Written by: Ashtyn at 4:57 pm
I had been talking about getting a laptop for quite some time. Having a laptop when you’re a fulltime blogger certainly has its perks. You aren’t confined to one area like you would be with a desktop, and if the system is right you could end up with something as good in a laptop. Currently, the majority of my blogging is done on my main system, which is a Dell XPS. So, when Dell began sporting the new Studio line of laptops, which are comparable in many of the specs to the XPS, with a cheaper price tag, I took notice.
I had a gift card left over that Dell gave me as a promotion when I purchased my XPS (you can read more about that at my personal blog), so when the Studios went on sale I decided to purchase the 1735. The main difference between the 17s and 15s are the screen size. The price was not that different, which convinced me to go for the bigger screen. Unfortunately, things with the Studio did not work out so well. In fact, as it sits here preparing to be sent back to Dell, the nicest thing I can say is that the color was pretty. Of course, even the pretty color comes with a few flaws, including an easily scuffable cover and the ability to attract fingerprints and dust like nobody’s business.
Look/Appearance:
Dell offers you the option of choosing a number of colors or artist designs for the Studio laptops. You can choose from such colors as Black, Midnight Blue, Spring Green, Orange, Purple, Pink and a number of other colors. Depending on the package that you get, the cost for colors for a Studio laptop will either be free or $25. I opted to get the Midnight Blue. The color is more noticeable in the light and though it is blue, I wouldn’t say that it’s midnight blue. The color wasn’t exactly like the one on the website, but it was acceptable.
The keyboard was probably the nicest part of the system. Thanks to the bigger screen the keys on the keyboard offer a roomier feel to them and the inclusion of a number pad makes the keyboard feel more like a standard keyboard, which I prefer to the smaller, laptop style. Above the keyboard are a set of media buttons. These buttons work with a slight touch and control your volume (on, off, high, low, and mute), eject your optical drive, and play or pause movies that you might be watching. I found these buttons to be a little sensitive. All it took was a slight brush of the finger when I was getting acquainted with the system and my volume was going up, down, muting, and coming back on in no time. As these buttons are black, only lighting up when they are touched, they can be hard to see unless you know what you are looking for, too.
The color scheme of the touchpad is integrated into the design so it appears to be an extension of the area where it is located. This also looks nice. The mouse has the touch bar that will scroll like a mouse wheel would. Like the keyboard, the mouse worked just fine and as it was designed with the overall scheme of the laptop in mind it added to the good-looking appeal of the system.
Affordability:
Affordability is always a hard one to gauge because what is affordable to one person will be highly outrageously priced to another. So, is the Dell Studio 1735 affordable? I will say that it is not insanely priced. I purchased mine with tax and everything for $952 and change. However, when you look at the fact that you can find a number of Sony VAIOs for under $800 these days, I am not sure that I would say the Dell Studio is fairly priced. Yes you can probably afford one, but considering the quality may not be there, you would be better off paying a cheaper price and getting a better system elsewhere.
Specs/Features:
There are a number of upgrade options for the Studio 1735 available, but I opted to go with the standard version for most features. The specs noted that the system should have been good on its own, so I decided that I would upgrade later, if I felt it was necessary. That being said, the main specs have been listed here:
Studio 1735, Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 2.0GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache
3GB, DDR2, 2 Dimm
Standard Keyboard
Hi Resolution, glossy widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440×900)
ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 3650
250G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 Year Limited Warranty
Assuming that all of these functions and components work according to plan, this would have been a system that would have been perfect for my needs. Unfortunately, the optical drive was faulty and would have needed to be replaced. It took in a Microsoft Office installation CD and would not read or eject it. I ended up losing the CD in the battle to get the laptop to spit it out. The battery life is pretty abysmal in its current state and the speakers are some of the worst I have heard, and that is putting it nicely.
Functionality:
Regardless of overall specs, price, and aesthetics this section is always going to be the most important area of your purchase. Unfortunately, I have had a few problems that have really turned me off when it comes to Dell Studio laptops. Every individual computer user is going to have a few things on their system that are more important than other things. For me, these would be sound (I love listening to music while I work) and speed (I am incredibly impatient). Other things are important, too, but these are my biggest wants/needs in a system.
The overall speed was much slower than my desktop. For reference, my XPS desktop is approaching a year old. It took a minute or two to boot up each time and get warmed up. This isn’t too bad, but I am used to it being faster. Once it went through its little warm up period, the speed was decent. I didn’t find myself waiting to do much and that’s what I am looking for in a system. I hate twiddling my thumbs while a computer crawls towards the goal. The speed could have been better, but it was passable for a basic component.
