Finally the inspiron 1720 REVIEW-->Lots a Pics

INSPIRON 1720 USER REVIEW by Anime_Freak



i have seen a lot of reviews for the new inspirons the 1330,1420 and the 1520 but the 1720 has been missing the party.... So i thought i would just review it off
i am not a gr8 reviewer and this is the first time i am writing a review.....so pls bear with me.

-first off the specs

Jet Black
Intel core2duo T7500 2.2Ghz 4MB L2 cache
Santa Rosa 800mhz FSB
2GB 667mhz RAM
256MB geforce 8600m GT DDR2
160GB 5400rpm SATA HDD
17" 1920*1200 WUXGA trulife display
8X DVD+- RW dual layer drive
Dell wireless 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi card
Integrated 2.0 MP camera
9 CELL battery
Windows Vista Home Premium

-How Long it Took....?????

Damn i placed the order on the 16th of july and it got subsequently shipped on the 17th.i went like "Whaaaat so freakin fast..thank you dell",But all was

not well with the damned shipping company. it took them 18 days to deliver the laptop.....WTF.... and not to forget the constant fights between me and the dell

representatives between these 18 days.!!! finally i received it on the 6th of August..... in "one piece"

-why the 17" wuxga trulife......??????

1) i watch lots of DVDs
2) i love big screens..... bigger the better
3) i want my desktop to be spacious
4) dont have a 17" mirror at home
5) and yeah ! i hate scrolling..... a lot

-In the BOX

1) dell ac ADAPTER also known as the brick
2) 6 cds vista,driver cd,media direct,webcam manager,creative audigy software,roxio dvd software
3) 5 manuals 1720 user manual,reinstall media direct,setting up computer,product info,contacting dell
4) creative in ear phones with 3 different size ear plugs
5) IR remote
6) and ofcourse the notebook

















-first impressions

the first time i looked at this baby. i realised this wasn't a baby at all. its a freaking huge monster. but after 10 days i feel its become smaller.
but may be cuz i got used to its size. i went for the jet black since black was my favorite color. to me it makes this notebook look PRO.
overall i love how this notebook looks especially the display and the keyboard.






-Buid and Design 8/10

Honestly this is the first solid notebook i ever had. the build quality is just amazing no flex anywhere despite its size u can surely beat the crap

out of someone with this thing.

the design is just wonderfull the black and silver is a good combo. but the all sliverish interior makes its look kinda plain in my opinion.dell could have had

some mixture of light shades like for examples the La'more styled finish in the nokia phones. ha ha i am getting wierd here.

my only concern here is the lid which tends to pick up a lot of fingerprints. and not to tell the black color exaggerates the marks a lot..... this could have

been avoided if dell implemented the microsatin finish in the black ones too.


this laptop weighs in at about 3.75Kgs and for a 17" notebook i dont think its heavy at all. however if u are gonna be travelling frequently. i wouldn't

recommend this at all.coz this is gonna break ur shoulder bones unless u got a backpack.








-Input Output ports connectivity 7/10

right side:

1.headphone jack
2.microphone jack
3.dvd writer
4.8 in 1 card reader
5.firewire port
6.VGA port
7.Ethernet 10/100 port
8.2 USB ports






Left side

1.wi-fi catcher
2.Express card slot
3.heat vents




back side

1.Svideo out (SPDIF out)
2.2 USB ports
3.AC adapter jack
4.battery bay
5.modem port
6.1 USB port




Overall i am happy with the connectivity. but the real dealbreakers for some would be the lack of an HDMi Dvi ports. what on earth was dell

thinking......some really brainy ppl out their in dell who were so pleased to announce that the new inspirons will be capable of playing HD 1080p through BLU RAY

technology with no chance of viewing it on a big screen.. what a bloody load of crap....

-Keyboard 10/10

aaahhhh ...... i am in love with this keyboard. its just a joy to type on these keyboard.the button layouts are perfect your fingers glide through

easily and those dedicated number pads are so handy. Dell has done an excellent job both in terms of feel and placement of the buttons those who will

be texting a lot like me will love this...






-Touchpads 7/10

The buttons on the touchpad are the best i've used so far. nice soft feel.u wouldn't get any sort of clicking sound at all. if only the touchpad were

better like the buttons. the touch pads are avg i must say i am not particularly impressed with the responsiveness at all.... my old toshiba satellite

touch pads where way better than these... sometimes the pointer would just jump around franticly for no reason. but any way who uses these touchpads when u've

got a mouse around.


