Friday, July 8, 2011

Dell Studio XPS 1640 15.6-Inch Obsidian Black Laptop - Up to 3 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

Dell Studio XPS 1640 15.6-Inch Obsidian Black Laptop - Up to 3 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Okay, so how many laptops can you find with a 15.6" screen, 1080p resolution, and a decent graphics chipset for under $1000? Not many! This laptop met all three of these needs for me. It came with enough RAM that I don't need to upgrade it until the 8GB of SODIMM modules become ridiculously cheap. The video chipset M96XT (AKA Radeon 4670) has pretty decent performance [...]. There are just way too many other laptops out there that have 1080p screens and an Intel GMA chipset, or low resolution 1280x800 screens with decent video chipsets. This laptop has both high resolution and a good chipset.
I recently took it to a LAN party to play Team Fortress 2 and it ran beautifully with all the settings turned up to high (60fps+). My last laptop died because the CFL backlight failed, with the LED backlight that should never be a problem. It's also super bright. I usually have it set to a quarter of the brightness and it's still pretty bright.
If you don't like the disk I/O speed (I think it's fine) you can always put a SSD in this as it's a standard SATA disk drive. There are USB ports on the left AND one eSATA/USB on the right, so you can use either one.
My laptop actually did have a gigabit network adapter (not the 10/100 listed here) but no jumbo frames support :( Typical with Broadcom.
Oh, and Windows 7, 64bit is amazing. You have the full 4GB of system memory and 1GB of video.
Cons?:
No scroll lock button, no pause/break button. Not sure how if there is some hidden Fn shortcut to get these. But who uses these really? There's no Fn num-pad, but really, I never used that. The wireless enable/disable switch is a capacitive touch button right above the keyboard. It's easy to accidentally hit it and turn the wireless off and not realize it.

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Blending power with elegance, the Dell Studio XPS 16 delivers superb multimedia performance and mobile design. The smooth contours of the high-gloss, Obsidian Black finish gives you the sense that you're using something truly special. The 15.6-inch full 1080p Hi-def widescreen display has a fast 8ms response time for a crisp, clear resolution during fast-action video and gaming. Its backlit keyboard and touch pad buttons are easy to use, day or night. Keep an eye on your battery power by simply checking the color of the indicator on the hinge. Plus, capacitive multimedia buttons glow white when activated.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. (Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.)
It's powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor--with Centrino 2 technology--which boosts speed, reduces power requirements, and saves on battery life. The 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 includes a quick 1066 MHz front-side bus and 3 MB of L2 cache, providing an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multimedia and multitasking performance. It also includes a Draft-N wireless LAN, which will connect to 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11b/g networks as well.
With the HDMI A/V output, you can connect the Studio 1555 to a compatible HDTV to display your creations to a larger audience. Other features include a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of installed RAM, 2-megapixel webcam, ExpressCard 54 slot, and pre-loaded Microsoft Works.

Key Features
15.6-inch LED-backlit full HD widescreen display (1080p)
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. (Learn more)
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor with Centrino 2 technology, 3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front side bus (FSB) (Learn more)
320 GB hard drive
4 GB of installed RAM with 800 MHz speed (expandable to 8 GB)
ATI Mobility Radeon M96XT with 1 GB discrete graphics
2.0 megapixel webcam with facial recognition software automatically secures your computer when you're away. This software adapts to your changing looks so you can expect faster login times. Also, there's no need to remember numerous passwords for password-protected Web sites.
8x multi-format DVD drive supports reading/writing of CD-R/RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL, and DVD-RAM
Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n)
Fast Ethernet (10/100)
Built-in stereo speakers with integrated subwoofer
Dell Dock: Enjoy a cleaner desktop with this application organizer. Installed software applications on your PC are automatically sorted into user-friendly categories placing your most frequently used programs front and center.
Dell DataSafe Online backup service offers data protection by enabling customers to back up data to a safe, remote storage site using a broadband connection. Dell DataSafe Online is easy, flexible and secure. After setup, it will automatically back up data and help protect against software, hardware and catastrophic failure.
With Dell Remote Access you can easily access photos, music, movies and more on your home system using another Internet-connected computer.
Dell Support Center: This centrally located, easy-to-use application provides personalized support resources. Conveniently located on your PC's desktop with quick links to service, support and system resources. Helps keep your system up-to-date and running efficiently through automated fixes for common configuration issues.
Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works and McAfee SecurityCenter for anti-virus protection (with 30 days of updates)
6-cell battery
Dimensions: 15.15 x 10.02 x 1.34 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 6.4 pounds
Warranty: One-year with 24x7 technical support

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with an integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots). It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. It comes with the following external connectors:
3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
Includes 1 eSATA/USB combo port

1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
Analog video output: 1 VGA
1 ExpressCard/34 slot
8-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and more
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
RJ-45 port for Ethernet

What's in the Box This package contains the Dell Studio XPS 1640 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions
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Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Jump Lists New in Windows 7, Jump Lists take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar. (You'll also find them on the Start menu.) What you see in a Jump List depends entirely on the program. The Jump List for Internet Explorer 8 shows frequently-viewed websites. Windows Media Player 12 lists commonly-played tunes. Your Jump List missing a favorite? You can "pin" whatever files you like there. Jump Lists don't just show shortcuts to files. Sometimes they also provide quick access to commands for things like composing new e‑mail messages or playing music.
Improved Windows Taskbar In Windows 7 you can "pin" favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Not crazy about the icon lineup? Now you can rearrange them any way you like by clicking and dragging. Finally, there are new ways to preview windows. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. Then, move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full-screen. You can even close windows from the thumbnail previews--a big time saver.
Snap Ever need to cut through a cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single window? Just click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Every open window except that one instantly disappears. Jiggle again--and your windows are back.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processing Power with Centrino 2 Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity, and amazing battery life with the 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor featuring Intel Centrino 2 technology--which also helps provide faster draft 802.11n wireless connectivity and new business-class manageability capabilities. This processor has a 2.13 GHz processor speed, super-sized 1066 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a extra-large 3 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)



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