***-->The Official Dell Adamo Thread<--***

Also, it just occurred to me that no install media was included with these machines. I didn't buy the add-on optical drives but since that ships separately, I doubt that it's included there.

 

Thanks for the pics and first impression!

Which processor did you get? 1.2 or 1.4ghz? Hows the performance, do you feel like the processor bottlenecks it considerably?

 

Very nice, it really is quite lovely!

Thanks for posting the pics~!



Cin

 

All three of the ones I ordered are the 1.4GHz "Desire" model (two white, one black).

I won't lie, the 1.4GHz chip isn't fast. It runs about like a 1.4GHz C2D should though, so if you're buying one of these then you shouldn't expect it to run like a +2.5GHz T- or P-series C2D. That said, it's plenty fast for "normal" work. I wouldn't try any heavy gaming, 3D rendering, code compiling, etc. though. I had hoped that since this was a 13" model and not a 12" like the E4200 that they would have used the SL-series processors rather than the SU but my guess is that they didn't want to take the battery life hit.

EDIT: I haven't tried it on this one but my E4200 with the same chip had no issue playing 720p H.264 video with CoreAVC and could play 1080p H.264 (obviously resized to fit the screen) if I used MPC-HC and the DXVA decoder.

 

Like I mentioned the other day I have a pretty crappy camera. I sold my D300 to get a different body, but it hasn't arrived yet. So you'll have to forgive me for the not so spectacular shots. Thanks to litkaj for the nice photos of the outside. I figured I would try to redeem myself by taking some pictures you may not have seen before. Enjoy.

Box




Box Open



Plastic case




Bottom




Open




The pretty bits inside. The entire bottom of the case is the battery. You release three hidden locks which releases the case bottom. The bottom then pivots up. Very neat design.







Yes you need lip balm and a marker to do this! j/k





Motherboard removed






Motherboard bottom





Close up of heatsink and fan





Close up of SSD





Flip side of SSD





Cheapo Adamo doesn't have the WWAN card but there is a slot for one along with antenna wires. Hmmmmmm





Look what I have.

 

Wow amazing dissection pics! That's quite clean looking inside.

 

Congrats! And, what are you talking about.?? You, took some excellent shots!

This is great! Once you get a chance to get to know it a bit, please post a mini review and such...

Cin

 

Wow... Ok, that took balls.

EDIT: Yeah, I noticed those little slots this morning and figured they were for battery replacement. Didn't think it would be so easy to open as a user though.

EDIT #2: CPU heat sink looks to be pretty easy to remove from your pics. Any plans on removing it, lapping smooth, and then reapplying with better thermal paste?

 

MAJOR kudos for spending the $$$ and then having the gonads to take it apart and share the pics!

Thanks!

 

I second that..he gets superb kudos for doing thats! lol.
Hoping for a sweet review from him, also!


Cin

 

So it looks like you can take out and upgrade the ssd if you so choose. Also looks like there's no way a mechanical hdd would ever fit, am i correct? So then no future, cheap models without an ssd.

Also, I couldn't see the ram from your pic. Any chance it can be user upgraded? 1 or 2 slots?

Thanks for the pics of the guts!

 

I booted mine on the power adapter and let it run idle for 20 minutes and the Windows power monitor told me I had 5.5 hours remaining. Playing 720p 6.75Mbit/s H.264 + 1.5 Mbit/s DTS in MPC-HC with DXVA acceleration, the screen brightness @ 4 and the volume at 100%, drops me down to about 1:40 on a full charge, but that's a pretty harsh workload. 3-3.5 hours of web surfing, word processing, and the like sounds about right.

 

Duffy..when you have a chance, can you also comment on the batt' life?

Cin

 

Nice photos, litkaj.

Even nicer photos, duffyanneal. I wasn't expecting photos like those. At least not this early.

Keep the comments on the Adamo coming, including a nice review from you, duffyanneal.

 

Wow, I can't believe you're the only 2 people to post about this. I guess not many were ordered. I can't even find more user reviews (not the pre-release reviews by cnet and engadget) online anywhere.

 

Probably because only rich people can afford it. And so many people don't even have a job.

 

Can't believe I'm saying this but maybe someone who can't afford the Adamo will have to settle for a Mac.

What a paradigm shift: Dell makes Apple look like a bargain.

Disclaimer: I'm not hating on Dell or Apple. I just think that Dell has a huge uphill battle to justify the value-add of the Adamo over a MacBook. And given the current state of the economy, Dell's timing couldn't be worse.

 

What is the value-add of the Adamo over the Macbook or Macbook Air?

 

There isn't any, and therein lies the problem. The Macbook Air is by far the more capable machine, and it costs less. There is no rational reason to get an Adamo over the MBA. After all, you can always install Windows on the Macbook...

 

Right-click button

 

If I were to get a laptop for travel and business, I would go with the Adamo. It is a really nice machine and just seams like a better business machine.

 

If it helps, I actually ordered three, one for me, one for my boss (VP Operations) and one for our VP of Marketing. After using them for only a single evening I've decided to ditch my E4200, my boss is getting rid of his MacBook Air, and our Marketing VP is ditching his Thinkpad.

