Dell Stuido XPS 16 Question

For battery life on a gaming laptop Toshiba makes a line called Qosmio that comes with a 12 cell battery and supposedly you can get up to 5hrs out of it. Lots of different variants but you can get good specs.


Only issue of concern is they are...wait for it..... 18.4" screens !

Though 2.5hrs ain't too shabby on a gaming laptop.

 

The Qosmio's are also SO VERY cheesy and tacky looking. =s

 

Beware that although the G53 is advertised as a 15.6" notebook, its size is almost identical to an 17" notebook (in both lengths and width; also thickness is monstrous). The G73 notebook is HUGE. It has the same size as an Acer 8943G which is 18.4 in diagonal

 

How do these battery lifesncompare to the battery life of an Alienware M11x? I know it has a small screen though.

 

Alienware has the nVidia Optimus feature, so the battery life on m11x is significantly better. But it has it's own, much more serious (hidges anyone?!) problems.

With the NVIDIA GPU being used to decode a 720p movie file:

 

I love this. I own an m15x too, and will be doing this next lecture I go to. I always usually take my other lappy, a HP G7000 cos it has better battery, but screw that. Next politics lecture a color changing alien head is gonna be staring my lecturer down

 

Yes but the stock vBios has the UVD clocks at 500/1000 which suck battery life. The other notebooks in that graph probably have 100/150 or something similar. You can edit the vBios clocks with RBE easily to do the same. Mine is at 100/150 @ .85v

 

You know when the g series first came out the g1 had a better gpu than the g2 which was the 17 inch model.

nobody could understand more money and less performance from a bigger laptop and it didnt sell

the big difference was the lcd the 17 inch lcd was a lot better..

 

I haven't seen thermal issue with G53JW, i seen it run a little hotter than the G73JW, but its smaller so it could be the reason, but nothing out of ordinary for Asus laptops. I seen G73JH owers have in their sigs 95C mile club, and some going over 100C on their laptops, with a lot getting really good temps with a repaste, but overall i wouldn't say the G53JW has a thermal issue.

 

Do you have the g53 or g73?

 

I personally, would go for the G53 because of the smaller form factor and equivalent performance.

 

is say go with the G73, im actually looking for one right now, my friend has one and the preformance is great running most of the new games

 

about battery life, i think you should be prepared that you won't be able to carry around much either of the laptops.

i had the same dilemma just last week, but i went with the M15x. i ordered it with a GTX 460M. i dont think heating will be an issue, since i've read a lot of threads (in this forum) and external reviews.. if you have a limited budget, ASUS will give you better value for money, however if you are willing to spend on M15x, Alienware has better overall build quality IMHO. (my M15x has EDD on November 22 )

 

I was originally going to get the G73 but I live in Panama and there's no support here, if I get a defective unit or need to get it repaired it would be months of waiting so I will most likely get an M15x since we do have support from Dell here.

 

i use a g73jw-a1

 

I have seen there is another thread about Sandy Bridge but it seems to have been taken over by a debate about something Apple related (sigh). Also I have some specific questions.

1) I was going to get the Asus G73JW for Christmas but saw that Sandy Bridge would be releasing right after that, meaning I could get more for less. Is it a good I dea for me to wait? How long do you think I would have to wait before quality gaming laptops start to come out using Sandy Bridge (and maybe new graphic cards to go with it although I'm not sure if those two are related, lol).

2) Also what do you think are the chances of Asus releasing a new copy of the G series with the Sandy Bridge technology as it is a great model, with awesome cooling and looks. And I'm pretty sure it was very possible so it would make sense to refresh it.

3) What computer/tech shows/conferences etc... Are coming up soon as I'd like to follow them to stay up to date on the new tech.

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

The only reason for getting a laptop right now is if you really need it, but dont expect SB laptop to be available right with the january release, im guessing we will see laptops around february/march, so if you dont can i wait i probably would.

