Some thoughts about my new D830

Specs:
CPU: T7700 Core2 2.4GHz
RAM: 3.5G
HD: 160GB Momentus® 7200.2
DVD: R/RW writer
Video: nVidea Quadro NVS 140M
Video RAM: 256M
OS: Vista Business

Vista Experience is:
Component Details Subscore Base score
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7700 @ 2.40GHz 5.3
Memory (RAM) 3.50 GB 4.8
Graphics NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 3.4
Gaming graphics 1790 MB Total available graphics memory 4.2
Primary hard disk 118GB Free (147GB Total) 5.2

Final score: 3.4

- The machine looks good (not great). I have expected a better look but that's fine.
- Screen is very good. I really like it. I love my 15.4 WUXGA
- Speed is ok, I expected much better performance. Compared to my 3 years old Centreno HP, it only feels 10-20% better. The main culpert here is Vista. Vista is just awful. I had to download like 3GB of updates. Unbelivable.
- Mouse pad, I just hate is so much. Even my old HP is much more functional. Believe it or not, there is no space for vertical and horizental scrools?!!! Very annoying indeed
- Support, no driver cd found?!! why?! my screen has been identified by Vista as generic!! even my graphics card was identified as generic. I had to download the driver from microsoft update and I'm still facing a lot of issues. The driver crashes everytime I restart. Still need to be resolved.


Generally speeking, I feel ok with the machine, I've got couple of issues with it, an issue with the stuiped Vista, and an issue with Dell properly setting up the machine with the correct drivers and patches.

Would I buy Dell again? maybe, but definitly not going to buy mail order, I just need to check the machine first to make sure it really fit my needs. If I'm going to choose today, I would go with a 14.1" XPS or similar machine from HP.

Cheers.
dMan

 

The only thing unbelievable (besides your spelling) is that statement. 3GB of updates? Highly doubt it.

Did you install the Synaptic driver? Every Dell I've *EVER* used has made use of scrolling from the Touchpad.

 

You can set up both horizontal and vertical scrolling for the touchpad...it doesn't have markings on the touchpad, but if you go into settings, you should be able to enable either or both.

dordale

 

Sorry for the bad speeling (err spelling)

Office 2007 SP1 is about 250MB, for some reason, update wanted to install Office 2003 SP3!!, so I had to accept this. Add more than 70 Vista hot fixes, may be not 3GB, more like 2.999GB . Add also to those the drivers I had to download from Dell site.

I did install touchpad driver, it's not the problem, the actual problem is that the touchpad doesn't have physical sections that separate the scroll section from navigation section, this is very confusing since I'm used to HP touchpad.

 

Yup, it functions ok after updating the driver. However, my main problem with it is that it has NO markings. This is amazing that such new machine doesn't have such basic yet very important feature.

 

Forgot to ask you about one thing,
The lowest score in Vista Experience was nVidia Quadro 140M (3.4). I'm really surprised that even after updating the driver the score still the same.

Is this normal?
I thought nVidia is considered among the high end cards

 

The Quadro 140m is a low power mid-lower range professional gpu from nvidia, not some supercharged amazing behemoth. Expect some power but not much.

 

Hi Dman...
I wait mine for this Monday...
I have great expectation, so do not destroy it!
I would like to ask you something: is there a place for the security cable, like Kensington MicroSaver or Pocket Saver?
Thanks...
Ah, for the video card, I think you should try with other drivers then the Dell's ones...
I do not remember if here or in Hardware Upgrade forum, but someone did it and he was posting also the driver name... I guess it may be the one who reviewed the D830 here...
Also you can go on Nvidia forums to ask...
Anyway, why to look at scores? DO you like it as it looks? I guess you do not play games, if not you would have not choosen such a notebook. So, everything should be just more than fine for you.
Scores are the way system control us...
And we run as stupid sheeps beyond them, or like a mule with the...mmm, I should have an english dictionary, but I have not... Well, the orange one, Carot?

