Studio 17 LCD question - please help!

Instead of my originally oredered 1080p RG+B LED, Dell sent me 900p which has max res 1600x900. For everyday work seems OK, since anything higher than that would make icons and everything else to small.

But the question is about DVD movies - if I had gotten 1080p would movies/DVD look better on such display? I don't have HD or Blue Ray drive.

If I hook up Studio 17 via HDMI to a large screen TV (46" LCD), I do get 1080p since the graphics card ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 4650 1GB that is built in supports higher res than my Studio 17 monitor.

I'm thinking about returning this laptop, but really not sure what to do about this display. I got a great configuration and the laptop is otherwise really nice. It really comes down only to viewing movies and whether I would get visibly better picture with a better monitor? If so, what are my alternatives? SONY Vaio? Mac? Please help ASAP!

 

If Dell sent you the wrong display, you should definitely complain. You didn't get what you paid for, and that shouldn't be acceptable.

That being said, unless you have sensitive eyes, I don't think 1080p video downscaled to 900p will look that much worse.

 

Thank you. My main concern was the quality of pic and possible difference I would get.

I did complain and they offered to take it back or give me additional rebate for all other trouble I had with them. They did not charge me more on this one, but unfortunately it is not what I ordered originally. They claim no 1080p displays are available any more in any of these configurations and may not be. So, no point in returning the laptop since I won't be getting another one with a better display anytime soon.

Also, I don't think this is RGB LED, which worries me about the accuracy of colors for editing my digital pics. I'm not too happy with how the color calibration turns out, although images otherwise seem OK.

BTW, Dell customer support is probably the worst on the planet (if they even live on this planet).

 

You should just return the system. 1080p display is significantly better. Check out new Sony VAIO F series laptops or HP Envy 15 for 1080p displays. Oh, and XPS 16 too.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will go to some local stores and compare several models side by side, before making a final decision. I feel a little better after hooking up Studio 17 to a large screen LCD TV and getting really great hi-res display (HDMI), thanks to a good ATI video adapter.

I did look at some alternatives:

Sony VAIO 16", unfortunately, does not allow two internal HD's that I have in my Studio 17. Fully configured, similar to Studio 17 would cost a lot more.

HP has a shoddy reputation and many people are complaining about their products. A little scared. I had their desktop years ago which was mediocre at best. Even if their current laptops offer improved quality, they don't offer as many options to configure the laptop. Envy offers neither Win7 Ultimate, nor two HD's. The CD/DVD drive is external which kinda sucks. Fully configured, with the same protection and warranty like Dell, costs hundreds of dollars more.

I even looked at Mac's but their prices are ridiculous, with fewer components and options.

At least, I learned my lesson - do not buy before you try.

 

Wow, I would absolutely be livid if I ordered the 1080p screen and got their mediocre 900p screen without their permission.

 

Go to Dell and try to find a single laptop w. 1080p display. There may be some leftovers, but I doubt it. I don't know if this is a shortage issue or their production decision not to offer them anymore.

I yet have to check out some local stores and make direct comparisons. I googled and some folks claim that there is not a huge difference for regular daily work, but I want to see it for myself. I don't think I could work on 1920x1200 since icons and other details might be too small for comfortable work.

 

#1. theres no excuse why in 2010 they fail to offer a 1080p disply
#2. I have an RGB LED 17 inch from DELL and photographers all over the internet highly value the RGB LED displays
#3. Return it and get full money back get something better.

 

Easier said than done. There is no affordable alternative. I got Studio 17 with config that wins hands down over any of the latest models by other manufacturers. For the money. Anything better with a proper 1080p RGBLED display would cost at least 500-1000 bucks more! I don't even know who else, other than Dell offers RGBLED? Dell stopped delivering these just recently, on all of their models, don't know why.

I checked out several local stores and only Fry's had one single 1080p laptop (Envy), which is only 15", has external CD/DVD drive and overall very limited config. The monitor looks nice, but since it is much smaller than Studio 17, the comparison is not quite fair, and the difference is really not that impressive. But it is not RGBLED either.

 

My Studio17 has the R+BG LED 1080p screen.
I never would have bought this if it didn't come with it.

There's no comparison between the R+BG LED screen and the HD+ screen on yours.

If you saw my Studio17.. you'd want your money back.

It's an amazing display.

BTW, I'm not talking about resolution, it's the brightness, the colours, the contrast. the R+BG FHD screen is THE best feature of this LT to me.

