New Dell Studio 1749

As far as I know no.

 

On the US site, in the i7 model configurator, it gives these three sound options, but I cannot find any information about them.

- High Definition Audio 2.0
- Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
- ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Laptop Sound Card with Wireless Receiver

The laptop comes with two built in speakers and subwoofer, does the "2.0" in the High Definition description refer to stereo witout sub, meaning it will not make use of the built in sub woofer, or does it mean version 2.0 of this particular hardware option?

What in the heck does "software enabled" mean for Soundblaster X-Fi option... what exactly is that option?

What does that option add above the base audio? There is no mention of additional connectors, etc.

How would you get Dolby Digital to an Amp that supports Digital audio inputs (optical or coax), but not HDMI?

 

Hi Everyone. I have never posted to a forum like this before and I am a relative computer novice but I am hoping to gain some useful information from everyone here . Please pardon my naivety in advance!

I am a full time grad student and I have been seriously considering the Dell Studio 17 (1749) with the i7 processor, 1TB HD, and 8GB memory but am really getting scared based on some of the reviews I've read about fan noise and heat issues. I need speed and space for the research and projects I am going to be doing for my masters thesis here in the coming months and I don't forsee myself purchasing another computer again for many years, which is why I am pimping this model out as far as I can. But I am concerned about what doing so will do to the heat/fan issues that seem to be so abundant with this Dell model.

A few years ago I owned a HP laptop that literally became hot to the touch and made my office so warm from the heat it threw that I couldn't work on it. Eventually the system would just shut itself off because the cooling fans didn't do the job. I am obviously trying to avoid a repeat experience.

I've heard good and bad about the 1749. Can anyone shed some light on whether or not this system is safe to buy now? Anything anyone can tell me (in simple terms, please ) would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

 

Have a look at my thread about 1749 and 1747 where I included links to records of the sounds 1749 and 1747 make, so you can listen yourself to the fan noise.
1749 does not heat as much as 1747 (which has 35 W CPU). I do not find heat a major issue in 1749, but it of course depends on CPU and GPU used.
For 1747 they recently released a new BIOS which deals with the fan noise issue. Perhaps they will release one for 1749, too.

 

The 1749 with the i7 620M has not a heat issue, as far as I know.
It's just the behaving of the fan that is annoying.

 

I too had my concerns before buying my Studio 17 but I've had no prob's so far. If you mean the quad i7 then that makes it a 1747 I believe which would be the 'hottest' spec. The dual core's have lower wattage so should'nt run as hot. Check out some of 'electrosoft's' posts.

Like with cars, you could get a lemon or a good one. electrosoft says a lot of the poor cooling issue is down to poor construction (bad thermal paste application). I think DELL have by now sorted most initial problems with fan performance (?) and not starting/shutting down properly glitches so it's a safer buy now than when it 1st came out with the new Intel i# CPU's 6 months ago. Check out this for the current state of play with the 1747...

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19326840/19675332.aspx#19675332

Still, I think it's always going to be on the hot side; I'm not convinced the engineers quite got their sums right, or they just cost-cut a bit too much. Ultimately with a quad core CPU + 1GB GPU + 7200rpm HDD on board and when running intensive tasks it's gonna generate a lot of heat in what's still a small space. You'll see that other thinner powerful quad core notebooks like the HP Pavillions and Envys also get critisized for getting too hot/fan issues

From my research it seems Sony and ASUS generally do a better job of heat management. The Sony F series looks like great bang-for-your-buck at the moment especially when maxed with options: DELL options are literally TWICE as expensive at the moment! - in Canada at least. I'd probably have gone for the Sony F if the FHD screen was better, or the ASUS N71/3 if FHD screen were an option so I'd recommend you check these out, depending on your priorities.

All in all I'm very happy with my Studio 17 - the fan doesn't bother me and the screen is a joy.

 

Thanks for the information. I looked up your other thread and listened to your recordings of fan noise. I agree, the buzzing/whistling seems more bothersome than the fan noise. I will stay on top of the discussion boards for information on BIOS releases. Thanks again!

