area of interpolation, there was a blurb at the bottom of page 1 on the hothardware review stating "The Inspiron XPS Gen 2 has a 17" LCD, with a native resolution of 1920x1200. We found this display to be surprisingly adept at interpolating lower-than-native resolutions. The typical blur associated with running an LCD below its native resolution wasn't very pronounced when viewing the Windows desktop and while gaming at lower resolutions, blurring was hardly noticeable at all."

Statement on interpolation Linky (Scroll to the bottom of page 1 to see this statement)

So.. in conclusion, if you are opting aginst the 1920x1200 resolution simply becuase of glare and interpolation I think you are making too much of it. If you can't see or are uncomfortable viewing at that resolution I can understand, but to rule it out from statements made by someone who has not actually seen it (as the reviewers I linked to have) I believe it would be a mistake. As someone who does web dev and graphic art I cannot begin to say how much I love what the 1920x1200 resolution offers me in terms of worksapce. Only thing better is dual monitors IMO.

Tripps Out

P.S. Not looking to bash previous posters, just trying to provide answers to those who had questions\concerns.

 

[dr150]

The Gloss screen sucks a$$. Plus, it's more expensive!

If you don't mind seeing your face on the screen and ANY reflective lights in the background, then congrats. LOL!

People always have to be tools and learn the hard way.


P.S.
Another Pic (nice reflective line down the middle right of the screen. LOL.)

This one is my favorite! (reposted for the lazy. Strong light, my a$$!! How 'bout no light since florescent or incandescent lighting to too strong for ya. )

 

[croak]

Just order a i9300. Used the Home $750 off $1999 coupon since my total was $2044. The Small Biz 35% off makes sense if your total is more than $2142 (savings will be more than $750). If you're going budget, use the $600 off $1699 coupon in the Home if your order is under $1714, otherwise you'd save more with the Small Biz 35% off.

Oh, the componants are closer priced in each area when you consider that the Home area's componants are listed 20% off since that is the current Dell Home promo. The price the $750 off coupon takes off is the undiscounted price.

Also, I just got a Outlet i9200 today and I gotta say 1920x1200 on 17" is nice. It's a shame that the i9200 is going back because it's WUXGA screen has some bad antiglare coating. It's really matte but also looks "sparkly". And it's not that bright, compared to my IBM T40p 1400x1050 and Dell 2001FP (but that aint a laptop so I guess it dont count).

 

[operaman1]

Originally posted by: dr150
The Gloss screen sucks a$$. Plus, it's more expensive!

If you don't mind seeing your face on the screen and ANY reflective lights in the background, then congrats. LOL!

People always have to be tools and learn the hard way.


P.S.
Another Pic (nice reflective line down the middle right of the screen. LOL.)

This one is my favorite! (reposted for the lazy. Strong light, my a$$!! How 'bout no light since florescent or incandescent lighting to too strong for ya. )

Here's an idea dr 150: Don't order the WUXGA. However, sitting there without having the 9300 in front of you when I have talked to people who HAVE IT IN THEIR HANDS that love it, and you are saying it stinks is just ignorant talk. Ignorant does not mean stupid. I am sure you are quite smart, but you are speculating and you have not seen it. If you don't want one fine, but please quit commenting on things that you have no experience with. I for one will take the word of people who actually own it and have it right now and they say the screen is awesome. Who do I believe: You looking at pictures on PC Magazine? or the guy on the Forum who is on his laptop RIGHT NOW using it? Lemme think.... Oh yea, probably the guy who owns it... Man don't make people pwn you on here. You are a goldmember for God's Sake

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: operaman1

Originally posted by: dr150
The Gloss screen sucks a$$. Plus, it's more expensive!

If you don't mind seeing your face on the screen and ANY reflective lights in the background, then congrats. LOL!

People always have to be tools and learn the hard way.


P.S.
Another Pic (nice reflective line down the middle right of the screen. LOL.)

This one is my favorite! (reposted for the lazy. Strong light, my a$$!! How 'bout no light since florescent or incandescent lighting to too strong for ya. )

Here's an idea dr 150: Don't order the laptop. However, sitting there without having the 9300 in front of you when I have talked to people who HAVE IT IN THEIR HANDS that love it, and you are saying it stinks is just ignorant talk. Ignorant does not mean stupid. I am sure you are quite smart, but you are speculating and you have not seen it. If you don't want one fine, but please quit commenting on things that you have no experience with. I for one will take the word of people who actually own it and have it right now and they say the screen is awesome. Who do I believe: You looking at pictures on PC Magazine? or the guy on the Forum who is on his laptop RIGHT NOW using it? Lemme think.... Oh yea, probably the guy who owns it... Man don't make people pwn you on here. You are a goldmember for God's Sake

slow down turbo.

