If you can get a great price, this is a great machine
Written: Oct 21 '08 (Updated Oct 21 '08)
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| ayjay's Full Review: Dell Studio 15 Laptop Computer (Intel Core 2 Duo T... |
Note: This review was published elsewhere on Epinions, but the category appears to have been deleted.
I recently purchased a Dell Studio (S1535-136B) for a great price, $749. At that price, this was an amazing purchase.
The Dell Studio line fits between the standard consumer grade notebooks and Dell's higher-end XPS machines, borrowing features from both. The T8100 processor is a step up from the T5750 and T5850 chips more commonly available at this price point (under $1000). 4GB RAM and a 360gb drive are also a welcome surprise in this class, which typically has 2-3GB RAM and 250GB drives.
The case borrows from the XPS line, with a substantial heft and innovative hinge that looks quite strong. That heft comes with a price, however, as the machine is a little on the heavy side (6.1 lbs) and not ideal for the road warrior. Mine will travel occasionally, and the desktop-level power is worth the extra ounces for me.
The 15.4" widescreen looks fantastic, although the glossy surface tends to show glare in less than ideal light. The keyboard is laid out well, and has good feel. A number of special function "touch" keys line the top. Navigation is by touch pad. The included pad is responsive and includes scroll bars. I would have preferred a track-point type of control as well, but am satisfied with the pad. My machine has a built-in webcam, but I have not had a chance to test it. The DVD drive is slot loaded, which I have heard can be problematic, but mine works fine (Apple does not seem to have any issue with them, so they can't be all bad, right?) All the usual ports are there; USB, 1394, a dedicated SD memory slot, and even an HDMI port, should you want to pump HD video out of the machine. Bluetooth and WiFi are built in as well.
The Vista 64 installation was surprisingly free of excess bloat-ware, although I did uninstall a couple of unnecesary applications. Keep in mind that Vista 64, while packing better performance and a few nifty features, is incompatible with some older harware. For example, there is no USB driver for Treo phones (you can, however, use Bluetooth to sync if your Treo has that).
So far, I have found the machine powerful, responsive, and a great value.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 750
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
ayjay
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Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 7 members
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