Dell Studio

Dell Studio 1535

Dell's Studio brand was a range of laptops and desktops targeted at the mainstream consumer market.[1] The computers sit above Dell's Inspiron and below the XPS consumer lines in price and specifications. They differ from Dell's lower-end Inspiron models by offering slot-loading optical drives, media keys, more cover design options, faster processor options, HDMI and eSATA ports, LED-backlit screens and backlit keyboards.

At launch, the Studio was offered in three models: the Studio 15 and the Studio 17 named after their respective screen size in inches, and the Studio Hybrid, named for its usage of laptop components in the form of an ultra small form factor desktop. If purchased online, many customizable colors, designs and features are available, including a fingerprint scanner in some countries.[2]

On July 29, 2008, Dell introduced the desktop counterpart to the Dell Studio Laptops, the Dell Studio Hybrid PC. A compact desktop legacy-free PC using laptop components, it contains the same slot-loading optical drive as the laptops with the range of connectivity (e.g., number of USB ports) expected of a desktop PC.

On September 24, 2009, Dell released Studio laptops with the option for a mobile Core i7 processor, although Pentium Dual-Core and Core 2 Duo options were still available as lower-end options.[3]

On June 18, 2010, Dell's website stopped selling the Studio Hybrid.

As of May 2011, Dell has discontinued the Studio line of notebooks.[4] The Studio XPS and Studio desktop lines continued on.

Laptops

Studio 14

A 14" laptop.[5]

Studio 14z

A thin-and-light 14" laptop. Lacks an optical drive.[6]

Studio 15

Dell Studio 15 (1555) with 15.6 in 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen & backlit keyboard.

The Studio 15 is the mainstream model of the Studio laptop line. It has had many options and features that have changed over the years: processors ranging from low-end Pentium Dual Core processors up to quad-core i7 processors. Newly added is the ATI Mobility Radeon 5470 1 GB graphics card.

Studio 17

Dell Studio 17, featuring a full number pad and a backlit keyboard

A 17" laptop.[7]

Studio XPS 13

See also: Dell XPS

A 13.3" laptop that offers a Studio-XPS crossover. Runs on DDR3 memory and uses Intel Core 2 Duo processors.[8] When launched, the Studio XPS 13 was widely acclaimed as the ultimate notebook, offering an irresistible combination of technology, cutting-edge design, performance and luxury style in the increasingly popular market for lighter notebooks. All of its attributes, and its wide success, made it all the more astonishing, if not suspicious, when Dell abruptly discontinued the Studio XPS 13 model, less than a year after its launch, leaving many would-be owners holding their credit cards, and many current owners on guard watching their prized possessions . The wait wasn't long.[9] The latent technical problems, stemming from the notebook's relatively small shell packing a lot of sophisticated hardware, were numerous. Dell's designers simply attempted to pack too much power into the 13-inch model. In the arena of the lightweight notebooks, even one inch can make a difference, so sacrifices must be made.[10] Among the widely reported issues is the overheating in the area of the vent and the video card, whereby the heat spreads to the palm rests and the bottom of the screen.[11] The more serious issue is with the slot-loading optical drive; the device simply does not fit properly into the 13-inch shell. Yet as a result of the model's abrupt discontinuance, users who were in the market for a lightweight Studio XPS 13 model are left with few alternatives, if any. In fact, the only suitable replacement was the Studio XPS 16.

Studio XPS 16

A larger version of the Studio XPS 13 (16"). It offers an optional Blu-ray optical drive, and has an RGBLED 1080p full HD display (1920×1080), which was widely considered the best display on any laptop in the market.[12] It was available with an Intel Core i7 CPU with two options for video cards, both having 1 GB of video memory: an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 or a 5730.[13]

Desktops

Studio Hybrid

A miniature desktop similar to the HP Pavilion Slimline series of desktops and Apple's Mac Mini. It is Dell's most energy-efficient desktop. The desktop is named Studio Hybrid because it uses Intel processors made for laptops while offering desktop features.

Studio and Studio Slim

Using the same case style as Dell's Inspiron 530 and 530s desktops but with a black color, the Studio and Studio Slim desktops are targeted towards consumers looking for a multimedia entertainment desktop.

Studio XPS Desktop

Combining the Studio's design with the performance of the XPS, the Studio XPS desktop is a full-fledged multimedia center.

Studio One 1909 (Studio One 19)

Released on April 28, 2009 in the United States, the Studio One 19 is a 19-inch all-in-one desktop computer. It is a lower-end alternative to Dell's XPS One 20 and 24. The chassis design is highly reminiscent of Dell's SX2210 21.5 in LCD monitor. The chassis can be customized with five different colors. There is also a touch-screen option.

