Dell Studio 15-1558

The Dell Studio 1558, a 15-inch unambitious

The Dell Studio 15 Intel Core pass to i3 and i5 but the chassis does not progress and shortcomings remain.

The Studio 1558, proposed in a fairly balanced configuration, remains less expensive for its capacity: about 800 euros. In addition, the design has not changed much since the release of the series, it becomes difficult not to find thick.

The expectations before test

It is not uncommon for Dell machines in value quite favorable. But it seems that Studio 15 (Series 1558) is passed through the cracks. The evolution of design is still not on the agenda and the configuration we seemed a little expensive for what it offers , although on paper it is balanced. Note, however, that the reference that we tested has seen some of its components changed and certain promotions with courses on site Dell drive down the price of this small apartment below 800 euros.

The reality

This is a mid-range machine rather difficult to define . Dell does not particularly spoiled us with the Studio 15 , but as we detailed above, the price has dropped slightly . This range , which is interposed between the Inspiron and XPS PCs labeled , plays both the card design and performance.

Design a little but not too

Upon its release, the Studio series is defined in two ways: with a customizable and especially design licked ! And if that was true , standards have evolved in this area at high speed and Dell is struggling to keep up. The frames are always as thick (3.9 cm, the vertical fault to the superimposition of the ports rather than their horizontal alignment ) and even to pass out on some mammoth machines competition. The keyboard would also need a good cleaning : It is time that Dell passes chicletMore on the ball and far more pleasant than typing this here . End with the hood , which comes in several colors or designs urban, would benefit from a bit sided also .

As we said earlier, all ports are arranged one above the other , vertically , which is not always practical when multiple devices are connected to the machine . However the distribution of this is fairly well thought out . The only regret we have is the presence of a single USB port under the optical drive , slot -in type which, when a key is plugged into an impressive little above , may interfere with the ejection of the DVD. The shift to the side, between the optical and port Express Card , was not too complicated! Please note that Dell is one of the few manufacturers to keep the miniport FireWire on all of its chassis, which is a good point to emphasize.

A configuration that has changed since our test !

The configuration we have had the hands was equipped with all components available on the Dell site for its Studio 15 (Intel Core i5 – 520M , 4GB DDR3 , 500GB HDD , DVD burner , etc. . ), with the exception of the graphics card was an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570. A little old-fashioned, she left her room for a HD 5470 on the site , and latest DirectX compatible 11. Clear at once that this series does not play current games by pushing all the details thoroughly . But WarCraft 3, Counter -Strike: Source or Left 4 Dead 2 and all games have a fairly new graphics engine will pass, if you ‘re playing “little chemist ” with levels of detail and all the various filters and effects .

The 15.6-inch screen – quality as bright ( 231 cd / m2) and contrast ( 104:1 a ) – provides a definition of 1366 x 768 pixels, ideal for HD content. And if the desire to project a movie in 1080i on an LCD TV takes you , HDMI will be happy to serve you output channel . Also note the presence of two headphone jacks on the machine, watch a movie in two on the train without disturbing the neighbors and without using any adapter. In this regard, priority should be given the episodes of your favorite shows to a peplum, because the video playback time is two hours and twenty-five minutes, almost three hours if you optimize the settings , turn off the wireless part this (Wi – Fi b / g) and are content to use Word or reading documents .

The test and review conclusions

The Studio 15-1558 – configured as we have tested – is balanced a laptop capable of doing everything without shine in use in particular ( aside from the office ) . Its design is a bit old sprain in many respects to our taste , but it is a matter of taste. Power consumption is contained . However , the noise amounts to almost 44 dB when the machine is pushed to its limits : very (too) audible !