My brandnew DELL Vostro 3300 has arrived, some days earlier than expected.
First impressions:
- Notebook is quite small, although somewhat bigger than I thought. (But that may come from the fact that I did much webbrowsing on a Motorola Milestone yesterday :-))
- Build quality seems okay. For the price in fact good.
- Notebook is very lightweight. I have to measure the exact weight, but it feels much lighter than a DELL Studio 15.
- Power supply unit is very small and lightweight. Seems to be the same as the Studio 15's.
- Display is bright, colours are bright, seems to be an exact (smaller) copy of the Vostro 3700 with the same very limited viewing angle (not much of a problem to me when you do mostly office work and software engineering with dark letters on bright background, but could be a problem if you want to play games with mostly dark background).
- Keyboard is backlit, surprisingly good.
- Display and keyboard have relatively much flex.
- Battery is 4 cell, seems to last approximately 2:30 (with maximum brightness, WLAN on and light office work)
- It's very fast.
- It doesn't emit much heat, feels quite cool.
- It's relatively silent, so far.
For those who own the V13. Do you miss having HDMI? How's the build quality on the V13? And with the Vostro 3300 out now, the Vostro 3300 would be a better buy, no?
SO Ive decided on a compromise till then to tie me over. Luckily it will be purchased as a company expense
So I have to make a decision between these two laptop today as sony offer on free blu-ray ends today
I am aware that getting parts to fix sony's are a lot more harder than dell. I am also aware that the lead time for delivery on sony sytems is also a lot longer
So Here are the specs. The Vaio has options for downgrades that could bring the price down even further
Sony Vaio VPCEA1X5E windows 7Home Intel i5 430M(2.26GHz) (subtract £50 if going with Intel i3 330M(2.13GHz)) 14" 320Gb HDD 4GB 1066 RAM Blu-ray drive (read Blu-ray, write DVD) BlueTooth + Wireless ATI 4570 (512MB) card hdmi port 16900x900 0.3mp Webcam LED display (subtract £20 if going with 1366x768) £659 .....
I have a Dell Vostro 3300. Windows 7 OS. Hard drive went out. Replaced hard drive. Reinstalled Windows 7. Used backup system disk that I made with Recovery Manager back in December 2012. It looked like it was working properly, but after using all backup disks, got message image could not be applied. Started over, reinstalled Windows 7. Put in #1 backup system disk. When drop down box is displayed asking which backup to use, I choose 12-29-2012 like I did before. Nothing happens. It just sits there. Next button can not be used (it is greyed out).
Picked up one at Futureshop in Toronto. Originally I wanted to go directly through Dell so I can upgrade to the 7200rpm sata harddrive, and possibly WLED display. In the end I couldn't want to wait x weeks for it to arrive (for work reasons).
Overall impression, very happy!
-I chose this mainly for the keyboard. Very simple english-only keyboard, with hardly any multi-functions on one key. No crazy labels and colors, just plain jane. Loved how all needed working keys are included like pgup/pgdn/home/end/del/backspace/etc... I find it infuriating on other laptops when any of these keys are missing, combined, too small, etc. Love the seperate numpad.
-Yes, the keyboard is 'flexy' but I don't think it warrants the amount heat ppl are giving it. I kind of like it flexy actually. Maybe they are on to something in terms of tactility or useability.
-Biggest disappointment: no backlit keyboard included !!!!! Was a shocker to me which I only discovered 5 hours later at night. If you order directly from Dell in Canada, do you get a backlit keyboard? Is there anyway this can be added or upgraded?
-Yes, it does have an eSata port! Some people have said only the 15" Studio version does does.
-Love the power and find-network buttons on either side of the display hinges. They got a rubbery touch and the placement makes sense.
-I am pretty sure I got a regular CCFL LCD with this, as Futureshop doesn't have the option to upgrade to WLED or RGB LED backlighting. I'll say I'm very happy with it, and my at home I am going to connect to a CRT anyways, which I can do colour correcting work on when I need to. I think I spent too much time worrying about upgrading the display when the regular CCFL LCD is fine.
I have had a small amount of time with this machine, Dell latitude E6500 2.4ghz Dual Core, 160GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM Free Fall, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M DDR3 ram - I have 2gb ram, and will order another 2gb chip tomorrow, but so far I am thoroughly impressed I ordered a 2.26, but it seems that I got a 2.4 instead... I don't think I'll be calling in a complaint..
Extremely well built solid construction, keyboard is amazing, the best I have ever used on a laptop (some people say it has flex but I haven't noticed any), feedback is absolutely perfect, with a very soft noiseless click to report a keystroke. I have never been able to type this fast... Impressive... Back lit keyboard - sexy, secure fingerprint access works perfect, 1 swipe read every time I use it... far less screen flex then I have had on any other laptop I have used. Speakers are something to be desired, but I don't listen to music with them, I have 40K in home theater gear, so nothing lost to me..
