Help! i cant make up my mind... Studio 17 vs M4400

sorry for the long read... but i did not know who else to turn to...

My work:
Corel Draw, Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, Outlook, travel frequently all over...

most "modern" systems can do this but due to the "graphic" nature of my work, i prefer the 1920x1200 resolution.

My play:
Total War, Warcrack...

I really dont get into games such as Crysis or any other first person shooters... tho Rainbow6 had be for a while...

the systems:

Studio 17
17" WUXGA 1920x1200 Glossy
Core 2 Duo T9300
3GB DDR2-667 (will upgrade to 4GB aftermarket)
256MB ATI Mobility HD3650
250GB 5400rpm HDD
and the rest are nifty features and basically garnishes...

M4400
15.4" WUXGA 1920x1200 Matte
Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53GHz @ 1066MHz
2GB DDR2-800 SDRAM (will upgrade to 4GB aftermarket)
512 MB NVidia Quadro FX 770M
160GB 7200rpm HDD
and the rest are nifty features and basically garnishes...

i have been used to carrying the laptop in my sig and therefore carrying a 17" lappy is nothing... the current laptop weighs in at 13 lbs for machine, 1.5lbs for power brick... so the studio 17, which, by the way, is actually lighter than my old 15.4" inspiron 8500, is a blessing...

originally, i wanted to buy the m6300, but knew of the upcoming m6400 and hence waited... but in meantime, wanted to see the m4400 and so i have that on order as well.

but due to some glitch in the cancellation process + my curious cat, the studio 17 arrived yesterday and i opened it and i fell in love...

i know that i will love the M4400 even more... probably more so than the M6400 in term of looks... but i like the no-frills, serious, kick arse look of the m4400 whereas Studio 17 screams out... "look at me!" "i'm trying to look cool!"

but dont get me wrong... the Studio 17 is nicely built... and i'm quite satisfied with it.

but aesthetics aside... a 17" serves me better than the 15.4"...
and i know that i will NOT be able to get a M6400 for this price... $2000 shipped (ballpark)

so... convince me...

why would i need a M4400 over the Studio 17?

M4400 CPU is at 1066MHz but ram still at 800MHz so i dont see the CPU as a tremendous advantage...

it's basically the ATI Radeon HD 3650 vs M770
and 15.4" vs 17" where i'm leaning towards 17"...

i feel i need to make up my mind before my M4400 order comes in...
else, i will be left out on the curb, homeless but holding onto 2 laptops...

 

dude, we're practically brothers ....lol...

you had an 8500, i had an 8600 (identical but with Pentium M instead of P4)

i wanted the 6300, but decided it would be too expensive and i fly a LOT, new hand luggage crap they dont give extra for laptops anymore and its a 7kg limit on emirates, which i fly most often. So i decided to scratch that.

that left me with studio, M4400, or something from another manufacturer ( i was looking at the acer gemstone one, the 16:9 18.4 inch widescreen one or one of the gaming asus ones)

to be honest i wasnt very happy with the studio build quality after i saw it in real life, but the rest of the specs were decent, but i settled on it because it was the best i could get within my price range. I briefly considered the vostro 1710 but ruled it out when people found out dell made a mistake and it was the 8600GS instead of the GT

what really sealed the deal and made me settle on the 4400 was when my company gave me a latitude from the same era as my 8600. I was shocked at the quality difference. Made me decide im definitely going with one of their enterprise grade lines.

my 8600 had a wuxga screen and when the 17 inch laptops started to get more popular i thought i'd definitely get one of those cos the resolution would be ideal....

if you're not going to game or use the gfx card, why dont you look at the latitude instead? but i guess if u really want a 17 incher then the studio is pretty much your only option within price range

 

ha ha ha... so how is Emirates? did you fly the new airbus yet?

sadly, i fly to the orient so i've pretty much built my mileage program on Sky Team.. million miler within 10 years... sick, eh?

i was very close to selecting the M6300... but it's on its way out... but prices did not justify when you consider that the M6300 has been given months before the model is replaced...

M6400... i love what i see but i'm just having too much doubts that i can get a system for $2000 to $2500 and be happy with the spec.
and i sadly, i dont have the time to wait.

