This was my second laptop and I have had it for years. It works great and has a lot of memory space. It was not cheap but I think all of the extra perks it has are worth the price paid for the Dell Studio 17 laptop. I chose the purple cover and I love how it is not the standard silver or black. I also have a backlight on the keys which makes it perfect for working on the internet in the dark. I find that it is fast and plays music and videos with great quality. I love how the screen is large so I can watch movies of videos full size without squinting to see what I am seeing. Based on the size of it, it would not be a laptop that can easily be carried around for school or business purposes on a daily basis but at home it is just fine. Sometimes my lap does hurt from the weight of it.

mlsn345

Jenkintown, PA

I recently purchased this laptop for my mother to replace her desktop. She had been wanting one for years. When it arrived, I turned it on to make sure everything was working correctly and was ready for her to pickup. I was immediately blown away at the speed and power that this laptop had right out of the box. I was able to quickly and easily set it up to sync with my wireless network. I was also able to immediately connect to my own, much older Dell laptop...without even trying to! IT came pre-installed with Windows 7, which is actually a pretty amazing OS. It also came with a intergrated webcam ad accompanying software...when I tested this out I was amazed at how something we thought my mother wouldn't be interested in was able to get and hold our attention for well over 2 hours! My mother isn't very big on technology but she had a ball trying all of the little fun things the webcam allowed you to do with my kids...and was excited at the prospect of being able to have webchats with the boys. She was also thrilled at having a full keyboard with keypad in the convenience of a laptop. This was something that was very important to her. I would recommend this product to anyone that wants a quality laptop or desktop replacement for a very good price. Ease of Use Still a very easy prduct to use Battery Life The battery life could be better. The extended battery that it came with needs replacing a little over a year after initial use. Speed/Performance Over time the speed and performance has dimished since first reviewing. It still works but I have to deal with a lot of reboots when it gets hot (which it does often).

butterflyfiend

Columbus, GA

This past year I took deathly ill and ended up int the hospital for two months. I had to have half my fingers amputated. So a long hospitalization meant I was going to go out of my mind without my Dell Desktop. I needed a laptop bad! I was loaned a Fujitsu Notebook to get me by till I got one of my own. So with it, I did some research and chose the Dell I wanted and this is it. It is also my first laptop of my very own. My daughter has an HP. I hate it. Not easy to use and filled with glitches and FAIL. (she also feels regret for buying it instead of a Dell...won't do that again!) The fujitsu I borrowed is nice, a good solid machine, but slow to respond, heavy to hold and pricey. So I got my Dell, and it is all I hoped it would be. Without some of my fingers, I need a laptop with a keyboard I can use easily. This Studio 17 has that. The keys are also responsive, without being clunky. They move smoothly. I am also have with its toughness. This laptop can take a bit of rough handling, not intentional of course. As a computer, it can handle me using it to extremes. I do a lot of things at once and it responds. The battery power is fantastic. I go a good 4.5 hours without an issue. But on the flipside, this battery is my one gripe. It is shaped in a way that it is not flat on the bottom. I do not like this design as I cannot rest it comfortably on my lap. That is however, my only complaint. Another good product from Dell! Design Would prefer it if the battery pack did not have a bump on the bottom.

bunnysmama

Spokane, WA

First off, let me say....from my experience...NEVER buy Toshiba laptops. I swear they use their customers as guina pigs. It had one fan with a dual core processor...which overheated and burnt out the mother board...TWICE...even with a cooling pad. I have had MUCH, much better luck with this Dell so far. For me, this laptop has MANY pros, and very few cons. It has been extremely reliable, hasn't needed a repair or servicing once (in almost 2 years), unlike my boyfriend's stupid XPS Dell. His has needed a Dell tech to come out to the house at least 3 times in probably 3 years. While the graphics aren't quite as good as a typical 'gaming' computer...unless your only reason for buying this laptop is for gaming, I think the average user will find this laptop's graphics to be more than satisfactory :) It didn't come with a couple features that I would have liked (ie, fingerprint scanner) but it does have a built-in webcamer/ camera (that is able to take screen shots), and it works pretty well. (It's not an extrememly high resolution camera...but still, pretty good, built-in and gets the job done). All in all....pretty good quality, reliable, doesn't overheat, and haven't had to take it in or have someone come out to the house to service it. I use Pandora radio on this laptop, and the sound coming out over the speakers seems really good. Better than my last toshiba laptop. I also watch movies and online TV on here with good results...THOUGH, I have no idea if it'll play blue ray dvds (if you're into those). Another pro this is the windows 7. If you have windows vista and are wondering if there is a difference. THERE IS! It takes a little getting used to, BUT you will love it as soon as you get used to it being slightly different. While this laptop has been very good to me, I would still recommend to all people buying a laptop, that they buy an extended service warrenty. When you do need it, it is invaluable!!! I didn't realize just how much can go wrong..., and HOW MUCH it would cost without a warrenty (experience with my previous toshiba). UPDATE: the led in my my power cord, where it plugs in and shows me that it's charging flickers occasionally now, BUT hasn't affected the ability to charge as far as I can tell. STILL loving the laptop.

