Studio and Studio XPS laptops, who are they for and what are the primary differences?

Hey guys.

I'm interested in purchasing one of these two. Probably 15'' for the Studio or the 16'' for the Studio XPS.

I'm just a bit confused as to what the target users are, they seem very similar. From what I can see, the Studio XPS just has a better exterior and a superior display.

I intend to use the laptop for document editing, media (HDMI out to hdtv, most likely) and casual gaming. Price range is about 1300 CAD.

Help me decide please. Thanks.

 

They're both "multimedia" machines, but you can use them for whatever the hell you want.

I have a Studio 15, and I've enjoyed it so far. I actually do more gaming on it than watching movies. And I wouldn't say the Studio XPS 16 has a superior display...it's a 16:9 format, which is great if you watch a lot of HD videos in 720p or 1080p depending on your display resolution. The Studio 15 display is 16:10 (depending on which model you get), and can go up to 1920x1200, which is larger than 1080p.

For the uses you listed, either model will suit you just fine.

 

studio 15 & 17 is for old hard core dell users.
studio xps 13 & 16 is for 1st or 2nd time dell buyers who would choose hp or apple otherwise.

dell xps m1730=extreme performance system
dell studio xps 13 & 16= extreme pretty system

 

I'd buy from Dell outlet but the Canadian version of the site kinda sucks and does not have any great deals.

I said superior display because from what I can tell, only the Studio XPS line has the option to get the RGB LED 1080p display. I probably wouldn't get that anyway since it would push way past my price range.

Also, I like these two systems because I am partial to the "hinge" type screens, to me they seem more durable.

Ok, so I suppose build quality would be the deciding factor for the two. Does one feel cheap or clunky?

 

dell studio 16 & 17 both have rb led screen option, but that doesnt mean the lcd qualtiy are the same.
the lcds uses on studio 15& 17 are much brighter than studio 16's.
330 nit on 17 vs 270 nit on 16, notebookcheck. net has the test results on both lcds. but i think the samsung rgb led screen on my studio 16 is brighter than nbc's test.

 

Is brighter a good thing or a bad thing?

I assume bad. So the XPS has better looking blacks?

Right now, I am leaning towards the Studio 15, it seems a bit more reasonably priced and they get pretty decent reviews. I always see them being recommended on podcasts when users write in asking for the best budget gaming laptop.

 

Brighter is good. If it's too bright, you can always turn it down.

For the things you say you would use it for, the Studio 15 should suit you just fine, although the SXPS 16 does have a slightly sturdier overall build. But it also has some overheating issues because the display, when opened past 90 degrees, blocks some of the ventilation ports.

 

this is the review for studio 1535 i wrote on dell.com.
too bad pc makers block negative reviews, my reviews for 1525/m1730/m1330, hp dv7t never see the daylight.

 

Thanks nomoredell, that was very informative.

Yes, I guess I will get the Studio 15.

 

im sorry, i didnt know you were going to purchase a laptop.
i was simply talking about the diference between regular studio and xps studio.

if you are going to buy a new laptop, studio xps 16 is a far superrior model than studio 15. studio 16 is unmatched with its rgb led and ati gpu and
awesome sound system with subwoofer.

studio15 got so many compliments becuz its the best of buck midend $800 laptop. while studio 16 is a $1200 high peformance model with best multimedia features.

 

What? I don't understand... You just posted an extremely positive review for the studio 15...

 

studio 15 was teh best option at that time,
studio 16 is a new model launched on 2/09.
this is the way pc induatry works, newer and better products every 6 months.

 

Fatindian...decide what's best for you. The Studio 15 is more budget-oriented. It handles HD movies, any office work, music, media, and some light games. Even a very good setup should cost you well under $1,000.

The Studio XPS 16 is a higher-end performance notebook. It's sleeker and sexier, and sports a beefier graphics card, but starts at over $1,000 for the bare-minimum base model. An excellent laptop, but possibly a waste of money if you're not going to be using it to its full potential.

 

the Studio 15 just got updated with a much better video card, so that's why I am confused with the two.

 

New Studio 15s also have a 1920 by 1080 LED option, at least at the US Dell site (Assume it's WLED, though Dell site doesn't say).

The Studio XPS 16s cost about $300 (US) more for comparable models (same processors, RAM, screen resolutions, 802.11n on both, etc). Advantage of the XPS 16s is the larger screen size, more powerful graphics (Though I couldn't tell you how much more powerful), RGB LED vs WLED (Doubt I could tell the difference, but if you're in creating graphics of some sort, RGB LED would be better), and better build quality. Disadvantages are that the XPS 16 is 1 pound heavier and is bigger (So less portable), gets worse battery life, and costs more.

If price isn't an issue and neither is portability, I'd go with the XPS 16. If portability and price are issues, really depends on how important they are to you in comparison to the XPS 16's advantages.

 

They're for suckers!!!

Just kidding. XPS is generally the superior build / performance machine. But aside from the studio XPS 16, they haven't changed them much in recent months. Thus I would either get the XPS 16 (which has different graphics options for gaming) - or I would get a studio for my everyday needs. I am all about the ATI graphics card options after getting burned in the Nvidia warranty fiasco.

 

i did check on the configurations on new studio 15, the wuxga led screen is only $75 over lowest option, this looks suspecious to me.
dell may ship low quality components with studio 15.

i can guarantee the cost of components inside xps studio 16 is at least twice as expensive as hp dv7t's. dell may start imitaing hp biz model, and just selling junks to consumers at a high price.

 

The Dell Studio XPS:

Pros:

• Looks better
• Has a brighter screen
• A better graphics card (3670(mid-range newer card) vs. 3450 (low-end older card)

Cons:

• Bigger, with a stupid screen size (16" is pointless IMHO)
• More expensive

 

The General: If it's one of the new studio 1555s, graphics card is 4570, which is significantly better than the 3450, though still worse than the 3670.

 

Ah, didn't know that. Apparently we don't get them in the UK yet. From what I can see, we still get the 3450s. Of course, the US always gets stuff first so it's not entirely surprising. A 4570 makes it a closer run thing but the Studio XPS 16 is still the more powerful machine.

 

We are comparing the XPS Studio 16 to the Studio 17. No need for maximum mobility...and we plan on watching some TV on it, so the bigger screen is needed.

Oddly, I dont see a TV tuner card for the Studio XPS 16.