The Dell Studio 14z Notebook: A Real Contender

[Jason Dunn]

<p><em>[It should say REVIEW and not UNBOXING in the video; it's a total failure on my part to not change that. Whoops! Since the source files are deleted, so I can't fix it.]</em></p><p>Here it is, the "mega review" of this laptop, a follow-up from <a href="http://www.digitalhomethoughts.com/news/show/94331/dell-studio-14z-unboxing-first-impressions-video.html" target="_blank">my unboxing video</a>. This video is quite long because I go into a lot of detail about battery tests, performance benchmarks, and the pros and cons of this notebook. I hope everyone enjoys the level of detail!</p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GSw_dkghkV8&amp;fmt=18" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GSw_dkghkV8&amp;fmt=18"></embed></object></p><p>This notebook, shown here in ruby red, is a little different that most notebooks in that it lacks a CD/DVD drive - but it's no netbook! It has a 14 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen running at 1600 x 900 resolution, which is Dell's 900p resolution option (an upgrade). The standard resolution is 720p, which is 1280 x 720. <MORE /></p><p>Powering it all is an Intel Core 2 Duo: the P8600, running at 2.4 Ghz, with 3 MB of L2 cache. 3 GB of DDR3 RAM at 1066mhz provides the memory, and storage is handled by a 320 GB, 7200 RPM hard drive. The graphics processor is an NVIDIA GeForce 9400G-M, and the on-board 802.11 b/g/n WiFI is an Intel 1515 card. It also has Bluetooth 2.1, and an optional ExpressCard 8-in-1 memory card adaptor that arrived damaged as you'll see in the video. The keyboard is back-lit, which is an add-on option, and it's running Windows Vista 64-bit. Powering it all is a 6-cell, 54 WHr battery.</p><p>I paid $1306 CAD for this configuration from Dell Canada as of May 2009, but Dell's prices change daily to always check their Web site for the most accurate pricing information.</p><p>Got questions? Ask away and I'll do my best to answer them.</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys&nbsp;<a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's still searching for the ultimate netbook.</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested?&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

[ncsantalady]

I've been waiting (impatiently) to see a review of this laptop! I was thrilled when I saw your post. However, when I click the video I get a pop up that says "This video is private". Is this a mistake? I am waiting to make my purchase decision based on first seeing some reviews of this one.
Thanks....

[reefshark]

It appears that this video is set to Private.

[tobias36]

Video looks very promising can't wait to watch it but its set on private....

[nadesdan]

sorry, but video doesn't seem to work - marked as private in you tube

[reefshark]

It looks like that this video is Private.

[orichan]

Hey, I would love to watch your review, but your video is private at the moment.

And yes the 8 cell battery doesn't stick out. I can see why you are ticked. I would have been too.

[Jason Dunn]

Sorry guys, it seems this video was doomed to have me screw it up in a bunch of different ways - first the text in the video being wrong, then me setting it to private once I found that out but forgetting to set it back to public once I realized I couldn't fix it. My apologies for the frustration - I set it to public yesterday afternoon, so you should all be able to watch it now. :o

[Jason Dunn]

I didn't mention the Windows Experience Index scores, so here they are:

Processor: 5.3
RAM: 5.9
Graphics: 5.7
Gaming Graphics: 5.1
Hard Disk: 5.8

[GM]

Excellent review. Thanks. Also enjoyed the unboxing video. This is the laptop I had picked out, but decided to hold off until Windows 7 comes out. I don't know if that is prudent, but I always read about the importance of a clean install of the OS, so I figured I would wait until October. I haven't seen anything that discusses the importance of waiting, but I guess I'll wait. Is it best to wait?

You selected all the options I had selected on the 14z, so this review was that much more pertinent to me. When you got to the end and pointed out how uneven the laptop rested on the table surface, I was pretty dismayed. That would be a big deal to me. Have you heard from anyone if that problem is common? And did you have any more BSODs? If that's just a Vista thing, I'm not worried, but if it's more than that, I'm concerned.

Anyway, thanks again for all the detail.

[Jason Dunn]

I haven't seen anything that discusses the importance of waiting, but I guess I'll wait. Is it best to wait?

If you don't mind waiting, yeah, it's a pretty good idea - unless you have some stuff coming up in the next two months that you'd like to have this laptop for. Ultimately it doesn't matter too much...but as you know prices always get a bit cheaper over time.

When you got to the end and pointed out how uneven the laptop rested on the table surface, I was pretty dismayed. That would be a big deal to me. Have you heard from anyone if that problem is common?

I'd put this in the "don't worry" category - it turns out the table I put it on was a bit uneven...on another table I detected very little movement.

And did you have any more BSODs? If that's just a Vista thing, I'm not worried, but if it's more than that, I'm concerned.

Nope, just the one - so I'd say it's a quirk; perhaps some slightly immature drivers.

You'll like this laptop - I very nearly kept it, but ended up returning it to Dell. It just didn't offer enough of a performance boost over my XPS M1330.

[GM]

Thanks for the detailed response. It's really a big help.
GM

[dave_ja]

Hi, Jason!
Excellent review!:) I have a couple of questions would be very grateful if you responded to them.
1. Have you solved the problem with the laptop when the heel slightly when pressure on the bottom left corner, had a different model? This is a particular case or so at the moment, the constant sickness of this model.
2. I live in Ukraine, this model sales only in States, it is a pity that on the official site is not possible to deliver DHL or what it is like ... I just do not want to wait, and one more reason : I want to use the configurator on the website and order a specific model.
thanks.
p.s.
sorry for my english:)

[mikeooha]

it would be fine to wait but the studio z comes with a windows 7 free upgrade

[Jason Dunn]

1. Have you solved the problem with the laptop when the heel slightly when pressure on the bottom left corner, had a different model? This is a particular case or so at the moment, the constant sickness of this model.

See my comment above - it turns out my table was what wasn't straight, which I didn't know. My 14z was nice and flat. No need to worry.