New Dell Studio 1749

That's true. I think it's ridiculous that some territories get things that others don't. I looked at the Sony VAIO F series, too, and we can't get the better display here in America. What a bunch of crap! You'd think since they're all made in Malaysia, we could all have the same choices.

 

Amen to that! I too was looking at the Sony VAIO F but up here in Canada we didn't even get the FHD screen option, and the F series now seems to have disappeared completely (Sony website). The FHD screen option on the Studio 17 wasn't available for the longest time, so when it appeared again (after months of absence) I swooped and nabbed it! I'm more than happy with it...

The HD5650 is only offered with the core i5, not the i7, up here. Who knows why?

 

That is the i5 configurator. I guess there is a separate configurator for the i7 Quad Core systems, which currently does not give you any graphic card options. It comes with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 and no TV tuner is listed.

 

Yeah, I had to compromise on price a little so I went for the i5. I didn't look at the i7 laptops because I knew I'd get frustrated since I have to save money for the moment. Next year I'll be all over the i7 laptops! haha. Also, that will give the manufacturers more time to beef up graphics cards and displays and such. I hope.

 

No problem, I hope I did not sound like I was looking down on it, my point was that I did not realize they were configured separately. Seems weird to me, exact same model "Dell Studio 17 1749, but completely separate configurations. Also seems weird the i7 has arguably an inferior graphics card.

 

No, you didn't come off as condescending. Don't worry.

I do find that a bit odd, too. Why wouldn't the configurator just offer the i3, i5 and i7 processors all at once? Also, why wouldn't they just offer both graphics cards? Doesn't make sense to me but I'm sure some marketing jackass out there has a reason for it.

It's also weird that I had to pay $60 for an upgrade to the i5 from the i3 and now the i3 isn't even available in the configurator I used. I had to pay for my upgrade to the i5 and now it's included in the price. Bah! haha

 

It occurs to me that I don't know how to do this. If you can tell me, I will do it.

 

Go to your Devicemanager. Search for your display panel in the list and right click on it to open the Properties. Go to the tab Details and select in this drop-down box Hardware-id's. You should see now your panel ID.

 

Yep. AUO149D. Don't care. It's freakin gorgeous! haha

 

Ok, that's the third 1749 listed as RGBLED that comes with the AUO149D which was originally called, "B+RG." I guess it is easier to call it RGBLED and quite honestly it is just as good as the RGBLED (6-bit variant) with the SXPS 16 so I have no problems with it. I was just wondering if they had, indeed, switched panels.

+1 Lexington and thanks!

 

Yeah. It's odd that they would market it that way, but, honestly, if I didn't have you here to tell me otherwise, I wouldn't have known. This thing is exactly what I wanted. Great viewing angles and brilliant, crisp, rich color. It's a pleasure to look at. And I'm loving this 1080p.

 

Hopefully I'm asking this in the right thread this time: How much do your Studio 17s weigh with a 9 cell battery?
Please specify if you have one or two HDDs also, if it's not in your sig.

And chiming in on the issue of different parts and availability between models ...
Why don't they have an SSD as an option on the Studio 17? You've got 2 bays. SSD could run OS and programs and 2nd drive is storage - That would be a brilliant setup.

 

Anyone tried getting the 1080p screen in Australia ? I'm interested in retro-fitting one onto my 1749 since they didn't have that option when I bought it. From what I've read here this screen seems to solve most of the contrast/viewing angle problems I have with the 900p one. Up until this point I was looking at getting one of those 3m privacy filters to improve the contrast, but if a screen is only $1-200 more than that then I might as well go the screen..

 

On a related topic; does anyone have recommendations for a regular (i.e. not SSD) second hard drive for the Studio 1747/49 (assuming the bay and everything's the same)? Also any hints/tips? I decided to configure mine with a single HDD to save some coin and upgrade at some point myself, and fancy giving it a try now.

I'm looking at Seagate Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb - waddayathink? Also ideas on sourcing the hard drive caddy kit? I've already found one here

Hard drive caddy for DELL Studio 1745, 1747, 1749 (2nd HDD bay) [DELL-S1747] - $26.95 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

Yet to have a look on Ebay, but expect I might find it there too. Any suggestions/ideas/thoughts gratefully received

 

hi all, does any1 know why there is no option for an i5 processor with touch screen anymore? i saw this option on the website a few weeks ago but is not there now

i5 processor with touchscreen is perfect ???

 

There was a discussion not too many posts back that the i5 and i7 (and in fact the i3 and Pentium dual core) models all have their own configurator.

Try this link and then select Personalize from the variation you are interested in (i5).

Studio 17

 

I quess this personalisation is available in the US but not the UK right? im in the UK it only shows i7 with touch, I dunno if they would accpet this in the uk, thanks for any help

 

It's all a pain in the butt this separated customisation options system that Dell has. Very annoying. Sorry it's not working out for you - see if you can find an evalue code for Studio 17 systems that aren't showing up on the webpage. There are often a few more systems available than the ones on the product page, but they can be difficult to track down.