The optical drive arrived broken. You would think that they would have checked to make sure the parts worked (shipping was delayed, after all), but apparently they didn’t. I inserted a Microsoft Office installation CD only to never get it out. When I informed Dell, the return clerk informed me that those discs aren’t expensive anyway (I’m not sure where he’s buying his Microsoft Office) and if I have a code I can download Office and won’t need the CD. Needless to say, their customer service isn’t scoring any points, especially when the computer arrived with readymade faults.
The speakers were dreadful and that’s the only way to describe them. Placing the volume higher than halfway, causes the speakers to emit a static whine that is completely annoying and wholly unattractive. There is no reason that the sound could not have been decent, but these speakers are just awful. Additionally, beyond the sound quality, the volume never gets that high either. So you are stuck with hearable sound that is disgusting or less disgusting, but too quiet. Either way, these options don’t give you much to work with.
The monitor was nice, with a shiny, sharp screen. Of course, it’s important to note that while the graphics are good this would not in any way be recommended for gamers. Actually, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone, but if I were going to, I wouldn’t recommend it to gamers because the good graphics are not good enough to do gaming justice.
Overall, this is not (or should not) be the functionality profile for a brand new laptop. This was actually sad enough for me to say that I would probably not buy a Dell ever again. Ending up with this for the price I paid would not be worth considering picking up another. I can easily go to another company and get something made with care that actually works up to its level in comparison with other systems.
Ease of Use:
If you know how to work a computer in general, the Dell Studio laptops shouldn’t cause you any problem. Everything works the same way that a standard laptop would, so everything should appear to be fine in this department. The design of the computer and the overall layout makes it easy to navigate and get to where you want to go. This is the best part of the system, though with the majority of problems encountered elsewhere, it’s safe to say that while it was easy to use, the inconvenience and impatience level remained high throughout the user process.
Overall Quality:
In case you haven’t figured it out, I cannot in good conscious recommend the Dell Studio 1735 to anyone. While I was really looking forward to getting this system, I am completely disappointed in what I received and am now considering going to Sony, HP, or another company that is more willing to work with their customers and provide a better system overall. Do yourself a favor and buy a VAIO or something else instead. Chances are, you will be able to pay less, get more, and the laptop will actually work the way that it should.
Ratings:
Look/Appearance: 
Affordability: 
Specs/Features:
Functionality:
Ease of Use:
Overall Quality: Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Dell, Laptop, Studio 1735, Laptop Review, Electronics, Computer, Computer Review, Dell Studio 1735, Specs, Broken, Optical Drive, Poorly Made, Piece of Junk, Don’t Buy
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.
Filed under: Computers, Electronics
You’re being sooo injust. You simply cannot buy more value for the money, i.e. the cheapest 17 inch Vaio comes with a 200 GB harddrive, 3 GB RAM, nvidia 8400G GT, and the Studio 1735, at a similar price, gives you 320 GB of harddrive, 4 GB of RAM and the better ATi HD 3650. Ans so forth. I’d get a Studio 17, definitely.
I certainly wish you more luck with yours. However, it was the worst purchase I made all year. As far as computers it was the worst purchase I made ever.
The specs don’t lie I suppose. I thought the deal looked good on paper, too. However, I certainly didn’t get what I paid for. I am sure people will buy it for the fact that it is the “poor man’s” XPS. It’s not at all what it is though. Instead it is slow, clunky, and loud in all the wrong ways. If you’re looking only at specs though it sure seems nice. In the end, you get what you pay for. I got it and I admit I was wrong.
Well, indeed, scouring the web you’ll always see both (actually many more, if that was possible) sides of the coin. I always really get worried if one general opinion (usually the bad angle) really and absolutely overshadows all other opinions. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Studio, the reviews are quite balanced, even more in its favour. I’m thinking you might have got a “lemon”, only 2 months after the official release of the product (June, if I’m mistaken correctly (pun intended)).
You did not mention if you struggled with the drivers and so forth, Dell has released many updates since then, including a BIOS one. Of course, that wouldn’t have fixed you’re optical drive. That’s why I’m saying you COULD be a bit unjust, rightfully frustrated for getting delivered a lemon, so frustrated, as a matter of fact, you didn’t even try to improve the machine. But hey, that’s perfectly understandable, I would have probably insured it then threw it out the window in anger.
