Dell Studio 1557

Value for Money?

How, with a comment like "good looking, comfortable to use and outperform rivals at twice its price"
can this laptop not obtain a maximum rating for value for money?

Very bizarre.

Oh, and I want one!

By brizza4 on 27 Nov 2009

thin lid

I have had a studio 17 for six months at my office. It has had the screen replaced twice due to the shockingly thin laptop lid. Even in a padded bag, as much as breathing near it causes the screen to be pressured enough to leave permanent black/blurry marks on the lcd display. If you EVER need to transport your laptop then avoid the studio range like the plague. It's a shame as other than this it's the best PC laptop I have ever owned. It stays on my desk now though. I take my macbook with me if I need to go anywhere.

By ralphuk100 on 27 Nov 2009

Any comments PCPro?

I think it'd be agood idea if PCPro's reviewers took heed of and commented on ralphuk100's comments about the poor screen protection and likelihood of damage when carrying the laptop around.

If this is substantiated then it would move the laptop into 2 star territory as a laptop (i.e. something which is 'supposed' to be for carrying around!).

By octaglider on 28 Nov 2009

A comment on ralphuk100's post

I did mention the "overly pliant" lid in my review. But not only are ralphuk100's comments directed at the Studio 17 (not the 15 as reviewed here), but it's just one person's experience out of thousands. Worrying as such a report may be, it might just be bad luck.

I'll see if I can keep our review unit on a long-term loan, just to see whether I experience any such issues myself.

By SashaMuller on 28 Nov 2009

beta BIOS update

Nice of Dell to provide you with that BIOS update... when do you think they're going to make it available to other 1557 users like me? Or coz I'm not a critic I don't qualify???

By Nifkin on 29 Nov 2009

I have not directly used the studio 15 but I imagine they use basically the same manufacturing process. I think it's also fair to assume that all Studio 17's use the same grade of plastic in the lid which means that they will all flex as badly as mine. It's just the way they are designed. The lid can be flexed quite badly just by lightly tapping my fingers on it. It's really not good enough for a mobile computer.

By ralphuk100 on 29 Nov 2009

@ ralphuk100: the dimensions of the 15 are, obviously, less, so the flex would be reduced. I have no problem with mine.

By Nifkin on 29 Nov 2009

Bios update

Nifkin, I'll email Dell tomorrow morning and ask them that very question. Once I have the answer I'll post back here. :)

By SashaMuller on 29 Nov 2009

Friends don't let friends buy Dell.

I think I'll stick with my Macbook Pro 13", which is a higher spec than this and has the added bonus of running OSX.

By macforlife on 29 Nov 2009

@nifkin - the difference in size is at most 2 inches. That's not enough to solidify a very thin plastic. One thing I have thought of though is that maybe the custom lid designs use a thicker plastic? I have the standard matt black lid on mine. It's a long-shot but all I can think of. I'll also re-iterate that apart from this lid issue this laptop is very well built and excellent value for money. I got a 1920x1200, 4gb RAM, 500GB HDD etc etc for about a grand (ex-vat).

By ralphuk100 on 30 Nov 2009

couple of questions

Thanks for the review Sasha. This looks like the laptop I've been looking for. Couple of questions -

Noise - with the cooling it has to do how loud is it? I'm guessing there are fans running the whole time? Does it seem excessive (yes I know, hard to quantify)? I get a bit sick of my current laptop (FSC Amilo 1630) - sounds like a hairdryer...

Battery - the expanded battery sounds like a sensible option. Any idea what this does to the size/weight? I get the impression it sticks out a bit? Also, did you get a chance to see what this does to its heavy/light use times?

@macforlife - what are you doing hanging about on PC forums? On commission if you can covert us?

By randomtoast on 30 Nov 2009

Bias, BIOS and batteries

Macforlife does seem a touch deluded if he thinks a Core 2 Duo/Nvidia 9400M is a higher specification than a Core i7/ATI HD4570. Macbook Pro 13s are admittedly rather lovely though.

Anyway, I digress. As regards the BIOS and Nifkin's questions, my contact seems to think it'll be a while yet before it's released to customers. I'm thinking before the end of the year, but he'll give me a firm date once he's had a chance to look into it.

