i just got a studio 15 and i can play the mp4 videos off my phone but there is no sound, what do i need to download or do to get the sound to play? my phone is also a samsung solstices if that matters.
@highcan1 Dell is constantly screwing with their product line in different countries; you can no longer get this from Dell Canada as of April 2010, yet Dell USA has it. Go figure. I really hate that about Dell.
@highcan1 I don't tell people what to buy; I tell them to do their own research, decide what will work best for them, and spend their money how they wish.
Hi, maybe you can help me with this, i work using an external display and my laptop display as an extended desktop, and i read somewhere that you cant do that with this laptop, that if you use both screens you see the same image on both, is that true? thanks
I´ve been told that that Studio 15 laptops haave a overheat problem so the fan is very noisy, that thing annoy me a lot. Is that true?, do you know if can you use it on my lap without any problem?
I´m planning to buy a studio 1557 or an xps 15 but with the i7 720 and a 1g video card so, your comments will be very hepfull. Some body told me that the i5 520 will be less hot generator and that the performance will be pretty much the same?
I haven't reviewed any Studio 15 laptops, so I can't comment on that - but I'd be pretty surprised if Dell would ship a laptop that would do that. Sometimes people do stupid things like use a laptop in a very hot location or block the heat vents, then wonder why it overheats. A Core i5 has two cores and hyperthreading, so four threads total. A Core i7 has four cores and hyperthreading, so eight total threads. If you have a multithreaded application, the i7 will beat the i5.
Im about to reship back to Dell my Studio14z since it's really really annoys me with random freezing and the boot up sometimes takes 2-5 mins :(
The screen feels weird like the colors dont appear right, it feels there's a "fog"
If you see that yellow color around your name when you reply, well in this laptop I dont see it if I look straight or from abave. I see it when I tilt the laptop forward.
I went for hours talking to Dell support and end up they will replace the laptop.
Hey Jason great review, I was able to get the dell studio 14, with a core i7 and other goodies, the backlit keyboard is what sold me, but they didnt offer the 900p option on the screen, but other than that look forward for the dell 14 and thanks for the gerat review
Yeah, I'm pretty miffed with Dell for not offering the 900p screen on the Studio 14...that's exactly what I want to order, but not without the 900p screen. Enjoy your laptop! :-)
Just want to say a big thank you again. I remember watching this video back in July trying to decide whether or not I should pick up the 14z.
I've had mine since August and I love it... perfect laptop to bring onto campus (weight/battery life is excellent), and it's great for everything else I do.
Thanks again for the review, extremely grateful that you posted such an in-depth review to help me out with my purchase.
I went with the maximum size (8-cell). More power than the 6-cell, and it doesn't bulge out either. With Wi-Fi and brightness set to half, the laptop can last about 2 hours, the more you tone down the brightness, the longer it lasts.
Longest I've ever had it run for was about 6 hours without Wi-Fi on... most with Wi-Fi would probably be about 3-4 hours.
ups, I forgot to ask how it is possible to make videos of a length of 22 minutes on YouTube. When Stopped by the system is a 15 minutes video.?? Regards Martin
Thank you so much for the awesome review. I have one question that is probably my deciding factor. Is the 1600x900 on a 14' readable? I mean the font size looks tiny, and I read a lot on the computer. Does that high resolution lead to eye strain after some time, or you find it comfortable enough, just like any other notebook display?
Yes, I found it to be quite readable - but that's with my eyes, not your eyes, so this is a very personal choice. I'm sensitive to things being too small on a screen though, and didn't find the 1600 x 900 resolution on a 14" screen to be hard to read.
oo maybe their the same but umm even though u liked it in this computer in the video do really recommend it?? or should i get somthing else?? dell a diffrent studio?
@ThoughtsMedia: Thanks so much for your reply. Well, I just wanted someone's opinion on it. Since I am not too old (I am 22) and have a normal eyesight, there's a great chance i might share your opinion. Actually I have already ordered my laptop online so didnt really have a chance to see the laptop in person. I was anxious about finding the res. not to my liking, but your reply puts me quite at rest. Thanks again. Cheers.
rules of attraction- good movie, more to the point though is this worth the extra money over a cheaper inspiron? I'm just looking for battery life as im a uni student but i would like to watch .avi files while i travel
I've had this laptop since June. Been having hardware problems since. Do not get it. If you do, pay for the extra customer support and warranty service.
ok so i just bought an HP notebook with a resolution of 1600x900 so im guessing that means 900p? is there a major difference on a 17.3in screen between 900p and 1080p???
you returned the because it was too weak for you. its an 800 $us dollar student oriented laptop. i'd love to hear if you another laptop that can "out-laptop" that price tag\category. for my selfish reason of course :)
My review plate is quite full right now, and I don't have any PR contacts at ASUS, so I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere for a video review of this...
I'm short on folks to help me figure out what laptop to buy. For $1500 or less: I need something that can run the Adobe CS4 package; Premiere Pro and Flash being the most important. The shopkeepers where I live in southern India are horrifically under-trained in answering questions. Do you have any suggestions? I'd be happy to write a letter to the computer company on your behalf, if that's worth anything. I'm a letter-writin' fool like that.
