Studio 17 Panel

[Patch]

I ordered a Dell Studio 17 the other day for a multi-purpose family laptop.http://www.dell.com/content/products...=19&l=en&s=dhs

I went with the base 1440X900 display because 1920X1200 seemed a bit silly on a 17 inch display (particularly with a second-tier laptop graphics card) and the WLED seems a waste of money until they can prove it truly decreases power consumption (the laptop will be WAY out of date before the "lifespan" becomes an issue).

Since a MAJOR reason for the purchase is mobile video watching (by my munchkins), I've been having a nagging worry the base model display viewing angle may not be as good as the WLED or the 1920X1200. I didn't even think about viewing angle when I was researching/ordering, but that is a BIG deal for my intended purposes in this case. My assumption is that there won't be a noticeable difference in viewing angles between the displays, but I can't find any real information on these panels.

Anybody know anything about these panels?

BTW, I went with this laptop because of the 30% "across the board" discount (as opposed to the X$ off-a-particular-build-with-lots-of-stuff-you-don't-want/need type of discount). That, with my $250 off coupon knocked $800 off the $1800 configuration I ordered.

[thefultonhow]

The LED-backlit panels are both much brighter and more power-efficient. Mine is viewable in direct sunlight at full brightness, very bright at 2/3, and about as bright as my old laptop's display at 40%. It's still readable in most inside conditions at minimum brightness. That in and of itself will save battery -- running the display at minimum brightness really helps with power consumption -- but LEDs also use less power than CCFLs in the first place.

1920x1200 isn't too bad on a 17" monitor. I wouldn't go for it on a 15.4", but it's readable on 17", and the Dell WUXGA 17" glossy panels are pretty stunning. Honestly, unless you're gaming, even integrated graphics should be able to handle 1920x1200.

When did you order? If it hasn't shipped yet, you may be able to change options, and if you have it but are within the 21-day return period, you can request a configuration change and you can send the laptop back and they'll give you a new one. Make sure to call them and state that you'd like to have the rest of the discounts applied. Also, a little-known fact -- you can call them when ordering and have them knock money off the configuration. When I got my E6400, I configured a laptop that was $1960 on their site after a $409 discount, but called and got $100 more off. I later saw the price had gone down on their site and called and got it knocked down to $1595.