Here is the review... Exams approaching so couldn't get much time.. also writing a
review for the first time so please dont complain....
I customized this model with these specs:
Backlit keyboard
7200 RPM hard disk (320 GB)
Ruby Red colour with black U trim
512 Mb Ati 4570 (GDDR3)
The processor is P8600. All the specs can be check on any site.
Got it at 51.3k as i got an addition discount of 5% being an IIT student.
I have currently vista 32 bit home premium.
Build: Build quality is good. Looks are all right. I will favour them against any hp model but will get beaten by dell xps series or a VAIO.
Cooling:
This laptop is amazingly cool. I have worked on it for more than 12 hours at a go. Gets a bit hot near the touchpad and palmrest but that too on lower side and only to a small extent.
Doesn't get hot anywhere else. Many hp models in our hostel become a furnace even after 1 hour.
Noise:
Perfectly silent. Heat sink doesn't produce any sound. Slot load works like charm. However a bit noisy when a cd is being copied or played.
Audio:
Sound quality is not that good when compared to hp's altec lansing speakers.
However the subwoofer introdueced improves the performance from previous versions of dell studio but there is still scope of improvement. Haven't tried any hybrid drivers yet. However the noise isolation earbuds from creative which are bundled with laptop rock... above 25% sound they can make you deaf...
the resolution is 1368*720 and the aspect ratio is 16:9 which is awesome when watching movies. According to me it is a very hot feature....!!!
Touch sensitive buttons have been removed unlike previous studio and have been integrated with function keys which can be configured in bios to have function first or F1 first. Would have loved them to be present though.
The cpu temperature under no load was 45 degree celsius at the end of a 12 hr run. Haven't tested much on full loads
In power saver mode the battery can go for nearly 4 hours. Never tested but won't go down before 3 hours while watching a movie or listening to music or doing day to day work
The 3dmark 06 score of the system was 4124
SM 2.0:1479
sM 3.0: 1734
CPU: 1943
Haven't tried a lot of games yet.... a bit busy... if you want any specific game to be tested, i will
be happy to do so...