---> OFFICIAL: Dell STUDIO 14z Owner's Lounge <---

Wow, thank you so much. The only problem I had was FastAccess was having me login multiple times after reboot, so I just reinstalled it and everything works perfectly now.

With the thermal paste, the cpu temp has remained pretty much the same, but the fan now allows the cpu to get about 10 deg hotter before switching speeds, up or down, due to the gpu temp decrease. To be honest, I very easily may have had a weird heatsink, because after replacing the comparatively "thick" thermal pad with a thin layer of compound, I had to bend the gpu end of it to come lower to make contact (before bending I saw the gpu temps shoot through the roof at 90 deg idle), and after bending it now sits at around 50. So I don't know if that heatsink setup is standard or if mine was defective, but its fixed.

Also, I decided to take out and bend the bracket that the heatsink attaches to to give it a little more pressure, and same with that clip on the gpu end.

So now my fan consistently stays on the low speed when not under heavy use (the t9550 produces a good amount of heat). And I'm much happier.

Sorry I didn't take pics, but it looks identical to the stock setup really. I just followed the heatsink replacement instructions from the service manual.

 

Well. I've got to hand it to Dell.

I decided to contact online support regarding my uneven back-lighting issue. To be honest, I'm guessing most normal users would notice it, but not really care. (As a graphic / web designer, I instantly notice things like this. And they drive me nuts.)

30 minutes later and they're shipping a brand new panel to me. They initially wanted me to send it in for service, but since it's still in the Best Buy exchange time frame (though with probable hassles) I informed them that I'd just contact Best Buy regarding an exchange. My only problem is that BB has been out of stock for a week. And their site shows them as "backordered."

Dell agreed to go ahead and ship the panel to me as long as I was willing to take responsibility for any damages during the replacement.

Dell gets an A+ from me. Looks like all future laptop purchases will be from them.

 

I just received my new 14z, the 1st thing I noticed about it was that I don't have any space to put my wrists while I am typing, just something I will have to get used to. The keyboard has alot of flex in it so I will try it for awhile to see if it is a problem with typing, also noticed that the mouse is not vey responsive, I know other people had issues with the mouse so I will look that up to try and fix it. Got an out of memory error???? The system seems to run slow but I will have to get rid of the bloatware. The fan is quiet, the screen is really nice and clear.

 

Thank you so much for answering . I was really worried about overheating problems seeing how this is similarly spec'ed to the studio xps 13, it had heat problems and then there's the whole xps 1330 thing. I pimped this thing out spent alot of money on it and I need it to last. I'm going to open this thing up in a bit. This thread in general has been a lifesaver.

Now to install OSX86 This looks alot like a MB under the hood so I figure it's worth it to try. Apple sure knows how to squeeze out battery life from their notebooks, I figure if I get any battery life increase I come out ahead.

 

As for problems with the touchpad, I think a lot of people are having trouble with the Touch Check feature. I suggest turning it to the lowest setting. At first I turned it off, but I found that it is kinda useful for when I'm typing and accidentally hit the touchpad. I also prefer to set it to be faster and more sensitive. O and I turned Drag lock off too cause it annoyed me. Now I'm happy with it.

 

i just got 2 scratch and dents in the mail today. right now i'm using the p8600/backlit keyboard/900p screen/8-cell battery version and i'm impressed, it's really better than i thought'd it'd be. when i looked at this computer at best buy i liked it but wasn't thrilled. the black lid and chainlink patterns on the lid and palm rest are uhh...cute lol. i didn't know the chainlink was on the lid too.

the text on the 900p screen is slightly small but it's not really bothering me like i thought it might. the high res screen is crisp, bright and sharp and u can fit a lot on the screen. it negates the fact that the screen is horizotally squat. i can see why everyone raves about the 900p screen which looks as good as the excellent m1330 led screen of the laptop that i regretfully sold.

the 16:9 makes the footprint small for a 14" laptop, but the thing i don't like about it is that it's not that light at almost 5 pounds.

the alps touchpad definitely isn't as good as synaptics but i'm getting used to it. i think i can live with it since i like the rest of the laptop so far.

this scratch & dent has 2 minor scratches on the lid that are about 1.5" long. dell probably could have gotten away with calling this one refurbished. i bought another one which is a total base model with the 6-cell and the 720p screen but i haven't checked it out yet. if i don't like the 720p screen i'm going to try to return that one i guess, unless a family member wants it lol.

