Dell Studio XPS 1640 15.6-Inch Obsidian Black Laptop - Up to 3 Hours 8

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 4.6 x 19.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.2 pounds
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
ASIN: B002PY7OTE
Item model number: x1640-513OBK

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Blending power with elegance, the Dell Studio XPS 16 delivers superb multimedia performance and mobile design. The smooth contours of the high-gloss, Obsidian Black finish gives you the sense that you’re using something truly special. The 15.6-inch full 1080p Hi-def widescreen display has a fast 8ms response time for a crisp, clear resolution during fast-action video and gaming. Its backlit keyboard and touch pad buttons are easy to use, day or night. Keep an eye on your battery power by simply checking the color of the indicator on the hinge. Plus, capacitive multimedia buttons glow white when activated.

Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.
The Dell Studio XPS 1640 in black.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. (Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.)
It's powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor--with Centrino 2 technology--which boosts speed, reduces power requirements, and saves on battery life. The 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 includes a quick 1066 MHz front-side bus and 3 MB of L2 cache, providing an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multimedia and multitasking performance. It also includes a Draft-N wireless LAN, which will connect to 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11b/g networks as well.
With the HDMI A/V output, you can connect the Studio 1555 to a compatible HDTV to display your creations to a larger audience. Other features include a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of installed RAM, 2-megapixel webcam, ExpressCard 54 slot, and pre-loaded Microsoft Works.

Key Features

15.6-inch LED-backlit full HD widescreen display (1080p)
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. (Learn more)
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor with Centrino 2 technology, 3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front side bus (FSB) (Learn more)
320 GB hard drive
4 GB of installed RAM with 800 MHz speed (expandable to 8 GB)
ATI Mobility Radeon M96XT with 1 GB discrete graphics
2.0 megapixel webcam with facial recognition software automatically secures your computer when you're away. This software adapts to your changing looks so you can expect faster login times. Also, there's no need to remember numerous passwords for password-protected Web sites.
8x multi-format DVD drive supports reading/writing of CD-R/RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL, and DVD-RAM
Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n)
Fast Ethernet (10/100)
Built-in stereo speakers with integrated subwoofer
Dell Dock: Enjoy a cleaner desktop with this application organizer. Installed software applications on your PC are automatically sorted into user-friendly categories placing your most frequently used programs front and center.
Dell DataSafe Online backup service offers data protection by enabling customers to back up data to a safe, remote storage site using a broadband connection. Dell DataSafe Online is easy, flexible and secure. After setup, it will automatically back up data and help protect against software, hardware and catastrophic failure.
With Dell Remote Access you can easily access photos, music, movies and more on your home system using another Internet-connected computer.
Dell Support Center: This centrally located, easy-to-use application provides personalized support resources. Conveniently located on your PC's desktop with quick links to service, support and system resources. Helps keep your system up-to-date and running efficiently through automated fixes for common configuration issues.
Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works and McAfee SecurityCenter for anti-virus protection (with 30 days of updates)
6-cell battery
Dimensions: 15.15 x 10.02 x 1.34 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 6.4 pounds
Warranty: One-year with 24x7 technical support

Networking, Connectivity ; ExpansionBe ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with an integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots). It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. It comes with the following external connectors:

3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players

Includes 1 eSATA/USB combo port

1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
Analog video output: 1 VGA
1 ExpressCard/34 slot
8-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and more
1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
RJ-45 port for Ethernet

What's in the BoxThis package contains the Dell Studio XPS 1640 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions
Learn More

Technical Details

2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 Processor
4GB Memory
320GB Hard Drive, DVD±R/RW Optical Drive
15.6" Display, ATI Mobility Radeon M96XT Graphics
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), Up to 3 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life

Customer Reviews

Okay, so how many laptops can you find with a 15.6" screen, 1080p resolution, and a decent graphics chipset for under $1000? Not many! This laptop met all three of these needs for me. It came with enough RAM that I don't need to upgrade it until the 8GB of SODIMM modules become ridiculously cheap. The video chipset M96XT (AKA Radeon 4670) has pretty decent performance [...]. There are just way too many other laptops out there that have 1080p screens and an Intel GMA chipset, or low resolution 1280x800 screens with decent video chipsets. This laptop has both high resolution and a good chipset.
I recently took it to a LAN party to play Team Fortress 2 and it ran beautifully with all the settings turned up to high (60fps+). My last laptop died because the CFL backlight failed, with the LED backlight that should never be a problem. It's also super bright. I usually have it set to a quarter of the brightness and it's still pretty bright.
If you don't like the disk I/O speed (I think it's fine) you can always put a SSD in this as it's a standard SATA disk drive. There are USB ports on the left AND one eSATA/USB on the right, so you can use either one.
My laptop actually did have a gigabit network adapter (not the 10/100 listed here) but no jumbo frames support :( Typical with Broadcom.
Oh, and Windows 7, 64bit is amazing. You have the full 4GB of system memory and 1GB of video.
Cons?:
No scroll lock button, no pause/break button. Not sure how if there is some hidden Fn shortcut to get these. But who uses these really? There's no Fn num-pad, but really, I never used that. The wireless enable/disable switch is a capacitive touch button right above the keyboard. It's easy to accidentally hit it and turn the wireless off and not realize it.

Purchased this computer a few weeks ago for my son who is heading to college and we have been very happy with it. Sleek, responsive, and able to handle gaming and media applications with the well-above-average video card, memory, display and processor combination. All for under $1000.00? Impressive. A fingerprint magnet, which bothers some, but is not a big deal to me. Battery life is average compared to the other laptops I have owned, but acceptable, and I am confident, but admittedly have not looked, that an aftermarket upgrade at battery is available. I have seen complaints that it runs hot, but have not experienced that, at least not hotter than any other laptop with a dedicated video card running during intensive applications and certainly not uncomfortably so. The fan is partially blocked by the monitor, but does its job, and for long sessions of gaming I would recommend a secondary cooling device for any laptop. I have also seen at least one review indicate that the video card was not good for gaming, but other independent reviews of the specific card and pc configuration, and my own experiences, refute that, this pc was built with demanding gaming in mind, while not sacrificing portability or versatility.
I have only one beef with the purchase. Amazon no longer price guarantees its products. This machine dropped in price $35.00 shortly after I purchased it (within a week). I still had it, unopened, and contacted Amazon about a price credit, and was basically told to pound sand. The most frustrating thing about that was I could have simply returned it for a full refund under the 30 day return policy for unopened computers, and bought another one at the new price, discounting my price savings by the 15 dollars or so in return shipping costs (I do not think the return policy covers that), and when I pointed that out to Amazon, I was invited to go ahead and do that. To me, it appeared Amazon was effectively banking on the fact that I would not go through such hassle for such a "small" savings. And they were correct, but only because I did not want to be empty handed for my son's 18th birthday. So they won my business with a good price on a great machine, but lost my respect as a company for such poor customer service. I make many internet purchases, and absent a serious reason to do so, will not be shopping at Amazon in the future.
EDIT REVIEW - after I wrote this it got me worked up all over again so I contacted Amazon a second time and low and behold I was given a 35 dollar credit! While they deserved the smack on the nose with a rolled up paper they got for how I was treated the first time, they likewise deserve a treat and an attaboy for eventually doing the right thing. Amazon you have won back my business.