Dell Studio 15 with core i5 540M or i7 720QM ???

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sidd88

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Hi guys,
i m planning to buy a dell studio 15 laptop (in india). the specs chosen by me are as follows:
4GB (2GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

i have 2 choices for processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM (1.6GHz, 4 Cores/8 Threads, turbo up to 2.8 GHz, 6MB Cache)
OR
Intel® Core™ i5-540M Processor (2.53GHz, 4 Thread, turbo boost up to 3.06GHz, 3M cache)

core i7 has 1.6ghz processor speed and core i5 has 2.53 ghz speed. also 6mb and 3mb cache difference is there.
How is it going to affect the performance.

I intend to use it as desktop replacement, and i would be running ANSYS and CATIA on it. also a bit of multimedia and entertainment stuff.

the difference in cost will be Rs.7000 (or about US $140).

i am also concerned with battery life (should i go with 9cell battery)and heating issues.

Which one should i buy? pls help i m a novice.
 
Solution
Not much,in single threaded apps i5 performs faster but as i said in multi-tasking and apps like 3D rendering,PhotoShop etc and also some games,the i7 would be better

sidd88

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but wont the cpu speed be of any concern??
 

lotri

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How often do you think you'll go unplugged? If not long at all, then the standard 6-cell should be fine. On my laptop, I went with the 9-cell just for the option of going wireless for extended periods of time.
 

sidd88

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its not that i m always unplugged,it depends actually. ya, i feel 6 cell battery should suffice.
 

lotri

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I've actually been taking my battery out and running solely on AC power every once in a while. I do discharge and recharge my battery all the way every week or two, but this way, I can avoid overcharging or trickle-charging the battery - which I feel is bad for the battery's lifetime.

How much more expensive is the 9-cell over the 6-cell?
 

sidd88

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$25 more expensive. ya i read in one of the posts regarding this discharging & recharging of battery to maintain its life.
 

dr_skn08

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nHI SIDD..
n i was looking at ur msg on processor n battery.. even i gonna buy the same config with 9 battery. which processor n batter did u buy finally n which laptop? if u hv i7-720QM with 9 batt. then which AC adaptor do u use... 90wt or 130 wt as i hv heard there is throttling problem with i7..? plz reply. expexting some suggestion from u.
 

dr_skn08

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hi lotri...
i was looking at ur msges also. can u plz suggest tat 90WT AC adapter provided by dell even with i7-720QM processor and 9 battery is sufficient o it may cause some throttling of laptop while playing high end games as i read in some forums..?
waiting for ur reply.
thanking u
 

sierraguy

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I've been struggling with Dell and their Studio 15 line for nearly 2 months. The initial purchase had an I7-720QM in it.

Background: 15 years in corporate IT. Returning student looking for a new career after the Dot.com bomb hit. I work with consumers laptops and desktops to help put my way through college so I influence MANY purchases...

Without going into too much detail, Dell had to replace the laptop 4 times. All were heat related. The Dell Studio (and Inspiron) line of laptops are not built to handle the heat of the I7 cpu. I can give actual temperature readings (both of the core and external case) if you'd like facts. In summary, the bottom of the laptop would burn the skin and the mouse pad has burned me!!! Based on my readings online, the CPU temps are high enough to melt the processor... IF it doesn't shut it down first. But we all know what too much stress does to a product, quicker depreciation and early failure.

Dell won't directly admit to the heat problem but was motivated to replace the machines with the heat problem. The heat problem with the Studio 15 line is all over the internet (CNet, Dell Communities, etc) and can be found with a basic google search.

In the end, I'm down to trying to get Dell to sell a warranty on a BRAND NEW replacement laptop. their story: "I didn't configure the laptop so I have to pay a higher price for the warranty." I know I didn't configure the laptop, Dell's Hardware Warranty Support team did. They chose the replacement, I didn't!!!! A warranty that cost $278 when Dell, themselves, placed the order for the latest replacement now is supposedly going for $600. Dell is willing to do me a favor and drop the price to $450. Some favor!!! How about giving me back the 80+ hours I spent dealing with Dell Reps on the phone...

I get a laptop with a heat problem and they, due to their replacement process, find it possible to jack up the price on the only assurance that their laptop will not fail and if it does that Dell will be there to fix it.

