Archive for February, 2009

Dell Studio 15 in Practical Terms

Friday, February 6th, 2009

I finally gave up my Compaq X1030 US (1.4 P-M, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD, 64 MB ATI 9200M) after seven years and got a new laptop for work.  Last year I bought a new laptop for my wife (HP), but now it was time to replace my work laptop.  I had a new list of demands for my choice, as I had refined my tastes in portable computing since my last purchase.

My Desired Specs -

  • Core 2 Duo Processor (Intel processors are still the best)
  • 3GB RAM at least
  • Vista Home Premium (I actually like Vista, weird I know)
  • 15.4″ 1280X800 screen (for me this is perfect balance in resolution)
  • Integrated Graphics (battery life)
  • Good Battery
  • Brick and mortar store (if there is a problem with the unit, I don’t want to ship it back)

I looked for a while and found a good deal at Best Buy on the Dell Studio Series.  I picked up a Studio 15 for $699 with the following specs.

  • Core 2 Duo T6400 (2.0 GHz)
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 64 bit Vista Home Premium OS
  • 15.4″ 1280X800 Screen
  • Intel GMA 4500 MHD integrated Graphics
  • N-wireless
  • 9-cell extended battery

The build quality of the machine is excellent and I love the design, especially the integrated nature of the extended battery (I looked at a similar HP with a 12-cell battery that was not nearly as elegant). 

Performance

General Workhorse - Excellent – Not that office work is strenuous for a modern laptop, but this computer breezes through Office 2007 with nary a hiccup.  I run a gambit of programs on a daily basis and none of them have shown the slightest slowdown.

Audio/Visual - Very Good – Audio replay is seamless, while video replay suffers from the occassional very minor audio tick or clicks.  Overall they do not distract from the enjoyment of the media.

Feel -Excellent - This is a rock solid laptop with an excellent feel.  The integrated extended battery serves as boost for the back of the machine and keeps the system cooler due to increased airflow (even on your lap).  I even like the rubberized top of the machine.  I have to give Dell credit, these new Studio machines are far “sexier” than the recent offerings from the likes of HP.  The one complaint I have is the lighted power switch on the hinge (a la the Sony Vaio), this thing is a magnet for my 18-month old daughters fingers and has resulted in a number of unexpected shutdowns.

Gaming – Good - We all know you aren’t going to be playing Crysis or any other intensive game on this machine, but the question is more one of what can you play.  In my very untechnical tests I used two games.  The first is Civilization IV-Beyond the Sword since represents a mildly powered 3D game engine with little stress on most machines.  The game was smooth and easily playable at full graphics option at native resolution.  The second game was Titan Quest, a mildly intensive 3D action-RPG that can stress a mid-range system if the options are turned up.  The game is playable on the system, but requires a number of options to be turned down.  I would say for casual gaming the system is just fine, but nothing first-person (not that this shocks anyone).

Overall

Pros

  • Battery Life, Battery Life, Battery Life
  • Rock Solid Feel
  • Good Ergonomics
  • Peppy performance for office work

Cons

  • Integrated Graphics means only casual gaming
  • Some people will think the screen should be higher resolution
  • Occassionally there is to much key-sound from the keyboard

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Movies of January

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

This month has been a little light on the movies from Netflix and movies out, probably due to the start of semester and my portfolio being due at work.

Sex and the City (***) – Not bad.  I watched the series with Amy for the last few seasons and I thought this did a good job of tying up the show.  I deducted one star because of the sequel rumors, leave well enough alone (George Lucas, you should follow that advice).

Revolver (***) – Holy hell that was a weird movie.  I typically like both Guy Ritchie movies and Jason Statham movies so this seemed like a good bet.  While the acting is good and the characters are memorable I had to deduct a star for the whacked out premise and the confused ending.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-1981 BBC (****) – This is the original BBC series for TV so it may not qualify as a movie per se, but it is on Netflix Watch Instantly feature so I’ll count it.  First, do not look to this for cinematic value, great effects, or even terrific acting.  Do watch this movie for the definitive screen version of one of the best satire novels of the last century.  The books are inifitely better, but this is a good adaptation as only the BBC of the 70s and 80s could do.

Sex and Death 101 (***) – This is a good rental.  The plot is outrageous, a man receives a random email that lists every person he has slept with and every person he will sleep with.  Of course this results in some interesting plot devices (“Terry is my husband’s name”).  The secondary plot has to deal with Winona Ryder (looking better than in many of her recent movies) as a female vigilante that is putting misogynists in comas.  The real standouts in the movie are Patton Oswalt and Mindy Cohen, both delivering hilarious performances.

Mummy, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (**1/2 ) – I loved the first two Mummy movie, they were the perfect blend of camp and action.  This movie was panned by the critics, but I think it suffers from comparison to the other two movies in the series.  If you take the movie by itself it is a better than decent popcorn movie.  The camp was ramped way up and the story was a little fluffy, but in the end it was an enjoyable little Mummy adventure with some really funny inside jokes (and a few really bad ones, goal kicking yeties anyone).

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