MySnuggleBunny

Gainesville, VA

Dell Studio 1735 Laptop.  Good Stuff - Looks cool, has nifty media buttons above the keyboard. Love the number pad. Lots of USB ports and all ports and hookups are on the sides rather than in the back.  Clear, well lit large screen.  Now for the Bad - No physical eject button for the disc drive, if you are having software issues, you can't get the dang disc out.  Comes loaded with Vista which is a huge problem in itself.  My laptop started shutting down at random times for no reason, just poof! - off!  Media buttons would stop working altogether, trackpad would stop responding (usb mouse would continue to operate, though). Tried all the tricks I could Google up.  Nothing worked. I have learned a lot about this laptop that way. Found out I will probably have to replace the keyboard (Mine looks like rolling hills, high spots and low spots.   One day when my laptop had shut down something like 30 times in two hours, I finally wiped the drive and installed Ubuntu (Linux). Everything seems to be working ok for now, but I still don't trust it enough to actually save anything important on it, I save everything to jump drives or burn it to disc.  Mostly I use it for browsing the web and reading email.  Seems like a lot to pay for the same things I can do on my Blackberry.UPDATE: April 4, 2009Finally broke down and called Dell tech support when I was completely unable to install any operating system onto the hard drive.  Right now I am running off a Linux Ubuntu Live CD because the hard drive is completely empty.  I was pretty sure that they would declare my warranty null and void because I had changed the operating system (five times to be exact) but they didn't.  They had me run a few tests and determined that I needed a new hard drive.  The lady asked me if there was anything else that needed replaced.  I mentioned that my keyboard keys stick sometimes, so she added a new keyboard to the order.  So, I am supposed to get a new hd, keyboard and installation disks in 3-4 business days.  I am supposed to make an appointment with a technician to install the new components.  Needless to say, I was extremely surprised at the outcome.  Guess we'll see what happens from here.

hulettwyo

Gillette, WY

Ever since i bought this laptop i fell in love with it.It's fast, reliable and the sound is awsome .You can multitask and it's great for people that loves to mess with dj software.doesn't overheat the only thing is that the battery is not to good but other than that it's an awsome laptop.

papo12

Orlando, FL

I have a Dell Studio 17in Laptop I also have a Toshiba laptop. The Dell is ok, I already had to send it back to the manufactor twice because something kept going wrong with it. My Toshiba has better stuff than the Dell. I perfer my Toshiba it is better to do my school work on. My Toshiba has everything I need and it even is fast on loading and my Dell is a little slow and has less on it. I give a Dell 3 stars on the rating. Dell to me is not that great.  

wmeliff

Adamsville, TN

I bought the Dell Studio 17 (in February of 2009) after 12 years of working on a MAC... needless to say, the transition wasn't altogether smooth! When i ordered the system, I wanted to upgrade to the 64-bit Vista OS, versus the 32-bit OS (the fact that it only came loaded with Vista perturbed me slightly, but then again, I was moving from Tiger on the MAC to a PC, so there was bound to be shell-shock regardless). I upgraded to the Vista Ultimate OS package, assuming that it would come with both the 32-bit and 64-bit OS install disks... it did not. Even though on Microsoft's website, when you order the Ultimate disks, they come with both sets of OS', the same does not apply when you order through Dell - just a word of advice - you actually have to call them when you order and tell them you want it installed with the 64-bit disks. When I got the computer, and realized it had the 32-bit OS installed, I got right on the phone and called, looking for the 64-bit disks. I was told that my OS warranty, not my hardware warranty, would be void once I installed the 64-bit OS, since technically, it wasn't installed like that in the factory. Whatever... I installed the 64-bit OS and it seems to be running fine. It perturbs me that they don't tell you that you need to call to order the 64-bit OS, or they don't give it as an install option when you order online. So now my software warranty is void, unless I return back to the 32-bit install, in which case, I'm running a clean install, so why would I bother calling? But kudos for them sending the 64-bit disks out right away, though I did receive the 3rd degree. Question from Dell - Why do you need the 64-bit OS? Answer from me - Well, I'm a graphic designer and I run programs like Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, Illustrator, etc that could benefit off of the extra RAM I added to my laptop, for that specific reason... Answer from Dell - Oh, okay, that makes sense, that's fine. Honestly, why would I have made all of those upgrades to only let them go to waste on a 32-bit machine? **Pros** - Backlit keyboard absolutely rocks! - Full number pad on the side is a HUGE plus! - Custom color options are a nice way to personalize your machine. - Large widescreen monitor. - Lots and lots of USB ports. - Touchpad media buttons don't bother me, but I'm used to the MAC, however, I can see how that would bother a first time user. **Cons** - A touch heavy, but I knew that going into it (so not really a con, just more or less a general comment if you are looking for something portable)... it is a 17 inch widescreen for God's sake! I don't take it to too many places, or on a daily basis so that's fine by me. - Website could have been clearer about the 32-bit vs 64-bit options. - Kind of difficult to "wake" the laptop up after it's been sleeping sometimes... usually I have to run my hand across the touch media keys and that results in the opening of Media central (or whatever it's called) For what I'm using it for, this machine is doing the trick.

sreddy17

Rochester, NY

I got the Dell Studio Notebook last year around blackfriday and it has been my most handy tool ever since. If you need a computer that just does its job, producing it at a quick pace, having high ram+memory+looks sleek, then you can stop looking now. The Dell Studio is very economical but not dirt cheap like many other laptops out there. The only issue I had with it is that it has randomly frozen on me during java usage from time to time. I've been a dell loyal customer since 02 starting with my first every desktop. This has definitely been the best one yet! Oh yah, the other main issue was the fact that this is 17", if you want a laptop that you can carry around with ease... this may not be the best option for you. As for me, I love the big screen!

ChinChan

San Gabriel, CA

Dell Studio 17 Notebook is a very cool home laptop. It has all of the features that one wants in a laptop and actually beats some of the desktop models out there. The system comes with Core 2 Duo 2 GHz processor, big 17? screen, 4 GB Ram & 320 GB HDD & windows 7 home premium. The display is beautiful and the keyboard has a numeric keypad to the right (just like a desktop). I heard other reviewers getting the blue screen but I have been fortunate enough not to have dealt with it yet maybe it was for systems with Vista installed, mine came with windows 7. Overall great system with powerful specs and big screen!

ind2011

Hainesport, NJ