Studio 15 Owner's Thread

Nearly 4 months past and some 734 posts later...I think it's time to facelift the first post to something a bit more formal.

Dell Studio 15 Owner's Thread:

Systems:
Dell Studio 1535 and Studio 1537

Useful links:
Dell's official product page (US):
http://www.dell.com/content/product...laptop_studio_15?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn
Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Studio
purplegreendave's excellent post/thread for the Studio 1535 (merged into this one):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3876179&postcount=101
NBR Studio 15 - The Common Issues:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=337695
Studio 15 Converted to Windows XP Professional:
http://wickmanstudios.com/content/view/17/29/
NBR Studio 15 Windows XP Thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=270228

Anyways, those are some useful links.

Feel free to post about the Dell Studio 15 (1535 and 1537) in this thread.

For records, this is the original post.
Been lurking here for a week now (since I ordered my Studio 15)... Is there an Official Studio 15 Owner's Thread? I did a quick search and didn't find one. If there isn't one, we could start it here. lol.

btw, first post ever!!! and anxiously waiting for my Studio lappy.

 

No, there isn't one yet - probably because so many people have been experiencing delays, myself included.

 

Yes, I ordered mine on July 31st and they're estimating an arrival date of September 3rd.

 

According to the Dell site backlit keyboards will delay new Studio 15 orders by 12 days!

I'm glad I didn't opt for the backlit keyboard now, though I still have no faith that my order will ship out on my current estimated date of the 21st due to all the delay stories I'm hearing from people who have ordered before me.

 

I'll have mine soon, hopefully. Like others, mine was delayed as well. With school coming up, I couldn't deal with repeated delays. For NA, there wasn't even an option to opt out of the backlit keyboard or fingerprint scanner in case you could somehow predict the shortages. So, eventually I emailed Dell and told them colorfully how unreliable they are and canceled my order. I couldn't get the Studio out of my head, so I headed over to Best Buy's website and ordered one from them- it's a pretty sweet deal:

T8100 processor
4gb of RAM
320gb HDD
Bluetooth
Vista 64-bit

all for $799.00. The trade-off here is that the display and video card are both the standard, low tier hardware : / Btw, it shipped two days after I ordered- today.

 

I ordered mine on the 5th, and it's still in Pre-Production. Not looking good.

What is the pre-production phase? Is it where they're getting all the parts together and ready for the production/assembly phase? If so, I can understand why it's still there - the jet black colour is supposidly delayed 4 days.

 

bazil83, if youre in the USA, you can call Dell's toll-free number to check the status of your order and have an explanation of what each stage means.
Call 1-800-433-9014 and have your order number handy.
badluckartist, I got a similar price but with a dedicated video card and the backlit keyboard...I think theyre worth waiting for. (that keyboard just looks so cool)

 

Nah, I'm UK based. I've heard people getting theirs pretty darn quickly in the UK. But the strange thing is, I call up the sales line and they say "Your order is delayed by a total of 5 days due to the black cover and graphics card" but then I call the customer services line and they say "There is no delay, it's just that the Studio 15's are very popular so there are a lot of orders at the moment and yours will progress through the system as each order completes etc".

Whom should I trust?

 

I'm not sure you could trust either of them at this point. I've gotten conflicting information from sales and CS, and they were both wrong.

The kicker for me is that according to my status, my computer is done, but it's been stuck in limbo - the 'boxing' stage - all week. CS and the order status said it would ship today. Sales told me that I'd have it today. Well, today is here. I just got a nice delay email again.

 

I called today to ask about why my order was delayed. I was told it was due to the popularity and that the supply can't meet the demand.

 

Probably also because of the shortage on parts, especially the batteries and keyboards.

 

I got mine on tuesday, will post some pics after friday....have a big exam on friday that i need to study for, its preventing me from fully appreciating the studio 15, but its been pretty good so far, no real problems.