Hinges on screen are completely solid, not worn in enough yet, takes 2 hands to open it, but I'm sure that will smooth out over time. LED screen is very impressive, resolution 1440x900 is really crisp and clear... colors are brilliant. I haven't run any tests, but 2.4 dual core is plenty fast... I'll know better when I try to extract something... Haven't done that for a long time.. Back of screen is brushed black aluminum, from what I understand, they are coming out with a Blue, which I saw online and it looks beautiful, I preferred that look, but the Black is flawless.... Its really a sleek looking laptop. First time I have used Vista, running 64 bit and so far I have 0 issues with it. Works as fast as my XP if not faster, only running 2gb ram but have 2 more on order.
Gripes, the transition from wrist rest to front of computer could be more tapered or smoother like the HP's, can be a bit rough, but certainly not a deal breaker. The mouse pad is a touch small, I am used to a larger one, but I'll get used to it, also I need to get used to the control of it, somewhat touchy, I find I'm highlighting stuff all the time, but again I'm sure that is something that I just have to get used to. I am happy there is no gloss anywhere on the computer, minimizes fingerprints.......
I just reinstalled a HP pro 3300 SFF with a clean win 7. Download drivers from the hp site but when I try to install I get a message that no Intel components was found. Downloaded the Chipset driver along with the drivers for network but still no luck.....
I have just received an Acer 8935g and as there seems very little info on it I thought I would post up my initial impressions and add some photo's later.
Reasons for buying - I wanted a desktop replacement with decent sound quality and decent gaming quality so I can finally ditch my desktop. I have bought plenty of laptops in the past which have all been great for the odd LAN parties but would never replace my desktop. I am happy to say so far so good.
So first things first, Acers website is shocking and is very short of info. I spent days trying to dig up info on this model with very little success. The main thing that had been holding me back is the gfx card, in 1 sentence it says 4670 and in the next it says 4650. My main concern was that the 4650 would contain ddr2 ram.
I am pleased to confirm my model has the 4670. I went for the lower end model with P7350 as I already have a decent CPU to switch into it.
Build Quality - I have heard rumours of poor build quality and poor QA from Acer but I am happy to say my laptop is perfect, the construction seems solid and no defects to be found. It is very heavy at 4.1kgs but this is a desktop replacement for me, I wont be lugging it around on a daily basis ( I have a Dell studio 1555 for that)
Screen - The screen quality is average at best. It is far lower quality than my dell 1555 1080p screen. Although it is LED it does not have great brightness so I wont be using this outdoors. Also it is very glossy so lots of reflections. The contrast is also only average and colours look a little washed out. That being said Blurays looked good and 3dmark06 looked good, I am yet to install any games.
Keyboard - The keyboard is very good and easy to type on, it also has all the keys of a full size keyboard (so no Fn plus key for home etc). The keyboard is also backlit, I always thought backlit keyboards were a gimmick but now I have used one I would never go back, especially if like me you use your laptop in low light...........
So I purchased a 2nd Generation HP Envy 15 laptop about a week and a half ago, and it finally arrived today. I had been humming and hawing over a few different brands and decided to go with the Envy as I liked its overall score on my charts the best.
It came this morning, and I obviously was very excited. I had ordered it through an ebay power seller (also a NBR forum member that is well known) so didn't have any doubts it would have problems pertaining to the order. Well, it didn't really. Pertaining to the order.
Upon opening up the laptop box, I inspected it, and all was fine. Looked good, new, etc. This was the 2nd Gen Envy 15 so I couldn't buy it in Canada yet, thus the online order.
Well. I start up the laptop, and when it asks me to create a Username for the PC... THE KEYBOARD DOES NOT WORK. AT ALL.
No lights will turn on. No keys work. Nothing. No response from anything, even loading the laptop up I cannot enter the BIOS because the keys do not work.
I plugged in a USB keyboard and finally got Windows loaded, etc, and tried to re-install the keyboard drivers, but they say everything is working fine still, and the keyboard still does not work.
I just got an HP DV3T to replace a Dell Studio 1555 laptop. I liked the Studio 1555 but I wanted a smaller size laptop and the HD 1080p screen, while beautiful, made text a real chore to read.
I received the DV3T a couple days ago and wanted to share my initial impressions for anyone else considering this laptop as there don't seem to be many on this forum who have it. I use my laptops for word processing, light photo editing, watching Hulu etc and general websurfing.
Things I like about the HP DV3T:
Size: It's perfect. Not too small yet small enough to be portable and lighter than a 15 inch laptop. Build quality: It's very sturdy and does not feel fragile at all. I would describe the build quality as excellent. It does have a shiny finish however which is a real fingerprint magnet. I like the design (I have the black model) although the silver circles on it make it look like it was designed by Target.....