 

hmm interesting, found an i7 setup for £949 and a i5 setup for £949, exactly same hardware etc, i5 same price as i7, dunno if its an error, and yeh ill have a look for some codes

*Update*

just had a look at the i7 with touch, £949 added code = £856.09 what you guys feel about that?

 

If touch is what you want, that doesn't sound bad.

 

Have you experienced problems in Dell Studio 1749 and 1747 (manufactured in mid June 2010) described here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-dell-studio-1749-fan-noises-1749-1747-a.html

 

Why does the i5 come with the ATI 5650 and the i7 can only be configured with the ATI 4650? And why can I only get to the i5 configurator by using the link a couple pages back, but if I drill down on Dell's site and select i5, no Studio's are available?

 

The i7 with 4 cores is the older model which apparently had some heating issues. You should be able to make an i7 with 2 cores however.

Edit: my bad.. didn't realise you were looking at the US site. I couldn't find a way to configure it either.

 

Caveat, if you do go with a 1749, it is incompatible with quad core CPUs. This is why you don't see quad core CPUs listed as option(s) for the 1749's. I found out the hard way. It also explains why they continue to sell the 1747 along with the 1749 when it would make sense to just sell the 1749 with a large array of CPU options. Want Quad Core? 1747. Want Dual Core? 1749.

I tried a 720qm and a 920xm in two 1749's and both wouldn't boot. Same CPUs work fine in my 1747. I was shooting for a 5650+Quad Core setup, and was disappointed to see in the new system board revision Dell removed Quad Core support. It won't even recognize and boot. You get the slow moving status flashes of the media board indicating an incompatible CPU. 1749 booted fine with a 620M, 330M and 430M (as expected). While the i7-620M isn't an option in the US as of yet, the 1749 supports it fully.

1747's don't have heating issues. I have a 920xm and it passed Prime95 just fine. What you DO end up with is sloppy Dell thermal application. I ended up replacing the stock junk with MX-3 on both my 1747 and my daughter's 1749 (CPU and GPU) and both are running nice and cool and passed Furmark and Prime95.

1747's never really had heat issues. Early models of the 1747 suffered from over aggressive throttling and an inadequate PSU (90w). The 4650 (35w) and the Quad cores (45w+ which under load were hitting 65w) coupled with other system requirements overtaxed the 90w PSU once the newer BIOS was released removing the throttling. Dell supplies and will supply 130w PSUs to address this issue.

The 1749's 5650 (19w) and i3/i5/i7 dual core only options (35w) will run cooler overall. You just won't be able to ever use a Quad Core CPU in them. I'm kinda bummed

 

1747 and 1749 have different chipset. So if you change not only CPU, but also motherboard, I do not see why 1749 wouldn't run on quad core.

As to the throttling issue it is still (as you can read in my earlier message) present in the notebooks manufactured now, including 1749.

Do you know if they changed BIOS so that 1749 would accept 130 W PSU?

 

Ok, let me break this down:

I swapped two (2) 1749 system boards from two actual 1749 units (1600x900) w/ 5650 GPUs to my 1747. I tested both boards with both the 720qm and 920xm and both refused to boot along with the media controller board (which is used to indicate error status) displaying the left->right slow light up indicating incompatible CPU(s).

I then swapped in, in succession, the 330M, 430M and 620M CPUs and they all booted fine after the initial reset tones indicating the CR2032 battery backup had been disconnected and the system had to poll all devices again to figure out its configuration.

I then swapped both the 720qm and 920xm back into the 1747 system board and it of course booted up like a champ.

The chassis are identical. You can swap the system boards back and forth between the 1747 and 1749 if you like. I was going to mount the 1749 system board in my 1747 because of the B+RG screen plus my model came wired for everything but the kitchen sink including WWAN.

1749 w/ 5650 system board does not support Quad Cores (could be anything from a hardware level change to a BIOS whitelist), while the 1747 w/ 4650 system board does support Quad Cores.

The 1747 does not have throttling issues with BIOS A08 and later and 130W PSU. I've sat here and run Prime95 and CPUID watching the multipliers and locked clock speeds. I am using a 150W Dell PSU.

I haven't sat down to run the gamut of tests with my daughter's 1749 w/ 5650 so I can neither confirm nor deny if the 1749 is indeed throttling. I can confirm the 1747 does not.

You should be definitely be using a 130W PSU along with that 1747 w/ A08 BIOS, as it is underpowered and a known issue.

I checked your link, and those are some horrendous sounds if valid and no, neither my 1747 or daughter's 1749 or spare 1749 make anything even remotely sounding like that. It sounds like my old Thermaltake fan I used back in the day on my OC'd AMD FX-60.