 

Thanks for your reply. I am actually hoping that since I am not a gamer that I am going to be somewhat safe with the heat issues since that's where I have seen most of the issues creep up. Although I am on my PC for typically 12 + hours a day with research and writing, I am hoping that with a cooling pad I can keep the unit at a reasonable temp. Plus, as others have suggested, I am hoping that Dell has fixed many of the other concerns via BIOS releases and updates.

I am glad to know that you are happy with your purchase. That makes me feel better! Thanks again for your help!

 

I'm not a gamer either 'jenndf' (at least not yet ) so haven't really put my DELL under max stress. I've installed a temp monitoring util and have checked the CPU core temps from time to time. So far it reached a highest temp of 75 deg C running the Windows 'bubbles' screensaver of all things! Those transparent, multi-colored bubbles fairly whiz round the screen and look very pretty no doubt requiring a fair bit of work from the GPU+CPU while doing so.

I'm gonna do some HD video transcoding soon which should be more of a test and I'll post results...

 

Yes, however those whistling and buzzing noises are pretty low, so that daytime noises around usually cause that you don't hear them (I made those recordings at night to avoid ambient noises). The whistling sound is definitely coming from the Toshiba HD.

 

The problem with the cooling system is three fold:

#1. The thermal application is beyond sloppy with more outside and around the CPU and GPU than on them.

#2. The few thermal pads used can routinely be off center

#3. There is a sizable gap between the fan and the shared exhaust vent. In addition, the GPU and CPU each have their own vent that "lock" together to form one vent but the supporting cushions to align the vents are weak and the GPU vent can sit lower and partially obstruct the CPU vent. In addition, there is a decent sized gap between these too.

The optimal solution is to replace the compound with something decent (MX-2, MX-3, etc...) in a competent fashion, make sure the thermal pads are where they need to be and use electrical tape to create a flexible seal between the fan and the vents and one for the vents and shore up the sagging GPU vent a smidge.

Not only will your temps drop noticeably (My 1747 passed both Prime95 Max Heat w/ a 920XM a 55w chip and Furmark GPU), but under load you will definitely notice more air moving and excess heat that would radiate up towards the top left keyboard will decrease slightly.

CPU Temps after 30 min Prime95 Max heat 8-thread w/ 920XM on 1747


The 1749 is identical internally and like the 1745/7 it comes down to the system board being used.

Buzzing/hissing:

I finally encountered a 1747 w/ a noticeable buzzing sound in the right speaker that emitted sound regardless of sound being played. The only way to silence it was to mute the sound.

The problem turned out to be a pinched cable for the front speakers that was supposed to be above the system board but had somehow been folded down below it. Once released, the buzzing/whining noise of the right speaker went away. I can see how this cable can accidentally get pulled/pinched when installing/servicing the main system board.

 

Holy Crap! You totally lost me, electrosoft! Damn, I wish I knew as much about this stuff as you do! Too bad you live in Jersey and not in SW PA. I could just plop my PC on your lap and pay you to tinker with it instead of farting around with Dell. There is no way in the world I would be able to do what you described above so if I take the plunge I would be at the mercy of Dell tech support.

I appreciate your input. I have some time to keep reading some of the feedback from fellow posters here and on other boards before I have to make any decisions. It's sad that we have to do SOOOOO much research before we make a purchase nowadays to ensure we don't get a lemon!

 

^^ To play devil's advocate, it's also awesome that we can do so much research to avoid lemons and get the best options.

I do agree however ... it shouldn't be our job to do the product testing and problem solving. That should be done before a product is released.

Oh yeah, and I also agree that electrosoft is an awesome contributor on these forums. Thanks man!

 

Amen to that - esp re electrosoft's contributions.

Might be of interest; I transcoded (or is that encoded?) a 1Hr 1080p MKV video file to 720p using Handbrake last night. Took about 1.5hrs and had all cores humming at 60-90% so finally my Studio's had a decent workout. Max temp hit was 78 degs, the cores stayed mainly in the range 70-75 degs for the duration with the fan on 'hair-dryer' mode. So cooling seems OK at the mo.

 

That's refreshing to hear . Thanks.

 

Yeah, it can definitely be hit or miss and I say more hits than misses because I'm an optimist.

You're right Ice. We shouldn't have to fix Dell's (or any company's) sloppy workmanship coming off the line.