 

Sorry, still don't believe it's 3gb of updates.

What does it matter if there are no physical markings on the touchpad? It's not like the markings have any bearing on the actual functionality of the scroll function.

 

Hi Sir Joe, my replies in RED.

 

Khris, you just don't believe it huh , you didn't spend a full day downloading updates like I did for Vista and Office 2007. In any case, I really didn't keep count of how much updates I did. But as I said earlier "it's like 3Gb" of updates. The word "like" is meant to say an "approximate" figure. Hope this helps clear it.

Nop, physical markings do help a lot in precise navigation. In my case, without them things get messy and a lot of time is wasted on making sure I don't slip my finger into the scrolling area while navigating, and vice versa.

Cheers,
dMan

 

It's not that hard to do without physical markings you know.. lol maybe you just need to practise some more! =P My Acer doesn't have them and I don't find any difference between scrolling up/down left/right with my Vostro and my Travelmate

 

Maybe you should draw some arrows on.

 

May be a better option would be Dell getting their act together and put some markings...

 

Why are you giving dman a hard time?

 

Thats a nice lookin system. Personally if going for that I'd make it an even 4gb of ram. 2.6 or 2.8ghz processor.

 

Who needs markings? It just makes it look stupid. Plus if you adjust the scroll zone in the touchpad settings, then the markings become inaccurate anyway.

Just move your finger up and down along the right side of the touchpad.

 

one tip, Vista runs crap with the 140m, XP is more what the system needs for full potential.

 

Oh big tie xp pro is mucho better but people think they are cutting edge with vista

 

Thanks bmwrob, I'm used to such people

 

The machine is OK, for the last couple of days I've been facing a lot of issues with my wireless connectivity. Continuous interruptions and failure to get connected. Not sure thought if this is a Vista problem or a hardware problem. I feel it's more like Vista than anything else.

Cheers.
dMan

 

Physical markings are very important so that no finger can be slipped from the scrolling area to navigation. I'm just used to having such markings in my old HP nx7010. Sorry, it's a simple request not sure why it's very difficult to implement!!

Not sure why Dell is installing a navigation stick (similar to Thinkpad) that costs some money while the markings almost cost nothing!

 

I thought so also.

 

I believe Vista has more features than XP; however, the penalty we all have to pay is heavier load on resources. Just as XP had more features than 95 but required more powerful machines to run properly.

The issue I have with Vista is that MS never learned from its passed experience is still welling to release beta product as if it was final release.

 

Sorry, but I never received a notification of your answer...
You are right about the girl... But friends are good too. I learnt a lot in forums (so you can imagine how terrible I was before!).
I have your same sensation, it arrived just today:
feels not so solid as expected, little flex in the screen, and when closed, if I press in the Dell logo it goes down and I can see that the surfey (??? right word?) is not so thik and rigid, is thin and flexible.
Anyway, not even too much.
The tracksomething is not so terrible, I guess I can configure it to make it less crazy, at the moment it goes as it wants...
Touchpad is a bit little, and I can understand your felling about marking, I mean, I do not miss any marking, as actually I never had them in my first and only notebook before this one. But I will have to increase the speed or sensitivity, as it is too slow for scrolling, and I think that someone used to HP large touchpad can miss them a bit...
Keyboard is just great, very good, for me.
Display seems good, does not drive me crazy, but till now I do not regret the matte choice.
I just feel sometimes as even at the native resolution it is a bit crappy...
It is not so fast as I expected, and I have XP. I am seriously thinking about a clean install... I suspect they charged too many unwanted things...
Maybe I will go for 4 giga sooner than expected. I want it to fly, i have zero tollerance about notebook making me wait...
I will try to review it as soon as possible...

 

Sir Joe,good to know your experience with the D830.
You are lucky getting XP Pro. My Vista is still feels like beta even after so many hot fixes.
In two weeks I saw the blue screen more than 5 times (memory dump).
Still waiting for SP1 from M$.