Dell Inspiron 9400 With Intel Duo Core Available (specs)

umm..i found out about this awhile ago but was not too concerned.

However, now i see that windows vista is a 64 bit O/S and so will not install on the 9400 (since Yonah is only a 32 bit CPU)

SO my question is..can this cpu be upgraded easily!!!???

Once Vista is here (by Xmas) we will be deluged with 64 bit applications that will not run on the 9400 --i fear (i hope such fear is unfounded).

 

Actually, the 9400 is Vista ready...

 

does that mean that guy on cnet is wrong when he says he can't install vista on the 9400?


edit: ah , nvm a quick run to MS site reveals:

"Designed for Windows XP" 32-bit PC systems with Windows XP OS, or

• "Designed for Windows XP x64 Edition" 64-bit PC systems with Windows XP x64 Edition OS


guy must have not known it was 32 bit before he tried it.

 

Does anyone else who had the UWXGA Screen have any issues with the 1920 x 1200 native resolution? I just can't see a **** thing with this resolution and changing it to a lower setting is not an option because anything other then the native resolution looks absolutely crappy. I've tried adjusting the DPI but it just screws up CSS on most websites to the point that they don't render correctly.

I'm seriously considering sending it back and going for the "lesser screen" with the 1440 x 900 native resolution. My only question is what is it like in comparision without the "truelife" coating?

I'm going to go blind if I don't figure something out. Apparently a Dell Level 2 Tech is calling me. ha ha ha. The native resolution can't be changed in the bios or somewhere can it or is that just the way it is?

 

As it says here:

http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/duo/ad.htm?iid=HMPAGE+Sub_06ww01b_R

I read it somewhere else too but can't remember where, a prereview I think. Sure it won't run in 64 bit mode but vista is going to support 32 bit processors too.

 

YUp.2 different versions available.

 

And how did they run? I want to play the new elder scroll's OblIVion, I hope it will run good on the i9400, i just have the 1,6 Ghz dual core :budget: (student :s)

 

Quake 4 runs perfectly on the highest resolution with "high" settings.

And flames, are you having a problem viewing ONLINE TEXT?? If so, just go to VIEW and increase the text size there.

 

oh and another thing, will vista run smoothly on this laptop? Taking into account the good graphics card, memory and dual core? Will it take advantage of the dual core aswell?

 

Adjusting the font size does nothing to help me surfing websites which generally ignore the font size setting - most use Cascading Style Sheets (css). I've increased my DPI to 120 and that helps for the most part (expcept for websites that don't use css which again are rare). Still not sure how I feel about the screen though. Maybe I just have to get used to it and then will love it.

Also, for all of you using IE for your web browser you have to delete a registry key to make all the graphics display correctly else they look awful. I almost crapped when I first opened IE but then found a link somewhere (in this forum?) to that fix which sure enough made everything nice. Don't know if that's and IE bug or what?

 

But then again, who uses IE?

Flames: what kind of problems do you have with the screen? Could you elaborate?

 

I dunno what your talking about Flames, Im using 96 dpi and my fonts are looking pretty perfect. Fonts and icons look exactly the same as on my old 1280x1024 screen...except they look much crisper and clearer.

If you want tho, you can download TWEAKXP...that will allow you to change text properties for windows, and could probably help you out. Check it out.

 

The problem for me is the text is soooo small in the native resolution of 1920 x 1200. It's not that it's not crisp and clear. You need a magnifying glass to see it though. Since I've adjusted the DPI to 120 it is better for the most part.

I will check out that program though...thanks

 

I'm a web developer so I use all browsers. Even still my browser of preference is IE.

 

Hey Flames, I got the 1440 x 900 resolution screen (Samsung) and I'm not very happy with it. Light-leakage at the bottom and the infamous "sparkling-effect" (shimmering), which tires the eyes after a while. I got it three days ago and still debating if I can live with it.

Worse however is the DVD RW drive. When I pop a DVD with data from my older pc in it, it often makes noise comparable to a coffee grinder and it hangs for minutes without transfering anything (using Windows Explorer). The noise is accompanied by heavy vibrations. I just tried copying another huge file from a CD-RW, same noise and the transfer stopped when it was almost complete. Ctr-alt-del was the only way to close the window. This thing needs a new DVD drive for sure. I remember someone else in this thread having the same problem, don't know what page though.

