Dell's Studio 15 laptop gets its Centrino 2 on

Dell's Studio laptops have style, we'll give them that, but we were a bit dismayed when they launched right before Intel's Centrino 2 processors. After three months of living a pleasant but not-really-cutting-edge life, the Studio 15 finally crashed the cool kids' party a couple weeks ago, rocking the house with two new Centrino 2 configurations. Buy one now and your processor will be either a P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB cache, 1066MHz FSB) or for an extra 175 simoleons, a T9400 (2.53GHz, 6MB cache, also 1066MHz FSB). If you were holding out for this before buying one of Inspiron's classy siblings, well, here you go -- but the competition is awfully fierce right now.

[LondonConsultant @ Oct 15th 2008 6:10AM]

Good to see that Dell isn't downgrading its laptops with chicklet keyboards, glossy screens, removing trackpad buttons, etc...

[1234321 @ Oct 15th 2008 9:17AM]

I see what you did there!

[fatty @ Oct 15th 2008 6:24AM]

good to see dell finally putting some emphasis on style, thank you apple.

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 15th 2008 6:26AM]

How come I see so many buttons near the touch-pad....?

[Mark Anderson @ Oct 15th 2008 6:38AM]

Choice, I guess, since no doubt it'll use Synaptic drivers to allow button or tap input.

Choice. Not a word Apple fans are familiar with.

[nikster @ Oct 15th 2008 9:26AM]

Hmm.. a new Dell notebook, doesn't look half bad. Yet the first 5 posts are about Apple. Complaining about Apple, no less. I mean, if I don't like something, I don't spend hours talking about how much I don't like it. I just forget about it and maybe buy something else.

[ace1000_x @ Oct 15th 2008 6:27AM]

It's about bloody time Dell!

[trumpton @ Oct 15th 2008 6:28AM]

Funny thing is that it looks better than the new Apple offerings, offers better value for money and is an all-round better deal, yet will only attract a fraction of the coverage here.

[ArcticFox @ Oct 15th 2008 6:40AM]

Yeah its a shame really, 15" Dell Studio laptop with same spec as top end Macbook Pro except with Blu-ray Drive, 1920x1200 screen, 2 mouse buttons, no crappy keyboard, fingerprint scanner, admittedly a weaker GPU compared but its only $1500, $1000 less than the worse specced Macbook Pro.

Im sure i will get low ranked and "but but its the overall package not just the laptop" from Mac fanboys, id rather have a $1000 cheaper laptop than have a Macbook Pro just so i can sit all smug and show off my epeen despite the glaring usability problems that the shiny box will bring.

[Mobius_1 @ Oct 15th 2008 7:11AM]

Macs are, I hope we can all agree on this, quite overpriced compared to comparably specced Dell/HP/etc. And I don't think I can justify spending an extra 1k or something on OS X, especially as Vista is not bad at all, and these new Dells and HPs really do look quite classy and not like the old "cheap" Inspirons.

Heck, I'd buy an iPhone 3G with the money I save :)

[PatD. @ Oct 15th 2008 7:50AM]

This is the machine that persuaded me to 'switch back' to windows when it first came out. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Could no longer justify the high price of Apple's computers, especially here in Ireland.

[Esat Dedezade @ Oct 15th 2008 9:12AM]

Plus HDMI input and firewire!

[Esat Dedezade @ Oct 15th 2008 9:12AM]

HDMI output i mean....

[Hamidxa @ Oct 15th 2008 10:08AM]

Precisely trumpton.
Well said.

[ace1000_x @ Oct 15th 2008 6:39AM]

Just waiting for the Studio XPS now, happy days!

I wonder what ATI's Mobility Chips like... as opposed to the Nvidia 9600GT which is mainstream in performance notebooks like HP, Acer etc..

Looked at the build configuration, they got the good processors. P8600 T9400 i think. To be honest though I think the P8600 might be better as it uses 25Watts instead of 35Watts. Does the additional 10 Watts power penalty justify the difference?

They got 7200rpm HDD which is good :)

They got HD Display option , but it doesn't look like its an LED one.