Studio 17 fit the bill nicely...
17" WUXGA and a nice "consumer" package...
build quality is not too shabby...
i had a clevo D900K... this feels more solid for me...
maybe except that i'd like the lid to hold, not slide and close when it's almost closed... i think i need some bumpers.
locking mech would be nice...
speakers down right sux... makes my music sound like the chimpunks album.

amazingly, the Studio 17 is actually lighter than my Inspiron 8500!!!


i know if i see the M4400, i'll fall in love with it...
only if it was in a 17" model...

i do play some games... so i want to keep the headroom to have the option to play decent games.

btw, i hear Emirates service is AWESOME!

Korean Air is all right... but gets tedious after flying so much you practically know the faces...


well, the M4400 is coming in soon... i hope...
and i guess i'll have a tough decision to make...

 

well it sounds like you really want a 17 incher. what do you think of the vostro 1710?

i decided the build quality and added performance on the 4400 outweighed the fact it was only 15 inch. I think you need to decide how important the various features are to you. its clear you want a 17 inch system, does the added features on the precision outweigh the 17 inch screen on the studio?

emirates has horrible service. when you press the attendant call button they never respond, and when you do ask them for something, it takes ages as well. guess i was used to the speedy service from malaysian airlines and singapore airlines. however the planes are really comfy and the food is great.
plus the frequent flier programme is great.

 

I would stick with the studio . . . I wasn't aware that the quadro was meant for gaming so much as it is for graphics development. I think that you would get better use from your studio in that respect.

Everyone wants the precision these days . . . I really don't understand it.

 

Personally I believe that whenever a person struggles between two choices, it means both choices are good and you can't lose either way.

But based on what you do with graphics and the resolution you're looking for, I'd say focus on function over form. The m4400 may look better, but 1920x1200 on a 15.4" screen is ridiculously small. Plus since you don't mind carrying around a 17"-er anyway, and the performance won't be that different, I say stick with the Studio.

Especially since you already have it and know you like it. You've already won.

 

but the quadro, even with the stock drivers is doing quite well. Look at the threads with the crysis frame rates, and 3dmark scores.

 

i like the vostro 1710.. except the keyboard layout where the number pad is stuck right next to the keys is a deal breaker... for some reason, it bothers me...

also, iirc, the graphics on the vostro is GeForce 8600GS 256MB, right, how does that compare with the HD 3650?

it too has the no frills look... hmm... did i mention to you that i HAVE the Studio 17 in my house now? ha ha ha...

so why are you stuck on Emirates?
you travel in Mid East?

no other airline option with a better FFM program and network?

Singapore and Malaysian Air is AMAZING service... i have to agree with you there...

my mind is kinda leaning towards the Studio... more so because the M4400 will not arrive in time... i'm leaving in 10 days.

as to why everyone wants a precision... hmm... to me... it seems the myth of the "workstation" and it being better built... that is one of the main reason...
the parts, for what i'm doing, it's on par with each other... just looking for reliability... something to last me for the long run.

Toaddodger, you speak words of wisdom... ha ha ha...
yes 15.4" with WUXGA will mean a lot of shoulder and back neck pain as i'm hunched over the laptop...
i will benefit on light weight... but...

despite my better judgement... i'm going to leave it till next tuesday and if it ships before that... i'll take a good look at the two and give the M4400 a second chance at convincing me.... ha ha ha... i'm a sucker for new toys.

yes, i'm amazed at that... but i dont do any Crysis... my only vice is... Smoking and Warcraft... among others...

 

Just got a Dell Studio 17 a few days ago. This laptop is great!! I'm using it more then my Macbook Pro 'current rev'. I got the 1920x1200 screen and its unbelievable. Battery life is not the best 2-3 hrs on average but I new this going in. Machines build quality seems fine to me. This might survive a fall. If I dropped my Macbook Pro I'm sure it would dent up at minimum. This is my first 17" laptop and I don't think I could go back to anything smaller after using this. Good luck!

PS: Games have been fine so far with my ATI 'Spore, Call Of Duty, Etc..'

 

Both are fairly similar spec, I think in this case it comes down to screen size. I was interested in the M4400, but it cost a lot more than the consumer notebooks. It seems like a very solid notebook though. I am happy with my S15 as well.

 

you know what... i just ran across my invoice just now... the Studio was under $1800 shipped...

whereas the M4400 is going more towards $2100...

i really want to take a look at the M4400... but the restock on it will kill me.

 

You shouldn't have to pay any restock fees on it. At least that has been my experience in the past.

 

i heard that their Business section is tad more lenient on this... but...
even if i open it and take a look-see?

this is sooooooo tempting...