As for how loud the fans are, well, it's difficult to say without the laptop sitting right next to me. I don't remember them being dreadfully intrusive, and they only span up to full speed while gaming if I remember rightly.

I didn't have the battery for testing this time round. But going by my memory of the Studio 1555, the 9 cell battery probably adds 3-400grams or so, and sticks out underneath rather than jutting out the rear. This raises the rear of the laptop a little, and tilts the keyboard forwards a touch.

As ever, feel free to email me at sasha@pcpro.co.uk if you have any questions. Or of course, post back here! Whichever's easiest. :)

By SashaMuller on 30 Nov 2009

Macbook Pro

The Macbook Pro is widely regarded and accoladed as the worlds fastest Vista notebook. Don't see why Windows 7 should be any different !

By macforlife on 2 Dec 2009

Grahamatwork

I guess I'm the only one who can't find a Studio 1557 on the Dell website?
No problem with a Studio 1500 but, what makes it a 1557? As for duplicating the price in the review - as anybody managed this?

By Grahamatwork on 4 Dec 2009

Dell Hell

Like Grahamatwork I couldn't find this on the web, and unintentionally ordered the 1555. Many lengthy calls later, after being black-holed, lost, patronised, transferred to mailboxes etc I managed to cancel. When I finally spoke so a sales agent, he had no knowledge of the 1557 either and kept asking "where did you see it", "what processor", "how much ram". Consequently I forgot to ask for the HD screen, and when I later tried to change the order was told "no changes, it's a custom build". So now I'm furious at Dell. I bet Sasha wasn't treated so badly, otherwise the review would have been awful. Oh, and Dell haven't responded to my complaint, that also seems to have been black-holed. And I'm still going to be stuck with the wrong screen when I do finally get it.

By gmasson1 on 4 Dec 2009

1557 means i7

I think that any of the Dells that have a i7 processer is a 1557. The core 2 Duos are the 1555

By andrewolden on 5 Dec 2009

1555 vs 1557

Andrewolden is quite correct. As to why the sales agents aren't aware of this, I just don't know.

I'm not sure how long it will last, but you should be able to get the reviewed specification at the price we quoted here:

http://ecomm.euro.dell.com/dellstore/basket_retrie
ve.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&itemtype=CFG&car
t_id=1009706220282&toEmail=sasha@pcpro.co.uk


As for your issues, gmasson1, email me and I'll ask my Dell contact to look into it. My address is sasha@pcpro.co.uk

By SashaMuller on 6 Dec 2009

Ordered, eventually...

Just ordered this, and have been left a little worried by Dell customer service. First off my card got declined thanks to a 'security check' by my bank. Got this released and wanted to call Dell to get the order back online asap - their email indicated that there could be a 24-48 hour delay before they try the card again which seemed a long delay with Christmas looming.

No phone numbers at all on Dell.com

Eventually found a chat service, explained my problem. Painful chat - they cancelled my online order, briefly talked about charging more money(!), but now just received a very polite call back and everything is settled. Just praying they haven't fiddled with the specs...
If I were cynical I'd say they've done this for reasons of commission, but I guess I'll never know. :)

As for the laptop, I took the basic i7 specs, but upgraded screen and battery, plus hard drive and wireless card.
Also took the 3 year warranty. I don't normally like the price on these, and am happy to tackle repairs myself. But recently EVERY electrical item I have bought has gone wrong and laptops have a few expensive parts...

Here's hoping to get it before Xmas...

By randomtoast on 8 Dec 2009

New BIOS available now

Get it here:

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/dow
nload.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R25
1715&SystemID=STUDIO1557&servicetag=&os=BIOSA&osl=
en&deviceid=19287&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&cati
d=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=1&typeid=-1&dateid
=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=368004

By SashaMuller on 9 Dec 2009

Serious Dell Woes

I ordered one of these on the 18th Nov and received on the 30th, delivery was specified on the 1st, so a day early. all is well.

However at the same time, thought a Studio 17 would make a nice present for my dad. Cue violins, but he has terminal cancer and spends most of his time in bed, and can't use his media centre downstairs.

Went for the entry level 17 with the Pentium Dual Core T4300. They specified the delivery date as the 14th Dec...then changed it to the 10th February 2010. Then handily ignored about 5 pieces of correspondance ranging from polite emails to my 'account manager' to several to the complaints dept via the online form.