 

Okay, guys. I took the plunge and bought the Studio 17 last night configured with the i7 Processor, 1GB video card, and 1 TB HD. It seems as if more and more of the problems I've heard about have either been [somewhat] resolved with the the BIOS releases or PSU upgrades or are livable otherwise.

I've been "chatting" with a sales rep that already put me in touch with a supervisor to address my concerns. The sup told me if I have any issues within my 21 days and am not satisfied 100%, he'll let me send the unit back via him without zinging me with the 15% restocking fee so I figured I don't really have anything to lose at this point. I guess time will tell. I am not one to get into a pissing match with so this guy/Dell will have his/their hands full if I get a run around ......

Time will tell. I am still going to keep track of these posts; I like hearing about how things are working out for everyone and I am learning a lot. I will also update how my experience is coming along. Hopefully I will have good luck. Thanks to everyone for your advice and input .

 

sweet 'jenndf', let us know how you get on when your new baby arrives

BTW Did you get the FHD screen? For me that's the compelling feature of these Studio's, head n shoulders above other screens out there. Otherwise there're lots of similar core i7 beasts out there (no doubt with their own issues and glitches)

 

electrosoft (or anyone else who might know) are there any freeware benchmark programmes out there I could use to give my Studio a good heat test? Thanks

 

Yes, Coruja, I did get the FHD screen. How could I resist ? I am excited and can't wait to get her up and running. I'll post here as soon as I can. Cheers !

 

There are a few... Prime95 is quite popular. It should get your temps soaring.

DJ
--

 

Cool (or rather; hot!) - thx Trottelheimer

 

Aye, Prime95 max heat 8-thread for CPU
Furmark for GPU

Let each run 30 minutes and make sure you have a 130w PSU.

If you really want to bring the heat, run both at the same time.

 

hmm ive been lurking around these forums lately and ive yet to see a screen comparo between the B+RG screens (been searching everywhere to see one, no cigar) and a regular 1600x900 screen from dell.
(i have seen this one in person but not the b+rg).

Also how does the screen compare to the sony F series. I know its screen isnt a LED but it does look nice after calibration. if any knows or seen the difference and if its a huge difference (for graphic design) that will be awesome if someone will let me know

thanks (sorry for off topic)

 

Thx electrosoft - I'll see about bracing DELL Support for that 130 PSU today.

BTW, if anyone like me got a single HDD (to save some $'s) and fancies upgrading by adding a second, I found this is a breeze. There's a video here

YouTube - How to Add a 2nd Hard Drive (or SSD) to a DELL Studio 17 (models 1745, 1747, 1749, 1735, 1737)

You need the caddy as a HDD doesn't come with it (not that I've found anyhow). I got it from Newmodeus:

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

I can confirm the caddy is nicely made - very nice tight tolerance and all screws lined up perfectly (screws come with caddy). Delivery was fast (USA to Canada) and no extra fees.

Saved about $100 on DELL's upgrade charge (from 1x500gb to 2x500gb) and now have a 1TB beast

 

I too was looking at the Sony F but gave up waiting for the FHD screen here in Canada (now finally it's available again). If you check out the F series owner's lounge (part 3!) you'll see there's a lot of dissent /complaint about the FHD screen (the HD+ is roundly panned). Problems with light bleed and v poor viewing angles and an average at best colour gamut. None pro's don't care about this last but if you're a pro you will I expect.

It seems that the quality of the F screen is very variable - they can be OK or very bad. No doubt there's some subjectivity at play. I haven't heard any complaints of the Studio FHD screen - it's true high quality (reflected in the higher upgrade price) not just higher res, but colour gamut, brightness and viewing angles. I've never scene any objective stats, in a review or on here. Mybe electrosoft has some? I know electrosoft ended up preferring it, or liking it as least as much as the XPS 16 RGB screen which according to Notebookcheck is about the best (none IPS) laptop screen they've ever tested. See electrosofts comparo here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...1747-vs-dell-studio-xps-16-a.html#post6368953

I've never seen the Sony F FHD screen myself so can't say for sure, but if you want a really good screen (and can't afford an HP Elitebook Dreamcolour http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...7-dreamcolor-ips-screen-into.html#post6473368) then you won't be disappointed with the DELL's.