If you get the 14z with the 900p screen, 3GB of RAM, a 7200RPM hard drive, and one of the faster CPUs (the T9550 if you can), it will be GREAT for heavy apps like Photoshop.
Thanks, Jason. I'm all over it. I'm now going to wait until I get to the States over xmas -- I just realized the z model isn't sold where I live and the older, slower Studio 14 is $300 MORE in India than the 14z in the U.S. Crazy.
Oh right, you're in India...there's a guy on YouTube who reviewed the 14z but it was actually just the Inspiron 14...it's pretty confusing how Dell does that. :-(
I just got this thing in purple with the upgraded screen, a 500 gig hard drive, and backlit keyboard for $869 shipped---sound like a good deal? Coupons galore and an employee discount.
the most in depth review i have seen in a long time.
but, no optical drive - that is huge deal and should have gotten more attention. also, not enough angle shots on the laptop. we get no real sense of its size.
I'm glad you liked the review. Regarding the optical drive, it's either a problem for you or it's not - there's not a lot of middle ground, so beyond pointing out that it doesn't have one, I don't know what more I could have said. It's not a huge deal to me, or any of the other millions and millions of people buying netbooks. As for the angle shots and size comparisons, unfortunately with my setup it's hard to do those.
Yeah, it's funny how people don't seem to really listen to the video - but it's not *too* surprising given how long some of my videos go. I really try to keep them under 10 minutes, but sometimes in order to be really thorough I need to go over that. As for why I returned it, though I really liked it, the 14z didn't offer me enough performance over my two-year old XPS M1330. I'll be replacing that with something based on the Core i7 chip.
i have gotten an irq not less or equal error a few times(3 i think). its completly random and nobody know what the hell it means, even microsoft. most people say it has to do with graphics drivers though...
Thanks for the more in depth review...it helps not to just know the ergonomics and overall performance, but to actually SEE how it runs. I've been looking at laptops for a while and every little bit is useful ;)
hey jason..can you help me on this.. i'm not from USA but i my laptop is eligible for a windows 7 upgrade.. if i register my laptop to dell .. they will send me the windows 7 serial key right? can i just use the serial key that they will give me on the beta / RC version? will it register as a genuine copy?
hello, i have one big concern about this laptop.. i got mine almost a week ago, and i base your video to decide weather to buy it or not.
i notice that the screen is kinda greyish(it feels like the brightness is high) if the screen is fully facing me, so i have to open it more than 90deg. to see the real quality of the screen.. its not that much of a big deal but if i do some picture editing, i can't really focus on black part, coz it feels like its really bright..
That's strange - I didn't see that...but I reviewed the 900p screen, so it's going to be a different LCD panel with different characteristics. My reviews are only applicable to the exact configuration I review...
but i noticed you were getting some of the specs wrong =\ so i assumed you didnt know what you were saying. other than that it was a pretty good review (Y)
so the uneven problem was due to the table correct? cuz other than that, this laptop looks like what I want for sho! Thanks for the review, I liked seeing the actual laptop
ei, a simple advice. you can get a CF adapter for your camera.. You can put a regular SD in the adapter then use it for your camera and just remove it from the laptop so that you can plug it in in the computer. Thats wut i do..
And also more options, since SD's are most common...
I haven't done much testing, but the problem is that most of the camera companies don't have suggestions for adaptors that they promise will work up to the same performance levels and not screw up your photos. It's another layer of translation that the data has to go trough, so the risk of losing speed and data is multiplied. I'll look into it more though, it is something I've thought about.
i'm a photographer as well, and i've been using CF adapter to put SD card on my SLR, and i even tested most of the memory available, up to 16Gb "SDHC", and as of now i've never encountered any data lost or whatsoever.. so don't be hesitant to use them because it will make your data transfer a lot better and more convenient..
Very nice getting the one from bestbuy that has a 14.4 inch no drive and has the 9400M GT in it I saw gameplay vids of the 9400m gt and wow it performs pretty darn good.
It wouldn't have mattered much, if at all - playing YouTube HD video uses up a fair bit of processor, so it wouldn't SpeedStep down to a slower speed. Besides, I think even when in maximum performance mode, it will scale down the CPU at idle times.
My Studio 14z arrived two days ago and I love it. No flex, nothing! Started to remove bloatware, got rid of that face recognition app, still need to figure out what's useless. My only problem with the 14z is the power brick get's extremely hot when plugged in, hope nothing goes wrong with it. As for games, I tried Left 4 Dead and the settings vary but it can be played on the 14z with tweaking.
I've tried and it's not easy. I'm aiming for a steady frame rate of 30 over. I can get a constant 30 but once waves come it dips down to 20-25 and becomes annoying. As of now I have all the settings set to low, playing in windowed 16:9 ratio on the lowest resolution possible for 16:9. With that I get an average of 40-60 frames depending on the situation. Personally I could care less about the graphics, just care about being able to play. As for TF2, the requirements shouldn't be that different.
This is a good laptop, I just received mine a few days back and it is my first laptop. Overall I would give it 4.5 points out of 5. Very good laptop, performance and looks. Also a good price.
hey whats up, i was just wondering on what you thought of the dell studio 14z. i really like this laptop and i was wondering if you should think i should get it or not for my first laptop. reply back, thanks.