Apparently, Dell is flaunting the distant sellers regulations by using 'estimated' delivery dates. If you don't specify a date you have 30 days to deliver. If you provide an estimate, you have to honour it, if its over 30 days, you should inform the buyer and offer refund or alternative. Dell are doing neither. Also spent ££££'s on calls (mostly hold) to Indian call representatives who couldn't care less.

My advice is if you can but from Tesco or PC World do that, or better still get an Acer, they probably don't treat their customers with contempt.

FWIW I also took out finance, which makes it harder to come back on Dell. Wish I'd used my CC.

Have a trading standards case open, and they have told me if Dell continue to ignore me, then get back to them.

By androidy on 10 Dec 2009

Another comment on ralphuk100 's post

I own a Studio XPS 16 since march 2009 and its on its third lid replacement for the same reasons that ralphuk100 mentions. Dell has recommended to interpose a thin sheet of plastic foam in order to avoid damaging the lcd cover. Let´s see if it works.

By ReneFernando on 12 Dec 2009

What is the point of A-Listing a laptop that you cannot buy?

Despite the post from Sacha on 6th Dec 2009, I cannot find the spec for a Studio 15 with an i7 processor on the Dell web-site. The link in the Comments/Post are out of date and the price by following the link that it came up with was £898.26, not the £638 quoted in the review..

As an exercise of a point-in-time journalism this review may have been valid, but to have this posted as a A-List winner undermines the value of the PCPRO recommendations, which a lot of us out here used to rely upon. I'll take the advice of other on the User Comment list and look elsewhere.

By hsharma on 14 Dec 2009

Aha, it is as I expected. The link I posted did not last for very long, as Dell's habit of constantly updating the 'discounts' meant that it expired rather quickly.

Frankly, I'm surprised that you're experiencing such difficulties finding it on the website though.

The i7-powered Studio 15 is on this page:

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/product
details.aspx/laptop-studio-1555?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs
=ukdhs1&ref=lthp

By SashaMuller on 14 Dec 2009

BIOS update

Sasha,
I had a look and the link points to A03 update. The section 'Fixes and Enhancements' states that it 'Enhance Video card quality', but mentions nothing of the issue with heat and cpu throttle? Is this definitely the smae BIOS update you had?
Thanks

By andylondon on 15 Dec 2009

Yup, that's definitely the one. By 'enhance video quality', they mean 'raise throttling temperatures'. :)

By SashaMuller on 15 Dec 2009

Work around Dell hell

Just found exactly the Studio 1557 I want at astringo.co.uk and I'll get it tomorrow. Excellent knowledge and support too.

By gblem on 15 Dec 2009

Dell= confusion

Hi Sasha! Been reading the comments- you're so helpful! I've got a few queries of my own.
1/. why did you guys review the 15" when the 17" model is the updated version (with the new speakers etc)?
2/. Would you have any idea why the 17" core i7, doesn't allow you to add wireless 'n' to it? Every dell rep I speak to tell me the same robotic rubbish, "I'm sorry sir we don't have that info at the moment". It's the only thing stopping me from buying it!

Thanks!

By Dolphin on 15 Dec 2009

The 1557 is the newest version of the Studio 15. Originally it was a 15.4in laptop, now it's a 15.6in model. The Studio 17 has undergone a similarly modest transformation, going from a 17in to a 17.3in display. And, for your information, we'll be looking at the intriguing multi-touch version of the Studio 17 just as soon as we can get our hands on one!

No idea on the wireless front, though. It certainly strikes me as a touch odd...

By SashaMuller on 15 Dec 2009

Cheaper

@hsharma I can still find the system no problem on the web site. If you take the system as I spec'd it, it's now a lot cheaper. They are including the 3 warranty for just £19 now... (I shouldn't have looked, but hey that's IT).

Didn't Dell used to have quote numbers you could use to find an exact model? What happened to them?

Finally, it doesn't take a lot of search skills to find a perfectly legal offer code for another 5% off the price. Or there is one on the current Dell newsletter. Worth a look.