The spin up/stop issue with the CPU fan is a long standing known issue and doesn't affect performance. Some people just find it annoying. It doesn't bother me at all and I see it isn't a major issue with you either.

In general summary:

#1. Get a 130W PSU (Contact Dell or eBay)
#2. Remove the system board and use some real compound applied properly (IE not with a fire hose)
#3. Do a clean install of Win 7 and take the time to track down original OEM drivers when warranted
#4. If your keyboard flexes/bulges, you can use strong double sided sticky tape or adhesive to lock it down on the top of the chassis. Many times, you will notice the keyboard is warped a bit because they are very flexible (holding the keyboard in front of you). What I did (and I don't recommend this), was bend the keyboard a bit to make it concave a bit so when i reinstalled it, it laid flat in the middle for a perfect fit.

I know owners shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get their system(s) operating perfectly, but sometimes if you take matters into your own hands you can get your laptop running near perfect from both a hardware and software perspective.

But the noise issue you are experiencing is of major concern.

 

Yes, but 1749 is provided (as an option) with 1920x1080 screen, and 1747 isn't. So if someone wants that screen in 1747 with quad core they either would have to replace the screen from 1749 to 1747 or (it seemed) to replace motherboard along with CPU from 1747 to 1749.

1747 has Mobile Intel 5 Series Express chipset PM55 and 1749 Mobile Intel 5 Series Express chipset HM55.

I can confirm that 1749 does throttle. i5-540M cannot achieve under full load 3.06 GHz in Dell Studio 1749.

I made some more checks, and that whistling sound definitely comes from the hard disk.
The buzzing sound is emitted somewhere in the area of CPU or GPU, but it does not seems to be caused by the fan.

The fan is not a major issue, but I still would prefer if it behaved more silent when CPU is idle, without that abrupt switching on and off.

At the moment Dell is extremelly unhelpful. I have even troubles returning 1747 (decided to keep only 1749 and if possible replace it or if not, then repair it). I made a request through their on-line form 3 days before the end of 7 working days since delivery (according to their T&C I could request to return it in that period for any reason, and the reason I am returning it is because it is faulty), saying that I want to return it. They replied on the fourth day since I made that request saying that "We will not be able to give you an authorization to return since it's no longer within the 7 day period as stated on the terms and conditions." Are they trying to be funny or annoying?

Also at the same day I made the order (so before I received the notebooks, and before they even strated to assembly them), I requested to send 130 W PSU to avoid throttling, explaining that I found out that that is the only way to avoid that problem and that I know that Dell sends 130 W PSU when customers request it to avoid throttling. They replied: "once the order is placed, it's locked down in our system and no changes can be made".

Won't it void warranty?

That issue was with someone else notebook. I quoted at the end of that message some problems, which another person had with the same models of notebooks.

 

The 1747 used to be optioned with the B+RG/RGBLED (like mine in the sig), and uses the same panel as the 1749 (AUO149D). With Dell, options come and go on a daily basis, so you never know.

The chipset isn't the issue (PM55 vs. HM55), as both are fully capable of supporting Quad Core CPUs. Either Dell altered the socket or most likely white listed a set of acceptable CPUs. If/when they decide to support quad core CPUs on the 1749 (unlikely methinks), a magical BIOS revision would suddenly appear.

I'll take B+RG and Quad Core over the very very small performance bump of the 5650. It's main benefit is in consumption and coolness (~19w vs. 35w).

As for 1749 throttling, is that with a 130W PSU? That is a priority replacing the 90W PSU even though the 5650+430M reduces the load by ~31w. When I get a chance, I'll put the 1749 through its paces with a 130W/150W PSU.

I agree about the fan. While it isn't a deal breaker, it can never hurt to either be more quiet or more consistent.

Unless I am not in a rush, I always call Dell directly. Talking to a rep usually yields better results and you can always call back to try a different rep if the one you're talking to isn't working out. That noise issue would have me on the phone pronto with them. Be persistent because your unit definitely has issues and make sure they send a 130W PSU as a follow up. Or if you don't want the headache eBay one.

As for warranty, Dell is pretty flexible. You can even swap out the CPU and other components and your system is still covered (just not the non Dell OEM parts you've swapped in). Many times for upgrades (like Bluetooth, optical drive, etc..), which requires a decent amount of dis-assembly, Dell will send you the parts to self install. They don't apply the numerous, "Removing this will void your warranty," stickers all over the place like many companies do.

Good luck man.

 

This gets confusing when people talk about availability of systems and options, and I go to Dell's website and I do not see what they are talking about. I can only assume it because we are not looking at the same Dell website (US vs UK, etc).

I am in the US, I go to the US Dell Studio 17 page and there are 4 separate configurations, none of which is a 1747. There are 3 versions of 1749, the i3, i5, and i7, and one with the older dual core. The i7 model is clearly Quad Core, in fact that is the only option for the i7 models and the 4650 is the only graphic option.

