OFFICIAL: Studio 17 Owner's Thread

Hello all, To start out,I'm not very computer literate.I've been comparing laptops and this looks like a winner. So,I'm about to submit my order for the Dell Studio 17. I will mostly be using it for surfing,online movies,dvd's and some light gaming. Will this configuration meet my needs? The total price comes to $1,004 with coupon. Also,will the RGB LED display really make much of a difference when watching dvd's?


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1 64 Bit

WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis

HD DISPLAY Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920x1200)

MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

HARD DRIVE Size: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650

OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card

BLUETOOTH Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.1)

INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam

BATTERY OPTIONS 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)

SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0

KEYBOARD Back-lit Keyboard

 

hi, brian. i think you choose the rit computer. imo, studio 17 is the best 17 consumer lappy currently available with awesome rgb lcd and excelent iphone/ipod quality sound , plus it looks stylish.
and yes rgb led screen is a must have. you may wanna buy after market memory and hard drives. also 1st year in home service is optional, most new laptops dont have problems on 1st year. studio 17 has very good build quality and funtioning parts. you can buy extended in home warranty at the end of 1y limited mail in service. you can also upgrade the wireless card to dell 1510 n card, which can be found on ebay.

 

Looking seriously at a customized Studio 17. I've been looking for compare & contrast information on the display types being offered:

Glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440X900)
(+$0)

Bright, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch WLED display (1440x900)
(+$125)

Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1920x1200)
(+$150)

Bright, Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch RGB LED display (1920x1200)
(+250)

Can anyone point me to a good link or thread that will tell me how these displays compare to each other? Mostly I'm not sure what Dell means by "bright". I haven't had much luck googling or using the search forum search function.

I wasn't sure if this post was more appropriate here or in the hardware forum. Admin please delete if I'm in wrong place. Thanks in advance for help.

 

hi, pete, you can find the info on notebookcheck.net
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell.1366.0.html

 

I find the sound quality awful on the 1737 compared to my previous laptop, an Acer Aspire 5920G. It's fine through headphones or a good set of speakers but the internal speakers seem terrible.

 

idk what kind of speakers are in ur laptop, but the ones in 1737 are more than decent for a laptop, sound quality is great if you got a good pair of earbuds.

 

nomoredell,
That was a good link for Studio 17 reviews, but I didn't see anything comparing or explaining the different display features. Again, it's the "Bright" feature that I'm not understanding. Does it just mean xtra glossy? Is it protective like HP's infinity screen? Just looking for more information.

 

http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Dell-Studio-17-Notebook.10768.0.html
cant find the english version.

 

thanks for the reply. I'll try updating video and wireless drivers the next time I see him.

 

LOL. Thanks. If I get desperate I'll run it through Bable fish!

 

That's the exactly how I configured mine (minus bluetooth); I'll hopefully get it tomorrow!

I would upgrade the DVD drive to Blu-ray before getting the WUXGA RGB LED Display. I was going to go with the studio 15, but then I realized I could get a better GPU, larger screen, and few more pounds (of material) for about $50 more.

 

gratz to all studio 17 owners, studio 17 is a winner when it comes to gaming.
i played crysis on it, game run very smooth and graphics is as good as it gets. didnt have fraps installed , my estimate is on all med settings with 1440x900 res, fps is around 20-25, always 20+ even in water. in 1024x768 defalt res, 25-30 fps; unplayable in 1600x1050.

compared to my last comp gateway p7811fx, studio 17 definitely bettered in overall gaming experience, the graphics and sound are much better. even though studio 17 is only playable in all med while p7811fx can play in all high, video quality on studio 17 is clearly sharper and more life like.
didnt experience any lag with ati 3650, guess i was wrong about ati cards.
with a super sharp rgb led, it covers up the deficiency of ati video. 3dmark06 score is 2980, kinda low, 8600m gt is 3600, 9600m gt 4000, 8700m gt 4400, 9800m gts 8700.

