New Dell Studio 17 announced (Studio 1745/47)

Fair points, and although it is a little off topic the customer is always right ideology is not perfect. It works fine for honest customers, but there are a lot of dis-honest people out there, and always siding with the customer can be dis-heartening for employees who are only doing the best job they can.

With regards to cancellations; I would strongly suggest looking into regulations governing distance selling in your country. Many of them will have something in place that allows you to cancel your order within a specified amount of time. This will also likely be included on documentation sent to you with order confirmations etc.

 

I do agree 100% the customer is always right ideology is ripe for abuse by those who are dishonest. But that can be said for just about any system derived by humanity.

 

oooh... with the new screen available, I'm tempted.

Are there any coupons floating around that can be used on the Studio 17? The ones on the site here only seem to be for Inspirons.

 

Correct, but most of the time those regulations say that the company can charge you the transportation and administration costs. That's how it is in Europe anyway and Europe is well known for it's pro-consumer policies.

Now on topic, the new studio 17 is still not available in Europe! Even when every other company did launch their core i7 notebooks, with the recent official launch of Windows 7...
I know it's the most frequent unanswered question , but why Dell?

 

Looks like Dell has also released the new studio 17 in India and the United Kingdom.
Sadly (for me) the rest of Europe is still left in the cold.

UPDATE: strangely enough the new studio 17 is not available with the core i7 in the United Kingdom. Is Intel having supply problems???

 

Has anyone heard any news about the 1745 with a touchscreen? Last I heard it was supposed to be available by the end of the year. Any limitations with screen choice or resolution? Cost? Specific dates?

 

I haven't heard anything about the 1745 having a touch screen...

The difference between the 1745 and the 1747 is the motherboard, I suppose.
Studio 1745 - Mobile GM45 (T4x00,T6x00, P8x00 and T9x00 processors)
Studio 1747 - Mobile Intel 5 discrete GFX (Core i7 mobile processors)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the correct interpretation. You can check it when ordering a new studio 17 on the UK site with a p8700 processor, it shows Studio 1745 order.

 

Should have just said Studio17. I don't understand the distiction in the model numbers but want the i7 chip. If you look at the new user manual it devotes a few pages to the optional touchscreen.

 

Touch screen on a notebook just seems daft unless it is a tablet. Likely nothing more than an expensive fad.

 

It wouldn't be a primary interface, but when I'm showing portfolio pieces to clients or highlighting areas on a comp in an online meeting it could come in handy. It isn't dumb for everyone, just not immediately useful to you.

It's funny, I remember a guy who used to complain about the mouse back in the late 80's with the same argument. "Mankind spent thousands of years evolving a language so we wouldn't have to point at things." I think he finally gave in sometime in the mid 90's.

You still get to use your keyboard and mouse, you know...

 

Good find.
For a touchscreen I would prefer a tablet notebook (like the latitude xt2) instead of a plain notebook. Seems easier to use... but more expensive.

 

Yes, I already have an old tablet I use for tablet-type sketching and tablety stuff. The touchscreen on this doesn't replace a good stylus for sketching, it just gives an alternate input method when needed. I need a big screen on my primary laptop, but there aren't any big-screen laptops with a fold down screen (bigger than 16") at a reasonable cost. This is just a nice extra that is delaying my purchase. Come on, Dell-- hurry up!

 

I did not say it was dumb - do not put words into my mouth. I said it was daft:

Daft: Informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
Dumb: Stupidity, the lack of intelligence

And it is daft for the vast majority of people out there. The trend is to have higher resolution displays, and fingers tend not to be made to click on areas of the display as well as a mouse can, seeing that your finger is considerably larger than a mouse pointer. Therefore increases in screen resolution reduce the usefulness of a touch screen, hence the idea of putting one on a laptop is daft. It is however not stupid; indeed the technology is quite intelligent, just the implementation of it on this type of platform is irregular.

Technically all displays are dumb in both senses of the word, seeing that they lack intelligence (being inanimate objects) and that they cannot speak.

I most certainly am not adverse to change; in fact in my work I often am the person who suggests and implements changes. I simply fail to see how this is a step forward. Change for the sake of change benefits only a few.

However, if you want to spend the money to have a touch screen to use for your clients, go right ahead. Enjoy the finger prints on your display.

