Hi, I`m new here! Studio 15 any good?

I`ve ordered a Studio 15 and it`s on the way to me.
But I wondered will this one be able to play games at 1920x1080 reasonable(ext. mon.) ??

This is the specs, I paid $1145 for it incl. shipping:

Studio 1537 : Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600(2.40GHz,1066MHz,3MB)
Display : 15.4in Widescreen WUXGA with TrueLife - CCFL
Palmrest : Standard
Camera : Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Camera - CCFL
LCD Back Cover : Jet Black Colour Matte Finish
Ship Accessory : Norwegian Docs
Resource DVD : Studio 1537 Diagnostics and Drivers
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) 800MHz DDR2 Dual Channel
Hard Drive 320GB SATA (5400rpm)
Optical Drive : 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
Power Supply : Inspiron 90W AC Adapter
Power Cord : European 1M
Battery : Primary 9-cell 85W/HR LI-ION
Carry Case : Not Included
Graphics : 256 MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3450
Modem : European External 56K V.90 USB Modem
Wireless : Intel Wireless Card Label - Core 2 Duo
Wireless : Europe Dell Bluetooth 370 Card

 

your configurations is puzzling.
you may not want to keep this one.

 

3450 is a midrange graphics card. I doubt it's going to push any modern games at 1920x1080 at a playable framerate.

 

What do u mean?

 

Agreed with Hep, doesn't the Studio 15 come with the 3650 as an option nowadays? That card is definitely more worthwhile.

 

Nope, that's the Studio 17. They want you to buy Alienwares for gaming now.

 

Meh - last time I checked the configurators I noticed that a lot of good options have been shelved or taken out of the cycle for the time being. I honestly think it might be a good idea to wait.

This is mainly because I know that I would invest in the best GPU possible in a future rig (not as easy to stop gaming as I thought). The 3450 is weak . . . better to hold out for a 3650 or 9600gt if they ever become available from dell. Though they seem to be real slow lately rolling out the latest hardware.

 

Wouldn`t it be possible to change out the graphic card ourselves?

 

Nope. It's soldered to the motherboard. To change the graphics you'd have to change the whole motherboard, but the only graphics options you have for the Studio 15 are the Intel GMA X3100 or 4500MHD depending on your chipset, or the ATi Mobility Radeoon 3450.

Depending on what games you play, that graphics card will probably be fine. Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source should run pretty smoothly at that resolution, but don't expect great performance from newer games without lowering your resolution or settings.

Overall, the Studio 15 is a good laptop. A couple minor annoyances like the eject button and cheap speakers, but it's still a solid machine. The backlit keyboard is a very nice optional feature as well.

 

Nope, it's soldered directly to the motherboard.
Literally impossible.

 

Just a thought

I`m still wondering why configuration was called pizzling?!

 

Because you've got a high res screen, a lot of memory, a 320GB hard drive but only 5400RPM, a lowend video card and a midrange CPU, and you want it for games. The system you built is really unbalanced, I'd expect it to be more for a student who plays a tiny bit of games and watches a lot of movies, but then the 1080 screen and no blu-ray is also kind of confusing.

 

If had to choose a faster HD it had to be smaller, the reason for the high res is because it was either that or 1280x800, and that`s no good either!
I`ve never heard about too much memory?
If a better videocard had been available I woulda chosen it, but as you all know.....
Blu-Ray on a PC? I never, EVER watch movies on the computer.
Is 2,4Ghz mid-range? I didn`t know that, cause a Quad-prosessor usually gets warm and starts a rollercoaster with the cooling-fan.

I`m not a hardcore gamer, only somebody that enjoys FEAR and Call of Duty from time to time

 

The original F.E.A.R. should run okay at 1280x800. I don't know about F.E.A.R. 2 - Project Origin though. Depending on which Call of Duty you're talking about, you'll have mixed results. The original CoD and the United Offensive expansion both run more or less flawlessly once you tweak the .cfg to force a widescreen resolution. Call of Duty 2 for whatever reason runs even worse than CoD4 for me at the same settings, no idea why. CoD4 itself will run, but you'll need to turn down the resolution and settings pretty drastically. And CoD: World at War will not run smoothly on any combination of settings I've tried, including 640x480.

 

I have the same WUXGA screen. Running games at or near native (1920x1200 or 1920x1080) would be a very bad idea. I've never tried it on my system, but something tells me it'll be like a slide show...like someone doing a slow powerpoint presentation...

 

That's probably true. You could probably run Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source playably at that resolution, but otherwise, the HD3450 just doesn't have the kind of power needed to process games at such high resolutions.

Most games give me trouble at 1280x800. I can't imagine how they'd perform at 1920x1200.

 

IMO, the P8600 is more than adequate for the specs and I doubt a 5400-7200RPM HDD speed difference would make an impact on a laptop like a Dell Studio 15.

if you want to be able to play games, I suggest either giving up the WUXGA screen or picking a new laptop all together, unless your a casual gamer. then i would suggest you get the WSXGA+ LED screen option instead. you'll still be able to play some games at respectable frame rates, have a mid-range high resolution screen, and take on the benefits of a lighter and brighter LED screen. The stock 1280x800 LED screen would be the best option for games, but again, I'll point out the Studio 15 is not much a gaming machine because of the ATI HD3450.

Dell will be releasing the newly designed Studio 1555 in the U.S. with a 15.6" screen and a much more powerful HD 4570. The only problem is the screen is in 16:9 aspect ratio and available only with a 1366x768 resolution screen (for now).

 

There is not WSXGA+ option for the Studio 15. Just WXGA (1280x800), WXGA+ (1440x900), and WUXGA (1920x1200). I don't know exactly what WSXGA+ is, but regular WSXGA is 1680x1050.

The native resolution doesn't matter much. In the worst case, you can always lower the resolution in games.

 

I`ve played CoD5 on my work computer at 800x600 with ok results, and this is a Acer Travelmate with 1,66Ghz PCU and a ATI X1300 128mb videocard. Also just 1Gb of ram.

Does anybody know if the resolution on Studio15 can be set lower than it`s native?

 

Of course it can...

 

Thought so