Needs DDR3 1066 Ram i think...

The above things should hopefully be in the Studio XPS if not in the normal Studio 15. Can't expect them to stick all the good stuff in the Mid-Range laptops! :)

[Ruben @ Oct 15th 2008 7:02AM]

It doesn't need DDR3.

Any enthusiast will tell you that DDR3 is not there yet. It is still not the bottleneck of the system, thus, does not need to be upgraded from DDR2. Its a spec sheet entry, not something that is actually useful.

As soon as Intel has its own embedded memory controller running at full speed, then faster memory will be needed to keep up with the CPU polls. Otherwise, it has little effect on a desktop, let alone a laptop. Look at actual benchmarks for proof. No justification at all for the higher price.

[ace1000_x @ Oct 15th 2008 7:05AM]

Yeah i suppose you're right about that. I had read it somewhere. Isn't the successor to the Centrino 2 platform called "Capella" due out in a couple of months, like early 2009? Or has that been delayed now?

[Ruben @ Oct 15th 2008 7:09AM]

Your not going to see the new Core i7 with the new chipset available until mid to late 09. There are claims that they are farther ahead than expected, but i still expect them to delay the chipset offering until at least a good integrated graphics solution is available to go with it, meaning a working Larrabee cut down for notebooks.

I really expect it to be part of the Win 7 release. A new laptop for a new OS. But who knows what they have planned.

[brett @ Oct 15th 2008 6:56AM]

looks pretty has more power then a crApple mac book air and it comes in nicer colors the the crApple Mac book

[Phillip J Fry @ Oct 15th 2008 7:02AM]

LOL. All the comments thus far have been correct, funny and justified.

The PC equivalent is better value because you get more for your dollar but people are attracted to Macs in the same way people are attracted to BMWs or Mercedes Benzs for the brand and prestige and there is nothing wrong with this.

@ace1000_x
Yeah I'm looking forward to seeing the Studio XPS also. It should be sweet looking considering how Dell have stepped up their designs of late :)

[ace1000_x @ Oct 15th 2008 7:08AM]

I'm a little bit scared though because one of the Studio XPS slides I saw has some kind of wooden panelling effect on it...not really my cup of tea.

What if Dells Studio XPS has "Wood" like materials? Do we want our laptops to look like the interior of a 1988 Ford Granada?

[Mobius_1 @ Oct 15th 2008 7:15AM]

It's a Jeep Grand Wagoneer! I personally don't think wood looks good on tech products, although bamboo looks alright, like on the Studio Hybrid, as long as you don't have a hungry pet panda

[brett @ Oct 15th 2008 7:19AM]

I understand peoples need for status but the fact that no matter what piece of junk crApple rolls out, the fan boys/girls and status mongers jump on it like crack hoers jumping on a crack dealer's d#@!. Then argue that it is so much better just because it is a crApple product, and really have no basis for their logic other than the tired excuse "Its a Mac".

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 15th 2008 7:20AM]

Those cars have something to offer for the price by way of superior engineering.

The the case of the cars you are getting what you pay for.

[Hamidxa @ Oct 15th 2008 10:16AM]

But in no way whatsoever, by any stretch of the imagination, are Apple's better engineered.

In fact, they are using left-over, off the shelf, PC parts that are months and in some cases at least 1-2 year outdated (particularly GPUs) by the time they make their debuts on Macs.

Also, in terms of software support, I could easily argue that PC's outperform Macs when performing benchmarks on multiplatform titles, and then theres the fact that PC libraries dwarf Macs by a factor of like 1000:1.

Then theres the fact that user made PC's (desktops) are far more powerful, capable, can be made to look much better than any Mac on the market, and with plenty of cash to spare.

Macs imho, are for the technically challenged and those who value *perceived* form over function (although I could just as easily argue that their form is bland and leaves much to be desired, especially the new line of Mac laptops which are atrocious both in looks and in value for the dollar).

[Rufus White @ Oct 15th 2008 7:24AM]

I can't believe that nobody else has picked up on the fact that you can buy these with Simoleons!

