NP9262 owners, talk to me about durability, glossy screen, and speakers

In the grand search for a replacement for my refunded Alienware m15x (which was a nightmare from the start), I've finally narrowed my options down to the NP8660 and the NP9262.

Right now, I'm leaning just a little bit towards the 8660 for two reasons: it has an option for a matte screen, and it looks like it's built as solid as a tank.

You 9262 owners out there, I'd really like to hear from you.

What do you think about that glossy screen? Does it bug you while you're gaming? Does it get smudgy? Do you love it? (Video reviews of the screen from different angles in various lighting conditions would be awesome.)

And how about the case, huh? My m15x literally fell apart at the seams. What I do not want is another light, flimsy, plastic piece of crap. I want a machine that's built to last, something that feels durable, solid, heavy. I don't plan on throwing my machine against brick walls, but I shouldn't be worrying about breaking the hinges every time I open the case. (Video reviews would really be appreciated, again. So far, I've only been able to find static images, and you really can't get a good idea of how a machine is going to feel from a static image.)

Finally, how are the built-in speakers? I'm not expecting too much, but I like being able to play games in a semi-crowded room without having to wear headphones. (Once again, the m15x underdelivered. I'm honestly curious why they even bothered installing speakers.) How loud can you crank your 9262's speakers? How do they sound? (Once again, video reviews demonstrating the 9262's speakers against a crowded room, a radio, or a television would be fantastic.)

 

The speaker is good,not great but good.Build:A+++.


Screen:good too.

 

well ive had mine for about a month (i think) maybe a bit longer i got it from a member here. and i love it, this was the first gaming PC i have owned i converted from being a console gamer and my old PC was beyond a joke. i love the screen and it hasnt really bothered me about it being glossy.

the case is great not flexable or anything feels sturdy when im picking ti up so im not thinking that its going to snap in two or anything an believe me if you pick it up you wont be thinking its light, coz it aint its heavy, but i dont ming as i dont really take it everywhere with me and i have a business one strap bag which makes things worse. i think a good backpack would be great for taking this places. its semi difficult to open the lid, its not that its really hard but it aint gonna flip it self open or anything and the hinges feel rocksolid as well.

i dont really know what to say about the speakers, they are the best i have heard from a laptop but that aint saying much as my old laptop was like 4 years old and was a piece of crap. i like the sound when im playing my games or listening to music and sometimes have to turn it down coz it gets a bit loud, but that might be coz my bedroom is like a cube so the sounds probly bouncing off all the walls.

ill see what i can do about taking a few videos of it, but be warned it will be on a phone so the quaility wont be amazing, it will be from a sony e cybershot phone so it wont be really bad but dont expect HD quaility

i hope that helps.

 

Screen is bright and clear. and i'm loving it!!

build is kinda strong, little signs of flex(well, there HAS to be flex right?), would say does not flex as much as those 15"/12" light/thin lappys..

speakers are quite okay if you ask me.. i can't ask anything more out of the speakers.. they're built-in.. =)

 

I admit I was a little worried about a glossy screen, since all my life I had used matte LCD monitors, and my HDTV is matte as well. However, you can only see your reflection if you try to see it. You know, if you focus your eyes on the reflection because you want to see it, not because it's irritating and totally obvious it's there so you must stare at it. Because I keep my NP9262 maintained on a weekly basis, I clean the screen every week as well. You do get smudges when you clean it, but only if you apply too much pressure. While gaming, the gloss does not bother me at all. Having gone from avid PC gaming, to avid console gaming, and now back to avid PC gaming, I do not notice anything that bothers me. In fact, I find the gloss makes things brighter! So I get a bit better image quality. However, you must remember to blast the Digital Vibrance option in the nVidia Control Panel to 100% (mine's set to 100%), or else things appear faded and look awful. This appears to be the fault of the NP9262's screen, because when hooked to my HDTV it does not require the Digital Vibrance option.

About build quality, this thing is absolutely solid! The exterior has very hard and durable plastic, and on the inside is very sturdy metal (which could be why the NP9262 is so heavy). I can hit the exterior quite hard and it does not affect the machine one bit. It does not even leave a dent. The screen is not extremely flimsy if you shake the desk that the machine is sitting on. Of course, when the shaking gets violent it will start to move around, but it will stay in its place where you put it. For keyboard flex, there is some flex if you push down hard enough on the right shift key. But just pressing it, there is no flex.

