*Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (6MB cache/2.8GHz/1066Mhz FSB) *4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067Mhz (2 …]]>

*Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (6MB cache/2.8GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
*4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067Mhz (2 Dimms)
*Edge-to-Edge FullHD Widescreen 16.0 inch RBG LED LCD (1920×1080)
*2.0 MP Built in WebCam with internal microphone
*ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 – 512MB Dedicated Video RAM
*500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive

*BluRay Disc Combo (DVD/CD read/write + BD read) Slot Load Drive

*Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card

*ports: 2 USB 2.0, 1 eSATA, 1 HDMI, 1 Firewire (1394), 2 headphone jacks, 1 microphone jack, LAN, external Video

*Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)

*Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0

Microsoft Windows Vista with SP1 Home Premium Edition 64-bit Edition English (which is required for Windows to recognize 4GB+ RAM)

$2148.00 (plus shipping and taxes) and this could be YOURS too! Unfortunately, you can’t just “ditty-bop” into your local Walmart, or even your local Best Buy and pick one of these sublime “puppies” up, it has to be ordered directly from DELL. You CAN, however, configure this computer online and pick and choose the items of your choice. In practice though, it only takes Dell 3-4 days to build, and then can be received overnight, if you want to get it right away.

The DELL XPS-Studio-1640 is my most recent “Desktop Replacement” category Laptop. I NEED/WANT/COVET the latest and greatest “HiTech Toys” available dear readers! And this Laptop fills the bill perfectly! It plays BluRay movies flawlessly, and the LED back-lit LCD screen is just GORGEOUS!

I’ve recently upgraded my Windows Vista (Dell factory installed) o.s. with the RC1 version of Windows 7. See more POSTs on Windows 7 coming to this very site!

While the screen is “only!” 16 inches it’s in the “widescreen” format and is only slightly smaller (only in height!) than my prior favorite Laptop, the 17″ TOSHIBA QOSMIO. While the screen is only a “titch” smaller than the Toshiba’s, the outside dimensions are MARKEDLY slimmer all the way around. It amazes me how much “stuff” they can cram into such a diminutive package (15.0″x10.0″x1.25″). There is still enough room for 2 Altec Lansing speakers and a subwoofer! Very capable sound system indeed!

The Samsung NC20 (see Netbook eval on this site) measures in at 11.5″x8.5″x1.2″. It’s sound is “thin and puny” in comparison though.

The QOSMIO is a veritable “tank” in comparison at 16.5″x12.0″x2.5″! It takes two hands to pick up the QOSMIO, yet the Dell Studio XPS-1640 can (quite literally) be picked up by pinching it between thumb and forefinger! To be fair to the QOSMIO, it has excellent sound. It SHOULD with 4 Harmon Kardon speakers AND a subwoofer! The QOSMIO has only a 2Ghz processor, Florescent back-lit display, no Hi-Def DVD, and a smaller Hard Drive! Other than the dimensional differences, and the MUCH greater weight, this is still a pretty nice laptop itself, or I wouldn’t have purchased it.

While I had had the QOSMIO for only a couple of months (it’s my backup computer on the truck now) the DELL is a very welcome replacement. The DELL is quite refined and polished in its engineering and finish. Fine touches abound! The screen has to be seen to be believed, and the back-lit keyboard is a very welcome touch while typing in the darkness of the back of my truck.

And, for you gamers, this is close to being the most capable gaming laptop available. It’s, of course, nothing like a full-blown desktop gaming machine! However, I’ve not found a game yet that doesn’t play well on this mighty Laptop! Crysis (and other quite hardware demanding games of similar ilk) play smoothly, even at higher resolution settings and graphics modes.

I’ve, literally, owned a half dozen Toshiba Satellites (one HP Pavilion, and the one QOSMIO) and this DELL just “shines” in comparison. For those of you though that have only the requirement to get your e-mail, and surf the web, BOTH of these machines are radical overkill. I would suggest getting one of the far more cost effective “new breed” NETBooks. They are not only much cheaper, but they are a much more practical size. And we all know that our real estate in a truck can be very precious indeed!

Customer “Ratings” of this computer at : http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-studio-xps-16?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=corp&~lt=popup#reviews

© 2009, Dennis Dearborne. All rights reserved.