Deciding between Studio 17 and Studio XPS 16

After doing several days of reading/research, it looks like the Dell Studio series is probably going to suit me best ... I configured some really very fairly priced options (w/the current discounts they have going and codes), and ended up with a pretty comparable Studio XPS 16 and Studio 17 setup; but stuck deciding between the two!

Here's what I have, appreciate any thoughts on the matter - thanks!

Studio XPS 16
Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
Soundblaster X-Fi
3 Year Basic Service Plan (included) (upgrade to Advanced $90)
15.15" x 10.02" x 0.95" front / 1.34" back
Weight: Starting weight of 6.3 lbs.

Studio 17
17.3” Full HD (1080p) B+RG LED Display with TrueLife and Camera/Facial Recognition SW
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
1 Year Basic Service Plan
Supports two HDs
Backlit keyboard
16.28" x 11.04" x 1.1" front / 1.54" back
Weight: Starting at 7.08 lbs

Other basic specs are equivalent, namely:

• i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
• 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
• 500GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
• Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo
• Centrino Advanced-N 6200
• 85 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
• Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal (2.1)

re: prcie, the XPS 16 comes out to $100 more than the Studio 17. That included 3yr warranty on the XPS16 is compelling ... the equivalent on the studio 17 would bump the price up by ~$250.

Even so, I'm leaning towards the 17, because my concern is that a FHD resolution on a 15.6" panel is going to be too small in many cases; that it'd work out much better on a 17.3" screen. Too, the 2nd HD support on the 17 is very nice (can pop in another drive at some point).

Does anyone know what the advertised "B+RG LED FHD display" on the 17" has over the "edge2edge FHD" on the XPS?

BTW, my typical usage scenarios are...
30% Lightroom picture processing
30% Web browsing
25% DVD/CD backups
15% 3D Gaming

 

Check out the posts by electrosoft. e.g.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...dell-studio-1747-vs-dell-studio-xps-16-a.html

He had both and decided to keep the Studio 17. I have the Studio 17 with Full HD (1080p) B+RG LED which is just stunning & gorgeous. I don't think the 15.6 FHD WLED will be as good, but I've never seen it. It's not just a matter of resolution, the viewing angles, contrast and colour gamut of the 17.3" B+RG LED are WAYYYY better than the usual sorry laptop monitors.

electrosoft had the 16" RGB LED on the XPS, which according to notebookcheck is pretty much the best commercial laptop screen they've ever seen. But a WLED screen would not be this paragon of monitors. Still electrosoft went for the 17"

...After calibrating both screens and using them back and forth over the course of a few weeks, the reds on the 1747 were a bit less harsh, the screen mildly less reflective (both are glossy), and image quality effectively equal for my use

Factor in also that there are concerns with the 16" XPS of overheating due to a) the same powerful heat-generating components in a smaller body b) design fault due to screen blocking the exhaust port when open (which, yeah, seems really dumb)

 

I have not seen the FHD WLED on the 1640 but the RGBLED is beautiful. I like the style of the XPS 16 over the studio 17. The leather is a beautiful touch. I treat mine like a baby and take good care of it, I know some complained about the leather wearing out. I have heard also of people saying it overheats but I have gamed for hours and have not had an issue, just put it on a flat surface as with other laptops. I think as far as which one to get between the SXPS 16 and the Studio 17 comes down to which style you like better

 

Thanks, folks - if the RGBLED on the XPS 16 was available w/the core i7 variant, I think I would've pulled the trigger on it. But it's not (at least, I can't configure it so on the home nor SMB website), so that's the thing that had given me pause - that, and the fact that the Studio 17 can accomodate a 2ndary HD, and that the FHD on the 17.3" screen should cause less eye strain than on a 15.6" screen.

Oh, yeah, that's teh other thing I've not been able to config on the XPS 16 ... doesn't come with a 16" screen ?!?! (again, at least not the core i7 variant).

Still the XPS 16 is a beauty, somewhat smaller (thought not as much as I'd hope) than the 17, and that included 3yr warranty is compelling.

All said, though, I think I'll probably go the Studio 17 route, even though that battery protruding out the bottom causes me a bit of concern

 

BTW, Coruja ... do you think the B+RG LED is the same as RGB LED? I've seen conflicting reports, some folks claiming it is, others saying it's not.

 

That's a good question and honestly I don't know. 'electrosoft' might know. I've read posts saying there's no such thing as B+RG, only W(white)LED and RGB LED. I've Googled it and can't find any conclusive info.