 

Again, Bull. Order was cancelled and disappeared off my order list. Perhaps the factory built it anyway weeks later despite the salesperson having cancelled it, but it never shipped to me, I was never charged for it, and consequently never had to return it and order one configured as I wanted.

 

To be sure - I've worked in customer service. However a policy that says to a customer "I realize it was only ordered half an hour ago and your computer won't be built for another month and you want to give us more money than you spent on your original order, but we still think all in all it would be better if you wait a month, let us ship it to you, let us pay for you to ship it back to us so we have to sell it at a loss at the outlet and then start the whole thing over again" is not one where anyone benefits. Not Dell, not the customer. It's just incredibly bad policy.

 

Actually it depends on the country; some of them you do have to pay return postage and again, based on your country, Dell may be entitled to charge a re-stocking fee. They don't often do this, but they are legally entitled to.

Yeah it seems odd that they don't allow you to cancel until you get the notebook. My comment about "the customer is always right" was not specifically aimed at Dell and their cancellations policy, more a general statement that it is not always the best policy in all circumstances.

If you notice I have referred to it as daft for the majority of people, not for all. If you see value in it then good for you; but you have to accept that not everybody will share your point of view.

 

Ummm. Wow. Ok. Thanks for approving my use for the touchscreen. Have a nice day.

 

I just helped my dad setup an order for one of these units and I actually missed the fact that the listed display is only 900p (1600x900?) on the Canadian website. He wanted the Blu-ray burner for burning down home videos as well as playing BD movies but I'm somewhat concerned about scaling artifacts; there probably won't be any as I certainly don't notice them on my 1680x1050 display playing BD under Win7/Total Media Theatre 3. Still, the additional real estate (320px by 180px) would be nice for him.

What I find frustrating is that Dell US offers the nice 17.3" RGBLED 1920x1080 display option, which is what I originally thought was standard. I think I'll be calling Dell tomorrow to see what is going on. It makes no sense to have the option available in the US but not here.

Have any of you had experience with this before and getting an option that is available in the US on a CDN laptop?

Thanks.

Edit:

I have an additional question related to Dell's 900p vs 1080p displays. If he wants to play BD movies on his TV (1080p) using his laptop via the HDMI port, having the monitor limited to 900p shouldn't be a problem, right? I feel like a complete newb for asking this but I'm primarily a desktop guy and use a PS3 for my BD needs, so have no experience with this. If he keeps the 900p display, should he still be able to play BD movies at 1080p on his TV? It should just be as simple as configuring the external monitor/output resolution in the display settings right?

 

You'll be fine. The output resolution is limited by the video card, not the screen resolution of the laptop itself. If I remember correctly it is 1600 x 1200 max. Anyway I'm 100% sure you will have real full 1080p on your 1080p tv using the hdmi of your laptop.

 

I'd feel really bad recommending that laptop to him if it couldn't play BD properly on his TV. I'm still going to find out for him if he can upgrade to the 1920x1080 display because he likes to edit photos and music; the extra vertical space would be handy.

Thanks again.

 

The Amd Ati website says the following for the video card (Ati HD 4650):
The ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4600 series GPUs can upscale video display to 2560x1600 on dual-link monitors which is almost twice the display resolution of 1080p displays.

Source: http://www.amd.com/us/products/notebook/graphics/ati-mobility-hd-4000/hd-4600/Pages/hd-4600.aspx (See note n°2 at the bottom).

The 1920*1080 screen will give him more space and probably better color representation. Dell states it has 300 nits compared to the 1600x900 which has 'only' 220 nits. Anyway I'm sure both screens are great and whatever the choice the decision has to be made by your father. He's the one who will use the laptop...

Hope all this info helps you a bit

 

Yes the information definitely helps. Thank you.

Originally, I was going to configure a HTPC for him, which I'm much more familiar with. I've never really given much thought about using a laptop as a blu-ray player or general HTPC. I guess I got hung up on the laptop running 1600x900 and using the HDMI port to output at 1920x1080 to the TV.

I've already grabbed the service manual for the 1745, so if he ends up wanting the higher resolution down the road, he can always order the display and I can swap it in. As a developer I prefer 1920x1080 on my laptops but I'm sure he'll be happy with 1600x900. I'll have to give him a call and see what he thinks. Though, since he's like me, he'll probably want the "better" display.

