Dell Studio 15 user reviews

Pros 1. LED Screen
2. Backlit keyboard
3. Price
4. Performance
5. Included software is actually a bonus this time
6. No bloatware that robs system performance
7. Battery Life
8. HDMI port
9. Build Quality

11. Temperatures are very good

Cons 1. The weight is still on the heavy side at 6LB.
2. Centrino 2 platform with the ability to switch video cards to save power would be nice.
3. More video card options.
4. They should give all the models the express slot remote.

Summary First off I have never really been that impressed with dell's line. they have always just been a cheap alternative. I recently got an XPS 1330 from the dell outlet. This was nice, however, the build quality was cheap. There was a bump above the speaker and the hinge looked as if it was going to come apart.

Recently I bought the Studio 15 from the Dell outlet for a heck of a deal $539 (anybody looking at these should look at the outlet first). Now I was not expecting much, but when I opened it up I was impressed by the build quality. No bumps, and to my surprise it didn't feel cheap. This is not something I expect from a dell.

So after a few days of use I can honestly say this is a 5 star deal. I would not pay over 1,000 for it, but there are few notebooks in which I would. Dell really listened to the people and added features such as the backlit keyboard, better hinges, more color options, and much much more.

I was even impressed with the included software. I usualy do a clean install on most notebooks I receive, but the Dell studio 15 was an exception. They have a nice dock feature at the top and include the google sidebar. Also to my surprise there was no extra bloatware, and the overall system memory usage was around 800MB which for Vista is reasonable.
I only had 250 words for pro's so here is an expanded version.

All in all the pro's are:
1. LED Screen (Get this it looks amazing)
2. Backlit keyboard (A very cool feature)
3. Price (Again look for coupon codes and Outlet deals)
4. Performance (This is not a gaming machine, but for the rest of us its perfect)
5. Included software is actually a bonus this time
6. No bloatware that robs system performance
7. Battery Life (I get 3 and a half hours surfing the internet with a 6 cell)
8. HDMI port (Very nice if you have an HD TV) Make sure to get the 3450 if you plan on watching High Def movies on this.
9. Build Quality (I have always been an IBM guy for quality but this is pretty good)
10. Touch buttons and attention to detail greatly appreciated.
11. Temperatures are very good

The bottom line is that this is a great system, that offers many great features and a wide variety of options. If you are in the market for a laptop that will be used ins school, work, or even a personal Home PC that doesn't break the bank this guy is for you. If you can find one for under $800 with all the bonus features you would be hard pressed to find a better laptop.

I would recommend the LED display, backlit keyboard, 3450 video, and 3GB of memory.

I recommend the 3450 video card, because it is really a great card for vista, and offers enhanced HD video playback. Basically it off loads the work from the CPU to the GPU. Also it can play many of the older games such as Warcraft III, CIV IV, and many others.
Also the slot load drive has been greatly improved, and doesn't make the terrible grinding noise like the xps 1330 I had.

My system..
Core 2 2.0 Ghz
3GB memroy
ATI 3450
LED display
Backlit keyboard
6 cell battery
DVD burner
Intel Wireless
Bluetooth

For cooupon codes go to notebookreview.com or search google for outlet coupon codes or dell coupon codes.

There are so many deals on these and it shouldn't be that hard to find a similarly specked noteboook.

Note: For around 900 I saw a similar model with a blue-ray drive at dell outlet.

Pros The only pro is that I learned to never buy Dell again

Cons Fan on full blast constantly, even hours after last use. Cursor constantly freezes.

Summary From day one, the fan goes on and stays on full blast 90% of the time. It is super loud and annoying and is an energy sucker. Dell product support just gives me the run around when addressing this problem and tell me that nothing is wrong. Additionaly, about every other day, the cursor freezes and I have to take out the battery and hold in the power button for a minute to discharge the built up static electricity that caused the cursor to freeze. I paid and arm and a leg for this computer and Dell insists that nothing is wrong with the computer because nothing comes up wrong after running their diagnostic test. Dealing with Dell has been a joke. The level of frustration in talking to their customer support is off the charts. This computer is a piece of crap. I used to have a Dell Inspiron for 5 years and had no problems with it until the DC jack became disconnected from the mother board, causing me to have a buy this computer. Worst mistake of my life. I can't believe how expensive this thing was and how I've had nothing but problems with it. Of course, I have spent hours on the phone with Dell support. I can't tell you how fun that is. I will NEVER buy another DELL computer and I urge everyone reading this to do the same. Seriously, I am not one to complain either but this thing is a joke and so is Dell.

Pros Great Video Card, beautiflu screen, fast core 2 duo processor and very beautiful to look at

Cons Awful speakers (the worst I've ever heard)

Summary This is an outstanding value, don't let people in the forums fool you, the ATI Mobility 3450 is a fantastic card it can play COD4 High settings very well. Do not buy this computer if you must have speakers, because they are the worst, no joke. As for looks this thing will rival a Macbook pro maybe even surpass it.
The slot-loading drive takes a little getting used to, at first I was trying to be gentle and place the disc in but you have to push it in or it will spit it out. Overall its Awesome (except for the speakers).

Pros Design and Features

Cons Bad Hardware

Summary I was fairly impressed with this equipment at first but now I am on the phone with dell asking for an RMA. With in the first 24 hours the video card became unresponsive. It did this twice in the first 24 hours and never did it again. Now as I type this message the fan is on full blast and I am having trouble typing this message because the keyboard is deciding not to work. FUN FUN

DONT BUY!!!