Its possible that the new version might be called G74/G54, thinking new chipset, new cpus, and probably even matches AMD/ATI release of their new mobile high end line, so i would say they probably will change the numbers. The looks i doubt it, the G73 looks pretty good, and has some good cooling, i think they gona continue with this chasis for at least a couple of gens, maybe refreshes like new keyboard, screens etc, but i feel the overall chasis is fine, but you never know without seeing how ATI new line might need more space/cooling/power.

CES.

Just remember new tech and early adoption not always works for the best, sometimes there are bugs that will need to work out, so its a tough call, but i would wait if you dont have a need for a laptop right now.

 

Sandy bridge platform will make its first appearance on CES, January 2011, if you haven't bought a laptop yet, why not wait for a few more months? I assume march is a safe bet you will see sandy bridge laptops in the market, VERY LIKELY along with new ATI mobility 6000 GPUs.

Regarding the performance, it's going to be a big improvement over the current i7s, which will make your wait worthwhile. The lowest SB mobile quad, i7- 2720qm is clocked at 2.2Ghz, which is already faster than the current fastest i7-940xm. Not to mention, according to early reviews, sandy bridge chips(desktop) are around 15% faster than the first generation i3/5/7, clock for clock. And the i7-2720qm should be priced the same just as i7-720qm as the entry quad core. Oh, almost forgot, the power consumption will also go down, which leads to cooler running CPUs(the current i7s run too hot).

If you are set on getting a ASUS, you probably won't be disappointed as ASUS is usually one of the first to bring their products to the market when new tech comes out.

As for your last question, keep checking the news about CES. And if you are interested, you might wanna read this review if you haven't: The Sandy Bridge Preview - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

Is that 15% faster only because of the on-die gpu? Because that wouldn't apply to anyone with non-switchable dedicated gpu's.

Sandy bridge is basically just more stable at higher clock speeds from what I've read =\

 

It has nothing to do with the integrated GPU, the SB has an improved architecture compared to the clarksfield, it has better performance clock for clock and reduced power consumption. The really big deal is the huge frequency bump, the lowest quad i7-2720qm is clocked at 2.2Ghz, compared to i7-720qm 1.60Ghz, it's a HUGE boost.

 

As I said, it's not as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. current cpu --> sandy won't be nearly as huge as sandy --> ivy

 

That's a matter of personal opinion, to me from 1.6Ghz i7-720qm to 2.2Ghz i7-2720qm (probably equal to a current i7 rated at 2.5Ghz if you take the improvement into consideration) at the same price point, it's a big jump.

For people would are looking to buy a new laptop first quarter next year, SB will be a fair upgrade. It will probably take another year for IVY bridge to finally reach the hand of the consumers.

 

Go with the G53. If you're doing any kind of commute, the G73JW is only worth it if you go 3D, since it comes with a 1080 as 3D, so the added weight of the commute will be a trade off (the G53 has 1366 res 3D).

When I had the G53, it felt like carrying air.

 

Clock speed is probably the biggest joke when it comes to technology now. This is not the 1980s... we aren't trying to break the 1ghz barrier.

New instruction sets, new architecture, lithography jumps, those are what matter. Moving the gpu isn't impressive since... who cares about it?

Stability is nice. Clockspeeds are a good thing of course... but you get clockspeed jumps every generation, this isn't special.

I just know I wouldn't pay out for SB. I definitely plan to for Ivy.

 

Clock speed is the biggest joke?? It's true that certain old chips like P4 aren't efficient with high clock speed, but that's the past. We are comparing two fairly new and efficient chips, the current i7 and SB i7s, the SB i7s are already more powerful clock for clock, not to mention we are going to have a big frequency jump, that's said, the lowest i7-2720qm will be even more powerful than the current fastest i7-940xm, at a significantly lower cost. Now you are going say it's a minor upgrade?

Ivy bridge is going to be another big upgrade, it's going to be great, but for people who want a new laptop early next year, SB is a good way to go. New architecture and instructions matter a lot, so does clock speed.

 

I'm saying that intel could have left these compatible with older motherboards (they literally had to force incompatibility) and it's very clear that this "step" is a money maker... not actually a huge improvement.