 

[operaman1]

[/quote]


slow down turbo.
[/quote]

I would assume you are addressing him rather than me. Come over to a discussion here

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=67948

like 3DMark scores, etc... This is one sweet lappie and the screen rocks...

 

[operaman1]

Originally posted by: dr150
The Gloss screen sucks a$$. Plus, it's more expensive!

If you don't mind seeing your face on the screen and ANY reflective lights in the background, then congrats. LOL!

People always have to be tools and learn the hard way.


P.S.
Another Pic (nice reflective line down the middle right of the screen. LOL.)

This one is my favorite! (reposted for the lazy. Strong light, my a$$!! How 'bout no light since florescent or incandescent lighting to too strong for ya. )

BTW, both are glossy screens from what I am reading. Just thought you'd want to know...

 

[dr150]

Only the WUXGA has Trulife: LINK

 

[operaman1]

Originally posted by: dr150
Only the WUXGA has Trulife: LINK

Someone who just got theirs was talking about it being kind of glossy. Perhaps it is different still. With Dell I always take their "specs" with a grain of salt. I think you would agree they can be ambiguous at best and sometimes downright confusing on their website.

We are getting benchies from the regular 6800go. One guy got his to be detected by coolbits at 358/770:Q (I am guessing it autodetected at that perhaps?) Because he said he did not manually oc it. anyways with a score like 4219 in 3DMark05 and 9200 in 3DMark03 I got to say I am pretty stoked about the prospects of the 9300...

 

[ericboo]

How big is this pig anyway? I have a 12.1" Vaio laptop and had a Dell Inspiron 8100 in the past. How much bigger can this thing be than the Dell?

I have it configured the way I like for $1127 less a $25 coupon I have but don't know if this is just too massive as I have not seen a 17" laptop. My brother has the previous generation XPS and loves it though.

If anyone has any input, I would appreciate it.

 

[ericboo]

I just measured my Viao and although it is only 2" deeper, it is 4.3" wider. It sounds smaller than I thought.

 

[dr150]

Ericboo,
If you go to the Apple store and look at the 17" lappy, you'll get an idea of how the Dell 17" is.....with the exception that the Dell is a pound heavier, slightly thicker, and a little deeper. To me this is not heavy....I guess I'm used to the days when lappys were really thick and heavy!

The 9200/9300 case is very sturdy. The palm rest doesn't sag. The screen doesn't bend in the back when you press your finger from the back. The keyboard has a good feel. The 2 buttons on the mousepad feel a little cheap though. It's just a very well put together machine.

 

[ericboo]

I think I will have to check it out. I have to return something to Compusa today anyway. I did like the keyboard on my old Inspiron better than the Vaio. I bought the Sony for its small size, but it sits in my kitchen and never moves. As my kids always use my desktop, I don't get enough time for Call of Duty which I assume would work great on this.

 

[ericboo]

Can you upgrade the video on this down the road like I believe you can in the XPS?

 

[dr150]

Originally posted by: ericboo
Can you upgrade the video on this down the road like I believe you can in the XPS?

Nope

 

[operaman1]

Originally posted by: dr150

Originally posted by: ericboo
Can you upgrade the video on this down the road like I believe you can in the XPS?

Nope

We are debating that point right now over at Notebookforums. These have the same chassis, and I bet an aspiring person could give it a go as the only difference is the extra heatpipe. That said, why? The vid card on this with some minimal ocing to 358/770 does right at 4200 in 3DMark05 and in the neighbororhood of 9200-9300 in 3DMark03. For me that is PLENTY of power for a notebook and is rivalling top of the line(minus SLI of course) desktop performance. Plus at 8.2 lbs with the 9 cell battery you are looking at a portable gaming machine. If upgradeability is your thing drop the extra 650 and get the XPS2. Though they didn't GUARANTEE that an upgrade will be there, just that it is possible in the future for the XPS2.

 

[ericboo]

Will the ATI 128MB video suck for games like Call of Duty? It is a choice of dropping the cpu from 1.86 down to 1.73 and getting the "cheaper" screen just to get the Geforce, or going with the faster cpu and better screen, and X300 128MB.

I don't game that much on it and I was really considering a high end lcd, but this is probably more worthwhile.

Input appreciated.

