Dell Studio is a range of laptops and desktops targeted at the mainstream consumer market, produced by Dell.[1] The computers sit above Dell's Inspiron and below the XPS consumer lines in terms of 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 were 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 contained 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 also available as lower-end options.[3]
On June 18, 2010, Dell's website stopped selling the Studio Hybrid.[4]
As of May 2011, Dell has discontinued the Studio line of notebooks.[5]
A 14" laptop.[6]
A thin-and-light 14" laptop. Lacks an optical drive.[7]
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. The ATI Mobility Radeon 5470 1 GB graphics card had just been added. Some designs, like the Studio 1537, were available in a variety of colors, such as orange, red, pink, lime green, black, and a variety of creative patterns that were incorporated into the computer's top and could not be changed by the user.
A 17" laptop.[8]
The Studio Dell XPS was a 13" laptop considered to be at the higher end of the Studio range of products.[9] 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.[10] The more serious issue is with the slot-loading optical drive; the device simply does not fit properly into the 13-inch shell.
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.[11] 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.[12]
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 as well as a laptop motherboard, memory, and a laptop power adapter. The computer itself is enclosed in a plastic interchangeable sleeve which was available in various colors including a $130 premium version made out of bamboo. The machine was based on either a Pentium Dual Core or a Core 2 Duo mobile processor. By default, it came with a slot-loading DVD-RW drive but for around $200 your system could be upgraded to a Blu-Ray drive that could also burn DVDs along with the Broadcom Crystal HD card needed to accelerate the video properly (Using Dell Media Direct Software). The board had an integrated Intel X3100 graphics chipset, so while not able to play graphics-intensive video games, it was adequate for common tasks. When these computers were released in 2008 they initially came with Windows Vista but users were offered the Windows 7 upgrade at no extra cost from Microsoft. The last units to be sold came with Windows 7 but with the maximum RAM upgrade of 4GB they could easily run Windows 8 or 10 without a problem. The included stand could be configured to stand up the computer either vertically or horizontally. The appropriate "Hybrid" logo would light up depending on how the machine is orientated.
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 performance of the XPS, the Studio XPS desktop is a full-fledged multimedia center.
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 inch LCD monitor. The chassis can be customized with five different colors. There is also a touch-screen option.
| Studio Hybrid[13] | Studio and Studio Slim[14] | Studio One 19[15] | Studio XPS Desktop[16] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release | 2009 | 2009 | |||
| CPU | Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4300, Intel Core 2 Duo T6500, T6600, T8100, T9300 or T9500 | Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200, can be customized up to an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (both models) | 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 CPU 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. | Intel Core i7-920, 940 or 950 | |
| Memory | 2, 3 or 4 GB shared dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz | 2 GB dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM, upgradable up to 8 GB | 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz | 4 or 8 GB dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 MHz; or 3, 6, 12 or 24 GB triple-channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 MHz | |
| Chipset | Intel GM965 | Intel G45 | Nvidia MCP 7A | Intel X58 Extreme | |
| 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) | Integrated Nvidia GeForce 9200 or 9400 | ATI Radeon HD 4350, HD 4670 or HD 4850 | |
| Display | 18.5" widescreen, 1366×768 resolution (optional touchscreen) | ||||
| Hard drive | 160, 250 or 320 GB SATA (5400 RPM) | 320, 500, 640 or 750 GB SATA (7200 RPM) | 500, 640, 750 GB or 1 TB SATA (7200 RPM, 16 MB cache); 640 GB, 1 TB or 1.28 TB SATA (7200 RPM in RAID 0); or 500 GB or 640 GB SATA (7200 RPM in RAID 1) | ||
| Optical drive | 8× slot-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive ($200 Blu-ray drive upgrade with Broadcom Crystal HD card offered) | 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× slot-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW or 2× slot-load Blu-ray Disc combo drive | 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) | |
| Webcam | 1.3 megapixel webcam | ||||
| Wi-Fi | Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n mini-card (optional) | Internal 802.11b/g or 802.11n wireless networking | Dell Wireless 1505 802.11n with external antenna | ||
| 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 | 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 | 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 |
According to users on the Dell user forum, the Studio 15 (older 1535, 1536, and 1537 models) and Studio 17 (1735, 1736, and 1737) frequently encountered errors with the touch-sensitive controls. The eject or start buttons for Dell MediaDirect stayed lit for a few minutes after the unit was powered on - resulting in a loss of functionality from the rest of the buttons.[17]
Users have additionally reported issues with the Studio 1555 and Studio 1557's video cards. This was later found to be the effects of a video driver problem.[18] [19]
The 1555, 1557 and 1558 models have been known to overheat during certain activities - namely 3D graphics related applications and games. The design of the heatsink and fan prevented some basic approaches to fix this issue. By combining the heatsink and fan components, users were prevented from cleaning blocked heatsink vents or from replacing thermal paste - furthering the overheating problems.