I did read other reviews, some good and some bad. I wrote my review telling how I felt about the product. I am a Dell customer and have been for years. Buying that computer was the worst mistake I ever made. Not only did I have to deal with Dell’s customer service which is a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, I got a computer that was just plain awful. That’s not a slight against Dell, it’s a fact. I own two XPS computers and love them. The Studio doesn’t come close, though they claim it does.
The problem wasn’t anything that could be updated or at least, no updates were available. Talking to tech support led to the need for a technician to come out because they were unable to fix the issues I had. I find it ridiculous to need a technician to come out for a computer less than two weeks old.
All I know is I wouldn’t waste my time buying another Dell laptop. I’m quite happy with my new VAIO, which had comparable specs and was cheaper thanks to the sale I bought it during. I haven’t had a problem with it and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
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The Studio 1735 is a peice of shit. I came across this review whilst searching for “dell 1735 studio problems”. Mine has broken for the second time in 3 months. First a hard drive problem, and now it won’t turn on full stop.
And god help you if you want any support, the Indian call centre people are nice but utterly useless. I am calling back tomorrow to demand a refund or at very least a replacement.
I use it everyday for work, and it’s alreay been out of action for 10 or so of the 90 days i’ve had it which is simply unacceptable.
Go to a real store with real assistance, that’s what I’ll be doing next time. You’ll pay more in the end if you go with dell.
How can I eject a CD without shutting down the computer. When I am finished watching a cd, and hit the Eject icon. Nothing happens. Can you help?
I purchased a dell Studio 1737 in December 2008 to replace a much loved Dell Dimension that was about 5 years old. I have used this laptop for about a month now and would love to hit the damned thing with an axe. I have never used a bigger piece of crap in all my life. This Dell hangs on a daily basis, reboots on its’ own, refuses to unload dvd’s, does strange things with the media key lights, goes to sleep for no reason. And what total dumbass at Dell decided that a power cord extending 3″ out of a laptop is a good idea? Am I the only one that sees the intelligence in a 90 degree angle power cord? Don’t buy this POS unless you have more time to jerk around than I do. Oh and by the way, I am a 20 year IT professional, no worms, viruses or malware on my system, just plain ole crappy dell manufacturing.
i bought a dell studio 1735 last dec. and have to say i’m quite disappointed with dell’s quality control. First one i got there was a dead pixel. so, changed for another one. this time the speakers wouldnt work. just gave a crackling noise. Third unit, or POS, the power LED kept flickering and would go out sometimes. Changed it again. This is the fourth one and seemed ok but now just a month and a half later, the Num Lock LED died.
Now i’m wondering what will die next.
There will be a small hole on your CD drive somewhere, should be just big enough to fit a pin inside. Make sure the system is powered down and press the button inside with a pin and it should pop open!
I’ve just been on checking this site as my girlfriends had a Dell Studio for just over a month, now it wont turn on…..from looking on this site and others I’m starting to think that Dell might not be the best make around.
My Num Lk stopped working and after some time started working again.
I have been through total hell with my Dell 1735. After finding Dell support to be totally useless (and I even paid extra for Dell on call and so-called on-site warranty service that did not exist, I ended up paying a third party $600 to fix it, and now I am still having problems with drivers, network connections, and admin problems. To top it all of, I spent tons of money on every virus software known to man because Dell kept telling me it was a virus (but the only thing Dell on call had me do to fix the virus after I paid them to do it was have me reinstall a jillion times). Add to that a cell phone bill of over $1000 after spending days and nights on the phone with Dell for two months. Plus my last back up to Dell Data”Safe” did not load correctly, so now I have lost all of my important emails, files and tax data for the last 3 years and have been unable to recover it all even though I have spent another $200 on data recovery. This has been a total nightmare. I am seriously considering hiring an attorney to file a class action suit against Dell. Microsoft has been trying to help (for free no less) and even had their research department on it. Microsoft tells me this computer was not originally Vista (which Dell claimed it was), but was actually a “dell” Vista upgrade from “dell” XP, and likely one of the causes, if not the primary cause, of all my woes. Even after having a third party to a clean reinstall (or so I am told) of Microsoft’s Vista, old XP glitches remained, probably due to the Intel raid crap and/or trying to restore files from the previous versions. I could go on and on and on….