 

[dr150]

Originally posted by: ericboo
Will the ATI 128MB video suck for games like Call of Duty? It is a choice of dropping the cpu from 1.86 down to 1.73 and getting the "cheaper" screen just to get the Geforce, or going with the faster cpu and better screen, and X300 128MB.

I don't game that much on it and I was really considering a high end lcd, but this is probably more worthwhile.

Input appreciated.

Based on your specific demands...no question......get the cheaper screen, 1.73, Geforce card!

 

[troutmask]

I had a chance to work with a Sony viao today with a wuxga screen.. picked up a lot of light reflection.. distracting. But the the display was great for video, and that's what I do. I did notice that the 17" Sony Viao was a true Wuxga at 1920x1200 while the Dell is only Uxga at 1600x1200 ... which is usually a 4:3 res. So the displays aren't really similar as has been reported here....

Designation meaning max. Dissolution
CGA Color Graphics Adaptor 320 x 200
EGA Enhanced Graphics Adaptor 640 x 350
VGA video Graphics array 640 x 480
SVGA super video Graphics array 800 x 600
XGA Extended Graphics array 1024 x 768
SXGA super Extended Graphics array 1280 x 1024
SXGA+ super Extended Graphics array 1400 x 1050
UXGA Ultra Extended Graphics array 1600 x 1200
QXGA Quad Extended Graphics array 2048 x 1536
QSXGA Quad super Extended Graphics array 2560 x 2048
QUXGA Quad Ultra Extended Graphics array 3200 x 2400


16:9 display, 16:10 display, Widescreen, broad screens
Designation meaning max. Dissolution
WXGA Wide Extended Graphics array 1366 x 768
WSXGA Wide super Extended Graphics array 1600 x 1024
WSXGA+ Wide super Extended Graphics array 1680 x 1050
WUXGA Wide Ultra Extended Graphics array 1920 x 1200
WQSXGA Wide Quad super Extended Graphics array 3200 x 2048
WQUXGA Wide Quad Ultra Extended Graphics array 3840 x 2400

 

[KameLeon]

Uhhh.. the wuxga on the 9300 runs at 1920x1200 .. i dont know where you got your info..

17 inch Wide-Aspect UltraSharpTM TFT Active Matrix display in a choice of WXGA+ (1440x900) or WUXGA with TrueLifeTM (1920x1200)

See for yourself!

 

[troutmask]

Well, my mistake... The Sony was impressive with video... I'm using this for field production so the wuxga will be my choice and I'll put together a hood to block ambient light... this laptop is going to take the place of a field monitor, vectorscope, waveform monitor, and audio analyzer in the field, as well as a backup recorder. My medula oblongata is purring.

For typing and most business apps, this wouldn't be my choice. For one, the dell keyboard is too cramped for my liking.

 

[dr150]

Another thing that some of you gamers should remember is that the 6800 card in the 9300 will have to work harder at full resolution on the WUXGA screen vs. the WXGA+. You'll get markedly less FPS, plus you may have to turn the eyecandy "off".

The WXGA+ screen, by virtue of its resolution will give you smoother gameplay with the latest games with this card.

With the WUXGA screen, you may have to scale it down to 1280X1024 to get decent gameplay on an intensive game (i.e. any upcoming games using the Doom 3 engine for instance). And as you all should know by now, scaling down means blurrier than native resolution...........Eventually, there will come a time when 1920x1200 won't cut it with this graphics card and a game...and you'll have to scale down to a blurrier 1280X1024......while the XGA+ screen will be chugging along at full native at 1440X900........in other words, unless you're a chronic replacer of laptops, the XGA+ will give you longer gaming longevity with its more pleasurable (esp. text) 1440X900 resolution.

Then the WXGA+ becomes much more compelling for gaming at native 1440X900 than an WUXGA playing at a blurry 1280X1024.

For 1920x1200 resolutions, I'd definitely get the XPS2 with the 6800 Ultra card instead of the 9300....it's more future proof.

Resolutions & FPS FYI with 6800

 

[LackofVision]

The 6800 can run any current game just fine at 1920x1200. You won't even need AA at that resolution. You can see some benchies of HL2 here on the i9300:

HL2 Benchmarks on i9300/6800go

Of course there will come games that stress the 6800 at 1920, but I"m sure not going to limit my current experience to future proof against games that haven't even come out yet, or limit to my experience with 99% of the games on the market so that I don't have to run that 1% that do run too slow in a scaled down resolution.

 

[ericboo]

Dr150,

Buzz kill! I just ordered mine yesterday. Let me bask in the glory or using it a few weeks until I find out something newer is coming out.

 

[Trianon]

ordered 9300 yesterday, awesome deal, can't wait tot get it