-Display 8/10

Just like the keyboard the screen is beautifull.its huge..... i am very happy i went for the higher resolution. no signs of graininess at all. i've got the

glossy 1920*1200 display. the colors are vibrant and the display is surprisingly bright too. Images are crisp and watching DVDs on the 17" is truly a

different experience..it would have been a lot better if it had sported the 8 bit screens though....


thankfully my display hasn't got any light leakage at all.the text with the standard 96dpi would seem a bit small.i would recommend changing it to

120dpi. if u wanna see something at least from more than a foot away.

The glossy display indeed reflects everything around it.and it certainly is a pain in the a$$ if taken outdoors.even my mirror at home fails to deliver

such clarity... anyways ppl who have got the glossy display will have to do a lot of "head" adjustments but i am sure u will get accustomed to it with the passage

of time....





-Speakers 4/10

Just 2 words...."IT SUCKS".... mann such horrible speakers.its no where near my 3 yr old toshiba's Harmon Kardon speakers.being a multimedia power

house.i never expected this at all. damn even the tiny speakers on my walkman phone sounds better than this. and this is a laptop for crying out

loud.the first thing i did was connect it with a pair of decent speakers. i just couldn't stand this at all.....

-Performance 9/10

I am extremely pleased with the performance of the notebook....the core2duos are a hard working couple........ thanks to the new 800mhz FSB santa rosa processors

which provides for higher bandwidth. multitasking is a breeze on this system regardless of the stress put on the system resources such as RAM and CPU.

everything is so responsive and fast. u wont feel like its lags at all even when multiple applications are running at the background really amazing. the

only bottleneck i must say would be the 5400rpm HDD. but at the time i bought this notebook only the 5400s were available. however i don't think it severly

impacts the performance. infact i like the 5400 since its much quieter and it contributes to the battery life too.

i haven't had much time to play around with bench marks and stuff. my vista performance score was 5.1 for the processors.

it takes just 32 secs to load vista completely......!!!!

-Graphics N/A

now i haven't installed any games till now. nor have i fiddled with the drivers for the 256MB 8600m GT from Laptopvideo2go.com. so can't say much about it in

this department anyways my vista score for graphics was 4.6 but i believe this could be improved with better drivers and with a little help from riva

tuner this beast could be awakened to its potential i'll be updating this section in the future with benchmarks and stuffs. so wait for now......

-Sound 8/10

The Sigmatel soundcard perform quiet well.sounds are crisp and clear no complaints at all.i got the creative audigy software which enhances the

capabilities of the sound card by offerring a variety of features like a good 10 band graphic equilizer,CMS 3d effect (don't know what cms stands for lol. but what

it does is it makes the stereo focus in the front or rear speakers),settings for 5.1 or 7.1 surround,bass boost and loads of EAX effects like theater

mode,amphitheater,stonehall,concert,opera hall etc etc,the software even comes with a creative media player and a wave editor organizer.

enabling both the equilizers in the creative software and in ur media player will yield in an immersive music experience.

-Multimedia Controls 10/10

The multimedia controls are excellent. the media control buttons in the front and the remote provides for ease of use with almost all multimedia applications.

the remote is very convinient if u r watching movies or listening to music away from ur laptop and the fact that you can control vista to a certain extent makes me

love it more. the media direct is just a wonderfull implementation with the convinience of watching dvds or accessing media files in your notebook without

the need for loading the OS. i use it a lot. it loads up within 8 secs.


-Cpu whining of death also known as CWOD -100/10

yes this crap exists even for the 1720s too.now for me the cpu whining can be heard both outside and in my headphones too.thanks to INTEL for their excellent

engineering.its not that high outside but u will hear it if u r in a very quiet environment. it can be heard clearly with the headphones only when nothing

is playing. its caused due to the processors entering the lower power states. i never went for the trouble to get a replacement since this is an issue

with the new core2duo processors. i have no choice but to get used to it now.

-Heat and Noise 9/10

the 1720 is remarkably silent. one wouldn't even notice the fan noise unless u put ur ears right next to it. the only audible noise would be the Hard Disk and

the damned cpu whine......!!!

Heat in the 1720 is not a problem at all infact it remains cool even after hours of usage. the only part that gets warm is the bottom side. and that too

at a comfortable level.the size of the 1720 aids in better heat dissipation with more room for components to cool down.


-Battery Life 8/10

I've got the swollen 9 cell battery. and under heavy usage with brightness full,wireless turned on,and DVD playback it lasted a little over 3 HRS and with

light usage with the dim display wireless turned off and browsing the net gave me 5 and half hours of run time both of these times are very impressive

considering it had to power up a powerfull notebook of this size......



