| Dell has made great technique main chassis for its | | | | resolution, with crisp definition. Given the high |
| Studio series laptops. When we reviewed the Dell | | | | construct quality and excellent trackpad we were |
| Studio XPS 13 model, it raced along with a really | | | | nearly inclined to overlook the usual eye-strain |
| fast 2.53GHz processor, leather trim and SSD for | | | | posed by this glaring reflective screen. |
| storage. If your spending budget doesn't extend | | | | Our final model from the very came with an Intel |
| to the £888 this 13in-screen design has now | | | | Core i5-520M CPU running at 2.4GHz. Intel's built-in |
| been generously reduced to (from £1199 when | | | | Turboboost feature soups this as much as |
| we reviewed it), Dell has a lot more affordable | | | | 2.93GHz when conditions permit. |
| versions available, including this 15in-screen Studio | | | | But it's simple enough to configure as your taste |
| 15 - now sporting a brand-new Intel Core i5 | | | | and spending budget allows, up to some Core |
| dual-core processor. | | | | i7-820QM apparently. Other options include |
| Note that specs and prices of Dell computers | | | | Bluetooth for another £30, or a full-HD |
| could be something of a moving target. In fact | | | | widescreen panel, and wireless-n networking. |
| our review of this Studio 15 laptop computer had | | | | And if you feel like sprucing up a lot more than |
| to undergo major rewriting to accomodate a | | | | the internal components, Dell also offers dozens |
| change from a 2.1GHz Intel dual-core sample, at | | | | of colourful patterns to customise the lid back. |
| just £479, to this design with fresher 2.4GHz | | | | The Core i5-equipped Studio 15 proved a very |
| Core i5. | | | | quick machine, logging a sterling score of 103 |
| At time of press this version is £579, but be | | | | points in our WorldBench 6 speed check. For |
| prepared to see more spec and cost revisions on | | | | context, that's quicker than this month's Best Buy |
| Dell's ever-evolving web market. | | | | in the £500 Top 5 Charts. We did notice the |
| In addition to HDMI and VGA video outputs, there | | | | Core i5 version seemed to run just a little hotter, |
| are three USB ports - two on the left, one on the | | | | with the fan kicking in a lot more frequently. |
| right - with one from the left-hand USBs doubling | | | | Battery life of this Dell Studio 15 suffered a little |
| as an eSATA connector. There's even a mini | | | | from the new chip. Our first dual-core sample |
| FireWire 400 port. And complementing the SD | | | | stretched to 260 mins within the MobileMark 2007 |
| card reader about the right is an ExpressCard 34 | | | | Productivity test. With a Core i5 onboard, this |
| slot for further expansion possibilities. | | | | figure dropped to 225 mins - or 3hrs 45mins. A |
| We were also impressed by the Dell Studio 15's | | | | 9-cell battery is an option which ought to break |
| keyboard and trackpad. While the keyboard is | | | | the five-hour barrier. |
| often a touch clankier in action than our memory | | | | Thanks to a true discrete ATI graphics card, the |
| of the Studio XPS recalls, it was still comfortable | | | | Dell Studio 15 was very up to playing modern 3D |
| in use. The touchpad meanwhile was incredible | | | | games. The Mobility Radeon HD 4570 includes |
| silky and responsive, a little small but one of the | | | | 512MB of dedicated video RAM, helping it along to |
| greatest at any price, when so numerous | | | | some smooth 36 frames per second in our |
| manufacturers cut corners by fitting cheaper | | | | top-spec FEAR game check. |
| low-grade devices here. | | | | Dell's design of Studio chassis is a sound |
| Dell pre-installs its Dell Dock (courtesy of | | | | foundation for building a solid laptop computer. Dell |
| developer Stardock) presents itself the Windows | | | | has managed to equip the very latest Studio 15 |
| 7 desktop. We wonder if this cheeky clone ıs | | | | with sufficient performance and ports to restore |
| really a tacit hint to Microsoft from Dell that | | | | an outstanding notebook in the key areas of |
| Windows 7 didn't go very far sufficient in copying | | | | comfort, longevity and outright speed. It's a little |
| Mac OS X's interface. | | | | heavier than the competition but it feels like it's |
| Display high quality was much better than | | | | built to last. |
| average, a glossy widescreen panel of 1366x768 | | | | |