By randomtoast on 15 Dec 2009

BIOS update

Sasha,
I had a look and the link points to A03 update. The section 'Fixes and Enhancements' states that it 'Enhance Video card quality', but mentions nothing of the issue with heat and cpu throttle? Is this definitely the smae BIOS update you had?
Thanks

By andylondon on 15 Dec 2009

Groundhog Day

Yes, that is the right one. Did you repost that comment by accident, Andy? :)

By SashaMuller on 15 Dec 2009

hadley

Is the 17.3" just as good apart from the wireless n and the bendy case? When will the multi-touch be available?

By hadleyhunter on 16 Dec 2009

BIOS

Hi Sasha! Are you sure about the fact that the new A03 bios will fix the cpu throttle issue? Has the new bios been tested? Because I read that on the XPS model, the throttling issue is still present, and cpu has consistent slowdowns while using gpu or rendering...thanks a lot! bye :)

By Lemas on 16 Dec 2009

Both the Studio were downgraded from their original incarnation a year or so ago. The touch sensitive media buttons above the keyboard disappeared, and I think build quality suffered a little. But in all fairness, they also became much, much cheaper.

As for multi-touch, I'm not so sure. I'd imagine the standard HD display will be more suitable for most people anyway. 802.11n is more of an issue, though. I'd be tempted to wait and see if Dell come to their senses on that front.

As for the BIOS question from Lemas, well, the CPU was never throttling, it was the GPU. As the XPS is utterly different in virtually every regard, it's just not sensible to compare the two. And to answer your secodn question, the BIOS I received only became available to the public after several weeks of stress-testing.

As ever, shout if you have any more questions. Post here or email me at sasha@pcpro.co.uk :)

By SashaMuller on 16 Dec 2009

brilliant!

thanks Sasha for your answer! bye! :)

By Lemas on 16 Dec 2009

hadley

Is the 17.3" just as good apart from the wireless n and the bendy case? When will the multi-touch be available?

By hadleyhunter on 16 Dec 2009

Really Nice System

I think that dell were heavilly discounting these until a few days ago (a saving of £299) with free delivery. I think that offer has now ended thougth.

The lid is not overly plyable, but it definatly there, other than that i'm really happy with it.

By andrewolden on 16 Dec 2009

How to order this review unit

Guys,
you still can order this system for £749. The only thing you have to do is to enter the correct evalue code or refer to it when ordering over the phone. The code is "Reviews-NR53507". You can enter evalue codes (Online ordering codes) on that site for example:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.
aspx/advertised?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anav
ml
You get there by selecting the "As Advertised PCs" link from the Dell consumer website. Hope that helps.

By ms_schuetz on 17 Dec 2009

Happy with mine

I bought mine when I first saw them on the Dell website; for £680 including VAT and delivery.

I've been very happy with ours since receipt. There appears to be an intermittent issue with the subwoofer on mine (sometimes it doesn't seem to kick in - and it's never 'bassy' so can be hard to know if it's firing), but apparently that's a known issue if you run an internet search on it.

The lid flex is definitely an issue; I feel I have to handle ours with care... but then at £700 I would do anyway. If you plan to carry it around, invest in a good robust carrier.

I've checked the Dell website several times since buying it early in November; apart from a one week window it's been on there pretty consistently at

By jonboyx on 17 Dec 2009

How to order this review unit

Guys,
you still can order this system for £749. The only thing you have to do is to enter the correct evalue code or refer to it when ordering over the phone. The code is "Reviews-NR53507". You can enter evalue codes (Online ordering codes) on that site for example:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.
aspx/advertised?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anav
ml
You get there by selecting the "As Advertised PCs" link from the Dell consumer website. Hope that helps.

By ms_schuetz on 17 Dec 2009

Sent mine back

Mine was delivered from Dell on 1st December and I was very happy with it until it locked up on me on 5 seperate occasions each requiring a reboot.

Fortunately, as I bought it as a consumer rather than business I can return it within 7 days without penalty. However, this is a nightmare as Dell Customer Services is an oxymoron. I emailed twice from their website to complain and never received a response so spent a number of hours on the phone being passed from 1 department to another or forced to listen to muzak for hours on end. Finally got through and the kit is waiting to be picked up as we speak under the returns policy.

Mine cost me £729 + vat and included the upgraded screen, the sound blaster card, and a 5% discount from one of the voucher sites.