 

Anybody running Vista 64-bit and installed SP2 experiencing problems?

 

Nice! This Studio 14z is my 5th Dell laptop!

Inspiron 8600
Latitude C640
Latitude D630
XPS M1330
Studio 14z

 

Well, my refurb 14z arrived today, two days earlier than estimated, too. I'm very happy with it. The only signs that it is a refurb are the sticker on the bottom and a tiny scratch on the wrist pad, and I mean tiny. You can't even see it at every angle. Not bad for saving hundreds over retail when combined with a 15% off coupon! I ended up getting a Ruby Red, P8600, 320GB 7200, 900p, Backlit, 8 cell system for around $725 shipped.

The display on this thing is amazing, and I love the backlit keyboard. Can't wait to put it through it's paces...

Now a stupid question. How do you remove the blank from the ExpressCard slot? I assumed it was a push/click mechanism and pushed it in, but it only receeded a couple millimeters and stuck there. I'm sure I can extract it, with care, but what was the proper way to remove it?

Brent

 

Vista SP 2 with AO3 bios and all vista update. Stable, quiet, cool, no problem.

 

Dell shipped the replacement panel. Should I be worried since it's an LG? There's a 5 page thread here dedicated to the fact that the LG panel sucks.

 

Bestbuy has taken the studio 14z completely off the laptop line up hm.......guess it's not selling as well (no dvd drive perhaps?) oh well at least I got mine with good deal + free drive

 

Try it first and see if it's good or not.

 

thanks, i seem to have everything you have plus more... and still those 2 question marks.

does anyone kno if i have to do the whole undervolt process again if i reformatted?

 

Anyone else get a W7 update alert in the past week that a new nvidia chipset driver is available? If anyone has done the update, I'd appreciate feedback on stability, improvements, etc.

Thanks

 

Where do you have those questions marks, in which section?

Yes, you have to undervolt again, but if you saved the numbers, then simply enter them in RMClock, it will be faster that way.

 

There's a BB about 5 min away so I decided to stop in. They still had 2 demo models, though they've been out of stock for over a week and a half. (I have no idea why they had TWO models on display.) Fortunately one had an LG panel and the other had my panel. The LG looked pretty grainy, and I did notice some vertical lines. Exactly what most other people were reporting. I'm a little worried about taking this apart and having the same problem. The Samsung panel looked great. No issues at all. So it looks like I have a legit gripe about the uneven backlighting.

Tomorrow is the last day in my 14 day exchange / return window. Tempted to just return it and eat the cost. Or maybe exchange it for something of equal value or higher.

 

I only got a security update and definition updates for Windows Defender, but nothing about nVidia chipset.

 

If you just save your settings from Rightmark you can probably just reinstall the program after you wipe the harddrive, copy over your settings and go from there. Reformatting isn't going to change your CPU so should be fine.

 

Have you taken a look at these?:

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/bb/ftopic147892.html

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000921.htm

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19253102.aspx

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread226294.html

Not specifically for the 14z, but in general...

 

Does the new "Inspiron" 14z spell the end for the Studio 14z?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10346478-1.html

Figures; I just ordered a Studio 14z and already it's obsolete. Should I be happy I got one while they're still around?

Dell Studio 14z : E7350? (P7350) 2.0Ghz/3MB : 500GB 5.4K : 3GB DDR3 : LED 900p : Backlit KB : 8-cell : 1515-N : Bluetooth

 

Yeah, when I went to Cnet and saw that I was like "So what are they doing with the Studio 14z?" I think it's kind of stupid to have 2 models so close to each other because then people like you and me get confused and can't figure out which one is worth the money. Stuff like that, you know?