Specifications

Model Studio Hybrid[14] Studio and Studio Slim[15] Studio XPS Desktop[16] Studio One 19[17]
CPU Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4300, Intel Core 2 Duo T6500, T6600, T8100, T9300 or T9500 Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 CPU, can be customized up to an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (both models) Intel Core i7-920, 940 or 950 Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 or E5400, Intel Core 2 Duo E7400, E7500, E8300, E8400, E8500 or Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 or Q8400. With the latest BIOS, higher-end LGA775 processors can be used, such as the Q9550 and Q9650. Because this motherboard has an LGA775 socket, the i3, i5 and i7 processors do not fit because those use different processor sockets.
Memory 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz 2 GB dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM, upgradable up to 8 GB 4 GB or 8 GB of dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 MHz; or 3 GB, 6 GB, 12 GB or 24 GB of triple-channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 MHz 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz
Chipset Intel X58 Extreme Nvidia MCP 7A
GPU Integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics Integrated Intel GMA 4500HD graphics (both) (Studio desktop can be customized with up to an ATI Radeon HD 4670 or Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT; Studio Slim can be customized with an ATI Radeon HD 4350) ATI Radeon HD 4350, HD 4670 or HD 4850 Integrated Nvidia GeForce 9200 or 9400
Display 18.5" widescreen with 1366×768 resolution (optional touchscreen)
Hard drive 160 GB, 250 GB or 320 GB SATA at 5,400 RPM 500 GB, 640 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB SATA at 7200 RPM with 16 MB cache; 640 GB, 1 TB or 1.28 TB SATA at 7200 RPM in RAID 0; or 500 GB or 640 GB SATA at 7200 RPM in RAID 1 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB or 750 GB SATA at 7200 RPM
Optical drive 8× slot-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive 16 DVD+/-RW (both) (Studio desktop can be customized with up to one Blu-ray Disc burner and one DVD+/-RW drive; Studio Slim desktop can be customized up to a Blu-ray Disc burner) 16× tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW, 2× tray-load Blu-ray Disc combo drive or Blu-ray Disc burner (single and dual-drive configurations) 16× slot-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW or 2× slot-load Blu-ray Disc combo drive
Webcam 1.3 megapixel webcam
Wi-Fi Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n with external antenna Internal 802.11b/g or 802.11n wireless networking
Other External 56K fax modem Both desktops have integrated 7.1 channel audio, but the Studio desktop can be customized with a Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer audio card 8 USB ports, 1 eSATA port, 1 FireWire port, 1 Gbit Ethernet port, 1 audio line output, 1 back L/R surround sound connector, 1 subwoofer connector, 1 S/PDIF connector, 1 19-in-1 memory card reader, 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack 6 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 audio line output, 1 7-in-1 memory card reader, 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack

Issues

The Studio 15 (older 1535, 1536 and 1537 models) and 17 (1735, 1736 and 1737 models) suffer from problems with the touch sensitive controls where either the eject button or start button for Dell MediaDirect would stay lit for a few minutes after the unit was powered on, rendering the rest of the buttons useless.[18] However, a firmware update for this media panel posted on the Dell Community forums has been reported to fix this issue. Another solution for this issue is to power down the laptop and remove the battery, then holding the power button for 30 seconds to fully discharge all remaining electrical power in the system, draining any residual flea power.

Some users have reported video card problems with the Studio 1555 and Studio 1557, later found to be a faulty driver.[19][20] Other issues with these models include overheating due to the hard-to-maintain heatsink and fan design, which is located in such a way that a general computer user is unable to access the heatsink and fan for cleaning or other maintenance.

The 1557 and 1558 models were known to have problems with overheating, which was generally linked to 3D gaming or other applications involving 3D graphics. Downloading the latest ATI Catalyst drivers and BIOS updates would help reduce the risk of these problems. The 1557 and the 1558 were affected by hard-to-maintain components, which made it hard to clean out blocked heatsink vents or to clean and replace thermal paste due to the combined fan and heatsink design.

There are also several reports of 1557 models freezing up during booting, or having inaccessible hard drives. No clear cause or fix has been put forward by Dell, but it is also likely linked to overheating related to the built in video card, or software-hardware malfunction related to the built in ST Microelectronics accelerometer, which is supposed to protect the hard drive in case the laptop is dropped. One proven method to avoid this problem is to remove the ST Microelectronics drivers, thus disabling the hard drive protection function. Keeping the BIOS up to date is also said to reduce the risk.

There are also complaints on the 17" laptops with keyboard and sound malfunctions as well.

See also

References

  1. "Dell Studio Laptop Launched - Mobile Venue". Gadgetvenue.com. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  2. "Dell Newsroom". Dell.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  3. "Laptop Computers". Dell.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  4. "Dell Search". Dell.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  5. Dell Studio 14z
  6. "The DELL Studio XPS 13 horror thread". Forumnotebookreview.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  7. "About.com Search - Find it now!". Pcworld.about.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  8. "Xps16 Hard Drive Failure And Dell Design Defect : Excess Heat And Vulnerable Hd Destroy Hard Drive". Forumnotebookreview.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  9. Walton, Jarred. "Dell Studio XPS 16: the Eyes Have It". Anandtech.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. "Studio XPS 8000 Desktop". Forumnotebookreview.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  11. "Dell Studio 15 Hardware Problem - General Hardware - Laptop - Dell Community". Dell.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  12. "please help ..dell studio 1555 problem". Notebookforums.com. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
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