Dell are frankly very poor and I would advise against buying from them due to their poor concept of customer service.

By kariba on 17 Dec 2009

How to order this review unit

Guys,
you still can order this system for £749. The only thing you have to do is to enter the correct evalue code or refer to it when ordering over the phone. The code is "Reviews-NR53507". You can enter evalue codes (Online ordering codes) on that site for example:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.
aspx/advertised?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anav
ml
You get there by selecting the "As Advertised PCs" link from the Dell consumer website. Hope that helps.

By ms_schuetz on 17 Dec 2009

Poor customer Service

Kariba,
I have to agree customer service is very poor. If you want to buy someone will answer the phone immediately. Once you have ordered it's almost impossible to speak to anyone. I now have 2 1557's being delivered anyday. I ordered one on the internet but my card company refused payment, so I called Dell and they 'cancelled' the order and then re-ordered another one (this time with MS access). Later I was invoiced for both, they refuse to stop the wrong order and have charged me for both, I can obly get a refund when the unwanted laptop is delivered to me and I then have to send it back! What a shambles. I've always been a Dell fan but this will be my last one. They have down graded their customer service and will lose many people as a result.

By andylondon on 21 Dec 2009

ECode no longer works :(

I looked on the Dell Website this morning. The review code didn't work, and there wasn't a similar priced/spec'd laptop.

I contacted Dell through their Customer chatline, who confirmed that the code is no longer valid.

I asked them if the 1557 was still being sold, and the reply was that there was no more stock....

Does PC Pro still have their a-list Price promise thingy? It's been less than a month since the review, and even less since the magazine went to print- previously this was enough for the A-list prize to be stripped.

By TheFurbster on 23 Dec 2009

Thanks for the info

I'll look into it right away. My only concern is that my contacts may have already disappeared off on their Xmas hols.

I'll post back as soon as I hear anything.

By SashaMuller on 23 Dec 2009

Laptop Availability

I bought a 1557 a month ago for £773 (with 5% discount code). HD screen, 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM,wireless N etc. Fantastic laptop IMHO.

A quick quick on the Dell website reveals that this model has now become £999 for a standard build. See:

http://bit.ly/zmejF

The model below that now includes a superfluous Blu-ray drive with 6GB RAM, but has a Core 2 Duo Processor rather than the iCore7.

Dell is notorious for changing models and specs on a whim;
I'm glad I bought mine when I did.

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

One Other Thing

The £849 model is still advertised as having the "Fastest mobile processor on the planet!", which is incorrect as it's the Core 2 Duo. Perhaps Sasha can investigate this issue...

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

Pricing has now completely changed

A mere few weeks after the review, the pricing has once again completely changed - Dell now offer tewaked systems at much higher prices on the website. An online sales person managed to get me roughly the same deal as the review, but they did not know how long they will still be able to do that for?

Is it me or is Dell the only company to have a post xmas sale that is actually more expensive!

By ramw2 on 23 Dec 2009

Interersting

Excuse the multiple posts, I was rather heavy in the Refresh button.

ramw2 - fair point.

Dell may be arguing that 6GB of RAM and a Blu-Ray player is sufficient to justify the extra price, but I think this is mistaken. They really need to sort out their false advertising too.

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

Am I being thick or ...

Is the Dell Studio 1557 on the "as seen on TV" section of the Dell site not the same as this for £699 including VAT?

By qbert on 23 Dec 2009

qbert = Yes

Yes, that is the model, the iCore7 one anyway.

http://bit.ly/76mVqX.

Wonder how long it will stay there...

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

thanks for the link

Thanks for the link mashedmallow.

I thought the original offer was for a 7,200rpm hard drive, am I wrong?

Anyone got any tips on whether to buy now or gamble on the direction of prices in Jan?

What really irritates me about their "new deal" is that it does not let us customize down, unlike the older site options - therefore dell could lose a sale because I don't want to pay for a blue ray player.....

By ramw2 on 23 Dec 2009

Hard Disk

Well spotted ramw2, it was a 7200 hdd. You can upgrade to this for £45 which brings it to a tenner more than the price in the review. you could also upgrade to a 500Gb 7200 disk for an extra £75 but where do you draw the line...