I wonder if Dell isn't showing the 1080p display on the Canadian site due to lack of inventory?

Thanks again guys.

 

They haven't launched the 1080p screen in Canada yet, you will have to wait.
After all, be happy, they haven't launched the studio 17 here in Europe (except for the United Kingdom, but without core i7 option). They 'promised' october. They have 5 days left, I'm counting

 

Hey c-mattic,

I suppose you should add Germany to the list of European countries that have the new Dell Studio 17 in store (although no core i7 here either).

I ordered mine three days ago with the following specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.8 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6 MB L2 Cache)
• 6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
• 1TB (5.400rpm) Serial ATA Dual Hard Drive (2x 500GB)
• Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL 64bit
• Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
• Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n 1X2)
• Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module
• 17.3” High Definition+ (1600x900) LED with TL

And I am waiting wishfully for it to arrive (EDD is November 16th for now).

 

Good for you! Hope for you it arrives sooner ;-) !
I've added Germany to the lucky countries in my first post.

 

I just got off the phone with Dell. There is a definite delay on two parts, one being the built in camera and the other the BT module. Either way, the EDD is definitely firm for the 1747.

Secondly, I was able to cancel my order and immediately free up my DFA for a potential re-order.

Go Dell.

 

If it's any consolation c-mattic we in Ireland are getting landed.

Since the manufacturing wing has left this country we're getting the backend of Dell products. For example - dell.ie -still- does not allow you to configure a current Studio 17 with Windows 7. Windows Vista is still the here and now, apparently..and it doesn't look like we'll be seeing the new Studio 17 for a while either.

Typical.

 

For once, good news!

The new Dell studio 17 has finally been launched in Europe! But good news, comes with bad: the core i7 option is not available yet and prices are monstruous. Also there are still some mistakes on the website, so I hope the high prices will drop soon.
@ForegoneReality: even Ireland gets the update ;-)

Some good news for the studio 15, the core i7 option is back!

 

Looks like the Dell webmaster doesn't know a lot about notebooks...
Next to the new studio 17 they put "small and powerfull"
Lol, small? It's an 17.3 inch !

 

Were are all the Dell deals? Nothing for this new guy.

 

What do you mean? That there aren't any good deals?

 

Just to let you know: here in Germany, they're now shipping the Core i7-720QM and -820QM.

 

You lucky s! I hope they come here soon it's only a few kilometers away... but that doesn't make any difference for Dell I suppose

Fortunately prices are great with the i7-720 QM, only 929 EUR. With a coupon, that's less than 900 EUR

 

With the new plant in Poland, it almost seems there's some kind of client gradient (radius-based). Introducing to Germany first, than Benelux, Ireland at last

And you're right, with a good Dell deal you can save a lot.

Now that I already ordered my system with a Core 2 Duo, I still think it is a good choice. From what I've read, the differences between T9600 and 720QM aren't too big, but the latter has a 10 W higher TDP (like the 820QM) (cooling -> noise). There are also other aspects like 7200 vs. 5400 rpm HDDs and 1920x1080 vs. 1600x900 px screens I had in mind, from a noise and usability point of view.

What do you think?!

 

It's even more complicated than that. Here's the usual order:
1) UK and Germany
2) Southern countries (France, Italy, Spain, Austria)
3) Benelux and Scandinavia
4) Last but not least: Ireland, Greece,...

According to notebookcheck there is a difference in cpu performance. I personally think that between the P8700 and the i7-720QM there is not much difference for intensive non-multi core programs. But if you do a lot of video or music editing for example you would be better with the i7, because of the 4 core, 8 threads benefit.
As already stated here in the forums, the quadcore i7's only have significant advantages for those who really use intensive multi-core programs (and there aren't much today...)

The HDD choice is a hard one. It seems the 5400rpm is mostly WD Scorpio Blue and the 7200rpm from seagate. Ironically the WD (5400rpm) is mostly as good or faster than the Seagate (7200rpm).
Personally I'd like to order the HDD myself. Because than you know what you buy (brand, series, performance) and Dell is expensive in upgrades.

