Dell Studio 15 (1555) Review

[Jerry Jackson]

Ok now I'm REALLY pissed at myself for not getting a custom lid like that. Geez that looks nice.

I don't get it, I have a 512MB video card and I got the same PCmark06 scores?

Indeed. Although I don't like all of the Design Studio lids, Dell has something VERY nice going on with the Design Studio, and I like the idea of being able to order a notebook that doesn't look identical to the notebook that your neighbor or coworker owns.

There's been some interesting conversations in our forums as well as other forums about the performance issue of 256MB vs 512MB cards. There are a number of ways of looking at it, and I'll let you track down the various discussions for more details, but the bottom line is that there isn't always much "practical" benefit (at least in terms of synthetic benchmarks) in getting the 512MB version of several cards compared to the same card with only 256MB.

If you really want better performance you're better off getting a better card than the same card with more RAM.

[drfelip]

Sad to read the speakers are so bad. Wasn't the 1555 supposed to feature a subwoofer?

As for the low build quality... Well, the price is great for the specs, Dell has to save money somewhere... XPS and Latitudes are much better build but are more expensive.

[Jerry Jackson]

I can't say how much I hate the fact Dell kept the naming Studio 15 the same from the last generation to this, it's in no way obvious on the site what the underlying model number is and frankly I see this as being a major confusion for consumers as it's impossible to sort out the right review for the laptop you're buying. Ok, so it keeps the naming clean, but if they just keep evolving the laptop without changing the name they're going to force us into dubbing each release "1st gen", "2nd gen", "3rd gen" like is necessary with the iPod. The iPod usually has enough physical differences on the surface to be able to tell if it's the latest generation or not, if you put the Studio 15 (1535) and Studio 15 (1555) on a table and stood 5 feet away there's no way you can tell the difference, please Dell go back to differentiating your model numbers with each release.

The whole issue around keeping the same product name bothers me as well. I also don't like it with Apple and their MacBook/MacBook Pro lines.

Manufacturers claim they use the same name to "simplify" their product lines for consumers, but the real benefit for manufacturers is that consumers don't realize exactly what their buying ... which makes it easier to sell old inventory.

For example, last year after Apple refreshed the MacBooks one of my wife's friends went to an Apple Store to buy a "new" MacBook but she ended up buying the "old" MacBook because she didn't know the difference and assumed the Apple Store would only be selling the newest MacBooks.

I'm sure a similar thing will happen from time to time with people buying Dell laptops if they're using the same product names.

It reminds me of this Dilbert cartoon:

http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000...9568.strip.gif

[TexasEx7]

Teknerd, I think you are referring to a "1st gen" Studio 15 (1535) not the Studio 1555 which is being reviewed here.

Speak of the devil, and he appears...

[Jerry Jackson]

As for the low build quality... Well, the price is great for the specs, Dell has to save money somewhere... XPS and Latitudes are much better build but are more expensive.

You are correct, you can't have all these fantastic specs in a notebook for only $1,300 unless you make a sacrifice or two somewhere. Heck, the 15-Inch Apple MacBook Pro starts at $1,700 and only has a fraction of the features in this configuration of the Studio 15 (1555).

However, there are a few budget-priced notebooks that have amazing build quality ... but they don't have the features seen in this notebook:

http://www.notebookreview.com/defaul...ew=lenovo+g530

[TexasEx7]

Jerry, you should go down the hall and pick up a 14z now

[lottdod_1999]

Indeed. Although I don't like all of the Design Studio lids, Dell has something VERY nice going on with the Design Studio, and I like the idea of being able to order a notebook that doesn't look identical to the notebook that your neighbor or coworker owns.

There's been some interesting conversations in our forums as well as other forums about the performance issue of 256MB vs 512MB cards. There are a number of ways of looking at it, and I'll let you track down the various discussions for more details, but the bottom line is that there isn't always much "practical" benefit (at least in terms of synthetic benchmarks) in getting the 512MB version of several cards compared to the same card with only 256MB.

If you really want better performance you're better off getting a better card than the same card with more RAM.

Do these tests focus more on video game type of things? Would I notice a benefit with something like photoshop or video editing?

I'll get a Studio design for my next laptop for sure.

Some of you are making me feel like I made a mistake as far as build quality..

[lottdod_1999]

Sad to read the speakers are so bad. Wasn't the 1555 supposed to feature a subwoofer?

As for the low build quality... Well, the price is great for the specs, Dell has to save money somewhere... XPS and Latitudes are much better build but are more expensive.

It does have a subwoofer but the volume is pretty bad. Headphones sound good though

I realized that when I was getting something equivalent to (what was) a $2400 macbook pro that I'd be sacrificing in luxury and build quality so this shouldn't bother me too much.

[Jerry Jackson]

Jerry, you should go down the hall and pick up a 14z now

If only it was that easy to get review units.

Hopefully I can get my hands on a production-level Studio 14z sooner rather than later. Until then, we'll just have to settle for my first look coverage:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5066

[MidnightSun]

Interesting that a 15 inch entertainment notebook would have such horrible speakers - definitely a slip on Dell's part.

I don't know, I just really don't find the Dell lid designs appealing. I would prefer a solid color lid, or some of HP's subtle gray-on-black circle designs.