---> OFFICIAL: Dell STUDIO 14z Owner's Lounge <---

[JohnByeBye]

Originally Posted by Mastershroom

That's good, at least.

But still, no optical drive in a 14" laptop, and a media laptop at that? Absurd. Optical drives usually stop showing up in 12" netbooks, not 14" compact notebooks. >_<

Lol. I'm also not impressed with the graphics option given.

[Mastershroom]

Originally Posted by JohnByeBye

Lol. I'm also not impressed with the graphics option given.

As far as chipset-integrated graphics go, the 9400M G is way better than any Intel solutions, even the highly regarded 4500MHD. It's a real graphics card, but fully integrated. And assuming nVidia learned their lesson from the 8400M GS/8600M GT fiasco with the XPS M1330 and M1530, it should be an excellent integrated card. Performance better than the old 8400M GS, without melting itself after six months.

I actually wish the original Studio models (15 and 17) had nVidia graphics options rather than ATi. nVidia mobile driver support is miles ahead of AMD/ATi's.

Also, why is it the Studio 14z? What the 'z' supposed to mean?

[JohnByeBye]

Originally Posted by Mastershroom

As far as chipset-integrated graphics go, the 9400M G is way better than any Intel solutions, even the highly regarded 4500MHD. It's a real graphics card, but fully integrated. And assuming nVidia learned their lesson from the 8400M GS/8600M GT fiasco with the XPS M1330 and M1530, it should be an excellent integrated card. Performance better than the old 8400M GS, without melting itself after six months.

I actually wish the original Studio models (15 and 17) had nVidia graphics options rather than ATi. nVidia mobile driver support is miles ahead of AMD/ATi's.

Also, why is it the Studio 14z? What the 'z' supposed to mean?

Ok, that's better. I didn't know much about it. If it can outperform the 4500MHD then it really deserves to be recognized as a great Integrated graphics solution. The HD3200 is junk and probably doesn't even compare to the 9400M G. I am really crossing my fingers that I don't run into any problems with this 8400M. It would ultimately be nice if they could implement high end graphics with the power saving features of integrated setups. Technology FTW.

I'm not sure about the "z." All I know is that there was a previous Studio 14. Maybe they added the "z" to signify a revamped version?

[kirkus]

we might see a studio 14 soon...
like 10 and 10v

[Mastershroom]

Originally Posted by JohnByeBye

Ok, that's better. I didn't know much about it. If it can outperform the 4500MHD then it really deserves to be recognized as a great Integrated graphics solution. The HD3200 is junk and probably doesn't even compare to the 9400M G. I am really crossing my fingers that I don't run into any problems with this 8400M. It would ultimately be nice if they could implement high end graphics with the power saving features of integrated setups. Technology FTW.

I'm not sure about the "z." All I know is that there was a previous Studio 14. Maybe they added the "z" to signify a revamped version?

I know the old 8400M GS was pretty much on par with the ATi 3450 that the older Studio 15's have, but due to an inherent design flaw (one that nVidia only noticed too late), they have an extremely high failure rate. Dell even extended the GPU warranty coverage on affected models by one year for free. So, if you had the 1 year bog standard warranty, your GPU would be covered for 2 years, since it was most likely going to fail at some point. Likewise, if you got the full blown 4 year warranty, your GPU would be covered for a whopping 5 years.

So, the 8400M GS was basically the nVidia equivalent of our ATi 3450...it performed very much the same...while it worked. I assume this new 9400M G is a step up from that, and from what I've read, doesn't have all the heat issues of its predecessor.

Originally Posted by kirkus

we might see a studio 14 soon...
like 10 and 10v

The Dell support page does have drivers for a Studio 1435 (this new 14z is model number 1440). I believe it's only sold in India at the moment. If you check the Dell India page, it should be there.

[lottdod_1999]

LOL OWNER's Lounge? It just was announced today.

Anyway I would love one. I was JUST looking, for the future, something like the macbook. Thin and light. I'd prefer something uniform in thickness though.

I want something powerful that's really portable. Something that will last for a long time for basic things.

Can anyone guesstimate what this will be like in 6 months? Disc drive? Thinner? Color choices/design studio?

[JohnByeBye]

Originally Posted by lottdod_1999

LOL OWNER's Lounge? It just was announced today.

Anyway I would love one. I was JUST looking, for the future, something like the macbook. Thin and light. I'd prefer something uniform in thickness though.

I want something powerful that's really portable. Something that will last for a long time for basic things.

Can anyone guesstimate what this will be like in 6 months? Disc drive? Thinner? Color choices/design studio?

I think you pretty much nailed it.

[allfiredup]

I've done a little research and here's what I found-

Studio 14 (original 14.1" not sold in U.S.)- 1435
Studio 14z- 1440

The 1435 was basically a 14.1" of the 1535 (with many of the same shortcomings). The 1440 looks to be a basically clean-sheet design.

I swore off Dell consumer laptops after my experience with the Studio 1535 (three warranty repairs and returned in even worse shape after each one)! I've got a Latitude E6400 that I'm much happier with now.

But the new 14z is very tempting. I'll give it a few months to work out most of the gremlins inherent of a new model. Then I may end up ordering one...

The 1600x900 (900p) display is the first one I've seen on a 14.0". It's also the first time I've seen a notebook with both an HDMI port AND DisplayPort.

[lottdod_1999]

You know what I'm really looking for is a computer that's portable, light, like the macbook, and something that could last (at least theoretically based on the tech specs) for at least 5 years after a nuclear devestated world leaves us with no more new computers. So yeah just saw Terminator Salvation heh..

[allfiredup]

Originally Posted by lottdod_1999

You know what I'm really looking for is a computer that's portable, light, like the macbook, and something that could last (at least theoretically based on the tech specs) for at least 5 years after a nuclear devestated world leaves us with no more new computers. So yeah just saw Terminator Salvation heh..

ThinkPad T400, perhaps? Or even an X301/X200s? Post-apocalypse, it'll be Cher, cockroaches and ThinkPads left....