- Dec 28, 2001
- 11,391
- 3
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UPDATE
- Dell sent a technician out to UPGRADE THE XPS' display from the 1366x768 unit to the 1920x1080 RGBLED UNIT! There is no longer a question!
(w00t!)
A follow up from [thread=2166511]Prior[/thread] [Thread=2166825]Posts[/Thread]:
TL;DR ver. of recap:
- Ordered a laptop with a fantastic display and so-so specs (1st gen Core-i3) from Dell Outlet
- Got a laptop with upgraded specs (1st gen Core-i5), just happens to be an ES unit
- Dell is willing to work with me and send me yet another upgraded system (2nd gen Core-i5 w/ upgraded GPU) but it does not have the high quality display.
Without much more ado, here are the contenders:
Dell Studio 14 (1458)
- 14" 1600x900 display
- Core i5-ES (is in similar specs w/ i5-430M/i5-520M)
- AMD 540v
- Slot-loading DVD burner
Pros:
- Beautiful display (we'll touch on that later)
- 14" is a great laptop size; mobile but not too small to type/work on
- Solidly built, great design - it's definitely a pretty laptop to look at and there's subtle design cues (there's a design inlaid on the laptop cover and palmrest, for example) that makes it stand out.
- Keyboard is backlit which is a first for me (and is more useful then I thought)
- "Good enough" specs
- Easy to upgrade; there's a big panel on the bottom that houses the HDD and RAM if, and when, the time comes to upgrade.
- Did I mention the ridiculous display?
Cons:
- Terrible speakers. It supposedly has "SRS premium sound" but playing a lot of songs, it definitely sounds like it's being played inside a can.
- The display hinges are weak. It may be a minor issue at this time you can notice the display hinge flexing a bit when moving around; I rarely use a laptop while moving around but the tightness of the hinge that could pose an issue in long-term use.
- GPU is somewhat weak (AMD 540v) but it does the job (I can play Starcraft 2 and Far Cry 2 on low settings/lowered resolution, for example)
Dell XPS 15 (L502)
- 15.6" 1366x768 display
- Intel i5-2410M
- Nvidia GTX 525M
Pros:
- Awesome speakers. I've wondered what the reviews meant when they said that this laptop has industry-leading class speakers. I'm no audiophile, but the difference is obvious, and staggeringly so.
- Also solidly built. On design alone, I'd prefer the Studio 14 but build quality-wise the XPS is the same if not better (the hinges are rock solid)
- Obviously, the specs are also a lot better as well.
Cons:
- Terrible display. I will touch on that later.
- Non-backlit keyboard. Not a dealbreaker, but it's surprising how useful they are.
- Upgrade nightmare. As I've stated, I'd like to replace the HDD, RAM, for this unit the display as well. The RAM is easily accessible enough, but the HDD is (pretty much) hidden under the keyboard and is a pain from what I've seen/read so far, nevermind the nightmare of replacing the LED display.
Comparison
Display
This is the image used for comparison:
I've left all three units unplugged, used Chrome to open up the image, and blew it up to full-size (533x800). Just for reference, I've borrowed my wife's Asus UL80VT-A1 as well. The laptops (from the left>right) are ASUS UL80VT-A1, Dell Studio 14 and Dell XPS 15
The display settings were on the default Win7 settings and not messed with; as you can tell from the head-on and angle shots, the Studio 14 display is both brighter and retains better color accuracy across a wider viewing angle. Another example: looking at my avatar (Rockman/Megaman) you can clearly see his Sclera (white-of-the-eye) on the Studio 14 whereas the colors bleed together on the XPS.
Size
Being a bit redundant here, but the XPS 15 is obviously larger. On a side note, the wife gets a nice present if I decide to go with the XPS. Also a non-issue I've noted; The UL80 has a aluminium display cover, the XPS a magnesium palmrest and Studio 14 a Magnesium bottom casing.
To recap:
- Both have solid build quality.
- Studio 14: Awesome display, crap speakers. Display hinge may be of concern long-term. "Good enough" specs.
- XPS 15: Awesome speakers, crap display. Great specs. Will be a nightmare to update.