 

I've got the 1747 and first ordered the 16X9 screen. It was so horrible I had to return the laptop. There is no decent viewing angle no matter how you position the screen. If you pull it forward the top is washed out and if you push it back the bottom half is too dark. And there is no looking at it from the side. You can't see a thing. Reading text on it was impossible without getting a headache.

I was able to get one from the outlet with the b+rg screen and it is beautiful. Excellent viewing from any angle and crystal clear for reading. I'll never buy a regular screen again.

Never seen the Sony's so I can't comment on them.

 

My daughter has a 1749 w/ the 1600x900 and the panel is decent. They are LG panels. Viewing angles are lacking at Bukket indicated, but it isn't a deal breaker for her as she is primarily right in front of it. The quality is ok and it is adequately bright.

There's no comparison next to the 1920x1080 panel which is much brighter, has much better viewing angles and the obvious colors.

 

Speaking of that 1080p panel, is it gone for good on the Studio 1747 models?

I was going through the system builder on Dell.co.uk and theres just no way for me to get an i7-720QM and a 1080p screen. I use my computer for music production and the software and plugins I use mostly have support for 4x cores. But I'm also a single screen user and it has to be *huge* in order to fit plugins, tracking window, piano roll and mixer all on the one screen. Otherwise theres alot of needless shuffling around of windows/minimizing.

This has turned out to be more frustrating than I hoped it would be. I like the look of the Studio 17 and the custom artwork is a really neat touch and I can pick up a good one for less than £760.00. It just has to have a 900p screen. The similarly specified XPS 16 with a 1080p screen costs over a grand and thats a touch more than I want to spend.

edit:

17.3" Full High Definition (1920x1080) LED with TL

I'm guessing this is not the same as the B+RG screen you guys are talking about either right?

 

There is kind of comparison:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-dell-studio-1749-fan-noises-1749-1747-a.html

 

Has anyone found a solution to the fan problem where the fan will spin up and stay spinning even though the processor is idle? I end up rebooting to reset the fan, but surely there must be a fix for this?

Also, is it possible to upgrade screen? I have 1600x900 touch screen. Would like to know if it is possible to purchase a 1920x1080p B+RG screen and fit it.

 

I do not know any fix, but instead of rebooting you may load CPU to maximum with a software testing stability of the system (like Everest). Running such test for a few seconds (and then stopping the test) would also cause the fan to stop spinning non-stop.

Also complain to Dell about that - they should know that it is a common problem. When people do not complain in masses they consider it rare events, and claim that milions of users are happy, so they do not do anything to fix it.

 

I haven't got my Studio 1749 yet (build still in progress) but I used to battle Shuttle's variable RPM ICE fan all the time. I don't know how restricted Dell's bios is but with Shuttle you can set the temperature range of the fan in the BIOS and after a while Shuttle even developed a windows system tray utility called XPC Tools and from there you can adjust the maximum and minimum fan speed and the temperature at which it starts throttling. The ICE fan and PSU fan could get extremely loud - at times when it was throttling at 2200 rpm it sounded like a dustbuster was sitting permanently on my desk.

Some other things you can do to mitigate the issue to some degree:

1) Ensure that all vents are open and not blocked.

2) Reseat the heatsink over the CPU and make sure that a thin layer thermal paste has been properly applied to the CPU's heat spreader. Too much or too little = less effective at dissipating heat. I'm guessing opening your Dell in this way will void the warranty however.

3) Get the ambient room temperature down with air conditioning or by leaving windows open. The CPU cannot idle at a lower than ambient room temperature or even at room temperature.

4) Undervolt the CPU so that it consumes less power and run cooler. Even a small decrease in core voltage can result in a fairly drastic reduction in temperature. It is possible to undervolt to the point of instability so again, inform yourself and exercise caution before you try it. Undervolting won't damage your CPU (speedstep, Cool & Quiet et al are just automated undervolts) but if you go too far your computer can hang or become unresponsive and you can lose data etc.

EDIT: Looks like you can't underclock or undervolt Core iSeries processors. Well thats pooey...

5) If necessary, break out a can of compressed air and blast away that dust and lint. Over time my old Shuttle box would become very dusty inside, the fans and vents would clog and board temperatures would increase which made the ICE fan throttle sooner.