 

Got mine on Monday, and even recorded the unboxing, but I've been too swamped with this week to convert the two video files to something more useful and upload them somewhere.

 

got mine yesterday, i have some pics to upload but i cant get the cardreader to see the sd card with the pics on it...

 

mine is going back. I was just in best buy checking out tehir floor models, which are all fine comapred to the one I got.

The trackpad is not working right, I was on the phone with tech support to no avail. and yes, I tried all the adjustments for HOURS.

the keyboard is uneven, it's really noticable when you see a properly installed one.

Media controls suck ***.

And the most important reason , since I bought it for her...

My girlfriend doesn't like it....

oh well...

 

Well, after about 26 days of waiting I finally have my Studio 15.. just a few gripes with it: the speakers are terrible, the slot load drive is a bit loud, and personally I'd rather have XP installed.. apart from that though, I'm loving it.

 

I ordered my 15 on July 29. Shipment date Aug 7
Delayed till 8/14.
Now delayed again until 8/21 with estimated delivery 8/26-8/28.

Kinda crappy to have it delayed but at least EVERYONES is delayed.

Cant wait to receive it though

 

Still waiting for mine, ordered it on the 21st of July.
The laptop went into pre-production on the 29th of july and had an expected delivery date of the 18th of August, Now its has an expected delivery of the 5th of September (17 days in pre-production so far ).

 

You ordered yours on the 21st? I ordered mine on the 21st and its supposed to come today.

 

I ordered mine on the 21st and received it two days ago. (USA) And I totally wish I could go back to xp...

 

Why do you wish you could go back to XP? I'm always lost when people say this.

 

I ordered mine on the 28th and canceled it a few days ago - bought a different brand and I feel so much better now! I think the people at Dell are lacking in the intellectual department - at least the one's I've personally talked to on the phone. Not only does it seem like they take forever to build a product, but they also seem to sell a lot of defective products....been reading quite a bit about people's horror stories with the folks down in Texas. Good luck to all of you who are waiting, but at the same time you should probably think about going a different route. Just my two cents.

 

I got mine tuesday so far the only thing thats happened is I have to disable hardware acceleration in flash player to view full screen video. Any one have any idea why? the speakers aren't the best but I can deal with it, I normally use headphones anyway. Overall I'm very happy with the laptop handles running matlab with simulink and flight gear with no problems or hesitation at all. Havn't tried solid works yet cause I have to buy the vista version now we'll see how that goes.

 

I ordered my Studio 15 this afternoon, can't wait! Can't access the order status thing though so I think I'll have to wait till monday to get an ETA. Details in sig.

 

Well you have to understand that although the delays from dell are terrible, it is back to school time, plus they just came out with a new mainstream laptop line so demand is huge. Also, ppl always come on forums to discuss their problems, so obviously the majority of what u read is gonna be troubleshooting based. Not a lot of ppl create thread after thread of "My laptop is perfect, no problems". But your point is understandable.

By the way, which brand did u end up going with?? and did u get it through a retail store like best buy etc?

 

I am getting a little frustrated with my order. I ordered my Studio 15 on July 29th, and it had estimated ship date of August 7.
Delayed for the first time till estimated ship date August 14.
Delayed a 2nd time till estimated ship date August 21.
I am just waiting till Aug 21 and am expecting another delay.
I check the website and it just says "In Production"
I called and it says "In Production-In Boxing Stage"
Does this mean I will receive it sometime soon?

If it gets delayed once more I am cancelling.

 

You should be getting it pretty soon. Mine was in the boxing stage for two days last week (yes, I've been calling everyday to check the status) and then went into the shipping stage during the weekend. They estimate that I will be getting mine on the 19th and I'm sooo STOKED right now. I truly hope I won't be getting any problems with it b/c it'll truly suck if it did, especially since I'll be needing this for college.

 

Hearing build stage is 2nd best to hearing shipped(or arrived )

I have been in the build stage since July 26, supposed to ship on Tuesday after 2 delays but that isn't going to happen if it still isn't in boxing.