 

Do you think they will bring this screen back? It is really the only thing stopping me from placing my order!

 

maybe I should go with the smaller screen of an XPS 16.. but I really want the 17" display and the multi -touch!

 

I don't know where you're living, but you may want to check if there's a Dell outlet store in your country. If Dell supports their products, they will give you the warranty you want too.

 

I originally bought one with the 900p screen. It killed my eyes reading on it the screen was so bad and the viewing angles sucked! I returned it in a week and started watching the outlet for the 1747s to show up. Bought one last Friday with the 1080p screen and it is simply amazing. Crystal clear, brilliant colors, and I haven't had any eye strain at all.

The 900p screen is not RBG. The 1080p screen is 17.3 inch Full HD (1080p) B+RG LED Display with TrueLife.

 

I have listened to the compelling voices of reason and returned the Studio 17 today. Unfortunately, no Studio 17 can be easily found at this time with RGBLED/1080p, and I don't have time to run around outlet stores and web resales to look for one. Dell claims it may be a while before Studio 17 is again available with such displays, not any time soon.

Since I really need a laptop sooner rather than later, I settled for XPS16 with same specs as Studio 17 but RGBLED 1080p. In some ways, I even got a better deal - faster RAM, better Wi-Fi and video cards, and of course, better display. All for the same money or less. They actually give me a nice break, several hundred bucks off of web list price. As an apology, of course.

The only big difference is the new Intel Core i5 which has less cache memory, but also seems to be less power hungry and produce less heat than i7. From some articles I've seen it doesn't seem to have a spectacular disadvantage in performance compared to i7. Anyone knows anything about it?

Anyway, for my needs, the display was really #1 issue and I can't wait to get this XPS in a few weeks. Too bad it doesn't have a cool case art design like Studio 17, but you can't have it all... Thank you all for convincing me to do this!

 

Here are a couple on eBay for $1899.00 w/ the 820 and Bluray readers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DELL-Studio-17-...iewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item56396d1337

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/DELL-Studio-17-...iewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item56396e36b2

With bing cashback currently at 10%, net price = $1709 shipped for fully loaded R+BG screens and blueray which is pretty decent.

 

Thanks for the links. These are nice if you are not too particular how you want your system configured and customized. I wonder how people deal with technical problems when purchasing thru third party resellers? A friend of a friend recently got a laptop directly from Dell and because of problems with it had to swap it THREE times!!!

 

Those are some awesome machines RGB LED Plus Quad Core i7 if it wasn't for the throttling problems.

Only other make sI know of with the RGB LED displays are the Sony AW Series and Bluray its a beautiful combination.

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vn-aw-series

PLus DELL now restricts the RGB LED to the 17 inch Alienware and 16 inch XPS Studio.

They just don't have enough supply to offer it on the Studio 17 neither do they have Bluray.


But the RGB LED Displays are something special very high nit Meaning they are visible in direct sunlight even though the display is glossy.

I rarely set the Display brightness past Half because its just too bright and powerfull. And the colors are deep and rich, and easily adjusted I had to turn down Saturation and adjust Gamma.

But at half brightness. My 17 RGB LED made by LG for DELL is brighter than a 17 inch MacBook Pro at Max settings



You did the right thing by returning it. Now be patient and wait for a

Core i5 or Core i7 32nm processor
Bluray drive
RGB LED Display 1920x1200 resolution

And you will be happy.

 

WOW! Now you really incite my curiosity and impatience. I'll post feedback once I get this XPS. Perhaps, it's better it turned out this way, although I wanted larger display. I will have to carry this laptop each time I travel (which is 10-12 weeks/yr), and 16" might be somewhat easier for that.

I'm puzzled by Sony VAIO AW. USA web site shows most of these as "no longer avaliable". Are they replaced by some other series? 18" seems great, but quite a task to carry it around.

 

The warranty is transferrable. But if you buy it from the Outlet yourself you have the usual 21 days to return. There is no difference in warranty between buying new or refurbished. These were bought from the Outlet for $1699 plus there was a coupon for 15% off with a limit of 2. I bought one myself with RBG screen, i7 720, wireless n, dual 500gb drives, backlit keyboard, extra software (facial, roxio, audio), and in Promise Pink. Ended up being $1249 since I had to pay $69 in shipping. For $100 more I could have bought one with BluRay but it was in Black Chainlink.

Check out the Outlet. It is always worth a look.
http://www.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&dgc=IR&cid=11343&lid=312680