The screens, well that's a personal choice. I like 1600x900, because a 1920 resolution, even on a 17", is too small for me. And if you do image or video editing or gaming and want that much resolution (aka 1920x1080); buy a desktop with a video card that can handle that much res without a problem. Notebooks aren't made for heavy users and aren't easily upgradeable.
Aside this, the 1920 screen has better color representation and viewing angles than the 1600, but I'm sure the 1600 will be just fine for most of us.

Remember, better is not always worth the money/investment.

 

Just the way I look at it. Most gains come from multi-core usage ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html).

One thing that matters, too, is the higher density of a 500 GB (5400 rpm) instead of a 320 GB (7200 rpm). So you won't get 7200 rpm access times, but higher throughput and more quiet and maybe less hot drives at the same time (at least I hope so). But as you said, it depends on the manufacturer...

Nevertheless, the price difference here was just 5 € between a 1 TB (2x 500 GB) 7200 rpm and 5400 rpm HDD.

Main reason I ordered the new Dell Studio 17 in the first place. I was going for a CTO Sony Vaio VGNFW55X with 1600x900 (as the default FW51 series resolution is 1920x1080 at 16.4''!!!). Too much for my eyes, I think. Then I read about the missing double lamp technology at the non-FullHD (i.e. 1600x900) displays and the bad brightness and contrast with single lamps.

The 17.3'' 1600x900 display has a physical DPI of 106 which is closer to my current 98 dpi at 15.4 (1280x800) than those of a 16.4'' display (1920x1080) which has 134 dpi (cp. http://www.notebookcheck.net/DPI-Fineness-of-Displays.1310.0.html).

 

No coupons or anything off. Or am I missing something?

 

That's depends where you live. Here in Belgium (Europe) we only had a continuous 5% off the latest time. The older 10% off coupons haven't been seen for months...

From what I hear from other on forums, there are coupons, but none of them are awsome.

 

The configuration is too new for major discounts, they haven't even shipped yet... I would suspect possibly some kind of xmas deal after Thanksgiving, but wouldn't be real hopeful considering the i7 and B+RG screen is so new.

 

Has anyone received their laptops yet? I have an EDD of this Friday with no confirmation of shipping.

 

Nope! The order status says pre-production since October 27th and that this step may take up to ten days.

However, my EDD is November 16th (including those possible ten days). What a nightmare!

[EDIT]
I just got an e-mail from Dell, telling me they cannot execute my order because the following parts are missing:

Software : Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic
Wireless : European Dell Bluetooth 365 Card

Now I have the choice to let them proceed without the missing parts or to cancel my order and place a new one.

W.T.F?! Anyone else here, who has experienced something similar?
[/EDIT]

 

The BT cards are a known item that are back ordered. At least you can order it later and install it yourself if you need it that bad.

 

Alright, thank you for your answer, electrosoft!

What about the aforementioned software (Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic)? The Dell website ( http://support.euro.dell.com/suppor...A5FEC442F5C1CBE040AE0AB8E17091&doclang=en&cs=) states it is used (amongst others) to do a factory recovery. Does this mean I am not able to do a factory recovery or is there another tool around on Dell systems?

BTW: How can a preinstalled in-house software not be available? Unresolved Windows 7 issues?

OR are they referring to their default 2 GB online backup service?

 

I am from Germany and placed my Order (2 pieces Studio 1747 changes: i7-720, Full HD Display 1920x1080, 2 * 500 GB HDD, backlight keyboard and one Studio 1745 with Full HD Display) on 29.11. EDD is 25.11.2009. In production since 02.11.2009.

 

Where did you manage to order FullHD display in the Studio 1745?
Dell.de doesn't let you chose FullHD with 1745 only 1747.

OP: Unfortunately they aren't available in Europe yet, only in Western Europe

Also any news on these notebooks about their DPC latency? 1737s are suffering from bad DPC latency. (lot of other dell studio notebooks too)

 

Yes you are right. I don´t order the FullHD Display but on the order confirmation this was included. It was a mistake from Dell and i hope is it included.

 

i see.maybe you'll get lucky

 

just ordered a 1745 with ati 4650 and 1600x900 screen.
I am hoping the screen quality is decent on the 900p screen as prefer the resolution.

It seems so hit and miss with dell screens, I have had about 50% amazing screens and 50% shocking screens from the 10 or so Dells I have bought

 

anyone found out wether it has SPDIF out in one of the 3.5 jacks?

 

No it doesnt sorry

It doesnt in the sxps 16 either