For those that did order, if you're looking for a temporary case (or a cheap permanent one), the CaseLogic ENS-13 Neoprene Sleeve is almost a perfect fit. There's about 1/4" of slack space front to back but other than that it's pretty much dead-on. They're $20 at Amazon.

 

Jason, I hope the Adamo serves you better than your E4200 odyssey (three replacements, right?) did. Thanks for your first impressions.

Personally, I believe the Adamo is a rip-off. The unibody Macbook is a better buy at this point, can't believe I am saying this as a Dell guy. It is, what it is, though.

 

One original, two replacements, two service calls on the original before it was replaced, three E4200s total.

Yeah, the Adamo is overpriced. If I had been forced to pay full price then I wouldn't have gotten them. At, well, can't say what I paid, but at a moderate discount, one that should be available to the general public within the next six months, I think they're worth it.

 

...Or even less at the Outlet, as is inevitable...in less than six months for sure

I can get the high-end Adamo for just under two large thanks to my Premier discounting. Still too much for my taste.

 

Killer..if you were to see this at the Outlet w/in the next several months, hugely discounted..would you purchase?

Cin

 

As long as it wasn't originally a returned unit from duffyanneal.

 

RoFL(almost)MAO...hey..at least you would know it's been *thoroughly* inspected! with proven pics

Now..where is his review..?? lol...eagerly awaiting!


Cin

 

Other reviews are finally starting to come in. Here's the gizmodo review:

http://gizmodo.com/5205524/dell-adamo-full-review-macho-outside-sissy-inside

 

Thanks Tubby, for linking!! ...great review! Yup, can't wait to see more of these.

Dell claims...5 hour batt' life...only got 2.5 hours....hmmm. lulz.


Cin

 

The dell adamo is a premium laptop from dell and i admire it build quality a lot.

 

I wonder if there's any useless bloatware/trialware running by default. From the pictures the battery looks pretty big. Seems cnet, the owners in this thread, and gizmodo all get around 3 hours. Seems like a battery that big should be able to do more.

 

hmm,it looks awesome I have to say... I ll get it for my mother if the price goes under 1.3k(from outlet OC)...

@ killeraardvark:man,the last word that come to my mind when I see Adamo are "travel" and "business"...honestly when I see it,i think "sexy" and "sexy"

 

Yeah..first thing I would be doing if I bought the Adamo, would be stripping it of all *gifted bloatware* given by Dell. I would've hoped that battery would last longer than 3 hours....hence the size/cost of the performance of the lappy itself. I'm gonna assume those ordering have another lappy as backup, when they need to send the Adamo to Dell for a replacement battery!...


Cin

 

The Microsoft Live apps, Dell Dock, and a 30-day version of McAfee are installed. Other than that it's pretty bare, and the numbers I posted for battery life were with those already uninstalled.

 

K. That is pretty bare, I..myself would swiftly uninstall McAffe & install Avira AV (but thats just me). Thanks for the information.


Cin.

 

I would be very temped but my better judgement would make me wait till the next version with a newer chipset refresh. I will wait till next year. I will say thought that the first MBA was not all that but they did get it right on the second version. I think Dell will get it right. You just have to start somewhere.

 

LOL, thanks for your support. I would agree on that. It does need improvement but it is a good start.

 

You have some company, duffyanneal.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5207518/dell-adamo-dissected-its-neat-and-tidy-on-the-inside-too

 

Yes, did you see he posted a little comment in there...at 9:46 pm..(unless there is another *Duffyanneal* lulz...

Maybe he started a fad... An, Adamo dissection fad...oh noze....What has he done! lulz..

Cin

 

Cnet's updated review
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-adamo/4505-3121_7-33560244.html?subj=re&tag=TOCmoreStories.0

 

Nice! Thanks....

I thought this was a nice and quick *unboxing vid'* by gearlog.com, I found..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WESV...o.co.uk/video/1003464&feature=player_embedded



Cin

 

I only see 1 problem so far-the price...

 

I could not agree more. The price is $500 more than it should be and could even be a little cheeper that that. I am sure Dell will sell plenty of these and when they see a drop in sales then they will drop the price as it goes with everything in retail. From looking at the build quility and componets used, this could be one of there sturdier systems and reliable. Most the componets that I see are built for reliability and not performance. Could be a good way to start. Who want to start with lots of issues.

 

That's what I told one of the Exec's when I spoke to them on the phone! A nice $800 price drop, and it would sell very well Aaaah...yeah.



Cin

 

with 800 drop anything will sell very well

 

PC Magazine's review of the Adamo 13:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343975,00.asp

 

Their summary matches what I keep saying: I you want a fashion accessory, get the Adamo; if you want any kind of performance, get something else. Like I said, if the Adamo delivered, I wouldn't mind the price, the problem is it doesn't, neither on battery live, nor performance.

 

Of course it would..that's what most peep's can afford in today's economy

And, what a nice sales it would make for Dell!


Cin

 

Uhmm, just to inject a little sense of reality here, but "most peep's" in this country cannot afford to blow 1200 bucks on a fashion toy; not in today's economy, and not in any other economy either...