 

My son's Studio 15 just arrived. Ordered on the 24th of July. I called Dell several times to check on status. Each time I was polite but expressed concern about getting it in time for him to leave for school. The first time I was offered an upgrade to overnight shipping. The next time I was offered 2 thumb drives...was going for a backpack for the next call but it arrived before I needed to call again. My advise is to be polite but persistant. If you get a CSR you aren't happy with, say thank you and call back until you get one you are happy with.

That being said, after a small learning curve :confused2: with the fingerprint reader, all else seems to be in working order.

 

Ordered 8/8/08, currently in production, estimated shipping date 9/11. Only took one day to get to "in production" though.

 

Methinks they are swamped with orders.

 

I used a studio 15 today. And wow, it is really nice to use. Much different than my 1420 and 1520.

 

I got mine last week after a full months wait time. It was the longest gosh darn month of my life!

I am super happy with it, except for one small detail. They need to send a tech out with a replacement motherboard. Mine is busted (most likely happened during shipping), and the speakers and mute button don't work. Other than that, it is spectacular!

 

yey a thread for Studio 15 owners.

I ordered my Studio 15 a few days back. Its been in the "production stage" ever since. Estimated shipping date on 8/29/08. Hopefully i don't experience too many delays. I can't wait for it to arrive. Need this for college. ^^

Here are my specs:

Studio 1535, Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 2.0GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache
Jet Black
3GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
Back-lit Keyboard
Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 3450
320G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Integrated Finger Print Reader
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.0)

My older brother is hating on me, saying i don't need all this for just surfing, typing, etc. but I just want that back-lit keyboard. hahahaha.. Also got the graphics card, hopefully this can play Starcraft 2 when it comes out.

 

I receive my Studio Green 15 a week ago and already back to Dell..
The R key doesn't work...
But, I'm still loving this beautiful computer...

Hope everything will be fine

(sorry for my english, I speak french)
:confused2:

 

yay!! ordered by studio 15 last night!!!! estimated delivery date is 15th sept! i just hope i get it in time for college...made the mistake of choosing black colour and backlit keyboard which apparantly delays the date...oh well!!! any1 get theirs with a free remote?

 

I thought you had to order a remote specifically. It's free now?

 

It isn't, I think Dell sometimes adds the remote by accident for some reason. I've heard 2 or 3 other people say they received a remote when they didn't order one. I wouldn't count on receiving one when you didn't order it.

 

Yoohoo I just received my laptop today!!!!

 

ow man!! well i didnt have the option to buy the remote so im hoping!!!

congrats kitty rules!! how is it look?? please post some pictures of you can!

 

Argh, I hate reading about people having their laptops delivered, haha!

 

after so many delays it says my laptop is shipped, to be delivered to me aug 21. I cannot wait.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this but: I'm sooooooo happy that my Studio 15 moved from the "build stage" to the "boxing stage" today. I was stuck in the "build stage" since July 31st when I ordered the machine. Can't wait for it to ship as I'm in college already and need it for classes.

 

@KingRaptor. I hope it comes soon! what color did you get?

 

congrats kittyrules for getting your laptop already.

Hope i get my laptop on time without delays. (hihi yeah right)

 

haha thanks guys. I'll definitely post my pics when I have time, but right now I'm getting ready for college yoohooo!!!!

I hope you guys will receive your laptop soon!!!!

 

Good Luck in college kittyrules!! How do you like your studio?

 

@ PopTartMonkey. I got the standard black one because it looks very professional. I think colors would draw too much attention in a classroom.

 

same as me. I just picked black. at least if ever i plan to sell my laptop in the future, the color will appeal to most people. ^^

 

@KinRaptor. Black is good! I never thought about that colors would draw too much attention in class. Oh well. (I'm not rich at all) But I'm hopeing to go to school somewhere and there are rich people and they will probaly have color lappys.
Well I hope you like it!