Dell is in the business to sell computers not provide customer service. As I quote one Dell Customer Service Rep "Dell is a mail order company, you have to expect these problems and accept them." i have spent over 80 hours on the phone with Dell. Have had 3 bad Studio 1558 (I7-720QM) machines. I just received my 4th replacement. Hardware wise, at the $1199 we spent on the original laptop, this amounts to about $3600. But Dell felt it necessary to upgrade the replacement to a Studio XPS worth $600 more. I did not want nor do I need the extra horsepower or functionality. So hardware wise, their in for over $4000.

If the representatives I spoke with at Dell make an average of $15/hr, then we're looking at another $1200 in wages. but I've gotten through to the managers and they have been handling my issue so I'm figuring the hourly wage at about $25/hr (minimum). So the cost in wages for this issue bumps up to $2000. Dell bickered with me for 5 hours over a $170 difference in price for the extended warranty. They quoted on price and tried to sell a different price. 3 hours with a rep at $15/hr and 2 with a manager at $25/hr. That's $90 in wages. They'll invest more wages on Monday when their Hardware Warranty Support crew calls and a high level manager from Warranty sales calls. All in all, it would have been cheaper for them to sell the warranty at the quoted price and let me go on my way. But they find it necessary to invest more money to prove their right and turn down a customer.

Oh yeah, I'm a grad student and the laptop was a graduation gift.... I don't have the $440 to throw around not to mention $600.

I have no bone to pick with Dell as I have more than 5 Dell computers in my immediate family. But their response to the problem they sold me shows that they have no regard for even their most loyal customers. They would rather push back and lose money in replaced machines, overnight shipping and person hours on the phone than come through on their promises and marketed product. Three of these machines are about to be retired and replaced. Dell WAS on the shortlist for replacements. They're quickly removing themselves from that list based on how they have treated me over the past 7 weeks.

I haven't been a big fan of Bestbuy but they will most likely get my business as their customer service has earned it.

Dell's customer service has lost them a customer. If Dell is monitoring this forum and would like to right a major wrong, feel free to respond here or contact the former owner of the laptop with Service Tag: 25DS9M1.

If Dell doesn't come through on their word and respect the quoted price on the warranty on Monday, my next point of contact is the BBB and my local Attorney General. I have my own hosting service and my story will go on there for all to read.

My advice: Look at Toshiba, Samsung and ASUS. Their I7 implementations in a 15" laptop appear to be of higher quality than Dell. And to top it off, Bestbuy won't sell the Studio line due to the heat issue and low quality of product.

As of now, I can't recommend Dell's products to anyone.
 
G

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I do this too, but I also use the "Disable Battery Charging" option in the Dell Battery Manager (Fn + F2 key on a Studio 1558).
 

techmaniack

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@sierraguy i was just about to buy this studio 15 with i7-740, but now i think i shouldn't...
as i think you deal in hardware could u please suggest some laptop under($1200)
for the folowing use:

what i care about

-Video editing/converting
-Web Designing (Adobe Dreamweaver, Flash, Flex, )
-XAMPP
-Multiple OS's
-VMWare(a couple of virtual machines)
-a lot of coding as i am an engg student. (i.e keyboard and mousepad should be friendly)

What i don't care about

-Weight
-Looks
 
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On the understanding of Turbo Boost Frequency (TBF)
i7-720 (Core Freq - 1.6GHz) Turbo Setup is 1/1/6/9 (4/3/2/1 Cores)..

Assuming the clock step frequency is 133MHz..

When you are running an app which uses:

1. Single core - the i7-720 can boost the 1.6GHz by as much as 9 steps
TBF = 1600(core freq) + (9 * 133) = 2797 MHz (approx 2.8GHz)

2. Dual core application - as high as 6 steps
TBF = 1600 (core freq) + (6 * 133) = 2398MHz (approx 2.4GHz)

3. Tri core application - as high as 1 step
TBF = 1600 (core freq) + (1 * 133) = 1733MHz (1.73GHz)

4. Quad core application - as high as 1 step
TBF = 1600 (core freq) + (1 * 133) = 1733MHz (1.73GHz)


So, for a i7-840 (Core - 1.867GHz) Turbo Setup of 2/2/8/10..
The TBF values are :
1. Single core - approx 3.2GHz
2. Dual core - 2.93GHz
3. Tri core - 2.13GHz
4. Quad core - 2.13GHz

Hope this helps..
 
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