When people say something like "the 1749 is not available in Quad core...", or "1749 with 5650 Graphics..."it would be helpful to indicate in which country web site they are referring to.

 

On the page 79 of the "Studio Guide Setup", which they provide with the notebooks it is written that in Studio 1749 are installed i3, i5 and i7 CPUs. For Studio 1747 they list only i7 CPU.

90 W. I have i5 540M in 1749. I tried to get 130W immediatelly, but I have already quoted what they replied. I sent them another message a few days ago, and they have not replied to it, yet.

Did they sent you 150W one?

As to eBay. I am not sure that I would be able to sell it for the amount, which would return me all the money I invested. And I do not see why I should lose here any money. I am already losing my time, and time is money, too.

BTW, why are you selling your system?

 

Not all i7s are quad core. I was referring to the UK site.

 

Correct, the 1749 supports i3, i5 and i7 dual core (i7-620M). The 1747 is only offered with i7 quad cores (i7-720qm, i7-820qm), but it also supports the i7-920xm quad core.

When I get a chance, I'm going to try the i3-330M and i7-620M in the 1747 to see if it supports dual cores.

No, I purchased a Dell 150w PSU since I was going with a 920XM to be safe consumption wise.

lol, agreed.

I have my eye on a 60" LED Quattron to replace my aging 60" Sony DLHP and as much as I tried to convince Best Buy, they wouldn't just give me one.

If I can manage to sell some other things to generate funds for the Quattron before the 1747 sells, I'll take it down and keep it.

 

They recenlty stopped offering 1747 on Dell UK with i7-720qm, they offer it with i7-740qm now.

 

Sweet, that means the 840qm should be making its presence known relatively soon.

 

Is the 4GB RAM option on a single DIMM? I would be ordering from the USA site.

 

It's already there as an option:
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

 

Your link is to the Dell UK site. As indicated in my post, I'm ordering from the US site. The option for a single or dual DIMM 4 GB configuration is not available (hence the reason for my question)

 

That was a reply to Electrosoft's message. Sorry for confusion, but the quoting system stopped working properly for me. Every time I click the Quote button, only the same old electrosoft message is quoted.

 

No problem. Thanks for the clarification.

Would a 4GB RAM 1749 owner could comment on whether this is a single DIMM or two DIMM (2x2GB) configuration? (for US delivered systems)

 

Dell just sent me a 1749 as a replacement for a 1737 they couldn't fix.
Therefore, I wasn't able to customize it to my liking, but they said it would be equivilant or better in specs. So I seem to have lucked out and got a much better machine overall, but...

My 1737 (1440x900) had an LED screen that was very bright, but this 1749 screen (1600x900) is rather dim even at its brightest setting. How can I tell if this is an LED screen or not?
Also, the colors seem to be a bit off. The contrast doesn't seem too good and you have to be right in front of it, not at an angle, to see it well.
Any tricks to get this screen looking better?

I don't want to complain too much, since I got a pretty good upgrade for free (other than the cost of my extended warranty), but I don't know if I can live with this screen!
And I fear if I send it back, they might send me a replacement that isn't as good as the 1749.
Oh, what to do.....

 

"How can I tell if this is an LED screen or not?"

Check in the Properties screen model number and then google information about it.

"Any tricks to get this screen looking better? "

Ask them (for an additional fee) to change it to 1900x1080 screen - it is better. See my earlier post (in another thread) where I quote specification of both screens.

 

Not bad deal on at the mo for Canadians (for Canada Day!) for a well-spec'd 1747

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

They've thrown in another 2GB of RAM more or less for free over what I paid a couple of months ago . Go for the FHD screen upgrade if you can stretch to it - you won't be disappointed!

 

I have a Europe delivered system with a 2x2GB DIMM configuration. I don't believe in the US it'll be different.

 

Hardware ID: MONITOR\SEC544B
Compatible Ids: *PNP09FF

Does this mean anything to anyone? Not much on google for SEC544B

 

It's Samsung LED screen.

 

Great, thanks dragonf.
The LED screens are supposed to be the brighter kind, right? I wonder why it's not as bright as my 1737 screen.

 

By the way, a really minor thing that really bugs me: There's no light for NUM LOCK or CAPS LOCK.

On the other hand, the speakers are incredible. The 1737's speakers were SO weak.

 

Odd, its the same SRS premium with woofer as the 1747, which I think sounds great. Nice powerful woofer which is a must for me, as Ive come from the 9100. I dont know about the 1749 but I`m not impressed with the lack of num/caps lights and hd activity light also..

 

Yeah, it's too bad there is no HD light, but I heard it is possible to download software HD light - better that than nothing.

 

Has there been a fix for the fan problems yet?