The type of upgrade that ivy bridge will be is far far far greater than the type of upgrade SB will be.

Clock speed isn't a bad thing. SB is definitely a good thing... you need clock speed to take advantage of everything else. The fact is that this is no different from moving from a low clocked i5 to a higher clocked i5. There's nothing really mindblowing about the SB's.

Ivy is actually changing things up. It's really the next step. I wouldn't even call SB a half step, it's just a better version of what we've got.

 

I believe the key improvement of Sandy Bridge is the on die GPU that is way above what the current i5/i3/i7 has, plus the usual improvement.

So from that perspective, it is a big step. Of course, for people who would choose a med/high end GPU, it may not be worth the upgrade.

Isn't Ivy Bridge just going to be a die shrink ? So why do you think it would be the next step instead ?

 

Really? I had the impression that SB is a new arch, and IB is just a shrink.

Also any ideas on ULVs? I'm in the market, but after seeing the major graphics update in Ivy, I'm starting to consider to clench my teeth and wait it out.

 

Yes Ivy Bridge will be a die shrink of the SB. That'll mean lower temperatures and higher speeds. Same thing that SB brings us (only more effective) but there are probably going to be new instruction sets and by bringing it to the 22nm it'll be completely different architecture.

Like I said, it's not "just" a shrink.

 

A die shrink cannot be a completely different architecture. In fact, based on what I have read, Sandy Bridge is the generation that have some major tweaks put in. Ivy Bridge is more like the 'final' tweak. That said, personally, I like Ivy Bridge better. Just like I like the 45nm Core 2 Duo, the most mature iteration.

 

Ah, I see. Thanks!

EDIT: I always have the worst possible timing

 

Hungry Man : No you don't get clock speed boost every generation. In fact Core 2 to Nehalem was a downgrade, but it was counterbalanced by turbo and a better architecture.

Your expectations about Ivy Bridge are muddled : it's basically Sandy Bridge moved to 22nm, with a better IGP among other stuff. SB is not an improved i5/i7 despite it's i5/i7-2 naming scheme, it's a new architecture. I'm confused regarding why you would call it "not even a half step" when you seem really willing to believe that its die-shrink (IB) will be so mind-blowing.

IB isn't scheduled to bring AVX nor any new instructions set, nor is it supposed to bring major tweaks to the architecture. You'll get either an other bump in frequencies or lower consumption, or both. I suppose you'll get more of the second since Sandy will probably be overkill for a lot of stuff.

You don't get a whole new architecture just by moving it to the next node. And as I said no, FMA is the next big instructions set and it's scheduled for Haswell, not IB. How can it be a completely different architecture and a die-shrink at the same time ?

 

I'm expecting lower consumption, since Intel has the whole 'green computing' thing going...

 

After sandy bridge then IVY Bridge then Haswell and then Rockwell when 22nm becomes 16nm yay!

 

That's what I kept saying, this guy simply ignores the fact a huge clock speed bump SB is going to bring and denies the benefit of having a higher clocked processor. I can't believe anyone with logical sense would claim it's "not even a half step" when the lowest quad i7-2720qm is going to beat current fastest and most expensive i7-940xm at the cost of a i7-720qm.

 

Nobody outside of Intel knows much about Ivy Bridge. On the one hand, it is indeed a die shrink to 22nm, but on the other they're changing the on-die GPU to DX11 so there are clearly going to be some non-trivial architectural differences.

However, Sandy Bridge we do know about and it is most certainly not just an increase in clock speeds (although you get that too if you're going for mobile quad-cores). It is a substantially different architecture from everything that has come before. If you already know a lot about CPUs, there is a good article by Kanter on the subject (but beware, it's pretty technical). There's also a somewhat more beginner-friendly article at AnandTech.

There are already some UM and LM versions of Sandy Bridge announced so I assume they'll be coming out pretty soon after the mainstream versions. Ivy Bridge will be better, of course, but that's a year away. I would wait to see what kind of battery life the Sandy Bridge ultraportables get.

 

You're going to want an anti virus yes, I use AVG free, hasn't failed me yet... of course, sensible browsing is a must!

