inspiron line help! Z or not to Z

I'm a bit confused and not too knowledgeable on the latest line:

what are the major differences, and/or the pros and cons between the differences of the inspirons and inspiron Z notebooks?
i.e. Inspiron 14 vs Inspiron 14z?

I notice the processors are different, but I don't know how their different and what the different benefits are.

Anyone care to fill me in? Thanks

 

I'm not totally up on this either, but I think the main differences are that the z is thinner, and also features the Intel CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) CPU's for long baggery life and less heat generation.

 

^i'm pretty sure that's correct. keep in mind that the CULV processors are way slower than the regular core 2 duo's that come in the non-z models.

 

And most Z Inspirons lack an optical drive.

 

^^the studio z's don't come with an optical drive. the inspiron z's have one built in.

 

It is entirely dependant on what you want out of your computer. Smaller size? Thinness? Resolution (and screen quality, if you are looking at studio's as well)? Is an integrated optical drive important? Integrated/Dedicated GPU? Powerful processing? Memory amounts and speed (DDR2 vx DDR3)? That sums up the majority of the differences in Dell's 14-15 inch laptops.

Keep in mind the C2D found in, for instance, the lappy in my sig, is much more powerful at the same clock than the CULV found in Inspiron Z's. Cache makes a huge difference. With 1MB you're going to find a CULV relatively max'd when you try to open two applications simultaneously or when multitasking a bunch.

 

It's confusing. You have the Inspiron 14, Inspiron 14z and Studio 14z.

The Inspiron 14 and 14z are very similar, with the main difference being that the Inspiron 14 comes with a T or a P-series processor, while the Inspiron 14z comes with a ultra low voltage processor (SU series) for longer battery life (but also slightly lower performance).

Both have a DVD drive and have the same dimensions and weight (varying with battery size). The Inspiron 14z costs about $50-300 more than the Inspiron 14, depending on configuration.

The Studio 14z is a different animal. It comes with a T or P processor (I think you used to be able to get it with a SU processor, but not anymore), It also has a separate graphics card instead of integrated like in the Inspiron models.

The Studio 14z doesn't have a built-in DVD drive, so you have to get an external drive if you need it. It is also smaller in all dimensions (length, width, height) and lighter than the Inspiron models. Cost is about the same as the Inspiron 14z.

To sum up:
Inspiron 14 is basic.
Inspiron 14z for longer battery life, costs more.
Studio 14z has discrete graphics, no internal DVD drive, is smaller and lighter, costs about same as Inspiron 14z.