-My Vista Experience 8/10

i like vista a lot. now majority of those who says vista sux are those who are having compatiability issues.even i am having the same problem.but thats no

reason to say vista sux!! now cmon guys when xp came out. even it had the same issue. just give it some time will ya, its in the first year.

even after installing tons of software it runs smoothly without any lag and boot times haven't slowed down at all. xp is only fast when u first install it.

start installing softwares. it will begin to slow down your system. no matter how powerfull ur rig might be.

Comparison Pics with the 15.1" Toshiba satellite non wide screen












-Who Manufactured What....???

processor: INTEL cor2duo t7500 core2duo
motherboard Chipset: INTEL crestline 965PM
RAM: TRANSCEND 2GB 667 mhz
Display: sieko epson SEC
Video Adapter: Nvidia 8600m gt 256 MB
Audio Adapter:SIGMATEL HD
Hard Disk: SEAGATE momentus 5400rpm
Memory Card Reader: RICOH
DVD writer: TSSTcorp
Ethernet:Broadcom
Wi-fi: INTEL PRO/Wireless abg
Modem: Conexant 56k
Battery:Sanyo

-Pros & Cons

pros:
1.excellent build quality
2.beautiful large screen
3.amazing keyboard
4.phenominal performance
5.gr8 multimedia controls

cons:
1.cpu whine
2.no HDMi DVi ports
3.battery sticks out
4.a bit bulky
5.speakers suck A$$

 

Nice review!

Your review was a blast to read, nice pictures, great detail, (funny jokes ).

Very well done. REP UP!

 

Now I can't wait to get mine =)

 

Great review!! did u do a fresh install of Vista? and how many processes do you have running at any given time.

 

awesome review .first of its kind i've seen, especially for the 1720.thanks alot!

 

Hey thanks for the review. Now if only my lappy will be sent out on the 23rd......

 

Thanks for the review... Very informative especially with all the pics. I'm excited to get mine! You guys were talking about installing Vista? Is it recommended to install it again after it comes from Dell? I'm not sure I understand, so if someone could explain that, I'd appreciate it!

 

Does the travel remote automatically come with the machine, or was it an option?

 

I played with an Inspiron 1720 at a Dell kiosk yesterday and I have to say I think the all silver interior looks very nice. I really like how the 1720 looks in general, the rounded corners give it a very nice appearance.

 

Phenomenal review!!! It's great to see people on here posting about the 1721/21 series. Mine will be arriving in the mail tomorrow... and I'll be sure to post a review that will try to live up to your quality. Cheers.

 

Nice review, but after all those pictures (lots of them!), you missed an entire side of the notebook--THE BOTTOM!!

I, for one, am curious about the DUAL Hard Disk layout. Pictures of the bottom (if that's where they live) would have been nice, with the door taken off and some detailed pictures of how the 1720's come with only one drive mounted, and if the 2nd hard drive can be mounted in without having to purchase a 2nd caddy....

Can you add those pictures to an otherwise excellent review?

Thanks!

 

Fantastic review- one of the best I've seen, especially for the 1720. Very thorough, but no BS- just what you thought of each aspect of the lappy.

I also have the 1720 and agree almost without exception on each point you covered. The one thing I wanted to followup on was the hi-res display you went with. I went with the TL glossy regular screen. I love it- crisp and bright, although vertical viewing angle is not all that great.

I opted away from the hi-res screen cuz I didn't want tiny icons / webpages, especially considering how big the 1720's widescreen is anyway. I know I could adjust the resolution setting when not watching DVD's so it's easier to work with as a PC, but was concerned about how well the PC would run if I did that in terms of how clear the picture would be not being on its 'native resolution'. Do you have any comments in that regard having got the same lappy with the hi-res screen. Did you change the resolution settings based on the desktop icon size I see in your screenshots or is that the native hi-res setting? Also- how's your vertical viewing angles?

Thanks again for the great write-up!!

 

No need to clean install vista again on this system. Everything should be working fine.

 

Good review, very nice pictures thanks!

 

oops sorry here u go.... the pic quality aren't gr8 since i don't have the digicam with me now......





as u can see from the pic u will have to purchase a 2nd caddy.....

 

@choy

yeah bro i cleaned installed vista.... got rid of the recovery and the diagnostics partition..... and abt the process i have 76 of em running.....


@Andy

i haven't changed from my native resolution at all which is 1920*1200..... but u r right at this high resolution everything on the screen will be smaller in size so u could get more room for ur desktop.... but you can easily resolve it by changing the native dpi settings..... for me the icons and text were small at 96dpi but when i changed it to 120dpi it looks like u got the 1440*900 screen right in front of you....

but do bear in mind that icons will look blurred since its enlarged...... but no problems with text or viewing pics at all.....


and BTW good to see u guys enjoyed my review

cheers

 

and can u adjust image sharpening on the Nvidia control panel?