I wonder if there's any way to get my stash out of SimCity 2000... time to up my taxes :)

[scape @ Oct 15th 2008 2:20PM]

I've been using dell for many, many years. For me, no company has come close in reliability and customer service. I know there was a few years back that things didn't look good, but really for the money this company almost always provides the best deals around. And 6MB cache, hell yah!

[eddy @ Oct 15th 2008 9:43AM]

Ahhh, very nice. I've been holding off on getting a new Studio 15 until after the new year and it looks like it's paying off. Loving it.

[nano404 @ Oct 15th 2008 11:12AM]

Now, I've basically been avoiding Dell for a while, I wasn't even going to look at this but the laptop caught my eye, and I have to say that I'm impressed... I guess I'm going to have to add Dell back to the "OK" list :D

[Sam @ Oct 15th 2008 11:51AM]

Ooh, now should I put off my MacBook Pro purchase? With the recent announcement, the previous gen MBP can be had for around $1500 on Amazon. I currently have a Dell XPS m1210, been a great laptop so far, can't complain. But I was looking for some more ways to get business deductions by the end of the year, and want to get started doing more front-end web development/graphic design work. If the XPS Studio line is coming out soon, I might just stay in the PC camp...

[Level 5 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:05PM]

I think the Studio 15 is probably the most attractive notebook on the market aside from the previous generation MacBook Pro (which I thought could never really be improved, and yesterday's event at Apple only proved me to be correct). That said, it's SO RIDICULOUSLY thick! Why? Especially when the XPS notebooks go toe to toe with the thinnest PC notebooks around! I think in all honesty, Dell could stand to get rid of some of the frivilous dinosaur technology (why offer a VGA port when you can have a HDMI to VGA dongle or cable any day of the week?)

I was on the fence between an Apple and a Dell for about a year now. But then I considered how many compromises I'd need to make with an Apple notebook; No built in 3G, no right mouse button (fixed.. sort of), no HDMI, no forward delete key (command + backspace isn't an acceptable substitute, come on now), assbag customer service and the ridiculous price. Compromises on the Dell? Thickness, and having to figure out what to do with the extra $500 after all that equipment. Oh, an figuring out what color or design I'd like.

Mike Dell, you're an underrated genius, even if the laptops are a bit chubby. And hey, you've never referred to Blu-Ray as a "bag of hurt".

[BSalita @ Oct 15th 2008 4:03PM]

How did gadget blogs miss this? It's been on Dell's site for over a week.

[Bryan S. @ Oct 15th 2008 2:16PM]

Nice lookin' laptop if I say so myself.

[Jon Doe. @ Oct 15th 2008 6:38PM]

Hmmm 2.5 is a bit on the skimpy side. granted if they put one of the 3Ghz extremes in there the laptop would melt down to the center of the Earth and kill us all. Still looking into Dell's Precision Workstation with the quad in it. Just wish you could pick your cover for that and it had a bit beefier GPU. Grrr. Choices. Maybe I should get a new Mac. from what iJobs has taught us fewer choices is "a good thing". Right? Right? I thought not.

[Justin M @ Oct 17th 2008 5:20PM]

I dont care what a Dell computer looks like.. or whats inside.. having bought a Dell computer about 2 years ago it was definitely the biggest computing mistake I've made in my life. The customer service is so incredibly bad and I've had an incredible number of problems with the computer.

Spend a little more and get a good brand.. I'm not saying to spend a grand more.. but just a little more and you'll be much happier in the long run.

[ethana2 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:51AM]

Wait, their support is bad even if you buy it with windows?

[domce @ Oct 20th 2008 6:25AM]

Centrino is a platform-marketing initiative from Intel. It is not a mobile CPU - rather, the term covers a particular combination of mainboard chipset, mobile CPU and wireless network interface in the design of a laptop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrino

[ethana2 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:50AM]

The Studio 15n only has an X3100 :(
That's the deal breaker. Gotta have the X4500.

I may have to reconsider things if Dell cancels my mom's 1525n order because of billing address stuff.