Speaker quality on the NP9262 depends on the audio source. To test the speakers, my bro said anything recent by Ice Cube has a very high volume source. At 50% volume, I could feel the floor vibrate, and at 100% I had to yell to talk to my brother. So if you have a high volume source, the speakers are great for music. They do lack bass in comparison to real speakers, but they do suffice. For gaming, the speakers are good. Again, all about the source input. For Team Fortress 2, they're great. Everything sounds good, nothing sounds distorted or off. The speaker layout is basically 4 speakers (maybe 5, but I can only see 4). One to the right of the numeric keypad, one to the left of the keyboard, one below the touch pad to the left, and one below the touch pad to the right. I am not an audiophile, so I find the speakers to be perfect. If you are an audiophile though, you probably have some ultra high-end headphones for your audio enjoyment.

If you need any more descriptions I will gladly do it for you. No camera, so no videos (the webcam on the NP9262 wouldn't be able to show you the underside and such).

 

I am not an owner but had the pleasure of seeing a 9262 in the wild. I will only comment on the screen as it blew me away. I hate glossy screens but this one was excellent. It was very bright and it almost made me think there were dual lamps inside (but there aren't). I had a 5760 with a glossy screen that I sent back because the screen was way to dim for my tastes but if the 9262 get's such a jump in quality screen it's worth the purchase price in my eyes.

 

I'm not an owner but have used the D901C numerous times ever since my brother bought it based on my recommendation.

Build quality - superb. Solid!
Screen - excellent, bright and beautiful.
Speakers - good. It's a notebook so don't expect much.
Portability - Not that heavy but better get yourself a sturdy backpack.
Performance - Yup, decked out, it's the most powerful notebook in the world!
Looks - Bleah, it's a boring, bulky square slab... But if you adorn the lid with some graffics skins or have it painted like my brother did, it looks great.

Things that should have been on there: HDMI port. Back lit keys.

 

Amen! To that

 

First, I will acknowledge that, without any doubt, looks are almost purely subjective, and so, while I disagree with your characterization of the looks of the 9262 as "bleah," that doesn't really mean anything more than that we have different tastes - different strokes for different folks.

That being said, I would characterize the 9262 as understated, in the same way that this

is understated.

While I won't go so far as Adolph Loos, and say that ornament is crime, I do think that, just as you wouldn't put fibreglass wings on that beauty pictured above, neither should the 9262 be gaudily decked-out either.

 

one thing to say.. ive been carrying my 9262 in a jansport backpack for 2 months now on a 2 hour commute to work and 2 hour return on the subway... it slipped outta my hands twice. Not a far drop, but a decently loud thud... NO damage. no cracks. no breaks.... its def. a durable mofo!

 

I've owned the 9262 since it came out in Dec/Jan and its been awesome.

Build quality is amazing.

This is my first time having a glossy screen and it is frickin unbelievable. I'll never go back to matte.

Speakers are ok, headphones are better.

Portability? umm, don't expect to be able to use it on battery power for very long.

Weight? get a backpack haha.

Performance? amazing.

I think it is a great looking laptop but if you can personalize it with a paint job, it is worth it. You will treat it like your baby as soon as you get it because you will fall in love with it.

If you plan on taking it to work/etc and go back and forth from two locations, highly recommend getting an extra AC adapter.

 

I've had my D901C for over a year now.

Screen: Could be brighter, especially in direct sunlight.

Finish: Collects dust like crazy and fingerprints, would have rather had a matte finish.

Speakers: Good and loud. Not the best but not bad.

Durability: Good overall. Move mine once a month and not scratched up.

 

Screen: Pretty decent. It's fairly bright (I use it at 4 of 8) although I have seen brighter screens. Very little grain. Response time on the screen is probably 25ms as I have done some input lag testing against a CRT and it was around 35-40ms or about 2 1/2 frames. Not the best there.. I would like to see them use 16ms or better screens but ghosting seems minimal and im not using this machine for highly competitive FPS gaming so input lag at that range is not a concern for me. You also always have the option of upgrading the LCD if you can find one. I have seen a couple WU3's on Ebay but im not sure if they would fit or how to install and they aren't cheap ($700 or so)

Speakers: Pretty good for a laptop. Bass is kinda weak but the sound overall is more than okay for casual gaming.

Build: Good to very good. It feels very durable to the touch and much better than other laptops I have had.

Performance: Are you kidding me? I have a Q9550 and 2 SLI 8800MGTX under 4K... this will last me at least 3 years until I need an upgrade. I wanted to use this as an occasional travel laptop and second portable desktop at home and it does the job well. It's quiet too considering it has a desktop processor.

Weight: It's heavy but it's really not that bad IMO.

Looks: I greatly prefer the looks of the M1730 vs the 9262 but I wanted something somewhat future-ready and the current M1730 didn't support quadcore and I need a lappy now. The looks of the 9262 are average to slightly above but im comparing against the M1730 which IMO looks awesome.

 

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me though, the D901C is a bulky square slab, with or without the wings. Functionality wise, it has no competition.