I got one of these from Dell and have been immensely satisfied with it.
Pros:
Truly gorgeous and bright screen.
Laptop's cheese-wedge-shaped design is great because there's not a large "ledge"
Good performance, comes with good video card and supports up to 8 GB RAM. I do a lot of 3D modeling and this has made my life so much easier compared to my old machine.
Second headphone jack makes it perfect for watching DVDs with your buddy while you're stuck in Afghanistan
Windows 7 works like a champ and looks great
Facial recognition software (FastAccess) makes login fast, easy, somewhat fun (not sure if Amazon config has this). May not work if the room lighting is weird.
Attractive design, battery has fair life and doesn't stick out like the badonkadonk my wife's HP.
Laptop speakers that don't suck. Awesome. Also convenient, responsive media controls.
Quiet keyboard. Not sure if this config has the backlit version, but if so you are in for a treat. Very nifty and useful in low light.
Easy 1-door access panel on bottom for upgrade action
SD/Media Card reader to get your camera photos, etc
Cons:
Can get warm. Best used in combination with a Zalman ZM-NC2000 Notebook cooler. The cooler runs off USB (but you don't lose a port because it has some on it), keeps the laptop from getting warm, and fits perfectly. I suggest the black one.
Somewhat hefty. But hey, it's a "desktop replacement" size.
Only 3 USB ports
No number pad functionality
All things considered I'm very pleased with my purchase and I can definitely recommend this model laptop for for someone who travels occasionally but not frequently.
I love this laptop. I wanted to get a laptop for school, and shopped around a little bit, I almost got a dell insperon, but Dell was having a sale, and this computer was $100.00 off! So I bought it, and I love it.
The 15.6 inch screen is really nice, you can see a lot, and 720p resolution is actually really good looking on this laptop. I like the glossy screen, but if you are sitting next to a window there might be too much glare.
The HDMI output is a very nice feature because you can hook your computer to your TV and watch movies, or play games.
I dont know if the one on amazon has the included backlit keyboard, but it is a very nice feature. The keys are very hard to see in the dark without it.
It is really fast with 4 gigs of ram, it can convert movies to another format in an hour with the 2.2GHz dual core processor.
This laptop gets warm when you use it, but I have never had it get too hot. It has good battery life. I have gotten 5 and a half hours out of it just surfing the web, and I have watched 2 movies back to back on an airplane, the movies were not dvds (I copied the dvds to my computer beforehand because the optical drive takes a lot of power).
Overall I would recommend this laptop. This was my first laptop of my own, and I am really happy with it.
Buy Dell Studio 1555 15.6-Inch Black Laptop Now
I have a variation of the 1555 Studio configuration which consists of:
1) P8700 Processor
2) 4Gb Ram
3) Full 1080x1920 screen
4) 500gb 7200rpm hard drive
5) ATI HD4670 1GB GPU
6) BlueRay drive
I bought it around Black Friday directly from Dell for just over a grand.
Based on some of the comments/negative reviews of this computer, I'd like to say that I have owned and used Dell computers for over 10 years, and aside from one really crap Optiplex220 workstation, have had nothing but good experiences with them across a diverse range of computers including everything from a Dell Mini 10 to a couple XPS gaming machines (before I got wise and started building my own gaming computers about 5 years ago). As a brand, Dell is frequently maligned for being either cheaply made or offering poor service. I can say that in my experience, neither is true. (And to put that in context I work in a an office with about 8 dell workstations that I am responsible for maintaining, in addition to the Dells I've owned personally). I've gotten great service from them including an overnight battery replacement (under warranty) when it really counted. So, while I recognize that any company as large as Dell is going to have some misses, my personal experience has been excellent.
I'd also like to say that I own 5 computers (counting my wife's) including an HP, a custom built gaming computer, and even an Apple. I work with a whole host of computers on a daily basis (Macs included) and am not a fanboy of any brand or manufacturer, nor do I engage in the stupid PC vs. Mac debates. I love technology in general, and will go wherever I can get the features I want for the best price to enable me to finish the task at hand. I bought this Studio 1555 to replace my workstation since I wanted to be able to work remotely more easily.