 

Obsolete? Can't you still order them? They're still up on the Dell website. No sign of the Inspiron Z's tho...

 

I doubt the Studio 14z would go obsolete so quick. Hasn't it been out in the market for only 3-4 months???

 

The Inspiron Z's are on the regular Inspiron 14 and 15 pages, just look around and you'll find it like I did.

 

They are gone from Best Buy's website, plus I just got Dell's Sept catalog in the mail and they weren't listed.

It makes me wonder.

Multiple 14z products just doesn't make sense.

 

It doesn't make any sense to discontinue a product that just came out, wonder if it has anything to do with it not having an internal dvd drive.

 

inspiron 14z and 15z major differences look like:

-cpus are the intel low voltage versions from 1.3ghz dual core to a max 1.4ghz core 2 duo
-only offer intel 4500 graphics card, website says there is the option for an ATI HD4330 video card (for the 14z only) but it's not a configurable option as of right now
-has 4 and 6 cell batteries vs. the studio's 6 and 8 cell, but like i said the cpus are low voltage so battery time is actually greater...the 4 cell is like the studio's 8 cell in terms of run time
-includes optical drive at around the same weight as the studio but the case looks slightly thicker
-only offer 720p screen

i guess dell didn't want to continue using the integrated nvidia motherboard or sales were bad or what?? the weird thing is i can't decide which one is more netbookish, the studio without the optical drive or the inspirons with the low voltage processors.

overall, i'd still rather have the studio i just got 2 days ago because no question it's more powerful. the only thing i don't like is that it seems like it could be lighter, but it's a very nice laptop overall.

 

I am still happy I ordered the Studio 14z. I just read a review of the Adamo which I believe has the same Low-Voltage CPU/graphics combo as the new Inspiron and it's performance sucks.

 

Can anyone tell me if this bluetooth module ( http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...oductdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=430-0614) would work in a 14z? From looking at the service guide it looks like it's the right shape.

 

Hey Michael, not sure if this'll help, but if you look a few pages back in this thread I think you might find the answer. I'm running Vista and as soon as I installed SP2 I started having problems (BSoD, especially after restarting from sleep mode, and general sluggishness.)

I found references to the need to remove one element of SP2, and that seems to have solved my problems. I think it was KB973879, if memory serves. Again, you can look back up thread and find it. All I had to do was uninstall that one single item and everything was smooth again.

Good luck.

 

The fact that something is not in BestBuy does NOT mean that it's discontinued. Normally, Dell (and any other company) invests millions in R&D for a product, and they would be crazy to have Studio 14z for 3 months and discontinue it. Nobody does that, especially with computers that sell very well (I don't have actual sales figures, but that's my observation). I'm pretty sure that Studio 14z (with subsequent refreshes) will run for about 2 years (current model is 1440, so I guess we will see 1445, 1447, or similar, I'm just making up those numbers). The Inspiron line is "basic computing" and can safely co-exist with Studio line, even though some features can be the same. So, don't worry about your purchase, Studio 14z is different from Inspiron 14z.

 

the studio 14z and inspiron 14z are body doubles - but the studios come with full voltage, faster processors. Then you have our unique graphics system, along with a combination of different factors. not really similar.

 

... not to mention excellent speakers / audio on Studio 14z and a gorgeous 900p screen and a backlit keyboard oh, and where else will you get a weird 3 or 5 GB of RAM

 

^ lol the RAM. I don't understand, if they absolutely had to solder some on, it would have been much more efficient to solder on 2GB, and then offer 2, 4, and 6 GB options.

 

Just got a Studio 14z from the Outlet and fired it up, and immediately noticed the almost complete lack of any LED indicators on the unit (hard drive activity, NUM/CAP Lock, Wifi On/Off, etc...)