Just purchased the Acer Timeline 4810T from Staples. This is is the 14.1 inches variant, thought I might post some initial impression for all who are interested.
Spec Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 1.4 ghz, 800 Mhz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache 4GB DDR 3 ram 320GB 5400rpm Western Digital DVD+RW super multi Wireless A/B/G (Atheros) 14.1 in 1368 x 768 LED (720P) Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bits
HARDWARE Contained the Acer Timeline, small form factor adapter/charger, 6 Cell 5800mah, 63WHR battery. manual and the usual documentation. No operating system dvd nor driver disc were included, however, the laptop did give me an option to create recovery discs.
The initial inspection of chasis was favorable, as you can see in the picture, it is thinner than a white macbook, roughly same thickness closed as the aluminum macbook. Chasis was rigid with no flex, the only part of the laptop that exhibit any kind of flex is the keyboard. Should you type hard, you can see the center of the keyboard being compressed downward. The chicklet style keyboard however, remained very usable and responsive.
Sound is loud and clear unlike tinny netbook speaker.
Mine comes with 3 USB port, 1 VGB, 1 HDMI, 1 ethernet port and 1 DVD+RW super multi. It also has a 5 in 1 memory card reader towards the front. 1 headphone output and 1 microphone input..........................
I am a big Asus g-series fan since getting a g51vx-a1 gaming laptop needless to say i sold it and have a g73 on preorder and an m11x due both next month. In the meantime they keep pushing EDD on both so I need to game right? and since I sold my beloved G51 (early Feb) and was currently using either a vaio fz470 OR an asus f3sv to game. I wasn't happy with the results i was getting raidwise in WoW ,basically all settings set to low
I looked around for a cheap laptop with these specifications:
better than average cpu, gpu with dx11 support, HDMI and cheap
I looked at other offerings from Asus but many i was looking at N61/N71 were also on pre-order sad times indeed.
surfing the local comp store web I decided to search for something with the ati 5650 which i read got great reviews for gaming. up pops the 5740 and its big brother 7740 since i wanted cheap i opted for the 5470:
im not sure if i want a graphic card in it, as it would just eat battery life and i would get nothing much out of it, since i have no plans in gaming with it.
i will be, however massively watching movies, and streaming movies (99.9% of the web, not dvd player) would that need a dedicated graphic card?
i would also like to know which are the best in terms of :
price, screen quality, build quality, weight, which ones have the same keyboard,current known issues, and are they any rumors or known news of any updates of any of these models in the next 6 months worth waiting for?
ive also bought a m1330 a few months back, but since i had some issues with school, i had to return it and delay my purchase to this year.
the laptop was getting extremely hot, like not even possible to put on my lap kind-of hot. is that issue fixed?
Actual translation should mean "ships on the 14th" assuming that means December.
Update1:
- Ah, available in the UK and Australia also. - Don't see the C2D option on the UK page, looks like it's still being updated. (LINK) - Top spec option on AUS page @ a pricey $13xxAUD. Laptops are abit more expensive over there. :-/ (LINK)
I'm looking to upgrade my cheap consumer-grade laptop with something more robust. My uses are mostly software development as well as photography (Photoshop, etc.). I'm not interested in using this new machine for gaming (that would be a very secondary use).
I'm looking for a 17" laptop, so am considering both the Vostro 3700 and Precision M6500. I understand the system differences between these two machines, as well as the cost differences. Ideally, I'd like whatever I buy to last 3+ years without falling too far behind in technology, but on the other hand the Precision is very expensive (budgets suck).
Thus, would the new Vostro 3700, maxed out on configuration, be a worthwhile investment or, since I'm going to spend the money, should I go the extra mile and get the Precision? What would I miss (other than the graphics card mostly) if I go Vostro?
I've been agonizing over this for a good month or so and realize making a decision like this in a vacuum isn't going to happen, so let me know your thoughts.
I always keep my laptop plugged in so I don't use the battery. It's primary function is, in case there's a power interruption. This morning my Vostro 1500 (going on two years) started flashing the battery LED on the control panel on the palm rest.
It says 100% full...Charging !
It's been like that for 1.5 hours so I took it out. While in the machine I ran HWMon and it should a fully charged battery and the power output was equal across the board..
I have got Vostro 1400 with GeForce 8400M GS and graphic card failed... I tried to reflow the chip and it worked for 5 day and then it go wrong again...
My last chance is change motherboard... I look at ebay and I found motherboard with integrated Intel graphic... Is it possible to change motherboard with integrated VGA instead of one with GeForce VGA?
I think it should work, but I'm not sure and I don't want to be surprised after spending 200 USD on new motherboard.
Dell's has been very quiet on their successful line of business laptops. Is there any news or rumors on yet to be released Vostro's? I would like to see something new other than the A860, 1510/2510, and 1710.
