This seems like a pretty bad deal on a studio 15, right?

UPDATE IS THIS A BETTER DEAL?
Talked to a service rep through chat, offered me this

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition, 32-bit SP1
Processors Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Memory 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
LCD Panel 15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
Video Card 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
Hard Drive Speed: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
System Color Midnight Blue
Adobe Reader Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, English/French/Spanish
Combo or DVD+RW Drive 8X Slot Load Super Multi (DL DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support)
Sound High Definition Audio 2.0
Wireless Networking Cards Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card
Office Productivity Software Microsoft Works
Software - Antivirus McAfee 15 month
Battery 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Hardware Support Services 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Datasafe Dell Online Backup 5GB for 1 year
Dell Remote Access Dell Remote Access, free basic service

TOTAL: $1,049.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Total Price
Sub-total $1,049.00

Shipping & Handling $0.00

Tax* $93.27
*Exemptions reflected in final checkout page only


State Environmental Fee $16.00
More Info

Total Price1 $1,158.27

 

I can't help but notice you've failed to post any sort of price. If it's $100, then it's a great deal. If it's $10,000, you're getting robbed.

 

Huh that's weird... guess they don't like you highlighting/copying price

let me rebuild it

Just a couple builds I'm interested in

SYSTEM COLOR Midnight Blue edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft Works edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
HD DISPLAY 15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera edit
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Speed: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load Super Multi (DL DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11agn Half Mini-Card edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 85 WHr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
KEYBOARD Standard Keyboard

$1,104 + tax + shipping


SYSTEM COLOR Midnight Blue edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft Works edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
HD DISPLAY 15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera edit
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Speed: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Slot Load Super Multi (DL DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
KEYBOARD Standard Keyboard

$994

Should I just wait until a better deal pops up? WILL one probably?

 

For the first build, don't bother paying the extra for the Intel 5100 WiFi card, and get the backlit keyboard instead. Unless I'm missing anything, that, the 2 year warranty, and the 9 cell battery should be the only difference from the second build.

Considering the normal price of those upgrades from your second configuration, I'm surprised it's barely a $100 difference. You could probably change some stuff, though.

Get the standard Dell 1397 WiFi card, and if you really want wireless-N later, buy an Intel 5300 from eBay for like $20 and install it yourself, it's super easy.

Also, is there any particular reason you need the P8600? If not, you could get a lower processor and reduce the price considerably, and never know the difference.

There are always coupons floating around on the internet. I'm sure one for the Studio laptops will show up within a few weeks, if there isn't one now.

 

oh yeah the wireless n thing wasn't my idea just part of dell's package (u know how they have 3.. the one on the far right).. same with the battery which I don't want since I'd rather have a lighter laptop

p8600 1 because people said it uses less watts thus more battery and 2 cuz I'm sick of having low end budget computers with waaayback/yesterday's technology.

 

The difference in TDP between a T series and P series processor is 10 Watts. More specifically, the T series draws 35W, while the P series takes 25W. It's true that it will lead to prolonged battery life, but it's up to you to decide whether or not it's worth the processor price premium. Hey, alliteration!

Also, the Intel Core 2 Duo T-series is definitely not "yesterday's technology". The only real difference between the T and P series is in power draw, not performance, i.e. a 2.5GHz P series will not perform any better than a 2.5GHz T series, it will just use slightly less power.

If you take that configuration and alter it with the T6600 2.2GHz processor, and get a backlit keyboard, it comes to $884, which I think is a better value. Even with the T6600, you should easily get at least 2 hours of battery juice out of the 6-cell, and more if you adjust power settings appropriately. And if you get the baseline T6400, 2.0GHz, it drops to $834.

Basically, unless you're doing a lot of gaming, CAD, video or audio recording and editing, a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo will be plenty.

 

I just feel like every computer I use, even my mom's 1 year old inspiron 1420, is so laggy.. or freezes up constantly.. and I feel like the internet is becoming such a resource hog (stupid designers) I just want something that will ALWAYS feel snappy and fast for light stuff. No more hourglasses.
I would also do some light photo/video/music editing.

By comparison my current main PC is an inspiron e1505 with a dual core not dual 2 core.
It's like from 2006

But yeah the other options are 2.0ghz and 2.2ghz so the P does have an extra .2ghz too


Also, why the backlit keyboard?

 

Hey trust me, I just got my 1555 and the backlit keyboard is awesome, one of the biggest selling points for me. It works perfectly so uniform across the board too. In a really dark room setting 1 works best for me. I thought I might send it back for the Studio 13 but I'm keeping this one I really love it.

 

I don't usually look at the keyboard unless it's like for something like print screen though.

So what should I do, wait for a better deal or are these prices good?