Another problem is the wireless networking. The Intel wireless can never find the network address. It only finds it after I connect the ethernet cable first. If I unplug the ethernet I lose the wireless connection also after a little while.

All the rest seems to work great though. I love the superior processing power.

Plus I got an external monitor also, the Dell 2405FPW, for $1039 (Canadian) when it was on special. This 24inch screen is fantastic! It works flawlessly with the nVidia GeForce Go 7800.

__________________
Dell i9400, Core Duo 1.83ghz, 2GB DDR2 @667mhz, 256MB GeForece Go 7800, 17" WXGA+, 80GB 7200 SATA, 8x DVDRW, Windows XP Pro

 

bushmasterM4. What brand/model is your DVD-drive. Mine is a NEC and it is awsome, no vibrations or noise at all, the only thing you can hear is the 'windnoise' the actual disc makes. From what i can recall the problemdrives i've heard of so far has been from Sony, if i'm not mistaking.
Wireless network works fine for me. Some thing with the router though, sometimes it just breaks the connectiion, and directly connects again. It's the same prob. with my storage pc which is wired to the router, so i guess the prob. is in the router and not the WLAN.
And as for the screen i think it's great, i got the 1920x1200 one, and i wouldn't trade it for anything else Okay, the light leakage is more visible when you watch a movie or something like that, but in Windows or games i haven't really noticed it.

EDIT

Thinkin about using a cable instead of the wireless when i'm sitting at the desk. Would it be a big increase in speed? Got 100MBit router and 100MBit in my 'storagecomp.'. Internet is a 24MBit(down) adsl. Guess it would speed up the transfers between the 9400 and storage a bit?

 

Yeah I noticed the same thing. Then I installed Firefox and found you can just hit CTRL ++ to adjust the windowed text to whatever size you want and it renders it perfectly. bye bye IE for me.

 

alt v x in IE

 

Bah you ruined my revelation! lol. Seriously though, I notice more distortions in IE than in firefox when I pick larger fonts.

 

I had have the same problem a few years ago, I also changed dpi I even tweaked windows en created langer icons lager texts. but the one and only solution is glasses I bought glasses and a new world went open...

 

You're correct fredrik, my DVD-drive is the f ucking Sony. Here is the Dell link to it: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/p94658/en/specs.htm Hopefully they will send me a NEC instead of this d amn s hitbox. Excuse my language!

I don't know about local networking but for internet dowloading I use a cable while I'm at my desk, at least for this Dell. The Intel wireless in the Dell is rated 54Mbps. My old Toshiba laptop has a D-link plug-in wireless card 108Mbps. Wireless it downloads four times faster than my new Dell! I hope I can shove that card in my new laptop to have decent speed away of my desk.

 

¿Works i9kfangui on the 9400?

http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html
http://mckenziedev.com/fdownloads.htm

This is a recomended applications for Dells Notbooks because let a more quiet or more cool notebook. See:

http://forum.hardware.fr/hardwarefr...echnique-Dell-Inspiron-9400-sujet-25840-1.htm

 

Without upping the clock of the gpu Q4 run absolutely sweet with 1600x1200, everything on high and anti-aliasing on 2x (I've never been able to use aa before without the machine I'm using grinding to a juttering slide show), but I didn't try it any higher. For something so underclocked, it's still a beast of a gaming machine.

Mine has got the 1920x1200 screen as well. I have a tiny bit of light leakage on the screen but I can only see it on an absolutely black screen and even then it's not too bad. Not too sure what difference the trubrite coating is supposed to make but it's great for hearing people go 'ohhh shiney' when you first show them the laptop and they see the screen. Can't say I've had any problems reading any text on this screen bit any ie images look like they've been butchered by the resize tool in paint so I'd be interested to know what that reg key to fix it is.

I'm also lucky enough to have the NEC DVD writer, I've always been partial to nec dvd writers anyway so I was quite pleased about that, although when it's running at full tilt you definately notice it if it's on your lap but thats expected.