Jason and those of you who have played with the 14z,
Is there any flex in the keyboard area?
How did you get it with a P8600? Dell canada only offers a T series chip at 2.1 now. To my knowledge the T series processors are less effiecient/more heat?
This kinda sucks as it might be a deal beaker for me.
Dell Canada plays games with the CPU and options they offer - they change week to week. You can try a phone order. No, there's no flex in the keyboard area, at least not bad enough that I noticed.
Hey Jason, when you bought you're Studio 14z were you hit with any sort of Customs fee? Mine is aparently travelling through the US right now via Puralator...
Try Best Buy or Futureshop. I bought one external DVD from Futureshop for $69, but it's kind of heavy and big, like those you put in your desktop with an case.
Question 1: Would you know any other laptops that can compete the Studio 14z at my budget ?
Question 2: What is your thoughts on the Graphics card "NVIDIA MCP79MX GeForce 9400M-G" , Obviously I am stating this question regarding a bit of gaming that I like to do.
I'm flattered that you think I know every notebook on the market today, but I don't. There may be other notebooks that compete with the 14z, but I haven't seen them. As for the 9400M-G, my thoughts are that it's a capable graphics card that can handle most games fairly well.
My Budget is $1000 CDN (obviously plus tax, god damn these taxes) but I might have to go over a bit cause I will be adding a stronger processor of "Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache) " , "14.0 High Definition+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera/Facial Recognition " , and Blue tooth option as well.
I am seriously considering getting Dell Studio 14z because after intensely searching for laptops with good portability and enhance entertainment performance I haven't really found anything that can compete with the Dell studio 14z.
(Do bare with me, cause I might be posting a couple messages in a row, cause there is a limit of characters that i can post in a message)
No, I returned it. I really liked this laptop, but it wasn't enough of an improvement over my XPS M1330 to warrant me keeping it. I think I'll wait for another generation of CPU and GPU advancements...
Don't mean to hijack your video Jason but I just ordered my Studio 14z today =) Thanks again, can't thank you enough, for the video you posted! After configurations it came out to $1159 after tax (Toronto, Canada). Same set up as yours except I stuck with the 720p screen versus your 900p. Also heads up to other buyers, Dell recently lowered the base price of the Studio 14z from $799 to $749. Also, even with the backlit option gone from the website, they still offer it over the phone, so call in.
Can you tell me if the 1/8" audio jack is a dual port? Meaning, does it also support 1/8" Toslink like the Mac Minis and Acer Timeline do. The reason I ask is because my audio receiver does not support HDMI. So, I need to find a different way to get my digital audio from the laptop to the receiver - hopefully with a 1/8" toslink cable.
You're quite welcome - I'm glad I could help. As for the uneven surface, it looks like 90% of the problem was that it was the table I was mainly using it on was uneven...which I didn't realize. So please disregard that part of the video. :-)
How does will this laptop do if i wanted to play the latest games? Will it perform well with it. If not if the answer is no why is that and how can it be improved to be able to support them?
I talked about gaming, so I'm not sure how else I can explain this. You can't upgrade the graphics or the CPU, so what you order is as good as it gets.
okay appearantly I can squeeze out 4 1/2 hours when I put it on the balanced power option. I had it on the high performance and had the backlit keyboard and the brightness all the way up. The batt. isnt all too bad.
It would be single channel because there's 1 GB on the motherboard + 1 open slot for whatever you order (3 GB total or 5 GB total). Every benchmark I ran is in the review.
Hi, I just did a research regarding this issue. Studio 14z has Intel 965GM Chipset which supports Intel® Flex Memory Technology. This technology Gives users a more flexible memory upgrade option by allowing different memory sizes to be installed while maintaining dual-channel mode/performance.
Thanks for this, I'm actually looking at this for a laptop to use in university. As a side note, I've gotten that BSOD error before (on my desktop) and it was always (for me) related to voltages (usually being too low) because the default voltages on my motherboard were not high enough. Hope that helps if it ever pops up again and thanks for making this informative video.
Alright, thanks. :| Not that I would over volt a laptop... But like you said, it was probably just premature bios settings or drivers. Maybe just a low voltage throughput when you opened it up. Obviously I don't know the reason, but I was just tossing my 2 cents in. Thanks again.
does it runs well with gaming?
bboyzuel 4 months ago
SAY NO TO 16:9 LAPTOPS !
THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL AND YOU CAN'T SEE
A CRAP ON THEM ONLINE.
oztronix 8 months ago
Nice review. I bought a refurbished Studio 14z today ,it looks much better than the Inspiron 14R.
nkid29 1 year ago
i just got a studio 15 and i can play the mp4 videos off my phone but there is no sound, what do i need to download or do to get the sound to play? my phone is also a samsung solstices if that matters.
heathmeador 1 year ago
@heathmeador I suggest installing VLC Media Player.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
that program for call phone vids you mention bout 9:50 willl that play mp4? and is there other programs that come with it to play mp4 format?
heathmeador 1 year ago
@heathmeador Windows 7 can play MP4 files natively; if you're on Vista, download VLC.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
How well will this run World of Warcraft?
