Dell Studio 15 Laptop

by Lauren
(Ithaca, NY, USA)

I recently purchased a Dell Studio 15 in Spring Green. I decided on this laptop because of the good “name” you get with Dell, and I was able to customize it with all of the features I was looking for.

It has a glossy 15.6” screen that makes movies and pictures look very nice. The only downside with the screen (which is true for most laptops) is that if you’re not looking at it straight-on the colors in the image become distorted. This is not typically a problem.

I opted for the Intel CORE i3 processor which has not disappointed yet. These processors can really handle a lot! If I were using more intense software, I probably would have gone with the i5 or i7, but for me, the i3 is perfect for downloading large files, streaming video, etc.

The 500GB hard drive has plenty of space for my growing music and video collection that was maxing out my previous hard drive. Along with a 4GB of memory at 1066MHz, this laptop is very fast and efficient. The keyboard is full-sized but lacks any sort of number pad which can be annoying at times but I would prefer that to a skewed or smaller keyboard. The touchpad works well, especially if you turn off gestures. They were a bit too touchy for my taste.

The speakers are clear with good volume for a laptop. It is quiet, has a really sleek design including an angled base for wrist health, a slot style DVD+/-RW drive, HDMI and VGA ports, and an SD/MMC card reader.

I would have liked an extra USB port or two, but it’s not bad with two standard and one eSATA port. The built-in TrueLife webcam has a very clear picture and is almost invisible on the laptop. I also upgraded to get the back-lit keyboard which adds a nice, modern look to the laptop even though I have yet to use it in full-dark. It would probably be nice for people who travel at night on buses or planes and need to work in low light.

The laptop is a bit on the heavy and large side. It’s not the most practical for lots of travel or carrying. I usually decide not to bring it to classes.

The fans mostly vent out the back, but there are a couple on the bottom which I find can get hot if I’m using it on my lap. I purchased a laptop cooling mat with fans to extend the life of the laptop and keep my lap or other soft surfaces cool.

All in all, this is a great laptop for home use and some travel. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who would be using it for those purposes. Dell is also a really solid company with good customer service, making the experience all the more enjoyable.