 

about how to boot up into 2nd hard drive:
press f2 at startup to bring up bios, go to boot-hard drive, use arrow key to select the hd, press +or - key make the hd primary, then f10 save & exit, finally enter .

also, you can enable "quickboot" on bios, by default its disabled.
quickboot will cut short startup time. /cheers

 

I have the 1737:
- Intel® Core2 Duo mobile processor T6400
- 4GB memory
- 320GB HD
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

A few times throughout the day my screen flickers and then i get a pop-up message telling me, "Display driver igfx stopped responding and has successfully recovered." This happens even if i am just working on excel and have WMP playing music.

It is a work laptop, and i purchased from BestBuy. I took it back to let the GeekSquad look at it, and they had no idea! They just gave me a new laptop and told me to update the drivers. I expected that from the GS since they all seem like noobs anyway, but you gotta play the game with new purchases.

Anyway, with a newer 1737 and updated drivers, i still get the error.

Does anyone know of a fix for this?

Thanks.

 

Does anyone know of a fix for this?
lets try to fix the computer by doing the opposite---remove intel display driver both from program list and hard drive.

 

Serious?

Wouldn't that make the hardware unusable?

I guess i don't understand what you are proposing.

Thanks for your help.

 

Just got my studio 17 yesterday.

When I open it up with a finger or thumb near the center of the screen by the webcam I sometimes hear a small popping sound. Sort of sounds like something is popping back into place. It does not happen all the time. If I open from the side there is no sound

Anybody else experience this?

 

If I buy a Studio 17 with a Pentium Dual Core T4200, can I upgrade it to a Core 2 Duo later?


Edit:

Welcome to Vista. This is a well-known issue that no manufacturer wants to really acknowledge. Neither Microsoft, Nvidia or ATI have publicly acknowledged the issue exists. This is the first time I've heard about it happening with Intel GPUs, though. Try googling the error message, complete with quotes, and it might get you somewhere.

I've been participating in a thread for the ATI side that's been detailing the issue since March of 07. The most common fix is to turn off Aero Glass (Vista Basic or Windows Classic themes).

 

http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx

ATI driver issue has been resolved since last year...suggest you try updating your drivers.

 

I'm running the latest drivers. If I plug in a secondary monitor, I'll get a rolling TDR (between 6-8) and a lockup/reboot with a "frozen snow" screen. The issue is NOT fixed.

Edit: This is on my desktop. My old laptop (vista ult w/x300) doesn't have the issue. I never tried a secondary monitor on it, though.

 

The Studio 17's are nice in that they offer a lot of customization so I don't necessarily have to upgrade to stuff I don't need. The battery life (from what I've heard) is one of the best, and the wife really likes that she can put some custom paint on it. Man, I'd really be happy if anyone could answer even a few of my questions (listed below)!

Color: Some kind of pretty color
CPU: 2.4Ghz
Mem: 4Gb
Display: Bright, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch WLED display (1440x900)
Vid card: 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
Battery: 85 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
HD: 250 Gb
no extra software

It comes in at $1,179.

I started with the bare bones customization. Funny thing.. it only offers ONE version of windows vista home premium, but it doesn't tell you if this is the 32-bit version or the 64-bit. Does anyone know?

COUPONS! Man, I just missed what appeared to be a $250 coupon. It expired on the 26th of March the same day I started window shopping. Does anyone know of ANY coupons/rebates/etc. on the Studio 17? Does Dell usually keep replacing old coupons with new ones? Does Dell have any sort of retroactive coupon match? I mean, say I buy the Studio 17 today and in two weeks they come out with a big coupon... can I call them and get the discount?

Do you think my core components are balanced well? CPU too beefy for the vid card?

For those who have seen the 1440x900 LED display, how do you like it? Is it worth the upgrade cost? I plan to keep the laptop for a long while and I heard the LEDs last longer.

I heard a rumor that the Dells run a little hot. Any truth to that?

I upgraded to the 9 cell battery. It's my understanding that the components you have can really impact how long the battery charge will last. Can anyone speculate on how long my battery will last based on the above configuration?