All I know for sure is that it looks wonderful! Watching hi-def stuff like Avatar and Pixar movies (e.g. UP and WallE) is awesome. I'm not gamer, but I'd imagine that games would look fantastic on it too...

 

So I attempted to pull the trigger on the Studio 17 this afternoon - but fekn Dell's site put the kibosh on it, whenever I attempted to finalize the transaction I got an "ecommerce" error - bastages.

Just as well, as I checked out xoticpc's site, and found that one of the original systems I was considering, the Asus G51JX-A1 - which I'd ruled out due to lack of bluray - could be configured similar to the Studio 17, and be had for around the same price. Granted, it's not as sleek-looking as XPS 16, or even the Studio 17 ... but the specs are quite good, price decent, and the GTS 360M is better than either of the Dell offerings. Too, that "30-Day flawless display guaranty" from ASUS is pretty sweet.

Going to call xotic tomorrow for some advice, but I may go with the ASUS G51 after all .... lmk if you think I'm making a horrible mistake!

 

oh, and the G51 doesn't have an annoying battery wedge that stix outta the bottom of the laptop! (although it is rumored to suffer from heat issues - doh!)

 

No, I've heard good things about ASUS. I work for a software company and two of our computer-science guys - real tech' heads - both have ASUS's. Actually we have a G50V with 1680x1050(16x10) HD screen+blu-ray as a work laptop; we're in CAD software so a gaming-spec laptop is actually perfect for us, though the look is a bit garish.... We've had it over a year now - it's pretty sweet and no problems. I've heard that ASUS do a good job cooling their laptops.

I almost pulled the trigger on an ASUS N71 which has a nice spec (and even USB3 port!) but the average HD+ screen (see notebookcheck review) put me off. Then I got the Studio 17 for the same price (~CDN$1400) with the gorgeous FHD screen.

 

Would appreciate your thoughts on comparing the LCD on the G50v v. your Studio 17 ... is the latter worlds better, or is the difference not so dramatic?

 

So last night I was totally over Dell ... had moved on to xoticpc.com, where I'd config'd a sweet ASUS 15.6" 1080p setup for ~1600.

Checked the Dell outlet this am on a lark, and ... well, sev hours later (talked w/a really helpful rep), it's a done deal.

Got a swank lil (well, huge) Studio 17 (with specs > than that I was looking at, e.g., Core i7 1.73, dual 500gb) for the decent refurb 1670 price minus 15% via refurb coupon - $1565 outdadoor! w000t!

Now, here's hoping it doesn't bust on me in the first few weeks (I skipped the $150 complete care warranty, couldn't get them to bump it down at all).

BTW, if you're interested, a similarly spec'd laptop (System Identifier: FLTJJ0CZ) can be had for $1215+tax (it's Win7 pro, i7/1.6Ghz, has Dell wifi, no BT, ruby red, but otherwise identical) w/coupon code ?C73C85JCXMXMG (only good until tomorrow)

 

btw, fwiw I got the code from this site ... was stunned when it worked!!

Dell Coupon Codes - all coupons, discounts and promo codes for dell.com

 

Way to go netarc - sounds like a good deal. Don't know about the G51 screen vs the Studio 17's btw (though this is academic if you've pulled the trigger on the Dell), since we have the older G50v with 16/10 AR. That screen is better than the run-of-the-mill laptop, but nothing on the thing-of-wonder that is the 17.3 FHD B+RG on the DELL. I was watching Avatar blu-ray on it last night and it looked almost 3D it's so good - it even puts to shame my HD 1080p TV (Samsung LN4055A)!

 

I would say between those 2 to go with the XPS 16. While I love the full sized 17, having a 1920x1080 screen in a 17.3 laptop would feel inadequate (for me that is as Im used to a smaller 17in with 10% more screen space). With the XPS you get a newer faster GPU and a more portable notebook, granted I considered the m17x as a mobile rig so either will be equally mobile in my eyes. Now if they refresh the 17 it would come down to the GPU they chose for it. If it had a 5850 then I would say studio 17 all the way.

 

granted the XPS16 is newer tech, but the GPU in the Studio 17 is adequate for my needs (don't do too much gaming). I'd heard that the XPS is a more "solid" laptop, too - that, and the 3yr warranty + slightly smaller dimensions were for me the compelling things about the XPS16. In the end, though, the Studio17's larger screen dimensions, B+RG screen, better cooling and ability to support two HDs made the difference.

 

Those are valid points. If youre not a heavy gamer then the 17 will more then suit you. I just wish it was 17 and not 17.3 and had a 16:10 screen. Probably would have gone with it over the 16 had those been the specs.