Now on to my actual review:
First off, there is one thing I really dislike about this notebook and that is the keyboard (which I'm using to type this review). It's not a tactile thing, or responsiveness, my typical complaint against keyboards in general. The keyboard squeaks. Not all the time and not loudly, but certain keys on the right side, including the backspace key, make a slight chirping sound that I find very irritating.
What I love about the notebook far eclipses that one irritation, and the screen alone more than makes up for it. As one of the very, very few 15" notebooks that offers full 1080x1920 resolution, it is also one of the cheapest. If you're going to buy just ONE upgrade for this notebook, make it that one. Having that much real estate on such a beautiful screen is worth every penny. SONY is the only other computer maker I could find with 15" notebooks with full 1080p resolution, and they are on average $500 more than this dell. You could argue they are better (less weight, possibly more stylish, etc.) but the bottom line is that the Studio 1555 with a 1080p screen for around a grand is a GREAT deal. Especially considering the screen is beautiful.
The feature set on the Studio 1555 series is also quite good with the newer, faster P series processors leading the way. With their architecture they also use less power, which means a P series notebook will run longer than an identical T series notebook, all things being equal. Windows 7 64-bit being standard is awesome, and once coupled with 4gb (or even 8gb if you want to pay through the nose) of ram, make this a very speedy machine. Boot times are great, and I can easily multitask with several demanding applications with no slowdown.
Aesthetically, the notebook is good, but not fantastic. I elected to get the 'chainlink black' version since I use this notebook for work and didn't need a fancy lid. The layout is functional and logical without being superior (this is where SONY excels--they're probably the only company with a sense of style that rivals Apple). The port configuration is great, with everything you'd expect (HDMI, 3-USB, Esata, SD card reader, VGA) and then a few bonuses (FireWire800, and TWO headphone jacks--fantastic for sharing a BlueRay with someone on a flight, etc...)
The Build quality is average to good. The aforementioned keyboard squeak lowers this category significantly, as does the heat build up on the panel below the keyboard which makes my wrists sweat a little bit. Thankfully Dell did make some solid improvements, including a really good hing for the screen which is heavy duty enough to make me believe the screen will open&close without losing any firmness for years. The charger is adequate, but with a strange layout that defies logic--the power cord (the end that plugs into the wall) is very short at about 3-feet. The single power cable that runs to the ntoebook itself is fairly long, but I'd really like to see dell make a power adapter more like HPs with a nice long cable on both ends (from the wall to the adapter and then from the adapter to the notebook).
Battery life is fantastic and better than I expected. Even when taxing the n-band wireless while streaming videos or downloading files (which uses a lot of power) I can still get 3.5-4hrs out of the notebook. If all I'm doing is word processing, e-mailing, and other light tasks, I can get upwards of 5 hours. If you set your power profile to the minimum, it is possible to get Dell's claimed 7 hours, but you'll have to live with a very dim monitor and no wifi usage to achieve those numbers--not many real world applications where that would work.
PROs:
1) Excellent and truly top-notch screen (1920x1080 HIGHLY recommended)
2) Great feature set for the price, especially with a few well chosen upgrades
3) Functional design that while not convincingly beautiful, is very well suited to getting work done.
4) Quality components for the price
5) Very solid battery life
CONs:
1) Squeaky keyboard
2) Strange, less than stellar power adapter
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I bought this notebook to replace my workstation in my office. It's more than exceeded my expectations overall. With a better keyboard I'd happily give it 5 stars, but that one element is distracting enough to downgrade the Studio 1555 to 4 stars. If you want a very strong feature set for the price, you have to at least consider the Studio 1555 series from Dell. Check out the comments section of this review for some thoughts on configuration/prices if buying from Dell.
4/5 Stars. Recommended for those that value quality screens over pretty aesthetics.