I posted days ago at the "What Notebook should I buy" thread, but have gotten no useful response there. I hope the admins don't mind me asking these studio 17 specific questions... I'm ready to buy soon.
Titled "Laptop Buying Advice - Sims 3"
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=368154

Thanks. ANY information, especially about the coupons, would be greatly appreciated.

Pete

 

$250 off Dell Studio 15 Laptops $1099+ Coupon Code: 0TT7M$DD72RV37 Apr 30, 2009
no coupon for studio 17 atm.
9 cell battery can last 3 hours max on full brightness just browsing the internet. and led screen has 15 brightness settings, led at 50% of full britness is brighter than ccfl ones at full britness.
9 cell battery elevates the back up by 1 inch, dont stick out like others.
just adds1 inch to the height.

 

Thanks nomoredell. I just read a consumer reports review that suggested the studio 17 batteries last closer to 5 hours, but I'll take your word over theirs.

The coupon listed here...
http://www.notebookreview.com/dellCoupon.asp
suggests that the coupon you mention also applies to the Studio 17 line. Do you know if this WAS offered for Studio 17, but it just expired? Or, was it never offered for the Studio 17, even before the original March 26th deadline. If the offered it once, the may offer it again.

Thanks for taking the time to post!
Pete

 

you are welcome, pete.
there was $250 off coupon applicable to both studio 15 & 17 which expired on3/26 . this is the best coupon site
http://www.techbargains.com/dellcoupons.cfm

im not so sure if there will be anotehr coupon for studio 17 though, that rgb led screen is a very expensive component at this time.

 

You want the LED screen. My husband uses the same machine you are looking at and loves it. I always liked the screen on my 1720 until I saw the LED. It is a beautiful screen and I love the 1440 x 900 resolution.

The palm rest stays cool even while gaming.

Are you getting a backlit keyboard? It is nice to have.

I bought his through the outlet and got it for $849. Coupons come and go all the time. You can also call sales and see if they can find any coupons.

 

Just took a look at the site. The base version includes 32 bit Vista. The other one has 64 bit Vista, 4 gb ram, in home service, larger hard drive, and a better wireless card. And all of it is only $100. So if you want 64 bit it is a good deal.

 

Well, I went ahead and ordered one. Got the following:

224-4296 Studio 1737, Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200, 2.0GHz 800Mhz, 1M L2 Cache
1 313-7198 Jet Black Paint Studio 1737
1 311-8623 3GB, DDR2, 800MHz 2 Dimm
1 330-0559 Standard Keyboard
1 320-6897 Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440x900)
1 320-7274 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
1 341-7834 250G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 420-8566 Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
1 330-1800 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP INSP 1737
1 463-2282 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer
1 420-8223 Dell Video Chat
1 420-7622 Dell Support Center Software 32 Bit 2.0
1 420-6436 Vista, PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-9106 eBay Web Access Icon
1 421-0323 Windows Live Search,Multiple User Interface
1 421-0427 Dell Movie Store
1 410-1883 ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
1 313-6256 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
1 420-8159 Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition,Factory Installed
1 420-9763 Media Direct 4.0
1 330-2350 Media Direct 4.0 Compact Diskette
1 313-4783 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
1 430-2929 Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
1 320-6653 Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
1 461-8389 No Virus Protection Requested
1 312-0707 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 412-0148 No ISP requested
1 412-1397 No Productivity Software requested
1 950-3337 1 Year Limited Warranty
1 992-4137 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus Return To Depot, Initial Year
1 950-9057 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 991-3680 Mail-InService, 24x7 TechnicalSupport, Initial Year
1 960-2780 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 420-8310 Creative Camera SW
1 320-7623 Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440x900) w/ 2.0M pixel Camera
1 310-9752 Intel Pentium Dual Core Label
1 310-8628 You have chosen a Windows Vista Premium System
1 313-6280 NO FINGER PRINT READER

Shipping: $0
Taxes: $0
Total: $674.90

Can't decide on a t5800 or t6400 from fleabay. The T5800s are cheap, but the T6400 gives more speed and less power usage, but are around $80.