 

UPDATE IS THIS A BETTER DEAL?
Talked to a service rep through chat, offered me this

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition, 32-bit SP1
Processors Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Memory 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
LCD Panel 15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
Video Card 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
Hard Drive Speed: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
System Color Midnight Blue
Adobe Reader Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, English/French/Spanish
Combo or DVD+RW Drive 8X Slot Load Super Multi (DL DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support)
Sound High Definition Audio 2.0
Wireless Networking Cards Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card
Office Productivity Software Microsoft Works
Software - Antivirus McAfee 15 month
Battery 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Hardware Support Services 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Datasafe Dell Online Backup 5GB for 1 year
Dell Remote Access Dell Remote Access, free basic service

TOTAL: $1,049.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Total Price
Sub-total $1,049.00

Shipping & Handling $0.00

Tax* $93.27
*Exemptions reflected in final checkout page only


State Environmental Fee $16.00
More Info

Total Price1 $1,158.27

 

Okay, one thing horribly wrong right off the bat - 4GB of RAM, but a 32-bit version of Vista? Forget about it.

Also, the 15 month antivirus subscription and 1 year of DataSafe are probably just adding to the cost.

Just go with one of your original configurations, probably the $994 one. The P8600 is what's causing most of the difference in price anyway.

 

Oh crap! I'm glad you pointed that out to me I just thought they all came with 64 bit.. I'll mention it when/if i order.

I think the antivirus/datasafe are free.. I told her I didn't want any at all.

Should I increase the screen resolution? graphics memory?

 

You should be fine with 256MB 4570, but the screen resolution really depends on what you want to do with it. 900p should be the max if you want to do gaming (only older games will run at 900p like Half Life 2 Episode 2 ). 1080p is great if you like space for documents and if you can stomach it (can cause eyestrain at times). I think 900p and lower are more ideal for a 15inch though.

 

After reviewing the configurations I'd say it's a pretty good deal, just make sure that you get 64-bit Windows with it so that you will be able to take full advantage of that 4 GB of RAM. After taxes I paid $1,167 for the Studio 1537 in my signature and it's been a dream to use (although I wish I would have gotten the backlit keyboard, and it shipped with 32-bit Windows which I changed myself).

 

Yes, get the backlit keyboard. It is really nice.

 

You can buy the backlit keyboard from a reseller for like $50 and install it yourself in 10 minutes.

 

The thing that irks me is that bluetooth is seriously $25 extra. My $375 EeePC has bluetooth for god's sakes. I'm sure it'll be cheaper to just add later

Which battery should I get? I really don't want a heavy laptop anymore

 

Even if you buy a Bluetooth module from eBay and install it yourself, it's going to be around $20, so you won't be saving much.

 

I'm sure you could get a refurbed Studio 15 from the Outlet with similar specs for a lot less.

 

Am I the only one that really likes just having new things?
I'm so sick of having budget laptops or refurbs over the past 5 years I just want something new and state of the art.

 

The Studio 1555 is not currently available on Dell Outlet. I wouldn't suggest investing in the older Studio 15 model unless you purchase the 1537 or Special Edition.

 

I bought my 1535 as well.

For the record, though, a custom configured 1555 and a refurbed 1555 from the Outlet will be the same thing.

 

I'd rather buy new, sorry/thanks.

anyone know what tv tuner i could use with this

 

My point of view is this: Refurbished is old to someone else but new to me. Besides, if I can get the same warranty as the new configurations, I really don't see the point in spending an extra $400+ just for the "New" title. In order to maintain the "Purchased New" title, no parts could be replaced. Not to mention a big factor in the matter is money. I don't/didn't have $1300 to spend freely and I wasn't about to start making payments, I prefer to pay in full. If you do have the extra cash, then good for you. The Studio 1555 is a great buy and I hope you enjoy it.

 

I could pay in full but it's nice to be able to pay payments interest free.

So you CAN get warranties on the refurbs?

 

Yeah, of course. All the options are on the page before you actually put the machine in your cart. 1 year, 2 years, 3 years + Anything - pick your price and poison.

 

If I ever, and I mean why wouldn't I, get a career type job where I make a few grand a month at least I think I see myself getting multiple laptops just for the heck of it and I think that would be the way to go.

Right now I just want, for once, something that's not refurbed, used or 'budget'. I need it for business as well as other stuff.

 

Sigh.. now this a tough decision... the dell outlet has refurbed dell studio 1537 with more basic components... for like $500 with a coupon code.

Are refurbs bad? Is it worth the price to go with a new one, with a dedicated video card, better monitor etc

 

I have had two refurbished computers. They were in mint condition when I received them. Processor, HDD, and RAM upgrades are very easy to perform and may even be more cost effective if you do them yourself rather than paying more to Dell for better components. There are Studio 1537's on Dell Outlet that have similar specs to a fully loaded New one. Dell outlet is updated multiple times a day Monday-Friday. If you can wait a while you might find one that has the specs you are looking for. If you click "Price" above the list it will sort the computers from lowest to highest price or vice versa. You can also do this for RAM, CPU, GPU, etc. Right now I'm seeing two fully loaded 1537's for $869 each

 

Wow just got a catalogue in the mail, www.dell.com/may2

MUCH better deals. I'm going to save like $200 off that previous deal I posted after upgrades