DarkOctane 1 year ago
hi do you know if they discontinue making this laptop because when i try to look for it on the dell canada website
there is no dell studio 14z
highcan1 1 year ago
@highcan1 Dell is constantly screwing with their product line in different countries; you can no longer get this from Dell Canada as of April 2010, yet Dell USA has it. Go figure. I really hate that about Dell.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
@ThoughtsMedia oh ok thanks a lot
but can you recommend any laptops or desktops for me ? because i am planning to purchase a new computer but i dont kno which one should i buy
i am looking for speed and stable performance (not gaming)
highcan1 1 year ago
@highcan1 I don't tell people what to buy; I tell them to do their own research, decide what will work best for them, and spend their money how they wish.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
Hi, maybe you can help me with this, i work using an external display and my laptop display as an extended desktop, and i read somewhere that you cant do that with this laptop, that if you use both screens you see the same image on both, is that true? thanks
lerpc 1 year ago
@lerpc I didn't test that scenario, but I can't imagine that being true - every laptop down to the smallest netbook can toggle display functions.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
I would want to ask for your advice, please.
I´ve been told that that Studio 15 laptops haave a overheat problem so the fan is very noisy, that thing annoy me a lot. Is that true?, do you know if can you use it on my lap without any problem?
I´m planning to buy a studio 1557 or an xps 15 but with the i7 720 and a 1g video card so, your comments will be very hepfull. Some body told me that the i5 520 will be less hot generator and that the performance will be pretty much the same?
britgirlG 1 year ago
I haven't reviewed any Studio 15 laptops, so I can't comment on that - but I'd be pretty surprised if Dell would ship a laptop that would do that. Sometimes people do stupid things like use a laptop in a very hot location or block the heat vents, then wonder why it overheats. A Core i5 has two cores and hyperthreading, so four threads total. A Core i7 has four cores and hyperthreading, so eight total threads. If you have a multithreaded application, the i7 will beat the i5.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 1 year ago
@ThoughtsMedia Thank you so much Jason! I just ordered mine, you were very helpful.
I think it will be great if you review a Studio 15 since it is a popular laptop model, your reviews are very complete and honest.
britgirlG 1 year ago
awesome video could u check my channel out if u like my vids u should subscribe. keep it up.
xxxrandomjamezxxx 1 year ago
Im about to reship back to Dell my Studio14z since it's really really annoys me with random freezing and the boot up sometimes takes 2-5 mins :(
The screen feels weird like the colors dont appear right, it feels there's a "fog"
If you see that yellow color around your name when you reply, well in this laptop I dont see it if I look straight or from abave. I see it when I tilt the laptop forward.
I went for hours talking to Dell support and end up they will replace the laptop.
fremy123 2 years ago
Hey Jason great review, I was able to get the dell studio 14, with a core i7 and other goodies, the backlit keyboard is what sold me, but they didnt offer the 900p option on the screen, but other than that look forward for the dell 14 and thanks for the gerat review
killaturo 2 years ago
Yeah, I'm pretty miffed with Dell for not offering the 900p screen on the Studio 14...that's exactly what I want to order, but not without the 900p screen. Enjoy your laptop! :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Thank you for talking about the battery life on different uses. Really helped me out! :D
lotsatiarma 2 years ago
Just want to say a big thank you again. I remember watching this video back in July trying to decide whether or not I should pick up the 14z.
I've had mine since August and I love it... perfect laptop to bring onto campus (weight/battery life is excellent), and it's great for everything else I do.
Thanks again for the review, extremely grateful that you posted such an in-depth review to help me out with my purchase.
Xeerochild 2 years ago
I'm glad you found the review useful. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
xeerochild, what battery do you have? 4 cell, 6 cell or 8 cell?
timithebeast 2 years ago
I went with the maximum size (8-cell). More power than the 6-cell, and it doesn't bulge out either. With Wi-Fi and brightness set to half, the laptop can last about 2 hours, the more you tone down the brightness, the longer it lasts.
Longest I've ever had it run for was about 6 hours without Wi-Fi on... most with Wi-Fi would probably be about 3-4 hours.
Xeerochild 2 years ago
oh okay, sweet. thanks alot
timithebeast 2 years ago
ups, I forgot to ask how it is possible to make videos of a length of 22 minutes on YouTube. When Stopped by the system is a 15 minutes video.?? Regards Martin
MalNichtEgal 2 years ago
I have a partner account.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
also, another quick question
does the touchpad support the Synaptics shortcuts? (2 finter swipe for page scroll, 3 finger press for right mouse click)
madseeg 2 years ago
No idea, sorry.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
is the 14Z still current?
im looking at the new studio 14 with the i7 quad core processors.
any comments on that?
madseeg 2 years ago
No, the 14z seems not to have been updated in a while. The Studio 14 is a new model.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
@ThoughtsMedia
ya, i was curious if anyone has a New studio 14 as that's tme model i'm looking at getting that but there are so few resources on the new Studio Line
madseeg 2 years ago
Thanks for the review, i watched the whole thing. You were very helpful and now the 14z is on it's way to my house!