 

I've opened and used them and then returned them for full credit before. I obviously can't speak for every transaction out there, maybe I am just lucky?

 

dosent the studio 17 have the numberpad right next to the keys as well?

the 8600GS is not as powerful as the studio's card, but its still a decent card
especially since you're not going to do much heavy gaming and if the reports are right its a DDR3 card.

i think you should go with the studio. you seem to really need a 17 inch screen and you dont need the added performance of the precision.

i fly between london and singapore most frequently. emirates is reasonably priced, the planes are really nice (b777-300er's) and yes, the frequent flier programme is great. nice to have a 2 hour break in dubai and have some gourmet food and champagne in the business class lounge

 

yea the studio has the num pad... AND has a bit of a space between the standard keys and num pad... the Vostro is all stuck right next to each other and it does bug me a bit... lol

wow... London to Singapore... that's quite a flight... even if you do have a layover in Dubai... iirc, Dubai airport was kinda old and boring... did they build a new one?

 

yea, thers a new airport. its pretty good. and another new terminal is opening soon, the sketches of the interior are stunning.

i guess if you're only planning on keeping the laptop for 3 years you wont go wrong with the studio. even with heavy travelling it should be alright. for me...my upgrade cycle is more like 5 years unfortunately.and sometimes i have to travel "rough" in buses and the like, laptop in my backpack takes a bit of a beating...

when im not on the road the laptop is treated like a desktop, its constantly on, doing something. it could be under load sometimes for 2 months continuously...

seems like the studio is more suited to your needs

 

rough travel in buses eh?... oh, i've got some stories from China, Indonesia and Vietnam... but perhaps some other time... yea, i've done that too...

funny, bus ride from point A to point B seems harmless enough... but add these factors,... 1) China, 2) No AC, 3) 150% overcrowded, 4) China's famous road conditions... ha ha ha.. that was an interesting experience... but nowadays i dont carry my laptops on those long trips... i tend to keep it in the hotel...

3-5 years is a decent life span for a laptop... and acceptable when you pay $1700 range... not $7000 range... and no, no typo...

from the other thread...

ha ha ha... $7000 IS the reason why i want to stay under $2000 range on this one...

i'm 90% sold on the Studio 17...
the only thing holding me back is... how well will it last... i dont torture my system... but i too am a bit of a road warrior...
basically, take it from point A to point B, setup at hotel, use... repeat... a lot...

no, i dont consider a Studio as a business system... it's more a "within the budget solution to my immediate needs"

i know the Studio is strictly consumer product... so in terms of build quality... would you rank... Workstation > Vostro > Studio/XPS ?
i did not put in the Inspiron due to the fact that they dont offer a 17" solution.

 

yea i would agree with your ranking. thats why i recommended the vostro. its not as pretty as the studio but i think its the best for your usage.

i feel the studio is slightly better build quality than my i8600, and my i8600 lasted 2 years in decent condition, but by the third year hdd died, most of the finish had worn off (lcd back and palmrests,touchpad was dodgy, graphics card was failing and body had cracked near one of the vents.....oh and the speakers were intermittently failing too.


i dont know how i managed to squeeze out another year and a half of use out of it before it finally died...it started just turning off all of a sudden when i move it, even a bit. so impossible to use on lap. then before i could try and get it repaired.....i spilt a pint of beer on it :O

that was the end
:|

 

well, i took your advice... and had a nice chat with Dell rep just now...

nice guy... honest and sincere...

so, here it is...

Studio 17 @ $1589 + S&H = $1741.96
T9300
3GB DDR2
256MB Radeon HD 3650
250GB 5400rpm HDD

M4400 @ $1790+ S&H = $1915.30 (woa, i thought it was over $2k range... hmm)
T9400
2GB DDR2-800
512MB Quadro FX 770M
160GB 7200rpm HDD

Vostro 1710 @ $1587 + S&H = ~$1740's...
T9300
1GB DDR2
256MB 8600GS
80GB HDD

dollar for dollar, the Vostro is a bit more expensive because i will need to upgrade the aftermarket parts...
but this is minor to me as long as i know i have a good and reliable machine for my use...

oh, btw, i heard of and done some watercooling but beer... bro...

well, i guess i can add a can of paint... MUHAHAHAHA!

 

that really dosent look right.
the vostro is waaaaay cheaper on the malaysian website.....

my spec was high spec and it was only 1390USD. similar spec studio 17 was ~1500USD