Which one would you pick?
- Dell sent a technician out to UPGRADE THE XPS' display from the 1366x768 unit to the 1920x1080 RGBLED UNIT! There is no longer a question!
(w00t!)
A follow up from [thread=2166511]Prior[/thread] [Thread=2166825]Posts[/Thread]:
TL;DR ver. of recap:
- Ordered a laptop with a fantastic display and so-so specs (1st gen Core-i3) from Dell Outlet
- Got a laptop with upgraded specs (1st gen Core-i5), just happens to be an ES unit
- Dell is willing to work with me and send me yet another upgraded system (2nd gen Core-i5 w/ upgraded GPU) but it does not have the high quality display.
Without much more ado, here are the contenders:
Dell Studio 14 (1458)
- 14" 1600x900 display
- Core i5-ES (is in similar specs w/ i5-430M/i5-520M)
- AMD 540v
- Slot-loading DVD burner
Pros:
- Beautiful display (we'll touch on that later)
- 14" is a great laptop size; mobile but not too small to type/work on
- Solidly built, great design - it's definitely a pretty laptop to look at and there's subtle design cues (there's a design inlaid on the laptop cover and palmrest, for example) that makes it stand out.
- Keyboard is backlit which is a first for me (and is more useful then I thought)
- "Good enough" specs
- Easy to upgrade; there's a big panel on the bottom that houses the HDD and RAM if, and when, the time comes to upgrade.
- Did I mention the ridiculous display?
Cons:
- Terrible speakers. It supposedly has "SRS premium sound" but playing a lot of songs, it definitely sounds like it's being played inside a can.
- The display hinges are weak. It may be a minor issue at this time you can notice the display hinge flexing a bit when moving around; I rarely use a laptop while moving around but the tightness of the hinge that could pose an issue in long-term use.
- GPU is somewhat weak (AMD 540v) but it does the job (I can play Starcraft 2 and Far Cry 2 on low settings/lowered resolution, for example)
Dell XPS 15 (L502)
- 15.6" 1366x768 display
- Intel i5-2410M
- Nvidia GTX 525M
Pros:
- Awesome speakers. I've wondered what the reviews meant when they said that this laptop has industry-leading class speakers. I'm no audiophile, but the difference is obvious, and staggeringly so.
- Also solidly built. On design alone, I'd prefer the Studio 14 but build quality-wise the XPS is the same if not better (the hinges are rock solid)
- Obviously, the specs are also a lot better as well.
Cons:
- Terrible display. I will touch on that later.
- Non-backlit keyboard. Not a dealbreaker, but it's surprising how useful they are.
- Upgrade nightmare. As I've stated, I'd like to replace the HDD, RAM, for this unit the display as well. The RAM is easily accessible enough, but the HDD is (pretty much) hidden under the keyboard and is a pain from what I've seen/read so far, nevermind the nightmare of replacing the LED display.
Comparison
Display
This is the image used for comparison:
I've left all three units unplugged, used Chrome to open up the image, and blew it up to full-size (533x800). Just for reference, I've borrowed my wife's Asus UL80VT-A1 as well. The laptops (from the left>right) are ASUS UL80VT-A1, Dell Studio 14 and Dell XPS 15
The display settings were on the default Win7 settings and not messed with; as you can tell from the head-on and angle shots, the Studio 14 display is both brighter and retains better color accuracy across a wider viewing angle. Another example: looking at my avatar (Rockman/Megaman) you can clearly see his Sclera (white-of-the-eye) on the Studio 14 whereas the colors bleed together on the XPS.
Size
Being a bit redundant here, but the XPS 15 is obviously larger. On a side note, the wife gets a nice present if I decide to go with the XPS. Also a non-issue I've noted; The UL80 has a aluminium display cover, the XPS a magnesium palmrest and Studio 14 a Magnesium bottom casing.
To recap:
- Both have solid build quality.
- Studio 14: Awesome display, crap speakers. Display hinge may be of concern long-term. "Good enough" specs.
- XPS 15: Awesome speakers, crap display. Great specs. Will be a nightmare to update.
Which one would you pick?
Last edited:
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