Screen Updates?

Hey Guys:

I'm holding off buying an R3 in hopes they will release a 1200p screen or something better quality than the current WLED. Anyone have any ideas when that might be?

I'm itching to buy, but really don't want to settle with a 1080p screen. I don't use it for movies! (which is why I assume a lot of manufacturers are releasing 1080p screens instead of 1200p) I use it for work and games!

Thanks,
Jeff.

 

Probably won't ever happen, you may see a RGB or other variant of a 16:9 aspect screen. 16:10 is used primarily by professional users and most manufacturers are either killing it or moving it to only professional series laptops like the Precision series. Basically don't hold your breath

 

Probably not going to happen, 1080p is simply the standard now in the US and as such pretty much all Laptops use 1080p as well, however I will say that I really like the R3's screen.

 

I'm a programmer, so I use the full 1200p. I have a 900p macbook and it's soo hard to see all my code that I hate using it to work on (unless I hook it up to a monitor).

Damn, I hate to see the industry changing from 1200p to 1080p. It seems like a step backwards. I would expect to see double the resolution at some point, or higher alternatives that could do some unique pixel interpolation so watching movies would still be super sharp.

Jeff.

 

+1 @ that
i almost cried myself out yesterday coz of that... RGB on R2 is a huge benefit... however if u tweak the 1080p is not bad. plus 1200p is a step down for gaming, higher res reqs more resources so that can be justified...
but I can't disagree that 1200p rgb on r2 was best laptop screen i've seen. will miss it

 

At some point recently some folks were talking about an unreleased screen that was much higher res than even the 1200p. However, I have heard nothing else about that. Is that just speculation?

Thanks
Jeff.

 

Just think about how high the resolution could theoretically go on a 17" screen without causing eye damage realistically. The 1200p and even the 1080 to some extent are already at the stage where it is borderline.
As others say there may eventually be an RGB option but it's doubtful a higher resolution would be released. Forget a 16:10 resolution though - the dimensions of the R3 are not compatible with the 16:10 aspect ratio.

 

Simon,

Good point. I suppose my vision of 1200p just might never happen. My biggest concern is coming from an M1730 (I have never used the RGB-LED Screen), will I see a big difference in my laptop screen downgrading to a 1080p AND people are complaining about the WLED.

That's why I want to wait, but I may be waiting for nothing.

Jeff.

 

Well Jeff, I have read almost all articles about the R3 and havn't seen that many negative remarks about the WLED screen on the R3. In fact I recall people comparing and expresing a more natural color to it.

 

Panamaniac,

I guess I don't see people saying negative things about it in general, but when they compare it to the RGB version, they say it's a noticeable difference (washed out colors, lower brightness, bad viewing angles), etc.

I wish someone would tell me how it compares to my M1730.

Thanks
Jeff.

 

All you have to do is turn up the saturation and the screen loses its washed out effect. Personally going from 1200 to 1080 I dont notice the difference. The width is the same (1920) so 120 pixels lost from the height is not a big issue.

 

Simon,

How are the viewing angles on it? I've seen this video YouTube - Dell Alienware M17XR3 Full-HD Panel Viewing Angles and it doesn't look impressive to me.

Jeff.

 

Hey Jeff,
I should be receiving my M17x R3 tomorrow as a replacement for my M1730. I'll let you know how they compare tomorrow and if there's any noticeable downgrade as well as show some pics of the two beside each other. The specs for both model screens are in my Sig if you wanted to know them.

 

A well calibrated WLED is very nice, there are lots of 'tools' out there to help you configure it.

 

ClosingAce,

Thanks! That would be SOO much help for me to decide. Let me know your honest opinions and pictures would be excellent! Let me know what your thoughts are on the screen quality between the two.

Thanks!
Jeff.

 

Hey Jeff,

I just received the alienware today about 30 minutes ago (typing this on it atm). They were a day late because of an address mix up. The performance and feel of the laptop are much better than the M1730. The XPS feels relatively cheap when compared to the Alienware. The downside is the screen. There is definitely a noticeable downgrade on the screen resolution. Characters are not as crisp and small as well colours are not anywhere near as vibrant. Still the M17x screen is not bad by any means; it displays pictures and text very well, much better than most laptops on the market.

Pros:
Much lighter
quieter
Huge Track pad
Less heat generated
Performance Increase overall
Thinner

Cons
Screen resolution
Colours
Size is still about the same as the XPS (actually a bit longer due to tapering)

If you're going to need a high resolution 1200p screen to work on, then this is not the best laptop to get. Although the performance is much better, the track pad is massive (feels mac book pro like although not nearly as intuitive), there's no uncomfortable heat like the hell fire that comes out of the M1730 and it's extremely quite. I will put up pics soon once I have the alienware set up.

 

Here are some comparison photos. The M17x R3 is a bit brighter than the XPS, but I think that may be due to the 120Hz screen compensating for the dimming effect of the 3D glasses.

XPS M1730 vs M17x R3 - a set on Flickr

The pictures don't really do justice to the screen quality of either system but hopefully it can help you decide and compare. IMG_1203 shows the best comparison between the colours of the screens with the XPS on the left and the R3 on the right. If you have any question let me know soon since I will be returning the XPS in the next couple of days.

 

ClosingAce,

Those images are perfect! Thanks! It's still a tough call. I'm sure the performance blows the M1730 out of the water, but I was actually hoping the screen to be as good as the M1730.

I've never had the RGB-LED screen that the R2 has, but I was kind of hoping the quality would be similar to my M1730, which it sounds like it's even worse than that... I like the M1730 screen, but the performance is kind of getting in the way of productivity.

Well, thanks again so much for your opinions and photos. Anything else you would like to add, feel free.

Thanks
Jeff.

 

Jeff, I could say that after owning R3 for a few days, I can tell screen is really nice... well, it looks to me that I forgot about RGB, it is better, but few days after, I shipped my R2 back and forgot about any differences, don't obsess about it, R3 is a great purchase.
P.S. any1 who looks at it can't take an eye away suck it, Apple

 

Jeff,

I completely agree with Leo, you won't notice the difference after a while only right after using the XPS and even then it's not really a big deal. I'm glad the pictures helped. I definitely recommend the M17x R3 if you can deal with the screen though. It is by far one of the best laptops out there.