My Gaming/Multimedia Notebook Nightmare

I need to cut a long story short so go here for the long version of my first attempt to get a gaming/performance notebook:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=234381

Basically the story begins with my purchase of a Dell XPS M1530. After trawling through websites I decided on the M1530 because it was light but packed enough grunt to play Oblivion etc. Big mistake. I tried to reduce the chances of getting an awful grainy screen by following advice from this very forum but to no avail. I got the crappy samsung screen and even after it was replaced it still showed unacceptabley poor quality and it got returned.

This weekend I thought I should get my lazy arse off the couch and actually look at some notebook. Especially because I wanted to see exactly what a good quality screen looked like.

Only thing is, I can't find a single notebook that has decent specs that doesn't have a grainy screen! I first thought this was Dell's corner cutting but I saw numerous examples of poor quality monitors on Toshibas and Asus' and HPs.

And it seems to get worse the further you go towards the high end. Take the brand spanking new Asus M51Sn notebooks. Here in Australia there are two variants, the more expensive with a Bluray drive. Side by side it is clearly apparent that one has a better quality display than the other, even to the point where my girlfriend can spot the difference without prompting her. I even got a sales rep to admit that one had an inferior quality monitor compared to the other. But get this: THE CHEAPER variant of the M51Sn has the BETTER display!

I saw this demostrated in other shops so it wasn't just the floor stock. (I suspect it's because the the Bluray was running a 1440 res display but I'm not certain.)

So how the hell do I buy a laptop when it seems like even the highest quality notebooks (ie Toshiba) are producing substandard monitors?!

Do I just roll the dice and hope that the model I see in store is going to be just as good as the model I get in the box?

Is there some sort of huge batch of dodgy LCD displays being distributed around the world at the moment?

I think I will wait for a month or so to see if things improve because I'm seriously deflated at the moment. What do you guys think?

 

You scared me for a sec, so I switched to my new notebook to check if mine has this issue or not.

After observing it closely it doesn't, so I'm happy about that, but it's good that you're keeping us informed about stuff like this.

 

Kinda wrong post but since you asked...

Why dont you take a look at Sager/Clevo lappies?
I wont suggest any particular ones but there haven't been major LCD probs reported and most users are really happy with the LCD quality....

 

SgtSlaughter, excellent suggestion! Just one problem... Sager/Clevo don't distribute in Australia... you'd think they would considering our proximity to Asia but hey, what can you do?

They do look tasty though don't they?

 

Australia has a Clevo reseller.. I'm sorry, but I can't remember the name or URL. Look around in the Clevo reseller topic. Also, you can always order through XoticPC from the US. They're prices are more than reasonable.

 

The only good thing I can say about Dell is that they will replace your laptop with a new one continuosly for free until you're happy. Many people have replaced theirs 3, 4, and 5 times (or more).

I had to do two exchanges, but once I got a good screen, it has been excellent.

I, too, am disappointed that higher end laptops wouldn't have better quality control with their screens even though most of them get them from the same sources, they could at least have an internal quality control and return the "bad" ones back to the screen vendors forcing them to improve their quality.

But I just work here... oh wait, post here.

 

Now the quality of the screen has been the last thing I have worried about lately

what with all the delivery problems, and terrible build quality of the rest of some machines, I have always found screens to be ok.

A friend of mine has a high end dell, the first one he ordered, no returns and its spot on.

why does buying a notebook have so many risks, honestly it seems everywhere I turn there is yet another manufacturer duping their customers,
seriously...its worse than buying a second hand car....

I thoroughly checked my machine when it arrived, and its in perfect condition.

dead pixel policies have always annoyed me but grainy screens I aint seen in a long time.

if you can find a clevo/sager reseller then the chassis (includes screen) is a very good unit , much better in feel of quality than many name brands.

good luck finding what you want, just make sure your vendor has a fair returns policy "Just in case"

 

Yeah I'm pretty freaked out right now because I thought it would be as easy as picking a model off a store shelf.

I will definitely enquire about return policy.