As for price movements, I don't know but this seems a good price for the spec..

By qbert on 23 Dec 2009

Hard Disk

Well spotted ramw2, it was a 7200 hdd. You can upgrade to this for £45 which brings it to a tenner more than the price in the review. you could also upgrade to a 500Gb 7200 disk for an extra £75 but where do you draw the line...

As for price movements, I don't know but this seems a good price for the spec..

By qbert on 23 Dec 2009

£735.29

with a 500Gb 7200HD using voucher code

LGP?PXR7ZJG4FC

5% of xps oders over £749

By qbert on 23 Dec 2009

Complicated!

My model had the choice of a 7200rpm 500GB HDD which I went for. It also had a free colour upgrade. But I think I got lucky.

As for whether to buy now or wait...well, it's hard to say. Does Dell do Xmas sales? I would say go for it.

It is worth browsing for voucher codes. The 5% offer I got was on a pretty obscure site, but it worked!

And it is a very nice piece of kit.

qbert - nice spot on the voucher.

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

Oh

And definitely go for the High Def screen.

By mashedmallow on 23 Dec 2009

£735.29

with a 500Gb 7200HD using voucher code

LGP?PXR7ZJG4FC

5% of xps oders over £749

By qbert on 23 Dec 2009

kgbmcse

High-end laptop winner
How does PC Pro allow it to be a winner when the hard drive has been downgraded to 5.5k rpm drive rather than 7200 rpm.
Dell have altered the spcification.
PC pro please look at this concern

By kgbmcse on 28 Dec 2009

Hard drive

All seems exactly as we reviewed if you follow this link (posted above by one very helpful fellow):

http://bit.ly/76mVqX

By SashaMuller on 29 Dec 2009

Useful website

If you are interested in Dell stuff, this website looks pretty good:

http://www.dmxdimension.com

It certainly makes the models easier to find!

By mashedmallow on 1 Jan 2010

Graphics Card

Just ordered one of these (1557) but the spec states that it is supplied with a Radeon HP 4570 ? Should that not read Radeon HD 4570?

By techifan on 3 Jan 2010

Is this still good value?

With 3 new mobile corei7's being released at CES is it still a good idea to buy this processor?

By ramw2 on 4 Jan 2010

Jus the ticket

After 9 years using an old laptop (Dell as it happens) running Win2000 the move to the Dell Studio and Win7 has been a success - so far at least.
Thanks for a cracking review Sasha. V happy with the end result.

By Mark_S on 16 Jan 2010

Finding this Laptop

In many years of buying PCs and laptops, I've never found one so hard to buy. Managed it in the end, only to find there were (slightly) cheaper variations out there. It felt like the 12 Tasks of Asterix.

Couldn't PC Pro A lists include a watched link to the PC - my thanks to those users here who posted the eValue codes.

I do think Dell need a bit of name and shame for atrocious and obvious ploy at extracting money after playing PC Pro.

Let's just hope the laptop arrives now :)

By vornc on 17 Jan 2010

Extracting money?

The laptop is cheaper than when we reviewed it!

Go to Dell's website and click on For Home. Now click Dell Deals, select the As Advertised link from the drop-down list and then, finally, select Magazines.

The model as we reviewed it is on that page for £699 inc VAT.

By SashaMuller on 18 Jan 2010

http://bit.ly/76mVqX

Still valid.

By mashedmallow on 26 Jan 2010

Dell codes

Go to Dell website and search the following codes

NR53507
£764.84
i7-720QM, 4096MB, 320GB, 512MB Radeon HP 4570, wireles, bluetooth, etc

N0053508
£699.00
i7-720QM, 4096MB, 320GB, 512MB Radeon HP 4570, wireles etc

By cemsmusic on 26 Jan 2010

Dell studio 1557

Dell has now updated codes.

N0055806
£849
i7-720QM, 6144MB, 500GB (7,200rpm), 512MB Radeon HP 4570, 1080 LCD, 15 months antivirus.

This deal is actually better than previous ones.

By cemsmusic on 28 Jan 2010

Dell Studio 1557

None of your evalue codes make sense to me. They are all single sets of characters, but the code Dell expect us to type in is two separate sets of characters - and rather longer. The closest I get to the review system is £929, a lot more than the price as reviewed. Surely the price hasn't risen after Christmas?

