Laptops; Any info from Dell users?

[Sexy_Dave]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the Dell Laptops, specifically any of the XPS 15-17 models, regardless of configuration (ie processor, HD, Graphics Card installed)?

How is battery life, heat generation and reliability?
Performance?
Won't be paying for extended Warranty though info there would help too.
i5 vs low end i7?
Comparable brands?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[FDTCDT]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the Dell Laptops, specifically any of the XPS 15-17 models, regardless of configuration (ie processor, HD, Graphics Card installed)?

How is battery life, heat generation and reliability?
Performance?
Won't be paying for extended Warranty though info there would help too.
i5 vs low end i7?
Comparable brands?

Any help would be appreciated.

They are good laptops with decent life expectancy as long as you don't over work them like a desktop. Battery life on a standard six cell is roughly 2 hours however with all specs set to max settings the battery life on a six cell is roughly 1 hour. I do not believe you will need an extended warranty as Dell's are built pretty well but it all depends how you handle your laptop and how you take care of it as well. Performance wise I would go with an i7 depending on what you are using your laptop for. Examples: Work Docs? Video Games? Movie Watching? Downloading Large Files? Video Editing? Photo Editing? it all depends

Another Brand of laptops that I would recommend would be the middle to high end class of ASUS (NOT ACER) performance laptops or The Alienware performance series of laptops.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other computer related questions. =)

 

[Sexy_Dave]

Thinking about this one. $1000 is about right price, maybe a bit higher. Unfortunately the Alienware are a bit too high. Might upgrade to 8GB of RAM.

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/xps-l702x/pd?oc=nxps172_f_2e&model_id=xps-l702x

 

[FDTCDT]

Thinking about this one. $1000 is about right price, maybe a bit higher. Unfortunately the Alienware are a bit too high. Might upgrade to 8GB of RAM.

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/xps-l702x/pd?oc=nxps172_f_2e&model_id=xps-l702x

That system is a beast for the price. However because I am a tech guy I pick at small stuff like it should have 8 gigs of ram, a 1TB HD @ 7200rpm, full 1080P should be standard by now, I like the graphics card its pretty decent for the price, I would prefer at least a 16x DVDRW for faster burning, The CPU is good for the price point, and I would prefer Win 7 Ultimate Edition. But thats just me so if those specs work for you then by all means go for it because its pretty worth it.

 

[Sexy_Dave]

That system is a beast for the price. However because I am a tech guy I pick at small stuff like it should have 8 gigs of ram, a 1TB HD @ 7200rpm, full 1080P should be standard by now, I like the graphics card its pretty decent for the price, I would prefer at least a 16x DVDRW for faster burning, The CPU is good for the price point, and I would prefer Win 7 Ultimate Edition. But thats just me so if those specs work for you then by all means go for it because its pretty worth it.

Thanks, will probably go for it with the RAM upgrade to 8 GB for an extra $80. Not sure if DVD has option for 16X.
Thanks again.

 

[PolrBear]

I have a Studio 17", bought it for use with spreadsheets and CAD. Works great, and I too did not pay for extended warranty. No problems that my local tech guy would not be able to handle. The battery is still doing great (128 months old). This is my second one. First one was 6 years ago.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Have you checked out ASUS and Toshiba which have better reliability than Dell? ASUS and Toshiba are the only two I would look at in that order but that's just me.

The only PC I got an extended warranty with was my first because PCs were new to me. Haven't bothered getting any ext warr since.

 

[Sexy_Dave]

Agree with the ASUS and Toshiba recommendation Woody, their reputations precede them. Though their prices seem to be a little higher than the Dell, especially considering that I will be receiving an institutional discount on the Dell, which makes it a little more attractive price wise.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Agree then.
Gotta go with the institutional discount on the Dell...:wink:

I also use a MasterCard that doubles the OEM Warr to two years.

 

[alwayslooking]

I've been using a Dell XPS 17 since last September. Almost 100% of my home use has been this laptop. It's always plugged into the charger so battery life is not an issue. Couldn't be happier.

 

[WoodPeckr]

It's always plugged into the charger so battery life is not an issue. Couldn't be happier.

Do the same with my Toshiba laptop.
Battery is out and stored as Battery Universe recommends and after over 3 yrs battery will still run the laptop ~2½ hours in the field....:wink:

 

[Twister]

They are good laptops with decent life expectancy as long as you don't over work them like a desktop. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other computer related questions. =)

No kidding people and offices run these machines like crazy 24 hours......