W860CU vs studio 15

My current notebook just became 5y old so I was planning to buy a new one.
At first my mind was set on the clevo (W860CU) but when I checked the dell site I noticed I could get the same specs in a studio 15 and save about
£360 ($550) (also the I can get a backlight keyboard on the Studio 15)

Im not sure about paying that much extra just for the sake of having a clevo, am I missing something here?
Are there are any people here that could tell me whether paying extra for the clevo would be worth it?


-ryn

Clevo - Dell orders

 

what would be the general use of your laptop?

 

You can't play games on the dell

 

5470 is no 5870 although can't is a strong word.

 

Yeah, first of all, the HD5470 =/= HD5870.

Everything else might be the same, but you're comparing a low end card in the Dell to the single most powerful card out right now (Clevo). That alone would account for the price difference, not to mention Clevo's superior build quality.

If you don't plan on playing any games, then the Dell should be fine.

 

I would like to use it for both work and play, the work part wont be very demanding and it doesnt need to run crysis on highest res either. (SCII maxed out would be nice though. ^^ )

 

You are paying extra for superior build quality, superior cooling, superior performance and being able to max out current games at full resolution. As mentioned before, if you aren't planning on any demanding gaming then go for the Dell. Second thoughts, I would recommend you just buy a less powerful Clevo instead (if no gaming) like the Sager NP7762.

 

then you need the clevo ...or something a little better

that 5470 is the lowest ATI card out in the 5 series.

 

Well I do have a terrible disliking of hardware that feels cheap.

 

What games do you play?

 

These 2 laptops are aimed at different markets to be fair. The G860 is a gaming laptop while the Dell Studio is a multimedia laptop. If you want a Dell gaming laptop then spec up an Alienware M15X. Then re-evaluate the price and then make your mind up.

In my opinion the Kobalt wins by a mile in both performance and customer service.

 

Hon, SCII, UT
When Diablo III & the new wow come out I'll probably be playing those aswell.

Also about the clevo build quality, my old notebook is an alienware/clevo and to be honest I never really liked that the screen is somewhat flimsy, and the paintwork didnt really last long.

 

go for the clevo.

you are getting better cooling, best hardware, better build quality.

 

Hi I have owned both so should be able to comment,

The first thing that struck me is the customer service! The DELL is shocking, I had a huge problem with them when I begun my purchase and it took me an hour to get through to an ENGLISH speaking manager (who turned out to be a rep in disguise). The lied to me on multiple basis and were never help full. While this might be an isolated case it tarnished the purchase all the same and I will never buy another product form them as long as I live.

The next thing which has been mentioned above is the GPU, since you last laptop lasted you 5 years I would reccommend paying the extra cash and getting the more future proof card. Who knows what will come out in 5 years, so you want a notebook which will last you just as long again ?

The overall build quality wasnt an issue for either in my opinion both felt well built and had pros and cons for both in both quality and features.

Pros for the Dell:

- Backlit keyboard (although more of a gimik the screen provides more than enough light)
-The metal finish on the chassis.
-Thinner and the XPS version looks gorgeous!!

Cons:

-Poor cooling compared to the Clevo
-Poor performance comapred to the Clevo
-Awful customer service comapred to the Clevo.

Pros for the Clevo:

-Great cooling
-Great Perfromance
-More future proof

Cons for the Clevo:

- Bigger
- Battery Life
- And thats about all that springs to mind.

Hope this helps some what. My vote goes with the Clevo (if you havent already guessed)

 

Well, the fact that you asked this question in a Sager/Clevo forum, the responses will pretty much be biased in favor of the Clevo.

Have you filled out the what should I buy form?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271

As much as I love the Clevo, you may want to consider how you are going to be using this laptop. Keep in mind that although the Clevo is a powerhouse, battery charge lasts only for about an hour at most (if such thing is important to you). Also, there are many vendors out there other than Dell.

 

I have owned many dells including the studio 15/sxps 1640 and the worst thing about the Dells IMHO is the heat! Considering they are only midrange systems the external heat was unbearable.
Also both the s15 and the sxps16 both suffered from throttling.

I have owned 2 Clevos and both ran relatively cool considering the components and neither throttled at all! My last Clevo had Q9000 and GTX260m overclocked and still ran a lot cooler than the dells!