purpl3spri7e 2 years ago
Good to hear - I'm happy to help. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Hey Jason,
Thank you so much for the awesome review. I have one question that is probably my deciding factor. Is the 1600x900 on a 14' readable? I mean the font size looks tiny, and I read a lot on the computer. Does that high resolution lead to eye strain after some time, or you find it comfortable enough, just like any other notebook display?
yesrohit 2 years ago
Yes, I found it to be quite readable - but that's with my eyes, not your eyes, so this is a very personal choice. I'm sensitive to things being too small on a screen though, and didn't find the 1600 x 900 resolution on a 14" screen to be hard to read.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
is this a laptop not note book???
xXChineseBoiXx 2 years ago
What's the difference between a laptop and a notebook? I'm not aware of any.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
oo maybe their the same but umm even though u liked it in this computer in the video do really recommend it?? or should i get somthing else?? dell a diffrent studio?
xXChineseBoiXx 2 years ago
Get whatever product suits your needs - and you're the only person that knows what those needs are. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
@ThoughtsMedia: Thanks so much for your reply. Well, I just wanted someone's opinion on it. Since I am not too old (I am 22) and have a normal eyesight, there's a great chance i might share your opinion. Actually I have already ordered my laptop online so didnt really have a chance to see the laptop in person. I was anxious about finding the res. not to my liking, but your reply puts me quite at rest. Thanks again. Cheers.
yesrohit 2 years ago
we want more colours dell!
TimesNuRoman 2 years ago
also really nice review i have subscribed too ;)
oldmanwhithers 2 years ago
rules of attraction- good movie, more to the point though is this worth the extra money over a cheaper inspiron? I'm just looking for battery life as im a uni student but i would like to watch .avi files while i travel
oldmanwhithers 2 years ago
I've had this laptop since June. Been having hardware problems since. Do not get it. If you do, pay for the extra customer support and warranty service.
KLDozer 2 years ago
cant it's screen like flip over and go down and turn into a touch screen??? if it cant do you know what laptop does that?
naynayyay1226 2 years ago
no thats something else idk what though
Edub2012 2 years ago
If ever get the chance school these people from 14 to 13 laptops the ones without disk drive to see which longer and better for students/travelers.
Mouthmusician 2 years ago
i'll stay with my hp pavilion dm3 it's cheaper :P
cruzz903 2 years ago
hey john i'm thinking about getting a laptop for high school should i get this one?
sean4techs 2 years ago
ok so i just bought an HP notebook with a resolution of 1600x900 so im guessing that means 900p? is there a major difference on a 17.3in screen between 900p and 1080p???
MrRig0 2 years ago
Yes, that's 900p - it's a made-up Dell word.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Im still confused so is 900p better than 720p?
MrRig0 2 years ago
hi again.
you returned the because it was too weak for you. its an 800 $us dollar student oriented laptop. i'd love to hear if you another laptop that can "out-laptop" that price tag\category. for my selfish reason of course :)
oronm 2 years ago
If I didn't already have the XPS M1330, I'd have kept the 14z. It's a very nice laptop with a great price/performance ratio.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
may i ask if this unit comes with bluetooth? free or how much do i add... thanks!
undru 2 years ago
its an option.. +25$
john240881111 2 years ago
Hey, I'm wondering if you could do a review on the ASUS UL80Vt since it has rather similar performance to the Studio 14z
Thanks! :)
NanoFlameSG 2 years ago
My review plate is quite full right now, and I don't have any PR contacts at ASUS, so I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere for a video review of this...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Jason,
I'm short on folks to help me figure out what laptop to buy. For $1500 or less: I need something that can run the Adobe CS4 package; Premiere Pro and Flash being the most important. The shopkeepers where I live in southern India are horrifically under-trained in answering questions. Do you have any suggestions? I'd be happy to write a letter to the computer company on your behalf, if that's worth anything. I'm a letter-writin' fool like that.
Thanks,
billyshake
billyshake 2 years ago
If you get the 14z with the 900p screen, 3GB of RAM, a 7200RPM hard drive, and one of the faster CPUs (the T9550 if you can), it will be GREAT for heavy apps like Photoshop.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Thanks, Jason. I'm all over it. I'm now going to wait until I get to the States over xmas -- I just realized the z model isn't sold where I live and the older, slower Studio 14 is $300 MORE in India than the 14z in the U.S. Crazy.
billyshake 2 years ago
Oh right, you're in India...there's a guy on YouTube who reviewed the 14z but it was actually just the Inspiron 14...it's pretty confusing how Dell does that. :-(
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Did you end up keeping the laptop?
davevz 2 years ago
No, I returned it. Check the other comments posted here for why. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
I just got this thing in purple with the upgraded screen, a 500 gig hard drive, and backlit keyboard for $869 shipped---sound like a good deal? Coupons galore and an employee discount.
davevz 2 years ago
You bet - that sounds like a GREAT deal. :-) Enjoy it!
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
nevermind, scratch that....just heard you say "aboot" which means you must be canadian
SGMD84 2 years ago
If you looked at my profile you'd see there is no mystery. :-) Why would it matter anyway?
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
It doesn't...I've heard "zed" in Europe and Asia but didn't realize it was a Canadian thing too
SGMD84 2 years ago
you say "zed" but you sound American.