Read Best Reviews of Dell Studio 1555 15.6-Inch Black Laptop Here
This is the Dell Studio 15 inch laptop (Green Colored Case). I think this a great lap top and it gets the job done. I kept reading all the negative reviews and i have no idea why there's so much bad press. I have never once called customer service and i ordered my laptop at Dell directly through their website. I have no reason to contact customer service and i never experienced any problems at all with any of my Dell products. I get so baffled when i read all these negative reviews. My Dell products which i have had for years including a Dell desktop and a recently purchased new netbooks have never been a problem. The desk top i have is more than 6 years old and I never have any problems. It runs great. It can definitely benefit from an upgrade in some areas.
The Studio line is Dell's midrange laptops. The Inspiron being there low end range for consumers that just need a standard laptop. The Dell Studio laptop is completely plastic and it's a bit on the heavy side in my opinion. Maybe because i am so use to my light weight Dell 10 min netbook that i have been spoiled. This is a good lap top. However, i think the flaw in Dell is that their products can get very pricey very quickly. Especially when you are adding in high end features like 6GB RAM rather than 3GB RAM or 2.99GHZ instead of 2.33GHZ etc. You can get the same thing at HP for probably around a hundred dollars less and their quality feels a bit more refined, polished, and sturdy. That being said if you check Dell's website they do have deals going on all the time especially on holidays. But for some reason the price never seems as low as it should be. If you check periodically you will find yourself a deal. I go to that website religiously and build the exact same laptop that I have and it always comes up to more money. I got mine on a special promo.
I really regret getting the green covered case. I didn't realize how bright it would be and once i opened it out of the box I really wish i purchased the Dark Blue or Dark Purple colored case. It's really way too bright. I like the personalization options of the different colors, but i really do regret getting this bright Caribbean green color. My laptop also includes the backlit keyboard which is great for typing in the dark. It also has touch sensitive controls towards the top of the keyboard near the speakers and i think that's a great plus. The DVD is also an optical drive, so there is no door that slides out for you to pop in your DVD. It's like a Playstation 3 slot. You slide the DVDs in & out.
Pros:
15 inch screen
Optical DVD slot
4GB RAM
750 GB Memory
2.66GHZ
Backlit keyboard
4 UBS slots
HDMI outport
Sleak shiek design
Different colored cases
Wi-Fi
Webcam
Cons:
Windows Vista (Super Whack)
A bit pricey in my opinion (That's Dell for you)
A bit on the heavy side
Want Dell Studio 1555 15.6-Inch Black Laptop Discount?
Dell has a serious flaw in the design of this and their newer laptops/notebooks. They are making computers thinner and lighter which ends up restricting the airflow. This causes internal parts to overheat. The typical result in my computer is that the graphics card will overheat and cause the system to lock up.
I have this Dell Studio 15" with factory upgraded ram and other goodies totaling about $1000 investment. Since the new box arrived at my door a year ago, it has continually crashed and locked-up. Dell support has tried everything under the sun, short of giving me a new computer. This includes sending techs to my house and replacing internal parts like the graphics card, motherboard, etc. Alas, nothing changes. The fan always runs at full throttle within moments of start-up. If I try to watch a video or even if a web-page has anything using flash, immediately graphics card failure occurs resulting an over-sized cursor and a total system lock-up. My only option is to do a hard system shutdown. Disabling flash or other scripts only delays the inevitable.
I have owned several Dells in the past and WAS a huge fan of Dell; however, this experience has left me very frustrated and disappointed. One tech advised me to purchase a Toshiba as they are not having this issue because their laptops are still a little bulkier providing better airflow.
But I'm not impressed with Windows7. Would have given a 5 with XP. At least windows has a site for research for issues that does help. Also wasn't impressed with the packing it came in. Just the cardboard around the styraforam end caps. Maybe that is sufficient, it seems fine. Only had it a couple of months. Still trying to get control of my own computer away from microsoft. XP wasn't this obnoxious. I've almost dumped microsoft several times. I did buy this understanding that Linux would work. My last Fujitsu lasted over 10 years with daily use...all day all night sometimes, constant travel. Did have it on a cooler immediately, as is this one. Amazon is great, & vendors on time. Received case early. I love the full size keyboard & the separate number pad. So far it's wonderful, I'll update later if I can. If you use a wireless mouse...disable touchpad. It's a windows glitch. For the quality I've experienced in the past, you can't beat the price or the machine.