I also wish I had gotten the backlit keyboard, but when I ordered, I didn't realize it was only a $22 upgrade, or I would've.

 

I'm not so sure. If you actually start at the base version of the 17", it lists vista (and offers the ultimate version) but it doesn't say if it's 32-bit or 64-bit. If it IS 32-bit, then why do they offer a 4GB upgrade if 32-bit can't use it? (The only other system memory option is 3GB.)
http://www.dell.com/content/product...laptop_studio_17?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Thanks for your other advice too Bukket. I'm a little nervous about buying refurbished. I'm not sure how long you've been watching the Studio 17s, but you say coupons come and go. Do you think there's a good chance another $250 coupon will come along on the 17s?

Thanks for the monitor advice. I also heard the LEDs last longer. If the coupon was still offered, I think I'd order one today, but for now I'm gonna wait.

Another thing about the base version is that because there are no discounts on it, further coupons can be applied. I'm not sure that's true about the "spotlight pick" version.

Thanks for you feedback!

 

This is a bit of info on my Dell 17" 1737. Check out my previous couple of posts.

The screen 17" LED RGB Hi-Res 1920x1200 is very bright and awesome.

I opted for the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Card and if you can afford it get a pair of Bose On Ear Headphones, the sound is incredible and my first Movie was Transformers(DVD) not Blu-Ray which I do have and watched a Bond Movie Casino Royale which is Blu-Ray not much difference but none the less worth watching on this machine.

Someone mentioned the popping sound, I will say that the skin around the keyboard is very thin and I have dented it with little pressure and its not supported well under said skin so mine creeks in lower right corner if my arm leans on it just right.

I would also say that the functions buttons which light up briefly on contact are a pain in the dark. I like the concept but an option would be to have them on continuiously as a settings option if you like, ( I would)

 

I have the older version of the 17 inch lappy and love the LED screen.

The backlit kb is a plus in typing in the dark.

 

I'm sure the first is Vista 32. They offer 4GB for every system that has Vista 32. I've got 4GB in mine. Vista can use it. Just not all of it. If you go with 3GB you lose dual channel.

The spotlight pick has the option to upgrade to 8GB which is for the Vista 64. The base system would offer 8GB if it was Vista 64.

 

Well, it's on it's way. Shipped 4/6, arrives 4/9. Since everybody ordered the fastest CPUs they can get, I'll let ya'll know how the T4200 performs.

 

My sound silly, but I thought it would be fun to watch movies on the laptop outside at night. Do you think the back lit keyboard would be a distraction?

 

I called Dell. You were right Buckket, it's 32-bit. Would have been easier had they listed it!

 

You can turn it off. It has an off/low/high setting.

 

just discovered a problem with studio 1737's sound system.
i installed idt sound driver from dell.com today, and noticed immediately drop of sound quality both on speaker and from earbud.
after i unstalled the idt driver, the sound is back to crisp clear iphone/ipod quality.
another bad driver from hardware manufacturers.

 

guys,

I have just ordered a studio 17 with dual 500gb 5400 rpm drives.

The question is does studio 17 support Raid 0 via the bios? From what I gather in the forums, the answer is no. Correct me if I am wrong.

So if I want to implement raid 0, my only choice is through vista dynamic disk? I ordered home premium 64 bit. I have read that since SP1, home premium can create dynamic disk. However, I can't find it documented in microsoft website.

Bottomline is I want to implement Raid 0 on my studio 17. Is it a must to upgrade to Vista ultimate?

thanks for any help

 

Hello All,

I have had the 1737 for a month now, and find it a bit a bit slow as compared to an hp with similar specs. The only difference was that the hp was running vista 64 and the studio is running vista 32 (both with 4 gigs of ram).