Hey,
I must say I could not agree more well I can… After breaking a perfect system just cause the bluetooth was not working dell decided to replace my system. (they had said my old system was tested before being sent back to me but both times it came back dead as a paper weight) after enough arguing they said they would send me a a Studio 1735, BIG MISTAKE, besides there specs on paper not matching the actual system the laptop was extremely sluggish and unresponsive, I had to uninstall so much stuff just to get the media buttons to respond (I now have no sound at all) so once gain I got back to dell and after another 2 weeks of arguing they seem to say they will send me an XPS instead (what an upgrade from Insperon) but in all honestly my last system I know worked just fine had Dell Service Depot not killed it. I look forward with trepidation and fright at the thought that I may be getting an XPS and another whole bag of problems to deal with, I just hope I sort it all out before I go back to school… I don’t think I would go back to Dell especially since their service is lacking to say the least and that they like to either sell u more garbage you don’t need or tell you how great they are after they mess up big time.
My Dell Studio is also my worst purchase ever. The thing came with incorrect sizes for keyboard and face plate – this discovered by home tech who finally came to my house after first shipping to Dell who returned the laptop in the exact same condition as when I shipped to them (with a form letter stating they found nothing wrong!). The tech gave me a lot of new parts but when he was done I still had no sound at all. I’ve had this lap top 8 months and have been going round and round with Dell but they will not replace it because the first time I called to tell them about problems it was 6 days past the deadline to replace the system. I probably won’t buy from Dell again. Yes, the customer service is nice but they seem to be doing everything within their power to NOT admit they sent me a defective product and take responsibility for it.
My 1735 is having issues with the keyboard locking in ALL CAPS and the number lock not working. If I switch users and go back to my profile, everything goes back to normal. What gives?
I too just purchased a Dell 17 inch Studio laptop. Everything seems to be alright except for one ANNOYING problem, the sound is completely and utterly dreadful. It sounds as if I am listening to my music in a 1986 Crown Victoria. It’s fuzzy and complete static noise. I am furious, if my 5 year old Toshiba laptop (which is being held together with duct tape and shuts off every 10-15 minutes randomly) sounds better, there is a problem. I’m hoping to phone Dell tomorrow and request it be fixed, wish me Goodluck. If anyone else has this problem please let me know if you’ve found a solution or how you’re dealing with it.
We have 2 Studio 1735 Laptops and been having several problems in the last 10 months. We had the motherboard replaced in 1 of them and the hard drive was bad in the other one. I am thinking of adding a secondary drive for the purposes of imaging the 1st drive. Does anyone have a suggestion ? Dell doesn’t sell one.
Even though my son has the Studio 17 and except for the battery issue that you mention is happy with it, I am inclined to go with your evauluation of Dell.
Back in March I ordered a 15″ Studio laptop. Somewhere near the end of April it arrived, the claim that it was back ordered to explaim the late shipping. Arrived on Friday, on Sunday while working on the laptop and at the time not even touching a button the unit shut down. Upon restart everything was recovered but time. This continued to happen whenever the unit felt was an inoportune moment for the next several days and no technical support or the little man in the machine was capable of fixing the problem so the answer was to send it off to the depot to be repaired. Remember this is less than a week old!
The depot had it for a wekk and couldn’t get it to shut down so they called, I suggested they do what I was usually doing for my job when it would shut down, have a word document, an adobe document and a page from the internet open and peruse them one at a time. While the technician was doing this and speaking to me the unit shut down on him. One would think that the problem could now be solved, NOPE!
THe unit arrived more than a week later, now it had been in the shop longer than I had it. With a note that it had been cleaned but the problem could not be fixed!
Contacted DELL and they would send a replacement. Several weeks the late , no computer, the processors ar eon back order. One will be rushed out ASAP. New order. When it arrives it is the inspiron missing several things that were on the original order and obviously a lesser quality unit. The good thing about this one is it worked. Keep that in mind.
Before it was even plugged in the call to DELL, much back pedalling and much appoligies correct unit with a better graphics will be put through on a rush, hang on to the Inspiron until it arrives.
3 weeks later newer version of the Studio arrives on Wednesday. Check all the checks, plug it in and prepare to pack the Inspiron. But the graphics on the Inspiron are better than the Studio,that’s not right!
Whatever it has everything else. I transfer what little is on the one to the other and start to work. Friday evening I have an error message appear while manouvering around a website, no problem, I X out of the error and continue for a very short time before closing everything for the night. Saturday am I open the laptop to start work and low and behold the error message from the night before, but this time it isn’t going away. No amount of X, or esc or left click on the mouse will work. Right click the mouse and everything goes black.
3 days old and the bugger won’t even turn on!
Now here’s the kicker! DELL claims it has been more than 30 days since the original contract (Remember the March order) and they won’t accept a return. We can send it to the depot though!!!!
I ordered mine and I am going to prove you wrong! HA!