I am confused
SGMD84 2 years ago
great camera! which one?
shantum 2 years ago
Are you asking which video camera I'm using to record my videos? A Canon HF100.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
the most in depth review i have seen in a long time.
but, no optical drive - that is huge deal and should have gotten more attention. also, not enough angle shots on the laptop. we get no real sense of its size.
all and all great job
oronm 2 years ago
I'm glad you liked the review. Regarding the optical drive, it's either a problem for you or it's not - there's not a lot of middle ground, so beyond pointing out that it doesn't have one, I don't know what more I could have said. It's not a huge deal to me, or any of the other millions and millions of people buying netbooks. As for the angle shots and size comparisons, unfortunately with my setup it's hard to do those.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Comment removed
yannis330az 2 years ago
Yeah, it's funny how people don't seem to really listen to the video - but it's not *too* surprising given how long some of my videos go. I really try to keep them under 10 minutes, but sometimes in order to be really thorough I need to go over that. As for why I returned it, though I really liked it, the 14z didn't offer me enough performance over my two-year old XPS M1330. I'll be replacing that with something based on the Core i7 chip.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
i have gotten an irq not less or equal error a few times(3 i think). its completly random and nobody know what the hell it means, even microsoft. most people say it has to do with graphics drivers though...
thebeetalls 2 years ago
Thanks for the more in depth review...it helps not to just know the ergonomics and overall performance, but to actually SEE how it runs. I've been looking at laptops for a while and every little bit is useful ;)
Yoshiisland12345 2 years ago
hey jason..can you help me on this.. i'm not from USA but i my laptop is eligible for a windows 7 upgrade.. if i register my laptop to dell .. they will send me the windows 7 serial key right? can i just use the serial key that they will give me on the beta / RC version? will it register as a genuine copy?
solegemini 2 years ago
I'm afraid I have no idea how Dell's system for Windows 7 upgrades will work because they haven't started it up yet. :-) You'll have to ask Dell.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
oh hey i fogot to ask earlier, are there any hdd activity lights on this laptop?
i noticed the inspiron 14 doesnt.... which kinda blows
plutomok 2 years ago
I honestly don't remember. I sent the 14z back to Dell for a refund.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
you know the chassy and mine sticker is coming off on the bottom and it is kind of flexible it is not just yours
theshane1996 2 years ago
mine does that to
theshane1996 2 years ago
Great comprehensive review. Keep up the good work.
forelis 2 years ago
hello, i have one big concern about this laptop.. i got mine almost a week ago, and i base your video to decide weather to buy it or not.
i notice that the screen is kinda greyish(it feels like the brightness is high) if the screen is fully facing me, so i have to open it more than 90deg. to see the real quality of the screen.. its not that much of a big deal but if i do some picture editing, i can't really focus on black part, coz it feels like its really bright..
i have the 720p screen BTW.
john240881111 2 years ago
That's strange - I didn't see that...but I reviewed the 900p screen, so it's going to be a different LCD panel with different characteristics. My reviews are only applicable to the exact configuration I review...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Hi , what is the difference between studio 14z and studio 14??
leezx618 2 years ago
the 14z doesn't have any optical drive, but its a lot thinner and lighter..
john240881111 2 years ago
hey there im looking to buy this laptop and i just want a rough aproximation about how long the 6cell battery lasts.
reply!
plutomok 2 years ago
I talk about that in my review...didn't you watch the video you're commenting on? :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
i wasnt paying attention =[ lol
but i noticed you were getting some of the specs wrong =\ so i assumed you didnt know what you were saying. other than that it was a pretty good review (Y)
plutomok 2 years ago
Which of the specs did I "get wrong"?
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
lol ionno man, its nothing, nvm
good review(Y) im gna buy this laptop
plutomok 2 years ago
so the uneven problem was due to the table correct? cuz other than that, this laptop looks like what I want for sho! Thanks for the review, I liked seeing the actual laptop
jefu007 2 years ago
Correct. Go ahead and order the 14z - it's a great laptop!
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
ei, a simple advice. you can get a CF adapter for your camera.. You can put a regular SD in the adapter then use it for your camera and just remove it from the laptop so that you can plug it in in the computer. Thats wut i do..
And also more options, since SD's are most common...
john240881111 2 years ago
I haven't done much testing, but the problem is that most of the camera companies don't have suggestions for adaptors that they promise will work up to the same performance levels and not screw up your photos. It's another layer of translation that the data has to go trough, so the risk of losing speed and data is multiplied. I'll look into it more though, it is something I've thought about.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
i'm a photographer as well, and i've been using CF adapter to put SD card on my SLR, and i even tested most of the memory available, up to 16Gb "SDHC", and as of now i've never encountered any data lost or whatsoever.. so don't be hesitant to use them because it will make your data transfer a lot better and more convenient..
john240881111 2 years ago
Thanks for the input - I'll look into getting one and test it out...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
do you know when this is going to be released in australia?
illeanabanana 2 years ago
I don't work for Dell, so no, I don't know. ;-) Ask Dell Australia I guess. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Very nice getting the one from bestbuy that has a 14.4 inch no drive and has the 9400M GT in it I saw gameplay vids of the 9400m gt and wow it performs pretty darn good.