 

just heads up, I've heard some people complain to dell about battery being larger than the one dell shows on their site and getting compensating by receiving a seperate free 6cell battery. Maybe you should try it if you believe it's larger than what you thought I would be. Btw, great writeup! +rep!

 

sweet review. my mouth watered at those high-res pics =P. makes me want my 1521 even more now lol. glad you it the lappy came out well for you.. no problems.

 

Nice review, interesting read!

 

Very Detail .. dell made more changes in their model.. The keyboard is nice,I can't wait to get my hands on those .

 

Could you please make the pictures bigger? They're wayy too small right now.

 

Good review.... but why do you keep going '.......'

 

Great Review man and Amazing pics.
Thanks

 

I'm guessing you have a large monitor with high resolution huh? I actually have to scroll horizontally to see the rest of the pictures... I would request the images to be sized down,

Nice review though, this gives all of us who ordered the 1720s hope!

 

Yes we are all filled with hope now, but how long must we wait to get ours? They keep pushing back my ESD

 

BUMP... Future 1720 owners need to see this thread!

 

Great review man, keep it up!

Although you say you recieved the unit on the 6th of September!

 

Great review. I appreciate the time you took to upload all those pictures.
It's good to hear that your high resolution display has no problems.

 

The notebook is so good, you can actually use it to travel back in time.

 

I was being e-sarcastic, lol. Those pics need to be shrunk with all haste.

 

the only issues i Have with mine are that the fan is loud when I'm gaming, and sometimes when its idle, and that the windows vista sticker was put on crooked. does anyone else have a loud fan during heavy use?

 

lol I was about to say something similar Nice pics, grats on your new laptop still waiting for my 1520.

 

Hey, thanks for the BOTTOM-side pictures!!! It was nice of you to add those to the review! An extra REP for you for the effort!

It's nice to know, too, that I'll need an extra caddy if I decide to go with the 1720 (or Vostro 1700).

Thanks.

 

Simply the best.... the best review for 1720 on WEB +rep added mate

after reading your review i am upset with speaker quality. few people told me 1720 got good speakers. let's see once i get mine

i can't wait for my now.... will be getting my next week.

 

its a supersized version of my 1520 lol. great review

 

hey maksa don't worry abt the speakers that much mann, i am being a bit picky abt the speakers...since i came from a high quality harmon kardon speaker set with built in subwoofer on my toshiba satellite

the speakers are avg, but the placement is just insane , its directed towards the ground, so the sounds are not clear.

 

Holy crap, I didn't know it had a spot in the machine for a second hard drive...

I'm so stoked now. Mine is coming this week. See sig for specs. AWESOME REVIEW!

 

cool man btw how long it will take once it ship from factory? i spoke to my dell sales person he told my notebook will dispatch from gurgaon office and will reach to my place with in 48 hours.. ( i am in Gujarat) is it possible really fast by road? what logistic they use? DHL?

 

Woot, nice review, I'm so exited to get mine now.

 

I have never seen so many close-up pics of a laptop in my life

 

Although I'm not looking to buy a laptop (got my 1520), I just like to read reviews, and I really enjoyed the pictures on this one a lot! Good job!

Edit: I also did a user review for the 1520, in my sig .

 

added some comparison pics with a 15.1" in the review.
will give an idea about the size of the 17" notebook

 

Hey anime_freak, have you had anytime to do any gaming yet? Can you give us a mini-review on the 8600m GT? I got that same video card and i'm curious to what it can do. I see that yo got the T7500 processor, I cheaped out and went with the T7300, oh well

 

Same as ILuvAsians, do like a video or some pics of gaming on your laptop. Please? =)


and again, nice review, love the pics!

 

I just want to know if it's capable of playing some of the newer RTS games, such as SC2 when it comes out, and some newer FPS games.

 

Could anyone clarify if the IR Remote is standard with the 1720?? Great Review!

 

And you have exactly the same laptop as mine! (Toshiba!)

 

In India it comes standard

 

Well, I guess there is no need for me to post pics of my machine now, seems like you covered it from every angle!

I got the creative labs soundblaster card and I don't hear any noise on the earphones at all. I just watched an episode of Weeds on SHO.com and it sounded great. I haven't used the speakers for a movie or itunes yet but maybe when I get to my overnight tonight I will have some time to do that and post up a review.

Not a gamer so I can't help ya'll with that, sorry! Overall, I am loving this machine so far. Much better that the Sony Vio I had.