 

I have a 1749 (B+RG 1920x1080) due in Thursday or Friday.

I'll take pics and compare it side by side more indepth with my daughter's 1749 (WLED 1600x900).

I have a thread somewhere around here comparing the 1747 and 1645 so you can get some screen angle/pics action there too.

 

Those are all good tips for dealing with excessive heat. But that's not the problem with the 1749; it just has fan behaviour that is annoying to many people. The worst being (the plain old bug) when it keeps going at full speed with the CPU cores sitting at a cool 28 degrees Celsius - a bad case of delusional fan control software.

--

 

And still no BIOS update to solve this annoying fan issue.

 

I wasn't expecting to get a fix anytime soon, but i must admit i'm a bit disappointed, at least because we still have no tangible proof that this issue is acknowledged by Dell.

Some said a fix is in the works, but the BS can be strong with support. And even if it is true, it doesn't garantee it will work.

 

The 1745 and 1747 had a BIOS update lately.
From the reactions it seems this update did solve some problems with the fan controller.
So I still keep my fingers crossed...

 

I have not noticed any significant improvement (it still turns on and off when CPU is idle in 1747 with the new BIOS).

 

I guess this rumor is out of this world then.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/420136-new-dell-studio-17-announced-studio-1745-47-a-155.html#post6439700

It seems a sad prospect for the 1749.

 

Sorry, I spoke to soon re BIOS A10 fixing this for the 1747. The run-away fan happened the other day; spinning away and cooling the CPU to ~30 degs with nothing running! When I stressed the CPU (using Handbrake) the fan got quieter almost immediately (the opposite of what I'd expect). After Handbrake was done fan and CPU went back to normal idle with CPU at ~ 50 degs.

 

On another note I finally called DELL support re the replacment 130W PSU. At first the support guy told me I already had a 125W adapter, when it's the voltage that's 125! I said no I didn't think so, it was a 90W adapter. He put me on hold then came back after some time and said yes, no problem, they'd send a 130W adapter. Then his manager wanted a word and said yes they knew about this issue and did I have any other problems...So, I end up being happy and anticipating arrival of said 130W adapter.

2 days later a package arrives from DELL - great! That's pretty impressive service. I open it up only to find...another 90W adapter! So now I have 2. Great. Not so great service after all.

Call number 2 to Dell support coming soon...

 

LOL, thank you for my chuckle of the day.

I have amassed quite a pile of 90w Dell adapters here, so I found this especially funny.

 

Good news everyone! Finally some reaction on Dell Community

"DELL-Terry B

Engineering has approved an update that should help with this issue. We should be launching it on our driver site very shortly. I will post further info regarding the update once it has been released."

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19321860/19723717.aspx

ps: couldn't make the quote work properly sorry, time to go to bed for me i'm too tired to try and make this work lol

 

Dell has a tradition of misleading its customers:
News Headlines

 

lol, dragonf: Dell's biggest fan!

 

Not a huge deal, but about a week ago a small white dot appeared on my screen. You can only see it against a white background. It doesn't really bother me - and I'm definitely not going to ask for a screen replacement for such a small issue - but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do on my end.

 

Here it is:
Re: studio 1749 fan noise/temperature problems - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

Again I keep my fingers crossed....
It's starting to hurt by now.

 

I got my 1749 yesterday and for the little amount of time I've used it I am happy with it. Very happy. I got the I5 540m, 4 gig ram, 500 gig HD, 1920X1080 screen, 5650 GPU, Spring Green Microsatin finish. The fan is so much quieter compared to my old Dell 9300. It spins up quickly on start up but then stops and I haven't noticed it, but I haven't given it any intense tasks yet so we will see.

 

Can you please check if you have the same HD model as mine, and if it whistles like mine:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-1749-fan-noises-1749-1747-a.html#post6398149
The room has to be quiet to hear it, so better listen to it at night if you're in a noisy environment at daytime.

And also check it with HD Tune Pro.

Also check other issues listed in that post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-1749-fan-noises-1749-1747-a.html#post6398149
For those who read that post in the past: I updated it with a picture of scratches caused by USB port, and a film showing distortions on the screen.