Hekynn 2 years ago
it's actually 9400M GS, but it is a good graphic card.
ccshou 2 years ago
lol @ 0:10
TheVernonDavis 2 years ago
Great in-depth review!
s0Ez3 2 years ago 2
you should have also check how the battery life was when it was set to balanced and power saver modes
MrNemesis75 2 years ago
It wouldn't have mattered much, if at all - playing YouTube HD video uses up a fair bit of processor, so it wouldn't SpeedStep down to a slower speed. Besides, I think even when in maximum performance mode, it will scale down the CPU at idle times.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
When you watched the 70 mins of youtube HD, did you set vista to "balanced" power usage?
MrNemesis75 2 years ago
No, I set it to maximum power usage.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
i have a question.does 2.1 ghz suck or good enough to play recently released games?
runegang503 2 years ago
My Studio 14z arrived two days ago and I love it. No flex, nothing! Started to remove bloatware, got rid of that face recognition app, still need to figure out what's useless. My only problem with the 14z is the power brick get's extremely hot when plugged in, hope nothing goes wrong with it. As for games, I tried Left 4 Dead and the settings vary but it can be played on the 14z with tweaking.
Xeerochild 2 years ago
can you expand on l4d performance? id like to get one that can run tf2
fiishywiishy 2 years ago
I've tried and it's not easy. I'm aiming for a steady frame rate of 30 over. I can get a constant 30 but once waves come it dips down to 20-25 and becomes annoying. As of now I have all the settings set to low, playing in windowed 16:9 ratio on the lowest resolution possible for 16:9. With that I get an average of 40-60 frames depending on the situation. Personally I could care less about the graphics, just care about being able to play. As for TF2, the requirements shouldn't be that different.
Xeerochild 2 years ago
pc mark is not free...it's free to test.
hokusbloke 2 years ago
Most people are going to benchmark their system once and that's it, so it might as well be free.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
This is a good laptop, I just received mine a few days back and it is my first laptop. Overall I would give it 4.5 points out of 5. Very good laptop, performance and looks. Also a good price.
tandem123456 2 years ago
can the web cam do video
fackhead 2 years ago
Yes, the Web cam can do video. All Web cams can.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
does yours have the wifi catcher? dell doesnt have pics of it on the website and im wondering if they still come with it.
SKEGZ 2 years ago
No, the 14z doesn't come with the WiFi catcher. It's kind of a stupid feature to be honest - I have it on my XPS M1330 and never use it.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
hey whats up, i was just wondering on what you thought of the dell studio 14z. i really like this laptop and i was wondering if you should think i should get it or not for my first laptop. reply back, thanks.
mothershmucker 2 years ago
If you watch the video you posted on this comment on, you'll find out exactly what I think of the 14z. That's the whole point of the video. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Jason and those of you who have played with the 14z,
Is there any flex in the keyboard area?
How did you get it with a P8600? Dell canada only offers a T series chip at 2.1 now. To my knowledge the T series processors are less effiecient/more heat?
This kinda sucks as it might be a deal beaker for me.
Jassy16992 2 years ago
Dell Canada plays games with the CPU and options they offer - they change week to week. You can try a phone order. No, there's no flex in the keyboard area, at least not bad enough that I noticed.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Hey Jason, when you bought you're Studio 14z were you hit with any sort of Customs fee? Mine is aparently travelling through the US right now via Puralator...
Xeerochild 2 years ago
Studio 14z is the third laptop I bought from Dell. And I've never paid any custom fee yet. So don't worry about this. Enjoy your new laptop. :D
ccshou 2 years ago
As long as you order from Dell Canada, no, there's no customs fee even if it's coming up from the USA.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Where can i get a cheap external drive the ones at dell are like 120 dollars
answer plz
cassianbohl 2 years ago
Try Best Buy or Futureshop. I bought one external DVD from Futureshop for $69, but it's kind of heavy and big, like those you put in your desktop with an case.
ccshou 2 years ago
Try NewEgg, Amazon, etc. There are lots of places to buy external drives from.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Question 1: Would you know any other laptops that can compete the Studio 14z at my budget ?
Question 2: What is your thoughts on the Graphics card "NVIDIA MCP79MX GeForce 9400M-G" , Obviously I am stating this question regarding a bit of gaming that I like to do.
gugz84 2 years ago
I'm flattered that you think I know every notebook on the market today, but I don't. There may be other notebooks that compete with the 14z, but I haven't seen them. As for the 9400M-G, my thoughts are that it's a capable graphics card that can handle most games fairly well.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
My Budget is $1000 CDN (obviously plus tax, god damn these taxes) but I might have to go over a bit cause I will be adding a stronger processor of "Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache) " , "14.0 High Definition+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera/Facial Recognition " , and Blue tooth option as well.
gugz84 2 years ago
Hey jason, hope all is well down your ends ...
I am seriously considering getting Dell Studio 14z because after intensely searching for laptops with good portability and enhance entertainment performance I haven't really found anything that can compete with the Dell studio 14z.
(Do bare with me, cause I might be posting a couple messages in a row, cause there is a limit of characters that i can post in a message)
gugz84 2 years ago
if you just want to do school work.............is this laptop better or the hp pavilion dv3??????