Does this unit really only have the charging LED by the power connector?

Performance seems a bit sluggish with the Vista that came with it...will probably do the Windows 7 install.

All in all, got a T6400/3GB/320GB/720p/6cell for $460, and in perfect condition for Certified Refurbished.

 

I am getting my notebook exchanged by Dell too many little things wrong with it, the keyboard has too much flex in it, it doesn't sit flat in the middle, the touchpad is possessed and only works when it wants to, the left mouse button works about 10% of the time, the system runs hot most of the time with the cpu running at 65% to 100% all the time causing the fan to run constantly, I have the notebook running with only one internet page running and the notebook has been running at 100% for about 15 mins. which causes programs not to respond. There was also a scratch on the top part of the bezel, this wasn't a big deal but with all the other things I figured I will get it exchanged. I have done all the updates, I updated the BIOS but it didn't make any difference the notebook still runs hot.

 

the systems should be pretty snappy on vista even with the dual core processor, not like the dual core is much slower than the t6400 anyway. you have to tweak vista though...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532

this vista tweaking guide is a link from the dell bloatware removal guide which is stickied in the main dell forum. i do the main ones which are:
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
11
13
14

it doesn't take that long if you've done it before.
17

 

my keyboard was uneven as well. I took it apart and found that there is a ribbon running from the hardrive that was out of the groove. I pushed it back in and viola normal keyboard.

 

Only $460! Almost unbelievable.
That's right, no indicators on hardware level, only the charging LED.
Yes, install Windows 7.

 

I'm going back to college in about a week, so I ordered the Case Logic 13.3" because I read that it's a snug fit for our laptop:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1909239

Pretty cheap, it was only $22 after tax and free shipping. When I receive it I'll be sure to take pictures!

Just in case anybody is having the same audio driver issue I was having, I fixed it by installing the "Dell - Utility" driver. I have no idea why I didn't install it in the first place... especially since it's an Urgent install. /)__-
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=7&fileid=336275

 

Hey Guys!

I just got my Studio 14z, and I'm loving it...T6500, 900p, backlit keyboard, etc..

I installed Win 7, and performance is very impressive. My only concern is that when I am watching hulu/megavideo...CPU jumps to ~70%! Doesn't that seem kinda high? I know adobe flash is a resource hog, but I didn't think it was that bad...Do you guys experience the same thing?

Thanks!

 

I don't think they are body doubles. The inspiron has an optical drive and, as a result, is significantly thicker and also I believe heavier.

 

Mine watch 1080P MKV files with cpu usage around 30-40% the most, it has occasional spike due to background programs, but nothing to worry about.

 

Try hulu for me in full screen...

I haven't tried 1080p mkv, but I have tried divx...This is only like 5%, which is why I'm so surprised that hulu is such a resource hog...especially in full screen

 

That's normal, that's because Adobe Flash is terrible, it only uses the CPU for decoding, and with a weak(er) CPU like yours with small cache size, the CPU utilization is very high. Higher frequencies and every megabyte of cache matters when you are dealing with video.

 

Control key issues & solution.
Hi all - I was having a problem where my keyboard would randomly act as though the control key was being pressed while typing (so would start italics, print, etc.) I found a solution, so I thought I would share in case anyone experiences similar issues.
It turns out the issue started when I enabled the zoom feature on the alps trackpad (which I had yet to use). I think the issue has been resolved since disabling the zoom feature. Here's some info about issues and workarounds with the alps driver: http://www.neowin.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t803606.html

 

The one that I am exchanging runs about 50 - 85 % pretty well non stop and sometimes jumping up to 100% cpu usage, this is usually with only one or two windows open, this is the main reason I am having it exchanged.

 

You should clean install Windows 7 and see if you still get these problems

Edit: Also, have u used the "resource monitor" program to see what's going on? I noticed 50-60% CPU usage due to some HD audio driver that I installed after I put on Windows 7...I removed that driver, and now it's perfect