By grannybuttons on 2 Feb 2010

@ Grannybuttons

prefix the code with reviews- e.g. reviews-N0055806

By Dr_Zeus on 2 Feb 2010

@ Grannybuttons

prefix the code with reviews- e.g. reviews-N0055806

By Dr_Zeus on 2 Feb 2010

Sound quality?

Hi Does this version ahve better sound than the orginal Dell Studio (currently on sale in PCworld) - that has one of teh worse sound qualities I ahve ever heard and stopped me from buying it.

By derbycc on 2 Feb 2010

Sound quality?

Hi Does this version ahve better sound than the orginal Dell Studio (currently on sale in PCworld) - that has one of teh worse sound qualities I ahve ever heard and stopped me from buying it.

By derbycc on 2 Feb 2010

Sounding off

I'm not sure which Dell Studio you're referring to, but I thought the 1557 sounded pretty darn good by laptop standards.

By SashaMuller on 2 Feb 2010

Spooked by Dell Problems

Hi Sasha,
I too have recently purchased a Dell studio 1557. The fan seems to run all the time, which drains the battery so I have considered the oft stated heating issue.
I went to your dell download site as listed above, downloaded the driver only for it to tell me 'there are no files to download'. Am I stuck with the fan?
Next 'spook' is the system crashing. Ive had to restart it once, but thats all.
Third 'spook' is the system deciding that I need a mega mouse pointer. This occurred tonight and i read somewhere that I will need to install an updated driver for the ATI Radeon graphics card. Any thoughts here?
Finally, every now and then I lose the cute menu which takes me to email, movies, photos, etc that was sitting at the top of my screen. What is this menu called and how can I keep it?
Long comment I know, but I am across a lot of water after all!
Cheers

By davidjdelaney on 2 Feb 2010

re: Sounding Off

Hi Sasha
I suspect the PCworld dell was the 1555 so I was hoping that the sound on the new 1557 was much better. I'll see if I can find one to listen to - too much of risk for me without hearing it first. Having said that sound quality on the Sony NW20 and NW21 was bad too (but not as bas as Dell's)

By derbycc on 3 Feb 2010

Throttling/heat issues

Sasha, just quoting you from a while back:

"As for the BIOS question from Lemas, well, the CPU was never throttling, it was the GPU. As the XPS is utterly different in virtually every regard, it's just not sensible to compare the two. And to answer your secodn question, the BIOS I received only became available to the public after several weeks of stress-testing."

So what do you make of all the accusations that the CPU is throttling, like the ones found on this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=4
20768 ?
I'm inclined to think that the issues that people are experiencing are due to a poorly cooled GPU, NOT the CPU. And I take it that a hot GPU wouldn't cause the CPU to throttle, right? Not unless the heat from the GPU is directly affecting the CPU? What do you think?

By Nifkin on 3 Feb 2010

Dell Studio 1557

For the following code to work just go to http://www.dell.co.uk/ and enter N0055806 on the top right corner search field. Then click search. Page will refresh and you will see the laptop. Click on the link next to it and it will take you to it. Simples.

You can also look at www.dmxdimension.com for dell deals.

By cemsmusic on 5 Feb 2010

Re: Throttling/heat issues

I'm really not sure, Nifkin. Without knowing how people are using the laptop, it's impossible to say.

I'd imagine that if you put the CPU and GPU under heavy load in a hot, poorly ventilated room, then yes, you'll probably find both throttling eventually.

I'd imagine it also depends on whether people have the 6-cell battery or not, as that raises the rear of the laptop up and improves cooling no end.

By SashaMuller on 5 Feb 2010

So far so good, but will it last?

Ordered on February 2nd via the DELL website and reported as shipping on the 5th of February with a forecast shipping date of 16th of Feb.

From reading other contributors input I was anticipating a considerable delay.

By Dr_Zeus on 5 Feb 2010

Latest offer

Currently they have a 3 year for 2 home support offer.

This means that if you use a 5% voucher (search google for dell coupons), you can get the same machine with 3 years cover for £734.

After my last Dell fried after 13 months :(, getting peace of mind for free is a bargain!!

By TheFurbster on 8 Feb 2010