Can't remember who said this earlier but to whoever asked about upgrading cpu's when a 64bit one comes out, don't count on it, Merom the 64bit version of yonah isn't that far away but Intel have an annoying habit of bringing out a new chipset each time they bring out a new cpu. Don't worry though as mentionned by someone else, your still vista compatible and you won't have to worry about 64bit being a must have for a long time yet.

 

Sad but true, i also have the Sony Drive and it's loud as hell.
What's the best way to get it changed by Dell ?
I'd prefer the NEC Drive.

By the way, still satisfied with the Dell 9400

 

Erm break it, get it fixed and hope they replace it with an nec, I can't see them fitting one for you just because you asked because thst would mean them admitting that some of the drives were worse then others. You could try buying one of the nec drives and fitting it yourself and hoping dell don't realise if you ever need to do a warrenty call.

I can't remember exactly what model it is and the lappy is at home so I can't check but I think this is the one http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=311102&cks=SPC

 

Mine says NEC DVD+-RW ND-6650A, so that one on Komplett is the same i guess. Mine works perfectly, no noise what so ever.

 

As a side note, My packing slip said I have an NEC drive but my burning software says I have a Sony. I did notice vibration and was almost about to panic, but then noticed it was on some cheap dvd blanks that had off centre coverings on top. The DVD blanks that I have with no writable surface work fine. I"ve already burned a few movies without a problem. I think the Sony's are just pickier with DVD media that isn't perfectly centered and balanced. Some of the cheaper dvd media makes my desktop drive vibrate and it was due to poorly made DVD's. So don't give up hope yet.

 

Yeah, my packing slip also said NEC, but my system properties say it's a Sony. It's pretty loud when it spins up, but don't notice any vibration, as it just sits on my desk. I'm also not sure about the burning. I've got some Memorex 16x DVD+R's and my old 12x LG DVD burner would only burn at 4x; this sony detects it as maximum 8x, but still takes 15min (4x) to burn with lots of spin-up/down before it starts the burn: probably just the media, tho.

 

That is from this Thread in the Hardware section:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39388

Hope this helps.

 

Ok I think I may have a problem. Until now I havent checked my HD, but today I checked it and realised it said 88 GB total capacity...Now I paid for a 100 gig HD, but obviously im missing 12 gigs...why?

My guess is that the "Hidden Dell partition" is what takes up those 12 gigs, but Im not sure..

 

There is a Dell hidden partition of like 5-6 GB I think. Then there is a diagnostic partition that is like 40-50MB. The other loss is that when they say 100GB they use the value of MB to GB is 1000 instead of 1024. So you lose like 2.5 GB there.

 

oh ok well thats what I thought...thanks for the info.

And here another little question I have. Occasionally I get little glitches or "trails" on my screen, its hard to explain but its most frequent while working in photoshop...Heres a screenshot...

http://yusuf-osman.com/images/things.jpg

The red circles indicate what Im talking about...what are they? Some of them are quite hard to see because of the quality of the screenshot, but some are pretty clear.

 

I am awaiting my new Dell 9400..but in the meanwhile I have a Dell 6000 that I want to pass on to some one else, and wondered if someone could tell me how to unregister it , because it is registered to my name and I would like to change that befor I let it go. Thanks for any help.

 

For those that are curious, I've received my "natural leather" snap-on cover for the i9400 (actually, I bought the one for the 9300, but it's the same thing). I think it definitely makes an improvement over the silver/white.

Here's a pic:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b294/kbahrbarrie/cover.jpg

 

well i don't get it..i think the lappie looks amazing as is...pictures don't do it justice.
----
talk to a dell person about switching ownership..warranties can be switched as fas as i know.

 

RedStar,

I agree with you but....

Garbuckle,

That looks awesome man. I might have to buy one of those.

 

Yeah, looks sweet Garbuckle But might have looked even better with black instead of white on the edges.

 

My nero 7 software told me my drive reads at 8x and writes at 4x.

 

I agree. When looking at pics off the net I thought it looked kinda ugly. Now that I have one in person, it actually looks elegant with the silver and white. I think it actually looks pretty good..

 

Fredrik: How are you able to "overclock" your GPU to 376/911? As soon as I try to put mine over 358/870 and test it it says it doens't pass the test? Samething with my wife's.

 

I think the laptop looks absolutely beautiful and have never understood why people think it doesn't or that it lacks a quality build.

