Dell's Studio brand is 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 finger print 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 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 options for a mobile Core i7 processor, although Pentium Dual-Core and Core 2 Duo options were still available as lower-end options.[3]
At midnight on June 18, 2010 Dell's website stopped selling the Studio Hybrid.
As of May 2011, Dell has discontinued the Studio line of notebooks (XPS and desktops continue on). [4]
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A 14" laptop.[5]
A 14" laptop.[6]
The studio 15 is the mainstream 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 Core i7 processors. Newly added is the ATI Mobility Radeon 5470 1 GB graphics card. Here is a List of the Different models.
| Model | Chipset | Processor type | Memory | Video | Audio codec | Network card | Display | Physical | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Memory module socket | Maximum memory | Memory clock speed | Video type | Core Frequency | Video controller | Video memory | Type | Maximum resolutions | Size | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | |||||
A 17" laptop.[7]
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 a 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 punch into the 13 inch model. In the arena of the lightweight notebooks even one inch can make a difference and 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 light-weight Studio XPS 13 model are left with few alternatives, if any. In fact, the only suitable replacement currently on the market is the 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 (1920×1080p) which was widely considered the best display on any laptop in the market[12] and comes with a 1 GB Mobility Radeon HD 4670, and is now available with an Intel Core i7 processor or an optional 1 GB Mobility Radeon HD 5730.[13]
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.
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.
Combining the Studio's design with the XPS' performance, the Studio XPS desktop is a full-fledged multimedia center.
Released in the USA on April 28, 2009, 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 highly resembles that 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.
| 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 or E8300, or Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 NOW - i3,i5 and i7 |
| Memory | 2 GB, 3 GB, or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @800 MHz | 2 GB dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM, upgradeable up to 8 GB | 4 GB or 8 GB of dual channel DDR3 SDRAM @1066 MHz or 3 GB, 6 GB, 12 GB, or 24 GB of tri channel DDR3 SDRAM @1066 MHz | 2, 3, or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @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 1,366×768 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 @ 7200 RPM w/16 MB cache, 640 GB, 1 TB, or 1.28 TB SATA @7200 RPM w/RAID 0 or 500 GB, or 640 GB SATA @7,200 RPM w/RAID 1 | 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB, or 750 GB SATA @7,200 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 MPixel webcam | |||
| Wi-Fi | Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card | Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n with external antenna | internal 802.11b/g wireless networking or internal 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 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 |
The Studio 15 (older 1535-1537 models) and 17 (1735-1737 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 thirty seconds to fully discharge all remaining electrical power in the system, draining any residual flea power.
Some users have reported graphical problems with the studio 1555 and studio 1557, later found to be a driver mishap.[19][20]
Some users have had problems with the optical drive. This consists of some of the laptops not being able to detect a blank disc or write properly. Nothing currently posted is fixing this issue.[21][22][23]
The 1557 model is known to have problems with overheating, which is generally linked to 3D video graphics related gaming or other 3D applications. Downloading the latest ATI catalyst drivers and BIOS updates does help reduce the risk of these problems. 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 HDD incase the laptop is dropped. One proven method to avoid this problem is to remove the ST Microelectronics drivers, and thus disable the HDD protection function, whilst keeping the BIOS (currently version 9 as of Sept.2011) up to date is said to also reduce the risk. Frozen hard disks however can usually not be fixed by updating the BIOS or removing the ST Microelectronics driver, in these cases usually the HDD has to be replaced. DELL has been criticized by some consumers not to take the overheating and freezing issue seriously, whilst others complain that the repair takes too long (2 weeks) and that the usually adopted fixing method is to remove the old HDD and put in a new one (probably with a factory install image of the operating system) and returning the "fixed" laptop and the original but damaged HDD to the owner.
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