FRonTLinES10064 2 years ago
For school work, either would be just fine. I'd probably go with the 14z with an 8 cell battery and the 900p screen myself though...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
but it doesn't have a cd drive.......................what if you wnat to install a program and you dont want an external cd drive?
FRonTLinES10064 2 years ago
Then you shouldn't buy this product. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Did you end up keeping it after you realized the table was the problem? Also, how hot does it get?
smtf97 2 years ago
No, I returned it. I really liked this laptop, but it wasn't enough of an improvement over my XPS M1330 to warrant me keeping it. I think I'll wait for another generation of CPU and GPU advancements...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
As for how hot it gets, I didn't use it on my lap very much - but the palm-rest area didn't seem to get too warm.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Don't mean to hijack your video Jason but I just ordered my Studio 14z today =) Thanks again, can't thank you enough, for the video you posted! After configurations it came out to $1159 after tax (Toronto, Canada). Same set up as yours except I stuck with the 720p screen versus your 900p. Also heads up to other buyers, Dell recently lowered the base price of the Studio 14z from $799 to $749. Also, even with the backlit option gone from the website, they still offer it over the phone, so call in.
Xeerochild 2 years ago
You can also chat with an online sales, and ask him to mannually upgrade to backlid keyboard for $40
ccshou 2 years ago
install windows7 asap
carbonunit 2 years ago
Hmmm for some reason the Dell Canada website the option for the 'backlit' keyboard is no longer there. That sucks =/
Xeerochild 2 years ago
Really? That sucks! I wonder if they have a shortage on that component. I definitely suggest the back-lit keyboard...it's nice.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Agree,hope they will have it available for upgrade next time they update deals
ccshou 2 years ago
Great video!
Can you tell me if the 1/8" audio jack is a dual port? Meaning, does it also support 1/8" Toslink like the Mac Minis and Acer Timeline do. The reason I ask is because my audio receiver does not support HDMI. So, I need to find a different way to get my digital audio from the laptop to the receiver - hopefully with a 1/8" toslink cable.
AlexNC 2 years ago
I'm not sure - I never saw that mentioned anywhere. I'd suggest going to Dell's site and looking at the spec sheet. I somehow doubt it though...
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
You're quite welcome - I'm glad I could help. As for the uneven surface, it looks like 90% of the problem was that it was the table I was mainly using it on was uneven...which I didn't realize. So please disregard that part of the video. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Ein sehr gelungenes Notebook! Wäre eine Anschaffung wert.
Raschpreis 2 years ago
How does will this laptop do if i wanted to play the latest games? Will it perform well with it. If not if the answer is no why is that and how can it be improved to be able to support them?
xbiggamerx 2 years ago
I talked about gaming, so I'm not sure how else I can explain this. You can't upgrade the graphics or the CPU, so what you order is as good as it gets.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Merci pour la belle revue, très beau travail!
tiloud 2 years ago
my 14z is totally even on flat surfaces. I notice that my 8cell batt. lasts about 2hrs 50 mins on average with video chat. music and browsing.
msalad18 2 years ago
2 hrs 50 minutes? Yikes - that's not as good as I thought it would be... :-(
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
okay appearantly I can squeeze out 4 1/2 hours when I put it on the balanced power option. I had it on the high performance and had the backlit keyboard and the brightness all the way up. The batt. isnt all too bad.
msalad18 2 years ago
Thanks for great video! :)
What's about RAM mode? Is it dual-channel or sigle-channel (because of asymmetrical 3/5gigs)?
And did you run any other games or programs? What's about Photoshop and Source-based games performance?
buranik 2 years ago
It would be single channel because there's 1 GB on the motherboard + 1 open slot for whatever you order (3 GB total or 5 GB total). Every benchmark I ran is in the review.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Hi, I just did a research regarding this issue. Studio 14z has Intel 965GM Chipset which supports Intel® Flex Memory Technology. This technology Gives users a more flexible memory upgrade option by allowing different memory sizes to be installed while maintaining dual-channel mode/performance.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks
ccshou 2 years ago
Interesting - I didn't know that! Nice to hear that dual-channel mode is maintained even with two different-sized RAM chips.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
hi i bought a 14z recently and the hard drive makes a loud clicking noise thats very noticeable, is this normal or should i go and exchange it?
xtdkcdr 2 years ago
That's definitely not normal - I'd exchange it.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Did it get very hot with heavy processing? Noisy fan?
SlyLychee 2 years ago
The fan isn't too noisy, though you can hear it when the system is under stress. The system doesn't get too hot.
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Thanks for this, I'm actually looking at this for a laptop to use in university. As a side note, I've gotten that BSOD error before (on my desktop) and it was always (for me) related to voltages (usually being too low) because the default voltages on my motherboard were not high enough. Hope that helps if it ever pops up again and thanks for making this informative video.
SeanNijjar 2 years ago
This laptop doesn't support voltage modifications or overclocking, so it definitely wasn't because of that. :-)
- Jason
ThoughtsMedia 2 years ago
Alright, thanks. :| Not that I would over volt a laptop... But like you said, it was probably just premature bios settings or drivers. Maybe just a low voltage throughput when you opened it up. Obviously I don't know the reason, but I was just tossing my 2 cents in. Thanks again.
SeanNijjar 2 years ago