I have to get used to the screen resolution other then that, my only concern now is the slow GPU compared to what I expected after reading about it on the Nvidia site.

I'm seriously contemplating sending them both back to Dell and ordering two XPS M170's. $1000.00 more for each one but I wanted to be at the tip of cutting edge so it would serve me well for several years and I'm not sure the Go 7800 will satisfy me now let alone a year or two from now.

Last night I played BF2 and was disappointed not to be able to play it on full settings at 1600 x 1200, I had to turn it down to 1024x768 to have a good frame rate with all the other details turned to max. I was playing a single player game against bots so my computer had to manage that overhead too which i wonder if it might be the reason I had to turn it down? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Is everyone who plays hardcore games satisfied with their 9400??

I just can't decide what to do with it honestly. Keep it or return it for the XPS.

Say, can anyone tell me if they notice a big difference in speed with a fresh install of xp? I've done the standard removal, system cleanup (c cleaner) etc. but not a fresh install yet.

 

I am so happy!
I just ordered my new Dell 9400.

-Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83 GHz
-17" WXGA+
-1 GB DDR2 667 MHz
-80 Gb 5400 SATA
-256 MB Nvidia Go 7800
-8x DVD+/-RW

Price $2,008

-$650 off coupon

Final Price: $1,358

Ship Date: 2006-02-16
:dell:

 

Well, can't really answer to that. Have seen people that have been able to go even higher. I don't know what's limiting it. Power, heat, bios, hardware?
Now i run on stock clocks anyway, 1920x1200 and full(?) settings on COD2, doesn't really see any point in higher clocking then. Didn't really notice a boost on the higher clocks in-game, seems like it makes more difference in the benchmarking. Also the heat increased a bit on higher clocks, so it's stock clocks for me for a while.

 

FFF: for 1000$ more i would say..definately not.

for the details... look at this review:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1887478,00.asp

and notice the graphs at 1600 (with AA on)

The frame rate is under 30...more or less unplayable.
So even with the extra power..you would still be crying.

The trend seems to be stressing shaders in future games (like fear for now)

as a result..ati 1900 series has 48 shaders (or triple!) --these guys came out just a couple months after the 1800 (granted the 1800's were delayed)

the point..graphic development changes almost 4x faster than your expected lifetime for a laptop.

The only way you could keep up..would be to upgrade graphics (which is getting closer to a lappie reality).

Another problem you face is your 1900 native resolution..that will make playing games harder than the 1440 res screen. But i am unsure what percent impact that translation would be.

My advice ..play BF2 at 1078 with all the settings maxed
I can say this because i, myself, have never bothered or felt the need to game at a higher res (just so you account for my bias on that statement)

----------
edit: Morrisadam: Very sweet deal!!

edit 2: Fredrik: When you say back to stock clock..do you mean you put back the dell driver??

 

No, still with the Extreme-G. But i've set back the clocks to what it was from the start. Just choose 'no overclock' or whatever it says where you change the clocks. 'Default clocks' you could call it.

 

hmmm thats odd. I just ran BF2 at 1600x1200 all options high except no AA and it ran silky smooth. I load everything into memory mind you. What drivers are you using? I'm usingthe xtreme mobile 83.20.

 

Indeed: i have heard many say on the web that 2 gig memory boosts BF2 performance by up to 10% --which is why i am getting 2 gig on my very own computer system.

 

Wouldnt the 1440x900 screen be better so you could play it in native resolution and have higher FPS and not scale down and lose the image sharpness?

 

Yeah it's a bit of a trade off, but I find 1600x1200 to not have much degredation screen wise. I'm not sure if games support that resolution either.. 1440x900 is a bit of an odd size.
I also find that checking off the box that says keep fan on all the time and even overclocked heavily my temps only reach 68C full load and 62 idle. Not bad! Strange, almost seems like my temps are going down.

 

I was concerned about the future proofing of the machine with regards to gaming as well, but after using it and putting it through it's paces I've no doubts that it will last a while. In fact considering it's a ridiculously underclocked, and a laptop (similary specced desktops are always going to be faster) the performance is fantastic.


To those whose paperwork says they should have got an nec drive but are finding they have a sony, why don't you get onto them and kick up a stink because you've not recieved what was on the paperwork.