I am wondering if I can just purchase a vista 64 upgrade for my vista 32 current version, or do I have to purchase a full blown vista 64. Dell shipped some cd's with my system, but I am not sure if an upgrade will recognize it, as its most likely dell specific.

specs of my 1737
core 2 duo 2.4 1066
4gb ddr2 800mhz 2dimm

I appreciate any advice you can provide.

 

Your license for Vista is good for 32-bit and 64-bit. You do not need to purchase another copy to use 64-bit.

There are a few ways you can get the 64-bit edition.

1) Ask Dell to send you a copy, sometimes it takes a few tries at Dell Chat, but they DO have 64-bit editions and they can send them to you. I've had them do it for me twice, so don't let them tell you that you can't.

2) There is a way to order 64-bit media from Microsoft. Not sure how, and you may have to pay shipping, but I know its possible.

3) Download 64-bit edition somewhere on the internet, and use your cd-key with it. There are no legality issues since you own a license to Vista and you will be using that license for that version.

 

question about this model of battery, works with studio 1737?
if its compatible with 1735, it shall work with 1737?


Item Name
New Dell Studio XPS 1535 1536 1735 battery WU946 WU960

Condition
Brand new

Mfg. part no.


Mfg. model no.
WU946

Specifications
11.1Volt 56Wh

Compatibility
Dell Studio XPS 1535, 1536 and 1735 series laptop



Also compatible with the following Dell model no.

KM904, KM905, MT264, MT276, PW773, WU946, WU960, WU965

 

9 cell battery makes the viewing angle really uncomfortable.
the front is only 1 inch high, but the back is close to 3 inches with extended 9 cell lifted the back up one more inch.
at home, i usually take out the battery so my eyes are level with the screen instead of "looking up" at the screen.

 

I recently purchased a refurbished Studio 1737 from Dell. The CPU is the T9400 2.53GHZ with 6MHz cache and is listed at 1066MHz FSB. I ran several system checking software suites which showed errors in the hardware configuration because the motherboard is only capable of supporting a FSB of 800MHz.
Does anyone have a similar issue or can provide an explanation about this? I know the memory is 800MHz but I expected this deluxe CPU to be supported by the motherboard and run at 1066MHZ.
Thanks for any replies.

 

Anyone notice this phenomenon with the RGB LED type screen? When looking at darker screens like HardForum for example I can sometimes see the red and green stripes when I look at the screen real quick or look away. Sometimes the colored stripes seem to stay in front of my eyes for a split second.

Just something I have noticed over the few months that I have have owned the 1737.

 

How is the battery life on 9-cell? I can get 2 hours on 6-cell [power saver] on HP so is it 3-4 hours here on power saver?

 

If you have a 1737 and not 1735, then you should be able to run 1066MHz processors just fine.

If you don't have CPU-Z, download and run it, and tell us what your chipset is. If it's PM965 or GM965, then 1066MHz FSB will not work. If it's PM45 or GM45, then it will work just fine.

I assume it's the '45 chipset, though, since the '965 doesn't support 800MHz memory.

 

Mastershroom:
Thanks for your information. I downloaded and ran the CPU-Z program and it shows that I have the Intel PM45 chipset. The SiSoftware Sandra and Fresh Diagnose programs both show the maximum FSB speed of my motherboard as 800MHz, instead of 1066MHz and report an error. I contacted Dell support about this and they were no help whatsoever and kept stating that I was beyond the 21 day return policy. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

 

CPUZ should show you your correct FSB. SiSoft Sandra is notoriously inaccurate, and I've never heard of this "fresh diagnose" program. I wouldn't trust either of them.

Post complete information (ie: a screenshot or just list what each field says) from CPUZ for more help.

 

Since your chipset is PM45, then you can use 1066MHz FSB.

 

Do any of you carry it around to school? The battery life seems good but how is the portability other than the 17" screen which makes the size bigger.

 

17" notebooks are generally considered to be desktop replacements, and are usually rather stationary. I've used 17" models before, and they are reasonably portable. If you have a good backpack (the kind designed for a 17" laptop), then it's pretty easily carried on your back. It's not good for carrying under your arm like a textbook, though.