You should read through this thread for getting started and maintaining your new system: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m15x/488201-new-m15x-owner-information.html

the 'un-needed stuff' I assume you mean bloatware that most new systems are riddled with? In this case, don't worry, there isn't any.

 

Intel's Core 2011 Mobile Roadmap Revealed: Sandy Bridge Part II - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

SB vs Arrandale/Clarksfield

1. Higher base clocks (meh)
2. Quads have IGP (finally!)
3. Much higher single core turbo (meh, multithreading is common thse days)
4. 5450-level IGP (forces ATI/NV next gen low-ends to be much more competitive than the current offerings; win whether you are a gamer or not)

 

is getting the G53jw with mouse and backpack worth it? or should i go for the cheapest 1.
differences: 1 year warranty instead of 2
500gb hdd instead of 750gb
no backpack + mouse

 

Actually turbo is more or less unchanged except it should allow for higher frequencies when using all cores (currently just 1 or 2 multiplier). Higher base clocks is valid only for quad cores, the rest is left almost unchanged. There's also AVX and better battery management.

I don't know how much useful AVX will be. For now all I know is Sandy CPUs will probably pwn at running emulators like pcsx2 / dolphin (they love SSE 4.2 and AVX is its evolution).

 

What is this AVX about? I do intend to run pcsx2/dolphin when I get the SB laptop. Any detailed info?

 

Meh don't mind about IGP for i7. If suppose work laptops would take advantage of the lower temperatures and better battery life with the IGP but I'm in the market for a gaming notebook lol

 

Don`t know why Hungry Man is so hostile.

But anyhow, you should wait until Sandy Bridge comes out for shure. It is right around the corner and bring lots of improvements. Better clock for clock efficiency, higher base and top frequency, IGP can overclock and use turbo boost, all 4 cores can use turboboost even higher than the TDP, cooler design etc etc.

I am pretty shure Asus will be updating their current ROG series. I`d expect a G54/74 because like other people have mentioned, new GPUs from ATI will be around then, maybe some from NVIDIA as well, it supports faster RAM 1600 MHz. And the new CPU is a different socket, so new motherboard is required, which changes most of the things in the current ROGs out there. Question is when. I somehow think about an official release around late february or early march

 

Anyone who knows if the IGP will be configured to shut down the GPUs when they are not needed? Or do we need Optimus to do that?

No point in throwing IGP in there if the system can`t do that is it?

 

My threads on:
Sandy Bridge
Ivy Bridge

Sandy Bridge brings more goodies than better cpu's. Ivy Bridge brings quad cores to mainstream notebooks.

 

AVX is a new instruction set introduced with SB. You can read about it here if you're into technical stuff. Emulators like pcsx2 & dolphin are very dependent of some instructions (notably SSE4, which AMD CPUs lack, which is why they suck at emulating consoles next to intel's recent offerings). If I read well AVX improves a lot of the stuff contained in SSE4, which leads me to believe that AVX + IPC boost = awesome CPUs for emulation.

 

I forgot about that. I guess that's why he feels Ivy Bridge is "changing the game" while SB is just a small bump. Of course, he's still underestimating SB big time, and doesn't realize how HUGE the changes for quad cores SB brings (higher clock speeds, 32nm, more efficient architecture, the IGP...), and that Ivy Bridge just builds on SB's changes.

 

Hopefully the 15" MBPs get the Quad Cores when they get refreshed early next year. Otherwise, I'll have a lot more waiting to do. Quad Core or bust, at this point!

 

Mr. Wonderful,

I agree about 'Quad Core or bust' - 2011 is dual core's last hurrah, imo.

 

The g53 is HUGE, it's a 15.6 inch screen, basically 16+ inches. Plus the case makes it bigger.

And if you've got a desktop replacement, you might as well get a 17 inch one. I mean, once it's past 15 inches, it's HUGE ... now, I'd understand if you're talking about a 15 and an 18.4 inch laptop - but 15.6 and 17.1 inch ... that's diagonal measurements - and not a huge difference in footprint.